Bound by Lust

The rest of the morning passed in an eerie silence. Esme had hoped that Kael's anger would cool off, but the air between them felt heavy, taut with unspoken words. Every glance she stole at him seemed to reveal a simmering intensity—something dark and unrelenting. Kael never mentioned their breakfast conversation again, but she could feel the distance between them had shifted, like the calm before a storm.

He was cold. Even more than usual. He was focused entirely on work, his phone a constant companion, his meetings back-to-back. His office had become his sanctuary, a place he retreated to without a second thought. Esme, for her part, remained distant, burying herself in her own thoughts. The anger and jealousy she'd felt earlier still lingered in her chest, but now there was something else: a strange sense of emptiness.

Kael hadn't touched her since the night before, and part of her hated how much it bothered her. The coldness between them was almost palpable, and it seemed as if they were both playing a game that neither of them truly understood.

At dinner that evening, Esme still kept her distance. She didn't speak to him, didn't make eye contact. She ate her meal in silence, feeling his eyes on her but not willing to acknowledge them. Kael, however, was doing the same. He didn't ask her why she was acting this way. Didn't try to engage her in conversation. His expression remained as unreadable as ever, his focus on the glass of red wine before him.

Esme could sense that he was waiting for her to break first. He was waiting for her to return to the obedient, dutiful fiancée he had become used to. But Esme wasn't sure anymore who she was playing for, who she was doing this for. Was it for herself? To make him feel something? Or was it simply a reflection of the confusion that gnawed at her?

It had been so easy before, hadn't it? When she told herself she didn't care about Kael. When she told herself she was fine with the distance between them, with his cold indifference. But now, things felt different. Now, there were cracks in that wall she had built.

"Esme," Kael's voice finally broke through the silence. He didn't raise it. Didn't demand anything from her. But there was a sharp edge to it that sent a shiver down her spine. "I need you to focus tonight. There's a meeting after dinner. Don't forget."

Her gaze met his for the first time in hours. His eyes were dark, serious. There was no warmth in them, no familiarity—just business. Always business.

"Of course," she replied, her voice flat. She quickly turned her attention back to her meal, resisting the urge to say something more, something that would break the tension.

Kael didn't speak again.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. They finished dinner in silence, and Esme followed him to the meeting room, where Kael's partners waited for him. His attention was entirely consumed by the discussions, leaving Esme to watch from the sidelines as his world unfolded around her. She was there, but not really a part of it. She wasn't sure if that made her feel empty or relieved.

When the meeting finally wrapped up, Kael was the first to leave, not waiting for her to follow. She was left standing at the door, unsure of what to do, feeling like an afterthought in a world she didn't belong to.

As she made her way back to her room later that night, Esme could feel the weight of the day pressing on her chest. She couldn't escape the nagging thought that everything between them had changed. The coldness between them had gone from temporary to permanent, and she wasn't sure if there was any way to bridge that gap anymore.

She lay down in bed, staring at the ceiling, the silence surrounding her suffocating. She told herself it was fine, that she didn't need him. But a part of her, deep inside, wondered if that was the truth—or if she was just trying to convince herself that she didn't care.

****. ****. ****.