Chapter 2

The following day, Aisha woke up late; she could not sleep right away after leaving her husband’s room.

Aisha excitedly stood up and wore her slip-on before exiting her room; her lips curled up, forming a smile, and she held the doorknob, but the woman froze, hearing familiar and heart-wrecking noises.

“D-Duke! Ahh, Ahh, Fuck baby, Yeah, that’s it! Fuck me harder. Oh, shit.” a loud woman’s voice echoed to Aisha’s ears.

“Oh, scream my name bitch! Cum with me.”

Her heart was tearing apart gazillion times, watching her husband having sex with someone else.

She came back from her reverie when she heard footsteps near the door. She swiftly walked back to her room and pretended that she didn’t know what was happening and that she had just woken up from bed.

The woman just looked at her and clung even more to her husband’s arm, who didn’t care if she was there.

“Who is she, baby?” the woman asked Duke.

“Don’t mind her; she’s just a steward,” Duke replied.

“Oh, I see,” the woman said, followed by a mocking laugh.

“What are you looking at? Get out; you’re blocking my way!” she yelled, shoving her off.

She steps back and stops herself from complaining for the sake that Duke might get mad. They continue their way out as if she wasn’t there. Instead of following them, she went back inside her room and lay down on her bed.

She looked around her room and noticed the picture of her and Duke on their wedding day. The picture shows that she’s delighted; her face is shining, but Duke isn’t; he didn’t even bother to put on a fake smile just for the photo’s sake.

Aisha’s eyes start to moist with the thought of Duke and the woman earlier, “Even if it’s breaking me apart, Duke, I won’t give up. I’ll continue and endure everything because I love you; I will be your Luna,” she muttered.

She still believes they can have their happy ending like those love stories. As much as she could fight for their love, she will fight. She loves Duke so much that she will do everything for him to love her back. An hour had passed until she felt her stomach grumbling; Aisha remembered that she hadn’t eaten since she woke up this morning, but she remembered Duke and his woman were still there.

Aisha stayed and waited a few minutes before deciding to get up and leave her room and go downstairs. Aisha roamed and found no one; it looked like they had already left. She just went straight to the kitchen to cook and prepare food for her to eat. After she finished her food, she decided to clean the whole house. It was already afternoon when she spent cleaning and cooking food for dinner, but her husband was still not home. She sat on the sofa because she felt so tired. She turns on the TV and watches some movie series. It was late at night but still no traces of Duke, so instead of waiting for him, she just ate her dinner.

Aisha used the time waiting to clean the dishes she used; she was about to sit and watch something when she heard the sound of a car, a sign that her husband was already home. She hurried to the door and opened it. As soon as she opened the door, her husband’s face appeared red and limp. He was drunk again.

She immediately approached and held him for support, but he just pushed her away. “What did I tell you? Don’t ever touch me!” Duke shouted to her.

She ignored it and approached his husband again; she was about to touch him when he shouted at her again, “Damn it, Aisha! Don’t you understand what I’m saying? Are you that stupid?!” Duke roared, which made Aisha taken aback.

She has no choice but to let him because if she insists, it might be the reason for them to fight, and probably she’ll get hurt. She waited a few minutes before going upstairs; she went to her husband’s room to check if he was already asleep. She entered the room, not making any noise, and found her husband sleeping soundly. She drew near him, removed the shoes, and covered him with a blanket. She just stared at her husband’s handsome face; she could only do it when Duke was already asleep because when he was awake, he was like a tiger that would devour her.

She caressed his face, “I’m still hoping, Duke, I love you so much, and I’ll do everything for you,” she whispered.

She’s still wondering what might happen next to their marriage life. She’s clueless about every possible outcome, if she could be happy or in pain or achieve what she desires.

“I hope the day comes that you’ll love me. I’ll wait for that day, and I will probably be the happiest woman when that day comes.”

Not even once she thought of stepping aside and leaving her husband. Even if everyone thought of her as a fool or stupid, she didn’t care. She loves her husband and believes being hurt is part of love. She will take a risk as much as she can still hope, even if it’s painful and tiring.

She left the room and moved into her room. She lay down and stared at the ceiling unexpectedly. She remembered their first conversations the night after their wedding. They were at the hotel that night, and as soon as they entered the room, Duke immediately overtook her arms harshly.

“Duke, it hurts!” she exclaimed in pain, “Let go of me!”

“Now, what? Are you happy? Aisha, are you happy ruining my life?” He shouted in anger.

“I don’t understand. What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” confusion is all over her face as he responds, “I never thought of ruining your life; I am your Luna; this marriage should have been done a long time ago!”

“Don’t act like you don’t know anything! I know you know what I’m referring to!” he yelled. Anger and hatred lingered on Duke’s face that he almost hurt her, making her screech in fear watching him.

“Duke, I thought you understood. This is what our parents agreed to; this is an agreement long ago before we were even born!” she exclaimed.

He suddenly threw the chair near him. “Don’t make me fool Aisha! I know you like it too. You can’t fool me. You can refuse the wedding, but you choose not to!” he shouted in frustration.

“I won’t give disgrace and embarrassment to my family Duke! I can’t take seeing them disappointed in me. Why didn’t you do it? You can refuse and not come to the wedding!” she answered.

“For what? For me to take all the blame? Wow, you’re such a great actress, Aisha! “He sarcastically said.

“What do you want me to say, Duke? It’s done, it happened already, and we can’t do anything about it.” she said calmly, “Just accept the fact that we are the fated one, we exchange blood and vows, and you knew better than anyone that no one could ever cut that bond,”

“You want this marriage; that’s the truth, Aisha, admits it! Do you think I didn’t know that you like me? That’s why you agreed to this quickly as soon as they told you that you’d marry me. You are not my Luna; you were never her! I’m destined for someone else, not you, bitch! “

She bent down her head so she couldn’t see Duke’s face, that is already burning with anger. Now she knew that Duke already knew what she felt about him, “Then where is she? Where is the Luna you have boasted about? We have been sharing a bond from the beginning, Duke! You knew that!”

“My family didn’t give me the chance to look for my real Luna! And no! we were not sharing any fucking bond! If we were, why didn’t you feel my hatred toward you? The urge to kill you right at this moment?!”

“Duke! I did everything! I loved every part of you!” Aisha exclaimed, and her emotions took over her mind.

“Except for your personal feeling, I know that you’re after my status, me being the Alpha, and you being the Luna; what a great way to expand your family name,” Aisha looked at Duke with disbelief, “Don’t expect that I will love you back Aisha, stop daydreaming, stop that foolishness. Yes, you have my last name but never my love and heart, put that in your small mind, bird brain, feeble wolf,” He said before leaving her in their hotel suite.

It was the day that he put all the blame on his wife. She released a deep sigh as he remembered all of it. Here she is suffering, but if it’s for the person she loves, she can take it all because she knows that all her sacrifices will be paid for someday.

Aisha was so drowned in her thoughts that she was unaware of falling into a deep slumber.