Chapter 17

Jasmine’s POV

The rain had slowed down, and the thunder was not so loud anymore. I was still in the living room, curled on the couch with my favorite blanket and a fantasy romance book in my hands. The title was Zodiac Academy. I had just gotten to the part where everything was getting heated — The Ruthless Boys of the Zodiac — and I couldn’t put it down. I was fully inside that world, far away from the thunder outside or the weird tension in this house.

Blake stood up and stretched. He looked toward the kitchen and then back at me.

“I’m going to check the power box,” he offered. “Maybe I can fix the lights.”

I nodded without looking up from my book. “Go be a man, honey,” I said with a small smile.

He rolled his eyes and walked off. I kept reading. My heart was still beating fast...not from the storm, but from the part of the book where the main character was surrounded by her enemies-turned-lovers. And the fact she wanted all of them, and not just one. I was thoughtful of how a normal human would want to settle with many men, could she be able to understand and satisfy them? But so far so good in the book, Elise has been doing a wonderful joh satisfying all men and showing she really wants all of them even if it was hard for them to accept most especially because of the feud between Dante and Ryder, and the sight Gabriel had seen of him being just mated to Elise alone.

The lights flickered once, then twice. Then they came back on fully.

I sat up straighter and smiled. “Wow,” I said to myself. “He actually did it.”

Blake came back into the room, grinning like a little boy who just got a gold star. He had this proud look on his face, and I couldn’t help but tease him.

“Oh please,” I said, looking at him. “Don’t act like you fixed a spaceship. Every man should know how to fix the light.”

He held up a hand like he was about to give a speech. “I’ll take my trophy now.”

“No trophy. Just sit down before the lights go off again.”

But I spoke too soon. The storm returned. It came so heavily with loud wind, hard rain, and the sky flashed again. The lights blinked again and went off.

I groaned. “See? You jinxed it.” he chuckled but made no move to go out to fix it.

I looked up after a while noticing the silence , and the space beside me empty, and found Blake standing by the window. He was holding a glass of wine and staring out at the rain like he was in a sad movie. The soft candlelight made everything look extra calm.

I put my book down on the table and walked over to him. I picked up my wine glass from the side table and joined him.

“Deep thoughts?” I asked.

He glanced at me. “Just thinking.”

“About?”

He took a small sip. “Nothing important.”

We stood side by side, watching the rain together. It was nice and peaceful.

“You really like that book,” he said after a while. “You didn’t even hear me the first three times I called you earlier after the lights went out.”

I looked at him surprised. And there was me thinking he snubbed me to stand by the windows. “You called me three times?”

He gave a nod.

I laughed. “Sorry. It’s just… this book is good.”

“What’s it about?”

I hesitated and blushed heavily. How could I bring myself to tell hi

He raised a brow. “Come on. Tell me.”

I sighed. “Okay. It’s set in a magic academy. It's full of drama, danger, and hot boys.”

He blinked. “Hot boys?”

“Yes,” I said, hiding my smile. “It’s an academy bully romance. But I’m on the part with the ruthless boys of the zodiac. The female lead is walking on the path of being in a reverse harem with the hot boys.”

He looked confused. “What does that even mean?”

I grinned. “It’s a reverse harem book.”

“A what?”

I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. The way he said it, like he had never heard such a word in his life, was too funny.

“A reverse harem,” I repeated.

“Okay, what does that mean? Is that like… when the girl has more than one boyfriend?”

“Yes,” I said proudly. “It’s when the girl gets to have multiple guys. All for her.”

He looked at me like I had just told him the sky was green. “Why would anyone want that?”

I shrugged. “It’s fiction. But it’s fun.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Is that the kind of stuff you read?”

“Yes,” I said with a wide smile.

He shook his head and hissed. “Ridiculous. Why would one girl want more than one guy?”

“Why wouldn’t she?” I replied, sipping from my glass.

He turned toward me fully. “Are you saying you would want more than one guy?”

I looked up at him, trying to keep a straight face. “Well, sometimes a girl needs options.”

He stared at me. “That’s not funny.”

