Pulse of Desire

Emily remained silent after successfully unraveling her shoulder-length hair and wiping off the makeup on her face. Her hand reached behind, trying to reach the neatly lined buttons on her back.

"Ugh, it's so difficult!" Emily complained as her fingers failed to reach the buttons on her back. She tried again and again, but her fingers only managed to undo a few buttons.

Emily tried to pull the dress down, successfully slipping it down to her chest, revealing her two beautiful mounds that appeared prominent due to the pressure of her wedding dress. Emily took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Soon, a rough exhale escaped, accompanied by the only sound in the room, the rhythm of a lone machine. Even the cooling machine couldn't prevent sweat from beginning to cover Emily's body due to her fruitless efforts.

Emily remained still in front of the dressing table, closing her eyes with her face resting on her hands when suddenly a finger released one of her buttons. Emily's body froze instantly as her eyes widened, finding the cold man standing behind her.

"Just say if you need help!" Calvin, the man, said as he began unbuttoning her dress.

Emily remained motionless as the dress she was wearing gradually released her breath that had been feeling tight. The dress descended unconsciously. Calvin, who was only focused on Emily's smooth back, froze momentarily as he accidentally caught a beautiful sight reflected in the mirror in front of him. However, his logic quickly regained control. He cleared his throat to loosen his constricted throat. He brought his face closer to Emily's, staring straight into the mirror, closing the gap between them, and whispered, "You don't need to bother trying to seduce me because it will never work."

Calvin's words successfully snapped Emily out of her reverie. The girl was startled, and she quickly pulled up her dress that had slipped down to her waist, covering her upper body, which was only protected by a strapless bra. Calvin smirked slyly as he withdrew from Emily's side. He then took off his jacket, tie, and white shirt, tossing them onto the bed without paying any attention to Emily, who appeared increasingly agitated. However, the situation took an unexpected turn for Calvin in the next moment.

Nonchalantly, Emily allowed her wedding dress to fall between her legs. She left her wedding dress lying on the floor and entered the bathroom with only her remaining underwear on.

Upon reaching the bathroom, Emily immediately turned on the shower to wet her hair. Her brain short-circuited instantly because, just to prove to Calvin that she wasn't a weak woman, she consciously set aside her embarrassment. "Damn, Emily, this is the craziest thing you've ever done in your life!" Emily muttered to herself while trying to calm her racing heart.

On the side of the bed, Calvin's body was still frozen after seeing how the beautiful curves of Emily's new body were displayed before his eyes. He wasn't interested in Emily at all, but he was a normal adult man who would feel hot if he saw a woman's beautiful body, especially since Emily was his legal wife who was lawful for him to have sex with whenever he wanted. "Unlucky!" Calvin cursed then threw his body on the bed. His hands ruffled the petals of the heart-shaped flower in the middle of the bed in annoyance.

Not long after Calvin managed to suppress the turmoil within him, Emily emerged from the bathroom wearing only a towel that covered her chest to her thighs. Spontaneously, Calvin gazed at Emily with an unreadable expression. The remaining water that flowed from Emily's wet hair onto her smooth, bare shoulders made Calvin swallow hard. Calvin's gaze then shifted to Emily's exposed, slender legs. Suddenly, his mind began to wander, imagining Emily's body concealed beneath that towel.

"Aren't you showering?"Emily's words instantly brought Calvin back to his senses. He quickly averted his gaze, grabbed a towel from the closet, and hurriedly entered the bathroom.

A smile spread across Emily's lips as she observed how Calvin became flustered at the sight of her. "Pretending to be strong, huh?" Emily teased as she opened the wardrobe to choose the nightgown she would wear tonight. "This is just the beginning, handsome doctor!" Emily declared as she selected the sexiest lingerie available in the wardrobe. She would follow all of her mother-in-law's ideas, even if they sounded ridiculous. And, of course, Emily would willingly go along with Calvin's game plan.

