Chapter 5

Nova

It had been a week since I moved into Killian’s house which was more like a damn mansion and honestly? It still didn’t feel real. The house was too big, too polished, and too cold. I could stand in the kitchen, and my voice would echo back at me like I was yelling into a cave.

I wasn’t used to all this marble and glass. My life  was simple, sharing an apartment with Vera, laughing late at night while we ate instant noodles because rent and hospital bills took up most of my money. Now? Now I had a walk-in closet the size of her whole living room, and I didn’t even own enough clothes to fill a quarter of it.

Killian barely said a word to me after that first dinner. He moved like a ghost, always working, always giving off this vibe like I was just an inconvenience he had to tolerate. Which was fine by me. The less I saw of him, the better.

Except… I did see him. Way too often.

Every morning when I came down for breakfast, he was already there, sitting at the head of the dining table like some king out of a movie. Always in a suit. Always with that unreadable face. And those damn gray eyes that made it hard to breathe sometimes.

I hated that I noticed.

One morning, I was buttering toast when Tanya walked in like she owned the place. Her heels clicked against the floor, her perfume was strong enough to choke someone, and she didn’t even look at me before sliding into the seat beside him.

“Morning, Killian,” she said sweetly, touching his arm like she couldn’t help herself.

He gave her a small nod, no smile, nothing more. That was the thing about Killian; he didn’t waste words or emotions. Everything about him screamed control.

Meanwhile, I sat there, sipping my coffee, trying to ignore the way Tanya’s eyes cut toward me every now and then. Like she was daring me to react. But I didn’t. Why would I? She wasn’t my problem. Still, she annoyed the hell out of me.

“Don’t you have a job or something?” I muttered one morning when she wouldn’t stop staring.

Her lips curled into a smirk. “Don’t you?”

Killian’s fork clinked against his plate. His eyes flicked between us, sharp and cold. “Enough.”

That was the end of it, but not really. Tanya wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was I. We were two storms living under the same roof, and Killian was right in the middle, whether he liked it or not.

Later that week, I found myself wandering outside after dinner. The mansion sat on this huge piece of land, with gardens that looked straight out of a magazine. I walked along the path, hands stuffed into my jacket pockets, the night air crisp against my face.

I needed a break from all of it, from the tension, from Tanya’s possessive little smiles, and from Killian’s silent judgment.

“Nova.”

I froze at the sound of his voice. He was leaning against the stone railing near the fountain, hands in his pockets, looking like he’d been standing there waiting for me.

My stomach tightened. “What? You following me now?”

He pushed off the railing and walked toward me. God, he was tall. Every step he took seemed measured and controlled, like even gravity had to listen to him.

“I wanted to ask you something,” he said finally.

I crossed my arms. “Spit it out, then.”

His jaw tightened, and for a second he just looked at me, like he was trying to decide if I was worth the effort. Then he said it:

“My grandmother paid for your mother’s treatment, didn’t she?”

The words hit me like a slap. My chest tightened, but I forced my face to stay neutral. “Why? Are you going to throw that in my face now? Tell me I’m just some charity case?”

He didn’t answer right away. His eyes searched mine, sharp and almost… confused. “You should’ve told me.”

I laughed bitterly. “Why? So you could call off the whole deal? Newsflash, Killian: I didn’t marry you because I wanted to. I did it because I had no choice. My mother needs me. She needs that surgery. If that makes me weak in your eyes, fine. But don’t stand there acting like you would’ve done any different.”

He didn’t have a comeback. He just stared at me, those stormy eyes of his unreadable. I hated that silence. It made me feel exposed, like he could see straight through my skin to the desperation I still carried. So I turned and started walking away.

But his voice stopped me. Low, rough, and almost softer than I’d ever heard it.

“She means that much to you?”

I spun around, anger flaring hot in my chest. “Of course she does! She’s my mother, Killian. The only family I have. I would sell my soul if it meant keeping her alive.”

His jaw clenched, and for a second, I saw something in his eyes. Not cold. Not cruel. Something else, something that looked a lot like pain.

But it was gone just as fast. He straightened, all business again. “Don’t expect sympathy from me, Nova. This is a deal. That’s all this is.”

I swallowed hard, nodding. “Good. Keep it that way.”

Then I walked off before he could see the tears burning my eyes.

That night, lying in the massive bed that didn’t feel like mine, I thought about the way he’d looked at me by the fountain. About the crack in his armor, the glimpse of something human underneath.

And I hated myself for wondering what it meant.  No matter how tall he stood, no matter how piercing his eyes were, I couldn’t let myself forget:

I didn’t marry him out of love.  I married him out of desperation.

And that was all it would ever be.