Chapter 5 Knight

Ares

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting," I said, stepping into her line of sight.

Kianna blinked, pulling her gaze from the pavement. Her focus adjusted to me slowly, a faint, dazed confusion softening her features. "Did you... wait long? I didn't even notice you standing there."

"The wind is picking up, and you’re shivering," I said, the words coming out gentler than I intended. I gestured toward the heavy glass doors of the bureau. "Come on. Let's get inside."

She didn't move immediately. She just stared up at me, a sudden, dark flush creeping up her neck and staining her cheeks. Her fingers twisted into the fabric of the jacket I’d bought her, her breath hitching slightly in her throat.

I took a slow step forward, closing the distance until the heat between us cut through the autumn chill. I reached out, my hands settling firmly against the curve of her waist, anchoring her to the spot. I leaned down, my lips inches from her ear.

"Don't pull away from me, Kianna," I murmured, watching the goosebumps prickle across her skin. "Let’s go finish this. Let’s get married."

...

Kianna

The paper felt impossibly heavy in my hands.

I stared down at the crisp, official seal of the marriage certificate, my thumb tracing the embossed border. 'It’s done.' My name was stamped right beside his. In less than an hour, my entire existence had been legally rewired, tied directly to a man whose middle name I’d only learned twenty minutes ago.

The car came to a smooth halt, the tires crunching over loose gravel. I looked out the passenger window, taking in the small, unpretentious townhouse before us. It was a clean, two-story structure with faded siding and a modest front porch—completely disconnected from the luxury hotel suite where I’d opened my eyes this morning.

Ares was out of his seat before the engine had even fully shuddered to a stop. He rounded the hood, pulling my door open and offering a hand to help me down.

"Sorry about the delay," he said, a faint line of exhaustion cutting between his brows as he scanned the quiet street. "The midday traffic out of the city center was gridlocked. Let's get you inside."

I stepped out onto the pavement, my mind still stuck in a dull loop. 'He’s my husband. This stranger with the sharp jawline and the expensive shoulders is officially my husband.' I shook my head, my jaw clenching as a wave of reality hit me. 'What the hell did you just do, Kia? You signed a legal contract on a whim because you wanted to spite your father.'

Ares shifted his weight, his eyes tracking the frantic movement of my pupils. A subtle, uneasy tension tightened around his mouth.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his fingers twitching toward his pockets. "Look... I bought this sedan on a payment plan. I hope it’s... acceptable."

I looked from the modest car to his stiff posture. He was genuinely anxious.

"I should probably give you a proper breakdown of my situation," Ares continued, his voice dropping into a quieter, almost self-conscious cadence. "I'm employed at a logistics corporation. Like I mentioned, I’m just an assistant to the account manager. The company provides solid standard benefits, including interest-free employee loans—that's how I secured the financing for the vehicle and this place. I... I hope you aren't disappointed that I'm just a regular office worker."

The sheer sincerity in his face caught me off guard, softening the hard knot in my chest. "Hey. That's more than enough," I said, offering him a small, genuine nod. "Honestly, it's impressive you've built all this on your own." I glanced down at my watch, realizing the time. "Look, I’ve taken up your entire morning. You should probably head into the office after lunch so your supervisor doesn't penalize you."

A visible wave of relief washed over his features, his shoulders dropping. "Don’t worry about my schedule," he said, a small smile finally breaking through his nerves. "I cleared my itinerary for the day. Let’s go get your things."

The drive to the Saavedra estate was silent. The closer we got to the iron gates, the tighter my throat became. I stared out at the manicured hedges of my childhood home, the familiar weight of the place settling over my shoulders like a lead shroud.

Ares slowed the car to a crawl, his eyes darting from the grand facade of the house back to my face. "Is this the place?" he asked softly.

"It used to be," I whispered, my voice flat, drained of any real inflection. "But it hasn't been a home in a very long time." I unbuckled my seatbelt, my fingers trembling slightly against the latch. "I’ll... I’ll go get my bags."

Ares reached for his door handle, his brow furrowing with concern. "Do you want me to come in with you? We can handle it quicker together."

"No," I shot back, a little too quickly. I forced a tight, reassuring smile onto my lips before he could question the panic in my tone. "Please, just wait here. I can manage it on my own. I’ll be right back."

I shut the car door before he could argue, keeping my eyes fixed on the pavement as I hurried up the side path.