Calvin's body froze instantly as he saw Emily sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands busy applying lotion to her legs. Emily offered a smile to Calvin, who remained motionless, "Are you hungry? I'm really hungry!" Emily asked, successfully bringing Calvin back to reality. She glanced briefly at Calvin and then got up from the bed.

"Isn't there any other outfit you can wear? Instead of wearing something skimpy, you might as well go naked," Calvin grumbled irritably, not intending to answer Emily's previous question.

"Go ahead and check the closet! Mama only prepared lingerie in there! Besides, it doesn't really affect you, whether I wear clothes or not," Emily said, savoring Calvin's annoyed expression. She pretended to be indifferent while her heart raced once again. She couldn't deny that the man who had officially become her husband just a few hours ago looked incredibly sexy with water droplets cascading down his well-defined six-pack, a result of his regular workouts. Emily couldn't help but want to hug him and inhale his masculine scent. Suddenly, Emily's mind wandered, imagining romantic scenes like those in the novels she had read.

Calvin's eyebrows furrowed as he saw the faint smile on the girl's lips. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Calvin asked irritably, his gaze sharp.

"You're sexy! But unfortunately, Emily has to be patient for now," Emily replied teasingly, her tone instantly piquing Calvin's curiosity about what was going on in the mind of this seemingly unpredictable girl.

"What do you mean?" Calvin asked cynically, continuing to dry his wet hair with a small towel.

"I wish I were the towel!" Emily muttered to herself, her gaze fixed on the towel wrapped around the man's waist.

"I'm hungry. If you don't want to eat, I'll just eat by myself," Emily said to divert Calvin's attention. To be honest, Calvin's intense gaze was making Emily's heart race even more irregularly.

Emily, who was comfortably seated on the sofa, still seemed to be weighing whether to continue their absurd conversation or to start devouring the food in front of her. Her eyes scanned all the delicious dishes on the table. Emily's stomach made a loud noise, clearly audible to Calvin's ears. "See, the worms in my stomach are already staging a protest, Bang!" Emily exclaimed without paying attention to Calvin's annoyed expression, and she promptly started to dig into the delicious meal.

Calvin could only sigh in frustration as he grabbed a change of clothes from the walk-in closet located at the far end of the room and then returned to the bathroom to put them on, without intending to respond to Emily's remarks.

"Beyond expectations!" Emily mumbled as she continued to enjoy her meal.

"It's not a bad wedding," Calvin finally commented, acknowledging the fact.

Emily had just finished her delicious meal when Calvin emerged from the bathroom. Calvin could only stare at Emily in annoyance as she got up from her seat, displaying the silhouette of her almost bare body. Calvin took a deep breath, held it briefly, and closed his eyes. Again and again, the heat coursed through his entire body as his composure began to waver. Calvin had to stay in control, making sure not to rush over and succumb to the tempting challenge presented by the seductive girl before him.

Emily, seemingly oblivious to Calvin's irritation, walked toward their bridal bed. She was undeniably exhausted from standing to welcome guests for most of the day. Her full stomach naturally induced a sense of drowsiness that was hard to resist. However, just as Emily was about to lie down, the voice of the man who had been watching her since he came out of the bathroom interrupted her actions. She had been playfully hitting the pillows.

"You'll sleep over there!" Calvin quickly approached Emily and pulled her back to her feet.

Emily closed her eyes as Calvin's body nearly touched hers, her heart pounding like a racehorse on the track. The masculine scent emanating from Calvin instantly made Emily feel as though she were floating on air. She was momentarily lost in the charm of the man who had become her husband. Emily snapped out of it and held her breath, preventing her fingers from itching to play on Calvin's bare chest. Calvin was indeed the living embodiment of a character from one of her favorite novels. Wasn't marrying such a handsome and sexy man a blessing?