I gave a small shrug. “It’s a choice. And honestly, with how grumpy and difficult you are, I’m pretty sure any girl would want another man in her life.”

He went still.

“What?” he asked, slowly.

I sipped again. “You heard me.”

He stepped closer. His voice lowered. “Would you want another man in your life?”

I didn’t answer right away. I felt the heat rising in the room again. Not from the wine or the candles. From him.

I looked at the window instead. “This is an arranged marriage, Blake. And a contract between the both of us. You know that. And with everything going on in the media, it wouldn’t be smart for me to be seen with someone else right now.”

“That’s not what I asked,” he said again.

I sighed. “I don’t have a love interest, okay?”

He stared at me.

“And even if I did,” I continued, “why would it matter? This marriage ends in a year. After that, I’ll be free to be with whoever I want.”

He didn’t speak.

“Why do you care?” I asked, turning to him now. “Are you scared I’ll leave you for some other man when the contract ends?”

Still, he said nothing. He turned away and stared back at the rain. His face was unreadable.

The silence grew heavy again. I didn’t push. I just stood beside him, holding my wine, wondering why he suddenly looked so… distant.

The rain kept falling outside. The lights were still out. The candles flickered around the living room. I stood beside Blake on the island, both of us leaning against it. My glass was empty now, but my heart felt full and heavy at the same time.

Blake had gone quiet since my response.

He hadn’t looked at me since I told him I didn’t have anyone and might get someone else after our contract ended. He just sat there staring out the window, his jaw tight, his hands resting on his knees.

I didn’t know what to say anymore. So I stayed quiet too.

Then suddenly, out of nowhere, he spoke. His voice was low, almost too low.

“My mother left when I was ten,” he said.

I turned to look at him slowly.

“She didn’t say goodbye,” he went on. “She just… left.”

I didn’t interrupt. I didn’t ask. I just listened.

“She left a note on the dining table,” he said. “It said she couldn’t do it anymore. That she needed something different. Something more. Something better.”

His voice cracked just a little, but he didn’t stop.

“I thought maybe she went on a trip. I waited at the window every night for her to come back. She never did.”

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“My father… he didn’t cry. He didn’t yell. He just folded the note, put it in a drawer, and told the maid to throw away her things.”

I still didn’t say anything. I didn’t even move.

“He raised me alone,” Blake's voice was sad now. “But he never hugged me. Never said goodnight. Never told me he loved me. He only said things like, ‘Don’t be weak’ or ‘Men don’t cry.’”

I could feel his pain. It came out with every word he said.

“I used to sit alone in my room and imagine my mom was just stuck in traffic,” he said with a dry laugh. “For years like an idiot.”

I placed my wine glass down slowly.

“I thought maybe she’d call on my birthday. But she didn’t.”

He looked down at his hands. “She had a new family. A new son. I saw the pictures online. I wasn’t even in her memories anymore.”

I felt a lump in my throat. I didn’t know Blake had gone through so much. He always looked so perfect. So in control. So unbothered.

“I hated my childhood,” he said. “People think growing up rich means growing up happy. They don’t know anything.”

I reached out without thinking and placed my hand on top of his.

His hand stiffened for a second. Then he looked at me.

“Don’t pity me,” he said fast.

“I don’t,” I whispered. “I just… I see you now.”

His eyes stayed on mine for a long time. He didn’t say anything. Neither did I. We sat like that, holding hands in the candlelight while the rain tapped against the windows. The thunder was soft now, just a gentle rumble in the distance.

I leaned closer, slowly and gently, suddenly wanting to comfort him.

I rested my head on his shoulder. His shirt smelled like soap and rain and something warm.

He didn’t push me away.

Instead, his arm moved and wrapped around my waist. His fingers didn’t grab me hard. They just rested there, like he needed contact, like he didn’t want to be alone right now.

We didn’t speak for a while.

The only sound was the soft storm outside and the candles flickering near us.

Then, after a long silence, I said something. Not loud, just enough for him to hear.

“I might not leave you.”

He turned his head a little. He didn’t say a word. But I felt his fingers tighten slightly around my waist. And that was enough for now.

“But it depends,” I continued softly. “On how well this marriage goes.”