Chapter 7
884 Words
Kairo’s POV
The room was quiet when I returned. Too quiet.
The air still smelled like her — soft and familiar, haunting in the worst way.
I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, my chest rising and falling in uneven rhythm. I’d hurt her — again. I’d betrayed everything we once shared, everything I once claimed to feel.
But I couldn't let myself feel it now. I didn’t have the luxury of guilt, not with a kingdom on my shoulders and a rebellion waiting to rise if I ever showed weakness.
Still, my hands shook.
I opened the door to the hallway and called one of the royal maids.
“Get her something warm,” I said, my voice hoarse. “A proper dress. I don’t care if it’s silk or fur, just… something that covers her. And prepare her a bath.”
The maid gave me a curious look but didn’t question it. She bowed and hurried off.
I closed the door again, dragged a hand down my face, and threw myself onto the couch. My heart ached, but I ignored it. My thoughts were full of her. Her eyes, her pain, her silence. The way her body had responded even when her heart resisted.
I needed to erase it.
I needed to forget.
As if summoned by my desperation, a knock sounded on the door.
Then she walked in — Liana.
My fiancée. My royal companion. My distraction.
She wore something tight and short, her curves wrapped in black lace, and her eyes full of mischief. She smiled, sauntering over like she didn’t have a care in the world.
“Baby,” she purred, sitting on my lap without asking. “You left the celebration early. What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?”
“Nothing,” I muttered.
She pouted, brushing her fingers through my hair. “Don’t lie to me, Kairo. You’ve been strange all day.”
Before I could stop myself, I pulled her closer and crushed my lips to hers.
It wasn’t love. Not even close.
It was escape.
Her lips were soft, familiar. Her hands wandered, gripping the back of my neck, sliding down my chest. I let her. I needed something — anything — to burn away the image of Selene’s broken face.
I laid her back on the couch and climbed over her, kissing down her neck, biting slightly. She moaned beneath me, grinding against my thigh.
Her hands found my shirt and yanked it up. I let her pull it off.
I grabbed her breasts roughly through the lace, squeezing harder than necessary. She gasped in pleasure, arching into me, whispering all the dirty things I used to love hearing.
But tonight… it all felt numb.
I didn’t feel wanted. I felt empty.
Still, I continued, trailing kisses down her stomach. She spread her legs without hesitation, eyes locked on mine, her lips parted in anticipation.
“You’re so tense,” she whispered. “Let me make you forget.”
That’s exactly what I wanted.
I slid her panties off and positioned myself between her thighs. She moaned again, louder this time, guiding me inside her like she always did.
Her head fell back, her fingers digging into my arms.
“Yes… yes, baby…”
She was warm. Willing. Wet. Moving in perfect rhythm with me. Her moans echoed off the walls as I thrust deeper.
But my mind betrayed me.
I saw Selene.
I saw her crying.
I heard her voice, her broken whisper: I hate you.
And without meaning to, the name slipped from my mouth.
“…Selene…”
Everything stopped.
Liana froze beneath me.
“What?” she said slowly, her voice sharp as glass.
I realized what I’d said too late.
“Wait—”
But she shoved me hard, making me stumble back. Her eyes blazed with fury.
“You called me Selene?!” she snapped, yanking a silk blanket over her chest. “Are you f*cking kidding me, Kairo?!”
I ran a hand through my hair, trying to explain, but she was already off the couch.
“You’ve been distant ever since the raid. I knew something was wrong — I knew it!” she yelled. “All this time, all this effort — and your mind’s been on her?! That filthy slave?!”
“Liana, don’t—”
“Don’t what? Don’t say the truth?” she laughed bitterly. “You slept with her, didn’t you? That’s why you left the celebration. That’s why you’re spiraling. And now… now you think of her when you're inside me.”
I stared at the floor. I didn’t deny it.
She gave me a look of disgust, then shook her head.
“You’re a fool, Kairo,” she spat. “You think you can have both — your crown and your weakness. But one will destroy the other. And if you keep choosing her… you’ll lose everything.”
With that, she turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
I stood alone in the middle of my chambers, still shirtless, my fists clenched at my sides.
I had no defense. No excuse.
Only the truth I refused to face:
I loved the woman I destroyed.
And now… I was paying the price.
- Writer
