The silence between us was deafening.He didn’t ask.And I didn’t explain.But I could tell by the way Ruben’s eyes lingered longer than usual, how he watched me over the rim of his glass at dinner, that he knew Ken had visited again.He always knew.And yet, he said nothing.It was worse than yelling.I picked at my food, appetite completely lost. The tension in the dining room was thick, like a taut string waiting to snap.“Are the classes going okay?” Ruben asked suddenly, voice calm but distant.I glanced up. His expression was unreadable.“Yes,” I said quickly. “The tutors are good.”He gave a small nod, then went back to sipping his wine.I hated this.I hated how I could still feel Ken’s closeness. How my skin still tingled where his fingers had brushed my cheek. Not because I wanted him. But because I’d let it happen. I hadn’t pushed him away fast enough. I should’ve never allowed that moment to get as close as it did.And I was sure Ruben sensed every ounce of it.When dinner
It had been a week since the garden night.And Ruben had kept his promise.No pressure. No forced affection. No questions when she pulled away. Just soft touches, careful words, and eyes that lingered a little longer than before.It felt… dangerous.Because Lia knew how easy it was to fall for kindness when you were starved of it. And Ruben Ruben was beginning to feel like a warm fire on a cold night. Comforting. Addictive. But maybe still capable of burning her to the ground.She closed her laptop after her last class of the day and stretched. The villa was quiet, except for the occasional passing footsteps of guards in the hall. Her fingers twitched she wanted to step out, to breathe real air, to be somewhere normal.But normal wasn’t in her vocabulary anymore.She wandered downstairs, barefoot, in one of Ruben’s oversized shirts she had stolen from his closet days ago. The scent of him still clung to the fabric, a mix of cedarwood and something darker, something distinctly him.In
The days were beginning to blur into a strange kind of normal.Tutors came and went. Security circled the estate like shadows. And Lia… she studied. She attended her private classes, walked the hallways of a mansion that still didn’t feel like hers, and had coffee in the same sunroom every morning alone.But Ruben? Ruben had changed.He didn’t hover. He didn’t demand. He watched.Every touch was softer, every conversation slower. There were no more yelling matches. No more forced declarations. He asked, now. Waited for answers. The controlling man who once ordered her into this marriage had retreated behind a curtain of guilt and restraint.And somehow, that hurt more.Lia sat on the balcony one morning, her notes spread across the small table, the breeze tugging playfully at the edges. Ruben stepped out beside her silently, setting a second mug of coffee down. She didn’t even flinch. She’d grown used to his quiet entrances.“You hate chemistry,” he said, nodding at the textbook.“I d
The sun filtered through the sheer curtains of the grand estate, painting soft gold across the marble floors. For the first time in weeks, Lia woke up without pain, without fear but not without confusion. The mansion had grown quiet, almost peaceful. Even the air felt slower, like the house itself was holding its breath.Ruben had been careful with her. Gentle, even. Not hovering, but present every step of the way. And now, as she walked down to the breakfast table already laid out for her, Lia couldn’t ignore the butterflies that fluttered nervously in her chest.She found him at the table, sleeves rolled up, scrolling through something on his tablet. A cup of untouched coffee sat beside his elbow.He looked up the second he sensed her presence. “Morning, Lia,” he said softly. “I didn’t want to wake you.”“You didn’t,” she murmured, taking a seat across from him. “Smelled the croissants.”He gave a short smile and gestured to the plate. “They’re your favorites. From that bakery you l
The moonlight flooded through the floor-to-ceiling windows.Ruben came in quietly, no jacket, sleeves rolled up, the top two buttons of his shirt undone. He looked tired not from work, not from his endless responsibilities,but from us.He stood by the doorway for a second before speaking, “Do you want me to sleep in the guest room again tonight?”I looked up at him, and for once, I saw Ruben not the billionaire heir, just Ruben. The man who carried me bleeding in his arms, whose eyes begged me not to slip away. The one who bought me my dream car with a grin that rivaled the sunrise.“No,” I said softly. “Not tonight.”He didn’t move immediately, he walked over slowly and sat beside me on the bed. The silence returned, thick but not suffocating.“I was never supposed to love you,” I whispered.His head turned toward me. “Then why does it hurt so much to know I almost lost you?”My breath caught. He didn’t touch me, but I could feel the weight of his words wrap around me like an embrace
I woke up to the quiet hum of movement downstairs a sound that was both foreign and strangely comforting. The scent of something sweet drifted up from the kitchen, but I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening.The soft sound of shoes against marble floors. Voices in low, respectful tones. The rustle of folders and papers being sorted.I blinked slowly.Today was my first day of college.Except… my college now existed inside the four walls of Ruben’s estate.When I finally gathered the energy to get out of bed, I found a note on the nightstand. Ruben’s handwriting, neat and firm:"I’ll be upstairs after my call. Everything is ready. Be kind to your tutors they’re not your enemies. Love, R."I rolled my eyes but smiled despite myself. He always knew how to toe the line between infuriating and sweet.After showering, I dressed simply jeans, a soft sweatshirt, and tied my hair up. I didn’t want to look like a Delwunco today. I wanted to feel like Lia again.As I stepped out into