Chapter 2

I suddenly felt his hand brushing against my leg. A strange shiver ran through me at the unexpected sensation. It startled me, yet somehow, I didn’t pull away. There was something about the moment... confusing, heavy, but filled with unspoken emotion.

He leaned closer. His breath was warm against my skin, his eyws unfocused, his movements uncertain. The scent of alcohol lingered heavily betweeen us, reminding me how much he had drunk earlier.

"Draken..." I whispered softly, unsure if I was calling him back to his senses or just trying to steady my own.

He didn’t answer. His eyes were distant, almost lost in another world. I could feel the tremor in his hands, the weight of his emotions pressing down between us. I knew he wasn’t himself. He was drunk, vulnerable, unguarded. And I... didn’t know what to do.

My mind told me to stop him. To say something. But my voice refused to leave my lips. I sat frozen, uncertain whether it was fear or confusion that held me still.

"Please, Draken..." I said again, this time barely above a whisper. My heart pounded so loud it drowned out every other sound in the room. "Not like this."

But he only looked at me, eyes glassy, expression unreadable. For a moment, it felt like time stopped. The music outside, the laughter of our friends... everything vanished.

Then, his movements slowed. His breathing softened. He blinked and confused, as if waking from a long, heavy dream.

"Babe," he murmured, his tone weak, almost sorrowful.

Tears pooled in my eyes before I could stop him. I didn’t even know why. Maybe it was frustration. Maybe it was love. Or maybe it was the realization that something in us had changed. Something I couldn’t name.

I gently placed my hand on his chest, trying to calm him. "You’re drunk. Please, just rest."

He nodded faintly, his eyes closing. Within seconds, his breathing steadied into quiet sleep.

I sat there beside him for a long time, staring at nothing. My mind was blank. My heart was trembling. I wanted to believe that everything would be fine... that this night was just a blur we could both forget.

But deep down, I knew something had shifted between us.

Moments later, the room dimmed around me. My body felt heavy, and before I knew it, darkness swallowed my thoughts.

THE next morning, I stared blankly out the car window as Draken drove me home. The early sunlight bathed the streets, but it did little to warm the coldness inside me. He insisted on taking me home first before heading back to his place.

From the moment I woke up, my mind had been spinning endlessly. I couldn’t tell whether what happened last night was real or just a foggy memory caused by exhaustion and alcohol. Maybe it was just a dream. I wished it were.

"Babe."

I turned to look at Draken, who was focused on the road. "What is it, babe?" I asked quietly.

"Do you want to—"

"Draken, are we still talking about this?" I interrupted, sighing as I looked away, watching the cars pass by. "We’ve been together for almost four years. I’ve tried so many times to reach out to your parents, to make them see that I care about you... but they never accepted me."

"How will they know you’re willing to be close to them if you’re always the one stepping back?" he asked calmly.

I didn’t answer. Not because I didn’t have a response, but because I was simply tired of repeating the same words, tired of defending something that no longer felt steady.

We’ve been together for years, and I truly loved him. But his parents never did accept me. Their reason? We didn’t belong in the same world. I wasn’t as wealthy, as influential, or as refined as the women they wanted for him.

Yes, my family has our own business, but it’s modest compared to theirs. I know I’m not poor, but to them, I’ll never be enough.

I swallowed hard, trying to stop the tears building in my eyes. There were days I’d visit his mansion and see another woman there. She's elegant, confident, perfectly composed. Every time, I felt invisible, like a shadow in their house. His parents smiled brighter for her, spoke softer, laughed louder. She was everything they wanted for their son—a beautiful, fair-skinned, graceful, and rich. It was as if she already belonged in their world.

And me? I was just the girl they tolerated because Draken insisted.

"Babe," he said again, breaking through my thoughts.

"Hmm?" I looked at him, startled.

"Babe, I love you. You’re the one I want to be with for the rest of my life."

"I know," I replied faintly, my voice barely steady.

"So please, endure it a little longer. I’ll make them understand someday."

"I don’t know, Draken. I really don’t," I said softly. "Your parents have made it clear they don’t want me in your life. They’ve already chosen someone else. That same woman I’ve seen again and again at your mansion. I’m not blind, babe. I can tell by the way they look at her and the way they look at me."

Silence filled the car. The sound of the engine was the only thing left between us.

Draken tightened his grip on the steering wheel, but I just stared out the window, wondering if love alone was ever enough to fight a world that refused to let us be.