...

Kianna

I took the service entrance around the back, slipping through the kitchen door to ensure I didn’t cross paths with anyone in the main foyer. My bedroom was down the ground-floor hall, and thank God, the suitcases I’d packed the night before were exactly where I’d left them.

I grabbed the heavy handles, dragging them toward the exit. 'This is it,' I thought, wiping a bead of nervous sweat from my brow. 'Two decades in this museum, and it takes five minutes to erase myself.' I had to learn to stand on my own two feet now. No more cowering, no more playing the quiet, invisible daughter. The girl who let them walk all over her was dead.

"And where exactly do you think you’re taking those?"

The venomous voice cut through the quiet corridor. I froze, my fingers tightening around the luggage handles before I slowly turned around.

Avery stood at the end of the hall, her arms crossed, a malicious smirk twisting her mouth. "You've really outdone yourself this time, Kianna. First you push your father until his pressure spikes, and now you’re slinking off like a thief in the night?"

Before I could reply, a second silhouette stepped out from the parlor. Asteria stood beside her mother, her fingers twirling a strand of her bleached hair, her voice dripping with artificial pity. "Oh, Mom, let her go. Where else is she going to run? She’s probably found some low-rent guy to parasite off of."

The sight of her—the girl who had been systematically sleeping with my fiancé behind my back—made something spark violently in my chest.

"Is targeting my life the only hobby you two have?" I snapped, taking a step forward, the raw fury finally breaking through my restraint. "What's your actual talent, Asteria? Stealing other women’s garbage? The smug expressions on your faces are absolutely revolting."

Asteria’s smirk vanished, her cheeks turning a blotchy, aggressive red. "Don't you dare talk down to me, Kianna! You’re nobody in this house anymore. You’re a beggar throwing a tantrum!"

"Whatever," I muttered, turning my back on her and hoisting the straps of my bags. "Wasting my breath on you is an absolute joke."

"You aren't walking away from me!" Asteria shrieked. She lunged forward, her fingers clamping down hard into the meat of my forearm.

I wrenched my arm out of her grip with enough force to send her stumbling back. "Get your hands off me!" I snarled, stepping into her space until she flinched. "I swear to God, if you touch me again, I will lay you out with this suitcase."

She scrambled back toward Avery, her eyes wide with a pathetic, sudden terror. As I dragged my bags through the rear exit, her voice echoed shrilly across the yard. "I’m not afraid of you, Kianna! This is my house! Yours is nothing! Remember that!"

I didn't look back. I hit the pavement, my breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps as I checked my phone. 'Thirty minutes.' I had left him waiting in the car for over half an hour.

...

Ares

The squeak of plastic wheels against the concrete finally broke the silence of the street. I snapped my head up, watching Kianna emerge from the side gate. Her head was down, her shoulders hunched forward as if she were trying to shield herself from an invisible blow.

I popped the trunk and stepped out of the driver's seat, meeting her at the rear bumper. Her expression was completely hollow, the light entirely gone from her eyes.

"I'm packed," she said, her voice sounding raw and brittle. "Let's just leave."

"The temperature is dropping," I said, gently taking the handles of the heavy suitcases from her white-knuckled grip. "Get inside the car where it’s warm. I’ll take care of the luggage."

"Fine," she murmured. She slid into the passenger side without another word, her eyes staring straight through the dashboard.

I closed the trunk, sliding back behind the wheel. The air in the cabin was dense with her unspoken misery. I started the engine, shifting into drive as the sun began to dip below the horizon. "It's getting late," I countered quietly, glancing over at her profile. "How about we find a place to get some dinner before we head back to the house?"

She didn't answer.

I looked closer. Her head had rolled back against the headrest, her dark lashes sealed shut against her pale cheeks. Her breathing had slowed into the heavy, erratic pattern of total exhaustion.

"Kia?" I whispered.

She didn't move. I leaned across the center console, my hand rising instinctively toward her face. My thumb brushed the edge of her cheekbone, and that’s when my fingers caught the moisture.

She was weeping in her sleep, silent tears tracing cold lines down her skin.

A sharp, ugly protective instinct flared deep in my chest. I leaned down, my lips gently brushing the damp heat of her mouth, my voice a quiet, fierce vow in the shadows of the car.

"You're safe now," I murmured against her skin. "We're tied together. I promise you, no one touches you again."