"Damn it!" Emily cursed herself inwardly when she realized that Calvin didn't intend to embrace her but was merely reaching for the pillows and blankets behind her.

"Here!" Calvin instructed as he pushed the pillows and blankets toward Emily.

"This is my room, so you sleep over there!" Calvin ordered, pushing Emily's body until she reached the small sofa in the corner of his room.

Ignoring Emily's flushed face and the fact that she was seething with emotions, Calvin went to the closet to fetch a blanket. Without a care, Calvin climbed onto the bed and nestled himself under the thick covers, his back turned to Emily.

Fifteen minutes passed in silence. Only the hum of the air conditioner seemed to be mocking Calvin. His mind, which had long been fantasizing about a romantic night on his wedding day, now felt purely fictitious. Completely fictitious, just like the reminder sentences at the beginning of a novel he often read, "This story is purely fictional, any resemblance of names, places, and events is purely coincidental."

The drowsiness that had been plaguing Emily vanished in an instant, swallowed by her frustration with the unempathetic man who now seemed comfortable in his corner. Unfortunately, Emily felt like she was just a decoration in her own bridal room. She jotted down a series of short sentences as an expression of her feelings on her Instagram story: 'A Mannequin Bride.'

After writing this sentence, Emily opened the folds of the blanket and covered her shivering body due to the thin lingerie she was wearing. Emily wasn't accustomed to sleeping in an air-conditioned room. She was just a girl born into an ordinary and simple family. She lived in the outskirts of Jakarta, in the Depok area. Her home was still in a lush and serene village, far from the pollution and noise of Jakarta. However, it didn't mean she was in a remote village. It only took a 200-meter walk for Emily to reach the city's main road.

Emily glared irritably at the broad back in front of her. She heard a faint snore, indicating that the man had fallen into a deep sleep. "Watch out, you polar doctor, wait for my revenge!" Emily shouted in her heart and then turned her body to face the back of the sofa, forcing her eyes to close. Slowly but surely, drowsiness dragged Emily's consciousness into another dimension.

The world of dreams.

***

The faint sound of a rooster crowing greeted Calvin's ears. He tried to move his body, which felt numb and heavy. It was as if a weight of tens of kilos was pressing down on his left side. Calvin hissed as he attempted to rise, but a tightening sensation in his body made his eyes widen.

Calvin struggled to get up, but a movement that felt constricting in his body succeeded in keeping his eyes wide open.

"Emily!" he muttered, then turned to the empty sofa. "You country girl!" Calvin exclaimed in annoyance, quickly getting up from his bed and roughly pushing Emily's hands away from his body. He flung aside the blanket that covered them and sat on the edge of the bed, running his hands roughly over his face.

Calvin glanced at Emily again, who was now sleeping on her side, facing him. He ran his hand through his hair in frustration when he realized what she was wearing. The thin and transparent lingerie displayed every detail of Emily's smooth body, especially her front, which was clearly visible through the white lingerie. This sight made Calvin groan in frustration. The problem was that his junior, Calvin, was throbbing in discomfort because he could only restrain his desires. He was a normal adult man, and seeing a nearly naked girl could certainly awaken his primitive instincts.

If he didn't remember his ego and the self-respect he held high, he would have undressed Emily since last night and enjoyed their wedding night. But for a high-egoed doctor like Calvin, he wouldn't spit on his own decisions. He would never jeopardize his credibility in front of that sharp-tongued girl. Never.

Seeing Emily shivering from the room's air conditioning, Calvin quickly covered her with the blanket again. Then, he swiftly grabbed a towel that he had carelessly left on the nightstand the previous night and headed to the bathroom to relieve his pent-up desires.

"Because of that feisty girl, I had to play solo. Damn it!" Calvin cursed to himself as he enjoyed the release of pent-up desires. Ironically, the girl he was cursing was now the one haunting his thoughts, becoming the object of his wild fantasies.

