Two

Sahara was already tired of this little family get-together.

The noise and the laughter and the constant teasing, it was getting to be suffocating. All she wanted was to get away somewhere quiet and breathe.

So she sneaked out

Behind their house was her old human-sized playhouse. It was built for her when she was ten by her father, Quinn Cooper, because she begged him endlessly for it. It had seemed such a dream come true at the time.

Now it was her escape.

Without thinking much. She pushed open the door and entered.

Same place, still well kept after all these years. Two small rooms, just enough for a queen bed, a small living space, and a faint smell of old memories that never quite faded.

Sahara sprawled on the couch in the mini living room and sighed wearily.

And then the anger came back.

Leaf

She hated how easily he could make her feel invisible after she worked so hard tonight. She’d worn make-up, done her hair, and even stepped out of her comfort zone just to get his attention.

But to Leaf Morgan, she was still Sancho's kid sister.

That's all. She sighed sadly.

Her eyes wandered.

That was an idea. A bad idea.

She was already moving again before she even thought it through properly, curious more than anything else, having quietly slipped a bottle of vodka from her father’s wine cellar earlier. This was something she had never had a chance to try before. Being twenty, she still felt like a child, always under the shadow of her brothers' rules and restrictions.

No bar hopping. No parties without supervision. No freedom that was free of conditions.

It was tiring.

And now she was alone in her little hideout and finally uncapped the bottle.

Her lips were in a little mischievous smile.

"Just one drink," she told herself.

That was all it took for her to throw the bottle back.

The burn was immediate.

She coughed hard, nearly choking as the liquid burned down her throat. Her eyes went wide with shock, and for a second, she almost dropped it entirely.

"Ugh, what the hell is this?" she muttered, wiping her mouth on the back of her hand.

But she pushed on even as she coughed.

Stubbornness had always been one of her worst traits.

For once she wanted to do something reckless.

So, she took another sip.

Smaller. More in control.

The sting became a warmth, little by little.

And warmth became something looser…lighter.

Again her mind drifted.

To Leaf

To the way he looked at her as if she were still a little girl playing dress-up in someone else's world.

She snorted bitterly.

She didn't know she was crying until tears blurred her vision.

“Why won’t you love me…Leaf? ” she whispered brokenly into the empty room.

It wasn't loud.

It didn’t have to be so.

Not that anyone was there to hear her.

Just the silent walls of her little hideaway...and the girl who had finally let her feelings spill over the edge she had stood on for years.

Meanwhile, Leaf had been wandering about the Coopers’ garden for some time.

He began to squirm.

He wasn’t much of a party guy. The Coopers weren't just family friends; they were family to him, and that was the only reason he came. Otherwise he would not have come at all.

Most of the guests were old and talked about business and marriage and things he didn't care about. Sahara was the only other person here close to his age.

And frankly that was distraction enough.

He’d even raised a brow earlier when Mrs. Viviene proudly declared that Sahara had cooked most of the food for the celebration.

This startled him.

He had no idea she could cook like that. To him she was always the youngest, the spoiled and coddled daughter, who was supposed to be out shopping or socializing, not running around a kitchen preparing an entire menu.

And there she stood.

Overdoing it to get attention.

Especially of him.

Leaf breathed deeply. He took a slow sip from his glass and decided to get away from the noise of the house. The back garden was quieter; it was better.

Then he thought of something.

Sahara's former playhouse.

Behind the house was the small building her father had built years before. That was her little kingdom in the day.

He might sit here for a while and escape the crowd.

As he came close, he heard something.

A voice.

Very soft slurring. Time's up.

He paused.

That didn’t look good.

He frowned. He grabbed the door and turned the knob.

“It's open," he said. That alone made his face stiffen.

He slipped in quietly and shut the door.

and he froze.

Sahara was there.

She sits on the carpeted floor, her movement loose and unfocused. Clearly unstable. He could smell the booze immediately.

“Really? “he muttered.

His eyes went to the bottle next to her.

Vodka.

What was she thinking, drinking vodka?

He knew she wasn't used to alcohol, which made the situation even worse.

Sahara stood up suddenly, swaying a little.

"It's...so hot..." she whined, fanning herself lazily.

Leaf’s jaw clenched.

"Sahara," he said. Firmly. Onwards. "Well, what did you do?"

But she didn't appear to hear him right.

She was deep in thought.

Then she said it.

“Leaf…I like you,” she said, pointing at him generally. “Very much….”

His whole body went rigid.

"Sahara, stop—" he started, but she was already pulling at her clothes, discarding them carelessly as though she didn't know the situation she was getting herself into.

“Hey, wait! ” His tone unexpectedly became sharper. “Don’t even think about it.

He turned his head a little, self-contained, already moving to her.

"This is not good," he said more strongly. Look at me, Sahara."

But she never did.

No.

She stumbled again, and before she could react, he was there, catching her before she could fall.

Shit..." he breathed, holding her. “You’re going to give me a headache tonight.

He took off his coat without thinking and threw it over her shoulders, tucking her in warm.

"There," he said. “Hold still.

Sahara, though, would not let him go.

Her eyes were half-lidded as she looked up at him, weakly scratching at his shirt.

“Is it…you? "She breathed.

He couldn't help it; his face softened.

"Yeah, it's me, doll," he said softly.

Her fingers touched his face lightly, as if to make sure he was real.

“You…never listen to me,” she murmured. "I thought...maybe I didn't mean anything to you...

"Not true, doll," he said too fast.

"No." She shook her head a little. When had he ever believed her?

