He nodded. "I'll return before the month ends."
I swallowed, feeling the familiar tightness crawl through my chest. His trips always brought this mixture of relief and unease: freedom wrapped in anxiety. "You'll miss my birthday," I murmured softly.
His eyes lifted to mine ,sharp but softened slightly by something I couldn't name. "When I return, we'll celebrate properly. Twenty years deserves something memorable."
I sighed, frustration tugging at me. "You always say that."
"And I always keep my word," he replied firmly.
Abi nudged my foot under the table, warning me to stop before my irritation slipped further. But I couldn't help it. My life had always been postponed always "later," "someday," when the time was right.
After breakfast, the house swirled with departure energy: suitcases, hushed instructions, calls to staff, meticulous checks of schedules. I retreated to my room, hoping to find a moment of peace before the walls closed in again.
That's when my phone buzzed. A message from Abi.
Abi: Guess what? I just heard something interesting.
I typed back lazily. "If it's not entertaining, save it."
Something twisted inside me irrational, sharp, unwelcome. I didn't even know what she was about to say, but it felt urgent, dangerous. I shook it off, ridiculously, trying not to give it weight.
Night fell, and with it, my mind refused rest. I lay on my bed, scrolling idly through my phone, the dim glow reflecting off the walls. My hair was loose around my shoulders, my body heavy with restless thoughts. And then it happened.
A soft, deliberate tap against my window.
I frowned at first and then again I heard another tap, closer and more intentional. My pulse spiked. Crossing the room carefully, I pulled the curtain aside. A shadow stood beneath the glass. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Handsome in a way that made my breath catch.
Alaiz.
Before I could react, a small stone bounced lightly against the glass controlled, intentional, not reckless. I opened the window just enough to see his face clearly.
He didn't speak.
Instead, he held a folded piece of paper.
I hesitated only a second before taking it. He gave a brief nod and then vanished into the darkness.
My hands trembled as I unfolded the note:
"I don't know you, but I know your eyes. And they haunt me."
No name, No signature, Just truth. Dangerous, intimate, impossible to ignore.
I grabbed a pen, shaking, and wrote back:
"You don't know me, but you found me anyway. My name is Meelan."
I folded it and dropped it out the window. He caught it effortlessly. Our eyes met for a heartbeat. Then he was gone.I couldn't sleep that night ,everytime I closed my eyes he also appeared .
The next evening, curiosity and something I couldn't resist betrayed me.I decided to sneak out to have a chit chat with Alaiz . Abi insisted on accompanying me even if she didn't like the idea buh she had to.As I stood before Alaiz's gate. Nerves danced beneath my skin.
"You're acting like you're about to commit a crime," she teased.
"Maybe I am," I muttered.
The door opened before we could knock. And that's when I saw her.
Aris.
She leaned casually against the doorframe, barefoot, wearing a loose, thin fabric that hugged her curves with calculated confidence. She radiated a dangerous ease, as if the house belonged to her, as if she owned every glance and every room.
Her hair fell in effortless waves down her back, lips curved into a smile that was all amusement and warning. There was no warmth, no welcome just ownership.
Although Dad never introduced Aris to me but deep down I knew she was the lady he had brought home .
Few years back he told me he was seeing someone.
"You're the girl," she said lightly, eyes assessing me like a predator evaluating a rival.
I froze. Every instinct screamed that she was trouble. And from the tension in the air, I could feel that Alaiz's presence hovered somewhere deeper inside, commanding the house even in his absence.
"Meelan," I whispered, voice softer than intended.
Her smile widened, sharp and knowing. "Oh, so you're the one. How... quaint."
The words were loaded, heavy with challenge. Every syllable pressed against my chest, igniting tension and unspoken threats. I felt small under her gaze, yet defiant.
"Are you always so... unfriendly?" I asked carefully, keeping my voice steady.
"Not unfriendly," she replied. "Just realistic. Some things in life... you don't get to walk in and claim what isn't yours."
My stomach twisted. Every word felt aimed at me, at the claim Alaiz had made the night before, and at the invisible thread that had already begun to pull me toward him.
Emmilia, his cousin, appeared behind Aris's shoulder, her gaze flicking over me with curiosity and amusement. Her eyes lingered, and I could feel the tension in the air. She had always admired Alaiz quietly, perhaps secretly, and now I was the intruder in a tangled web I hadn't even known existed.
As I stepped forward hesitantly, Aris leaned a little closer. Bare skin brushed the doorframe like she had nothing to hide, nothing to fear. I realized too late that I hadn't just walked into Alaiz's house,I had walked straight into danger.
Abi muttered under her breath, "Oh no. This is... bad."
"Why?" I hissed.
"She's Emmilia. Dangerous and Possessive. And she hates anyone who looks at Alaiz the wrong way."
My stomach tightened. Every rule, every wall I had built seemed to crumble in her presence.
The night dragged on with conversation layered over tension. Emillia smiled at everything Alaiz had ever done or said, an invisible crown of power around her. I couldn't move, couldn't speak, could only observe. Every glance, every smirk, every subtle gesture carried a threat.
Then the next morning, as dawn touched the estate, someone came to pick up the Cybertruck Alaiz had left the night before. My heart leapt and fell in the same beat. The driver handed me a folded note before he left.
"Meelan, don't think last night was a mistake. I'll see you soon."
No signature, no hint. Just a promise, sharp as a blade, and impossible to ignore.
The day unfolded slowly, suffused with tension. Aris moved like a shadow in the house, her presence pressing against mine with unspoken warnings. Every word she spoke carried subtle poison, every smile a reminder that she was not my friend.
Abi tried to lighten the mood, but even she couldn't pierce the thick fog of hostility and desire surrounding me.
By late afternoon, my father, sensing my agitation, issued an order in his precise, controlled way:
"Driver, take Meelan around the estate. Let her clear her mind."
I obeyed silently, stepping into the car, trying to untangle the knot of fear, attraction, and jealousy that had taken root inside me. The drive wound through the sprawling grounds, sunlight flickering through trees, the estate's edges stretching endlessly.
And then, through the window of another estate on the horizon, I saw something that made my stomach drop. Alaiz... and Emmilia were having a passionate intense kiss, their bodies close, their faces pressed together in a moment of passion and possession.
Everything inside me shattered,desire, jealousy, fear, confusion. And yet, buried under it all, a pulse of something I couldn't deny: I wanted him even more.i felt broken.
The car moved silently, Abi beside me, sensing my sudden tension but wisely remaining silent. The estate stretched on, quiet except for the soft hum of the engine. The world felt heavy, loaded with rules, forbidden desire, and danger.
And I knew, deep down, that the storm had only just begun.
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Trapped with the heart that loved him 
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