After completing his mandatory morning ritual, Calvin performed his daily routines and left the room. This was the only way to avoid falling into Emily's temptation. Calvin was determined not to fall in love with a girl who had never captured his attention from the beginning, as he had once mentioned to Emily during their first encounter. Instead, Calvin intended to make her willingly leave his life forever.

Ah... Emily's body writhed under the thick blanket. The cold feeling that seemed to penetrate her core made Emily reluctant to wake up. The girl actually curled up again in a thick blanket. Drowning yourself to find warmth. In less than 10 minutes of being under the blanket, the girl immediately woke up and screamed loudly, "You're stupid, Emily, you're at your in-laws' house. You might wake up at noon!" Emily immediately threw the blanket off her body then rushed into the bathroom. So that no one would suspect that her wedding night was just a fictitious Emily standing under the shower. Wetting his whole body. However, he wanted his two brothers and sisters to be relieved that the loveless marriage that had become public knowledge was not a problem. Emily wants to see her parents happy, especially her father who is suffering from a stroke. For almost a year his father had to use a wheelchair because he was paralyzed in part of his body.

This time Emily didn't want to disappoint her family again. The unilateral cancellation of his previous marriage to Rama was enough to hurt his parents' hearts. The man she had been dating for two years broke off their relationship when their wedding was about to be held in a matter of days for no apparent reason. This incident also caused his father's hypertension to recur and he suffered a stroke to this day.

Emily felt relieved seeing that the two middle-aged women welcomed her warmly. She smiled politely in response to her mother-in-law's teasing.

"Thank you, Mrs. Nadila. I'll do my best to be a good wife," Emily said softly.

Her mother beamed with pride. "I hope so too, dear. May both of you be happy."

They continued with breakfast and light conversation, creating a more comfortable atmosphere in the morning. Emily felt a little more at ease now, even though her situation was complicated.

Emily merely responded with a faint smile. If only her mother knew about Calvin's harsh treatment towards her, she would surely take her away right now.

"Where is Dad?" Emily asked as she pulled a chair next to Nadila and sat down.

"He's chatting in the backyard with Dad and Calvina," Amora replied, her gaze fixed on her fresh and beautiful daughter-in-law.

"Where's Calvin, Mom? He said he was staying here last night, right?" Emily continued.

"Oh dear, how forgetful you can be, sweetheart. Your siblings all left last night. So, it's just your dad and me who stayed here," Nadila explained as she sipped her hot tea.

"Sorry, I forgot, Mom. Hehehe!" Emily replied with a grin.

Not long after, Adelia joined the three women, adding to the lively morning in the luxurious house.

"Cie cie, the newlyweds with wet hair!" Adelia teased, pretending to sigh as she inhaled the scent of Emily's still-damp hair.

"Hey Adelia, don't tease your sister like that!" scolded Amora when she noticed Emily blushing.

Amora and Nadila had been friends since their high school days, but due to their busy lives, they hadn't seen each other in a long time. Adelia and Emily had also become quite close because Amora often invited Adelia to visit Emily's house during their free time. They were also online friends, which had strengthened their bond despite rarely meeting in person.

"Mom!" Calvin called as he approached the group of women gathered in the dining room.

"What is it?" Amora asked, looking at her son.

"Later, I want to take Emily to her house to get her clothes, and then we'll move to my apartment, okay?" Calvin continued, smiling at Nadila.

"Why don't you let your brother accompany Emily to get her clothes? You can just give him the address of her apartment," Nadila replied casually.

"Wait a minute. Who gave you permission to move? This house is spacious enough for all of us to live together," Amora said, surprised by Calvin's sudden decision.

"Mom, what's going on? Calvin has already prepared the apartment for his wife. Besides, we want to enjoy our honeymoon since it was postponed!" Calvin pleaded to get his mother's permission. Emily, who heard Calvin's words, choked. Her face turned red from embarrassment due to Calvin's candid statement.

