Chapter 6

Vivian stood in front of the vanity table, slowly removing her diamond earrings. I sat on the edge of the bed, still wearing my wrinkled shirt, feeling like a defendant waiting for a judge’s verdict.

“Dewangga,” Vivian’s voice was calm, yet that calmness was far more frightening than anger. “How long do you think we can keep living like this?”

I stared at the tips of my shoes, not daring to lift my face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Vivian.”

“Stop making a fool of me!” Vivian turned quickly, her breathing beginning to grow uneven. “I know Davian went into your room last night. I know what happened on the third floor. And I know… I know you never truly look at me when we’re together in this bed.”

Every word that left Vivian’s mouth felt like a slap across my face. I wanted to deny it, but my tongue felt numb. The truth was too enormous to hide anymore.

Vivian stepped closer and sat on the chair in front of me. She reached for my hand—a gentle touch that only made me feel even more guilty.

“I love you, Dewangga. When I accepted you as my husband, I imagined a future where we would build a happy family together. But now, I feel like I’m sharing a house with two strangers who are destroying each other.”

“Vivian, I’m sorry…” I whispered hoarsely.

“I only have one piece of advice for you, Dewangga,” Vivian looked straight into my eyes, her gaze glistening with tears. “Davian doesn’t love you. He only loves power. He’s using you to satisfy his ego, to prove that he can take anything that belongs to me. If you keep playing his game, you’re not only destroying my marriage—you’re destroying yourself. He will throw you away once you’re no longer useful to him.”

I fell silent. Vivian’s words made sense, but the image of Davian—the way he touched me, the way he recognized the darkness inside me—still haunted every nerve in my body. I felt like an addict being told the poison was killing him, yet my hand still reached out to find it.

“Leave this madness, Dewangga,” Vivian continued, her voice now pleading. “Let’s start again. We can leave this house, far away from Davian. We can fix everything before Papa finds out and it’s too late.”

For a moment, I saw a way out. A small light at the end of a dark corridor. I looked at Vivian and saw the pure sincerity in her eyes.

But just as I was about to nod, a soft knock came from the connecting balcony door.

The door opened slightly.

Davian stood there, leaning against the doorframe in an elegant black shirt, an unlit cigarette tucked between his fingers. He looked at both of us with a thin, deadly smirk.

“A very touching moment,” Davian said coldly. “But unfortunately, Vivian, your husband has already gone too far into my world for you to pull him back.”

Vivian stood up, positioning herself protectively in front of me. “Get out of here, Davian! This is my room and my husband!”

Davian laughed, the sound scraping like metal. He stepped inside without the slightest trace of guilt.

“Your room? In this house, nothing truly belongs to you if I want it. Including Dewangga.”

Davian looked at me, his eyes locking onto mine, reminding me of every forbidden moment we had shared.

“Dewangga,” he said slowly, “tell your wife. Do you really want to leave? Are you truly capable of living in the ‘boring happiness’ she offers… when you know that only I can make you feel alive?”

I was trapped between two poles. Vivian offered safety and dignity, while Davian offered a thrilling destruction.

Under Davian’s gaze, my heart betrayed me once again. I remembered what it felt like to belong to him—what it felt like to drop every mask beneath his touch.

“Dewangga, don’t listen to him!” Vivian shook my shoulder.

But I could only lower my head. Guilt and desire battled inside my chest until it became hard to breathe. I knew Vivian was right, but I also knew my soul had already been scarred by Davian.

Davian stepped closer, ignoring Vivian who trembled with anger. He leaned down and whispered something only I could hear.

“The choice is yours, Dewangga,” he murmured.

“To be a slave to false morality… or to be a king in hell with me.”