It was already late at night, and the chilly darkness sent shivers straight down her spine. The broad-shouldered man in the black suit walked inside the room, his face half-hidden behind the massive, striking bouquet of bloody red roses. Without a word, he extended his left hand, patiently waiting to feel his wife's soft touch. This was his unspoken apology, a silent offering to make up for his long absence. As Kelly stepped forward, his big, warm hand was the only source of comfort in the windy night. She accepted the heavy roses, tilting her head up as he pressed a gentle, lingering kiss against her forehead.
Aiden removed his suit coat, draping it aside as Kelly walked back into the warmth of the room. She carefully placed the vibrant red roses into a beautiful ceramic vase on the table. Turning back to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, using her posture to temporarily hide the small, carefully crafted bouquet she had made for him earlier.
Aiden looked down over her shoulder, his dark eyes catching the glimpse of stems behind her back. "Are those flowers for me to keep?"
She shyly hid her face behind the small arrangement of irises, daisies, and white roses. As she held them up, the motion revealed the raw, fresh calluses on the palms of her hands. Aiden looked closely, instantly recognizing the immense effort his wife had put in just to respect and learn his family's rigid traditions. For a moment, the calculated mask of the Laurdy heir slipped, in the moonlight, he looked like an anxious man, deeply affected by her sincerity.
Without any moment of hesitation, she pushed the bouquet into his hands. "They are the most amazing flowers I could find in those fields. This is for you."
He gently touched her bruised hands, his voice dropping to a soft whisper. "Among all these beautiful flowers you crafted, you are the most precious one. Do be careful next time. The servants will always have whatever you command, you do not need to hurt yourself."
Aiden carefully placed her handmade bouquet right next to the red roses he had given her. He then left the bedroom for a brief moment, returning with a small kit of medicine and ointment. By then, Kelly had quietly seated herself on the balcony again, watching the stars.
"It is already cold outside," he murmured, extending a hand to her. "Come inside and I will treat your wounds. Then we will have our meal while it is still hot."
He sat with her, carefully treating every scratch and gently rubbing the soothing ointment into her raw palms. They ate their late dinner in relative silence, the food providing a much needed comfort after the exhausting day. Kelly hesitated for a moment, staring down at her plate, before she finally mustered the courage to ask the question that had been weighing on her mind all afternoon.
"What was the important matter you had to take care of, to be back so late in the night?"
Aiden sighed softly, gently stroking her hair before pulling her head down to rest securely on his shoulder. He decided to tell her the truth. The urgent matter he had been handling with his mother was the estate they were scheduled to move into, located about a kilometer away from the main manor. There, isolated from the rest of the clan, they were supposed to start their own journey as true man and wife.
The only underlying problem was that Aiden had not chosen the location; his mother had. It seemed like his mother's word was the absolute law governing his decisions. The property was not grand, but it was livable enough to survive under the heavy, lingering influence of the Laurdy household.
"Did you notice the estate not far from here, in the fields of grain behind the top hill?" he asked softly against her hair. "That will be our place."
Kelly instantly removed her head from his shoulder. At the sudden change of tone, the peaceful atmosphere between them shattered, turning sharp and rigid.
"Near the temple... is that what you are saying?" Her tone was incredibly sharp, laced with a sudden, icy realization that made Aiden visibly flinch.
"Yes," he admitted, his jaw tightening. "That will be the one."
It took him a long time to try and calm her down, but the damage was already done. He knew this location was completely different from the peaceful life she had envisioned. The moment the truth settled in, a deep resentment took root in her heart, she already loathed the very temple his family served. To force her to live in its shadow felt like a daily slap in the face, a constant, agonizing reminder of the betrayal of trust he had commit. It did not sync well in her mind, and she could barely hold her composure together.
Aiden could only try to shield her in his arms, holding her tightly as he prepared to shoulder the weight of the betrayal he had so carefully planned. Looking into his dark eyes, Kelly felt more than just terror; a profound, crippling doubt began to poison the love she felt for him.
Aiden secretly thought that everything would be so much easier if only she would submit completely to him and accept her fate. But as he held her, the only thing he could feel was the fragile, shivering body of a woman trapped.
Spurred by a sudden wave of anger, Kelly pushed his chest hard, escaping the laughable, suffocating embrace of the obsessed man she had married. His warmth now felt like nothing more than a collection of beautiful, white lies. Aiden noticed his own forceful, possessive actions reflecting back in her panicked eyes, and he forced himself to back off, letting her be for a moment.
Without looking back at him a single time, Kelly walked straight toward the grand bed.
Even in the coldness of the night, she could still feel the heavy, warm presence of his body laying down beside her a few moments later. He did not speak. He did not try to touch her again. He only stayed right there beside her in the dark. Outside the window, the stars seemed to temporarily overshadow the brilliant moon amidst the thick darkness of the night sky.
The young couple fell asleep with heavy, conflicting feelings suffocating their hearts. The only difference was that Kelly had felt the snapping of the trap much earlier than she ever thought she would. Meanwhile, the circus of emotions raging inside Aiden was driven by one single, unyielding obsession, she had to become completely, entirely his, no matter the cost.