"Be careful, dear!" Nadila patted Emily's shoulder and handed her a tissue.

"Fine, just go along with their wishes. It's like you've never experienced being newlyweds!" Nadila said as she continued to comfort Emily.

Emily gave Calvin a sharp look, which only made him approach her.

"Let's go to our room," Calvin said as he hugged Emily's shoulder. They walked together, their footsteps echoing on each step as they climbed the stairs towards their room.

"What else do you want from me, Calvin?" Emily whispered, without intending to look at the man who was currently hugging her. Their legs moved in sync as they ascended the staircase one by one.

"Of course, I'm tired of pretending all the time. Besides, I want to give you a valuable lesson," Calvin replied, moving his lips closer to Emily's ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"You shouldn't expect anything from this marriage!" Calvin said firmly, gripping Emily's arm tightly, causing her to wince. Ignoring Emily's pained expression, Calvin continued to fix his sharp gaze on her, piercing deep into her eyes.

"What should I expect from a cold and rough man like you?" Emily retorted, matching Calvin's piercing gaze without flinching despite the pain in her arm.

"You're the one who started all of this. From the beginning, I gave you a choice. Just so you know, you're not the kind of girl I'd go for, so don't expect your efforts to seduce me to work. Even if you were naked in front of me, it wouldn't make me willing to touch you!" Calvin sneered before forcefully pushing Emily, making her fall to the edge of the bed.

"Well, just so you know. I accepted this marriage reluctantly. Besides, you're not my ideal man either. So, from now on, consider us as having no relationship at all. We're both free. So, there's nothing more to discuss," Emily replied firmly, though inside, she felt immense pain realizing there was no hope in their marriage. She had thought their togetherness would eventually lead to love, but she had to accept the harsh reality, even on their first day of marriage.

As Calvin was about to leave, he suddenly turned back, fixing his eyes on Emily again. He approached her, bending down slightly. He lifted Emily's chin to intensify their eye contact, intimidating her into submission.

"You're a clever girl," he said briefly, releasing Emily's chin before walking away. Without a second thought, Calvin took off his comfortable glasses, placed them on the nightstand, and headed for the bathroom.

"Just wait, Calvin. It won't take me long to make you kneel and beg for my love, and when that time comes, I'll make sure you'll never find me, not even my shadow," Emily promised herself with determination as she watched Calvin's figure disappear from her sight.

Repeatedly mentioning God in her heart, Emily packed her clothes and personal belongings into her backpack. She had no intention of playing games with the sanctity of marriage, even though their union lacked love. Emily hoped their marriage would progress normally and naturally. She thought that their time together would eventually nurture mutual love. However, the reality was different, and she had to accept the pain, even on the first day of their marriage.

Calvin stood frozen in place, observing Emily's neatly arranged attire. She had chosen a simple outfit, much like when they first met: long jeans paired with a t-shirt that displayed her well-toned physique. To Calvin, Emily's body was too plump for his ideal woman. His gaze then shifted to the backpack on the bed, and once again, he fixed his intense gaze on Emily, who was sitting in front of the dressing table. From behind the mirror, Emily was seen applying soft pink lipstick to her lips, leaving her straight, shoulder-length hair to cascade beautifully.

Seeing Calvin's surprised expression, Emily offered a faint smile. "Shouldn't we go? Sooner is better. Well, I'm also tired of pretending in front of our families," Emily said as she turned her body to enjoy Calvin's cold expression. "Oh, by the way, you don't need to bother providing for me. Even though I know your salary as a heart specialist is substantial. I can support myself. And one more thing, I can assure you our marriage won't last long because I don't want to waste my time living with a rough man like you!" Emily provoked Calvin just as he was about to speak.

"Don't test my patience, Emily! Remember your limits!" Calvin shouted, moving quickly toward Emily to reach her arm, but she swiftly avoided him.