“I like you,” she said again, more softly now. "I really like you, Leaf..." A tear slipped down her cheek.

Leaf sighed, running a hand over his face. She was rambling, saying whatever came to mind.

"You see why you don't drink," he said, but there was no anger in his voice. Just tired.

He carefully lifted her in his arms.

“Come on,” he said. “You are going to bed.” But when he understood that she shouldn't be seen by her father. He decided to put her in one of the rooms of that playhouse.

Then he set her down carefully on the bed.

But then as he tried to back away—

She got him.

“Don’t leave…” she whispered.

And he was caught, just like that.

She looked at her for a long time.

A girl he'd always thought was too young. Way off the mark. Lack of variety.

And yet now, the way she looked at him.

Soft. Vulnerable. No walls left standing.

He released a long breath and sat down beside her.

He said gently,

“I’m not going anywhere."

And somewhere between the duty and something he wouldn’t name…

He stayed.

Until exhaustion finally caught him too.

Loud voices jolted him awake.

He doesn’t have a hangover, so he recovered quickly, but his mind was still foggy from the events of the night before.

“What…is there a fire? ” he blurted out in confusion, still disoriented as he sat up.

“You bastard! You’re going to marry my daughter! ”

Before he could fully process what was happening, Quinn grabbed him and punched him hard. The blow landed on his jaw, sending blood to his lip and nose.

He stumbled back, shocked, wiping the blood away as he looked up at the older man.

“Why did you hit me, sir? ” he asked, confused, his eyes searching for answers.

“Why? ” Quinn roared. “You think you can do something like that to Sahara and walk away? ”

The anger in his voice shook the room.

“Sweetheart, stop—before you hurt yourself,” Viviene tried to calm her husband, her voice trembling as she looked at their still-unconscious daughter.

Sancho stepped forward, grabbing Leaf by the collar, struggling to control his anger.

“I can’t believe you would do this to our sister,” he said through clenched teeth. “She’s too young for you, Leaf. You know that.”

That was when Sahara slowly stirred.

“Ow…my head hurts…” she groaned, sitting up weakly. “I will never drink again…”

She blinked, confused, looking around the room.

“Why are you all here? ” she asked, completely unaware of what had just happened.

Her father’s voice was final.

“Get ready, Sahara. You’re getting married to Leaf today.”

Her eyes widened.

“W-What…Dad?”

“You heard me,” Quinn said firmly. “He took advantage of you last night.”

He pointed at Leaf, who stood silently, his face bruised, his expression tense.

“And he will take responsibility for it.”

Sahara immediately shook her head quickly.

“No—no, that’s not true! ” she said, panic rising in her chest. “Nothing happened. I swear! ”She doesn't remember anything.

Her hands clutched the coat around her, the only thing covering her properly.

“I’m fine…nothing happened to me,” she insisted, her voice shaking. “Please believe me.” She wasn't feeling strange either.

Her mother looked at her with conflicted eyes but said nothing.

The decision had already been made.

“We will settle this today,” Quinn announced coldly. “You will marry him in front of Judge Charlson.”

“Dad, please listen to me! ” Sahara begged, her voice breaking. “Mom, please…”

But no one answered her plea.

One by one, they turned away and left the room.

Silence swallowed the space between her and Leaf.

“I’m sorry,” Sahara whispered, tears already forming. “I don’t know why they think this happened…I don’t even remember you staying here.”

Leaf exhaled heavily.

“I was here last night.”

She froze.

“I saw you drinking,” he continued. “You were already drunk. You said you were hot, and you…started taking your clothes off.”

Sahara’s face burned instantly.

“But I didn’t take advantage of you,” he added quickly. “I stopped you. I put my coat on you, and I brought you here so you could rest. You pulled me down when I tried to leave, so I stayed beside you. That’s all.”

Sahara shook her head.

“Then why aren’t you saying that? ” she cried. “Why aren’t you fighting this? ”

Her voice cracked.

“You don’t even love me…you’ve always treated me like a little sister.”

Leaf looked away for a moment before speaking.

“I can’t go against their decision,” he said quietly. “Our families have been connected for years. I can’t destroy that.”

“And I can’t go against my father either,” Sahara whispered. “He’s sick…I can’t be the reason he breaks down.”

Silence fell again.

Then Leaf stepped closer, his expression hardening.

“You planned this,” he said flatly. “I know you’ve liked me for a long time, Sahara. But this marriage isn’t going to make me love you.”

Her breath hitched.

“This is a forced marriage.”

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, tears finally falling freely.

Leaf let go of her shoulders sharply, stepping back as if making a decision.

“Fine,” he said coldly. “Then let’s make rules for this arrangement.”

Sahara nodded slowly, wiping her tears.

“I’ll listen.”

He listed them one by one, his voice firm and detached.

“One, don’t expect me to love you.”

“Two, I can date whoever I want.”

“Three, you don’t interfere in my life.”

“Four, don’t embarrass me or cheat behind my back—if you do, it’s over.”

“Five, you don’t go out without permission.”

“And lastly, you will fulfill your duties as my wife when needed. No complaints.”

She had no choice but to go along with it. Deep down, she knew she had made a mistake. If only she hadn't let her guard down last night, they wouldn't be in this situation.

Sahara nodded silently after each rule.

Leaf studied her for a moment and then turned away.

When he left, the room felt colder.

Sahara finally broke.

Tears fell one after another as reality sank in.

Everything had changed in a single night.

The man she had loved from afar now stood in front of her not as someone she dreamed of—

but as someone she had been forced to marry.

And she had no choice but to endure it.