Chapter 2
1905 Words
Aluna’s days with Kaanan passed like the wheels of hell. She was forced to appear as the perfect wife in public—smiling when he held her hand, standing gracefully by his side at every event. But behind it all, her heart screamed.
She felt less like a wife, and more like a prisoner.
And that night, when Kaanan came home later than usual, Aluna exploded.
---
The room door opened with its familiar click. Kaanan entered with calm strides, his black suit still immaculate, his tie loosened. That dominant aura filled the room as always.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” he asked, eyes fixed on Aluna who sat on the sofa clutching a pillow.
Aluna turned, her face burning with anger. “Sleep? Do you think I can sleep peacefully after everything you’ve done?”
Kaanan removed his watch and set it on the table. “Everything I’ve done… was to save your father’s life.”
“By turning me into your slave?” Aluna shouted. “Do you think I have no right over my own life? Do you think I’ll always stay silent, bowing down to you?”
Kaanan’s eyes sharpened. “Watch your words, Aluna.”
“I don’t care! I’m sick of living like this! I’m not some object you can buy with my father’s debt!”
Kaanan approached slowly, his tall figure casting a long shadow over Aluna. He placed one hand against the sofa’s backrest, right beside her head. His voice was heavy, almost a whisper. “You dare defy me now?”
Aluna’s heart pounded, but she met his gaze fearlessly. “I’m not afraid anymore. I’d rather die than keep living as your puppet.”
Kaanan smirked. Without warning, he seized her chin, tilting it up roughly. “Never say the word die in front of me, unless you truly want it to happen. You’re my wife. Mine. Forever.”
Aluna slapped his hand away. “I’m not yours! The only thing you own is this ring, not my heart!”
---
The next day, Aluna tried rebelling even further. She slipped out of the house without her guards, taking a taxi to a traditional market. There, she walked freely, buying vegetables with her own hands, mingling with ordinary people. For the first time in a long while, she felt alive.
But her freedom didn’t last. Two large men suddenly appeared, their presence enough to frighten those nearby.
“Mrs. Sangkala, please come with us.”
Aluna stiffened. “I don’t want to.”
They tried to force her. The crowd began to stare. Panic surged through Aluna—she tried to run, but their grip was too strong.
Just then, a black car screeched to a halt in front of the market. The door opened, revealing Kaanan with a murderous glare.
His men instantly released Aluna. Kaanan strode toward her. “Get in,” he ordered coldly.
Aluna glared back with hatred. “I won’t!”
“Do you want to cause a scene in front of this entire market?” His voice was low, but sharp as a knife. “Get in. Now.”
Reluctantly, Aluna stepped into the car.
As they drove away, the murmurs of the market crowd spread like wildfire. They whispered about the Sangkala name—the most feared figure in the country had just stood before their eyes.
---
The car ride was suffocating, the only sound the hum of the engine.
“Did you really think you could run away from me?”
“I just want a normal life! Just once… to live without your shadow, without your threats!” Aluna shouted back.
Kaanan turned to her, his jaw tightening. “Normal? Do you think this world is normal? Our world is drenched in blood, Aluna. If it weren’t for me, your father would be a corpse by now. And you… you would’ve been sold to God knows where. Is that the normal life you want?”
Tears streamed down Aluna’s face. “If this world is so cruel… then why must I be trapped with you? Why couldn’t I just die with my mother? Why must I live in misery with you?”
Kaanan fell silent. For a moment, he closed his eyes, drawing in a long breath. When he opened them again, his gaze had softened—warm in a way Aluna had never seen before. “Because I can’t let you go,” he murmured.
Aluna froze. Those words shocked her. For the first time, she saw warmth in Kaanan’s eyes.
“What do you mean?”
He didn’t answer. He simply turned his face away, staring out the window. But his clenched fists on his lap betrayed the storm raging in his heart.
---
That night, Aluna rebelled again. She locked herself in her room, refusing to eat dinner with him.
“You think a flimsy door can stop me?” Kaanan’s voice echoed from the hall.
“If you dare, just break it down!” she shouted back.
Moments later, the door burst open with a single kick. Kaanan stood there, his gaze sharp, his breathing heavy.
Aluna backed away, but her eyes remained defiant. “You can’t control me forever. I’ll keep fighting you!”
Kaanan strode forward, pinning both her wrists against the wall. Their eyes locked—intense, burning. “You’re driving me insane, Aluna,” he whispered. “I could have any woman I want, but why is it only you who haunts my mind?”
Aluna’s heart raced wildly. Beneath the fury, there was sincerity—and that made her even more conflicted.
“Let me go!” she demanded, her voice trembling.
Kaanan stared into her eyes, then slowly released her. Without another word, he turned and left the room.