"Do you want this argument to be heard by our entire family?" Emily said sarcastically, successfully making Calvin's jaw tense with her piercing gaze. Emily's gaze then shifted to Calvin's clenched fists. "I won't take risks with my father's health. Doesn't Mama also have a history of hypertension? I think it's a fair deal," Emily continued, causing Calvin's eyes to darken. His right hand rose high, and the strong muscles of his arm were visible. But within a split second, his hand remained suspended in the air before eventually dropping back to his side.

"You don't know me well enough, Calvin. You sold me, and I bought it!" Emily's heart pounded with satisfaction as she saw she had managed to provoke Calvin's emotions.

"I'm hungry. I'll wait for you downstairs, my dearest husband," Emily taunted calmly before quickly leaving the room. She didn't want their argument to escalate into a big fight that would hurt everyone.

After Emily closed the door firmly, she took a moment to compose herself and regulate her breathing. She suppressed her racing heart and held back the tears that had pooled in her eyes for she knew not how long. It was painful to realize the impending failure of her marriage, especially after waiting for it for so long. This pain was even deeper than the one inflicted by Rama, her former boyfriend, who had abandoned her just days before their wedding. Even now, Emily had not been able to forget her first love, no matter how hard she tried, or understand why Rama had left her.

Calvin sat at the edge of the bed, his face buried in his hands, rubbing his face roughly. What he had done to Emily was excessive, but accepting her rebellion had wounded his ego. Regardless, he was supposed to be the one in control of the game he had created, not Emily, and her defRyance had caught him off guard. He had thought that dictating terms to Emily wouldn't be difficult, but after seeing her behavior that morning, Calvin realized that Emily was not an ordinary girl. She was different from the girls he had known, especially Clara, the perfect, gentle, and resolute girl who still held a special place in his heart.

"Clara," Calvin mumbled, a sudden rush of longing and pain flooding his heart. A woman he could never attain. If time could be rewound, Calvin would fix everything, win Clara's heart without leaving room for any other man to approach her, especially Gibran, his cousin's older brother.

The sound of a knock on the door interrupted Calvin's reverie. He quickly got up and glanced at himself in the mirror for a moment. With reluctance, he forced a smile and opened the door to see who was disturbing his thoughts.

"Dad!" Calvin murmured in surprise.

"Dad wants to talk to you seriously for a moment," Steve replied, and without being invited, the middle-aged man entered the room. His eyes scanned every corner of the room. Then there was a long sigh as Steve sat on the sofa. The bridal chamber of his son was neat and clean, unlike that of most newlyweds. Steve noticed a thin white fabric that he was sure was lingerie lying in the trash can. Calvin joined him, feeling uncertain.

"Actually, Dad is a bit hesitant about you two deciding to live in the apartment. Dad knows you need privacy, but this house is spacious enough for us to live together," Steve said honestly while looking at Calvin seriously. Calvin fell silent, and his face showed a deep sense of doubt.

"Dad won't force you. All the decisions are in your hands. But one thing Dad wants you to remember: never be even slightly harsh to a woman," Steve explained without averting his gaze from his son, who looked troubled. Steve was sure that the journey of their marriage would be a bit complicated since it wasn't based on love.

"A wife is a husband's rib; she will be gentle and obedient if we treat her as such. Conversely, she will bend and break if we are harsh. A wife is a reflection of a husband, so be like a husband who can always comfort and protect." Calvin remained silent. His lips felt dry, unable to speak. Even since last night, he had been cruel to his wife.

"Emily is a good girl. Dad and Mom have known her since she was a child. In fact, Mom loves her like her own daughter. As far as Dad knows, she was a bit spoiled by her two older brothers. Dad hopes you always remember Dad's words!" Steve got up from the sofa and patted Calvin's shoulder. "Let's have breakfast now. Everyone is waiting for us in the dining room!"

Calvin also rose from his seat and followed Steve out of the room, digesting every word that his father had conveyed.