Aluna collapsed to the floor, weak, tears streaming down her face. Was this a glimpse of his heart—or just another cruel game?
Damn him. He drove her mad—cold and merciless one moment, warm and gentle the next, leaving her utterly confused.
---
Days passed with Aluna constantly testing her limits. She refused to attend business events, refused to wear the gowns Kaanan chose, even refused to share the same bed.
She was determined never to fear him again. But at times, she found herself shaken whenever his sudden warmth slipped through his icy walls.
The breaking point came when Kaanan returned home bloodied from a shootout with rival mafias.
Aluna panicked at the sight of his torn white shirt, stained with crimson. “Oh God, what happened to you?! Sit down!”
She scrambled for the first-aid kit, her hands trembling as she cleaned the wound on his temple.
“You i***t! What have you done? Fighting again?” she scolded, her tears threatening to spill.
Kaanan studied her face closely. A faint smile curved his lips. “You’re crying?”
Aluna froze, cheeks burning. “I’m just… scared you’ll die right in front of me.”
“If I die, you’ll be free. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
Tears fell at last. She glared at him through the blur. “Why do you make everything so complicated? Why can’t you just let me hate you completely?”
With his bloodied hand, Kaanan gently cupped her cheek. “Because I hate it too… I hate that I can’t hate you, Aluna.”
Silence wrapped around them. For the first time, the wall of hatred cracked. Aluna realized her rebellion wasn’t only about freedom—but also about protecting her heart from a man who had slowly slipped inside.
And Kaanan realized his power meant nothing against the one thing he feared most—losing Aluna.
---
The days after Kaanan’s injury felt different. Aluna, who once resisted him fiercely, now often watched him in silence. There was a side of him she had never imagined—fragile, warm.
Every night, she heard his footsteps pacing in the study. The light burned until dawn, proof of the heavy burdens he carried. And whenever he sat tense in the living room, Aluna quietly set a cup of hot tea on the table without a word.
“Aluna.”
“What?”
Kaanan looked at her with weary eyes. “Thank you.”
Her chest tightened, warmth flooding through her, leaving her flustered.
---
Day by day, the distance between them shrank. Aluna still rebelled, but now with a softer edge. She no longer ran away in secret—instead, she looked him in the eye and said, “I don’t want to go to that event.” And strangely, Kaanan began to grant some of her wishes.
For the first time, Aluna felt a sliver of control over her own life—even if small, even within a gilded cage.
But that fragile peace shattered when the past returned.
That afternoon, after Aluna finished shopping for groceries, a maid approached her.
“Mrs Aluna, there’s a guest asking for you.”
“Who?”
“She said… your mother.”
“My mother? That’s impossible. My mother is dead.”
“I don’t know, Madam.”
Curiosity pulled Aluna into the living room. There, a woman not much older than her sat elegantly in a lavish gown. Her face was exactly as Aluna remembered—beautiful, cold, and calculating.
“You?”
The woman smiled thinly. “Aluna, how are you? I never thought you’d end up married to such an extraordinary man like Kaanan Sangkala.”
Aluna stiffened, her hands curling into fists. “Why now? After everything, after my daddy nearly died, after I was forced into this marriage?!”
Her stepmother, Indira, rose gracefully, her eyes scrutinizing. “I had my own affairs. I returned because I heard your husband holds great power. I want to rebuild our family ties… and perhaps restore what was lost.”
Aluna’s eyes widened. “Restore? You mean exploit?”
Indira’s smile widened. “Aluna, the world is harsh. You’ll understand soon enough. With your current position, we can benefit each other.”
Just then, Kaanan entered. His chilling aura instantly consumed the room. “So you’re Indira, her stepmother?” he asked, his gaze razor sharp.
Indira smiled sweetly, unshaken. “Yes. I’m Indira, Aluna’s stepmother.”
“Not my mother,” Aluna cut in, her voice trembling. “Just my father’s second wife after my mother died. She left when Father was drowning in debt, when he was on the verge of death.”
Kaanan’s eyes flicked over Indira before he sat down coolly on the sofa. “Then what’s your purpose here?”
Indira moved gracefully, sitting across from him. “I want to cooperate. I know much about business. With your support, I can—”
“Enough.” Kaanan’s cold voice sliced through her words. “I’m not interested. And I despise people who abandon their family only to return for profit.”
For a split second, Indira’s smile faltered, but she quickly recovered. “I only wish to be close to Aluna. Nothing more.”
Aluna’s tears threatened to spill. “If that were true, why did you leave when My daddy was drowning in debt? Why did you never care for me? If you wanted closeness, why not from the beginning?”
Seeing Aluna’s rising emotions, Kaanan immediately ordered his men to escort Indira out.
- Writer
