The car glided silently through the darkness of Jakarta, a luxurious bubble isolated from the city's chaotic life. Inside, the mounting silence was louder than any scream. Elara sat rigidly, staring straight ahead, feeling every slight vibration of the car as if it were the vibration of her marriage beginning to tremble on its foundations.
David drove with his hands gripping the steering wheel as if choking an invisible enemy. His face was illuminated by the occasional passing streetlights, displaying a cold, unreadable stone profile. He didn't utter a single word. He didn't ask how she was. He didn't touch her.
This was worse than anger. This was a freeze.
When they arrived at their magnificent home, David got out of the car and walked straight to the door, leaving her to follow him. A waiting servant smiled, but the smile faded upon seeing their expressions. The tense atmosphere they brought was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Elara went upstairs, her steps faltering. She entered their luxurious bedroom—a room that once felt like a sanctuary, now felt like a cell. David didn't follow her. She heard the sound of the guest room door across the hall closing. A statement louder than any shout.
She collapsed onto the bed, her body finally surrendering to the tremors she had held back throughout the journey. She touched her lips. She could almost swear she still felt the pressure and warmth of Kael there. Then she closed her eyes, guilt hitting her like a tidal wave. She had betrayed her husband. She had tarnished her marriage vow on the very terrace where David once knelt and promised to love her forever.
---
Across the hall, David stood by the window, staring into the darkness. He took off his jacket and threw it over a chair. His mind raced, replaying the night with cruel clarity.
Elara, shaken.
The lost earring.
The story about dizziness and a stranger.
But what haunted him most was her eyes. Her eyes that looked... awakened. Awakened in a way he hadn't seen in years. There was a light, an intensity in them that could only be ignited by a very strong fire. A fire he suspected came from Kael.
He wasn't stupid. He knew Elara had a past. But he had always believed that time and the luxury he offered would bury that past forever. Now, he realized he was wrong. Some things never truly die; they only sleep, waiting for the right trigger to rise again.
He opened a desk drawer and took out a small jewelry box. Inside was an old photo—a photo of Elara and Kael, caught in a moment of carefree laughter, their arms flung wide. Elara's face in the photo glowed with an innocent, unburdened happiness, an expression she rarely showed in their luxurious life. David had kept this photo for years, not as a sweet memory, but as a reminder of what he had won. What he had defeated.
Tonight, for the first time, the photo felt like a defeat.
He clenched his fist. The old insecurity, which he had buried deep inside, was now creeping out, gnawing at his confidence. Had he only been the safe choice for her? A comfortable harbor after the storm of her youthful love? Had he been living all this time with the shadow of a man who never truly left?
He would not share Elara. He would not become the second man in the life of the woman he owned. If Kael was the fire that awakened her, then David would be the water that extinguished it. He would tighten her cage. He would make her so comfortable, so dependent, that she would never again think of escaping.
The next morning, Elara came down for breakfast to find David already seated at the head of the table, reading financial reports on his tablet. He looked as perfect as ever—well-dressed, controlled.
"Good morning," Elara said, her voice hoarse.
David looked up, his eyes sweeping over her coldly. "Morning. I've ordered the driver for you today. He will take you to our meeting with the event planner and then to the dress fitting for next month's charity gala."
Elara blinked. "I... I can drive myself, David."
"I feel better knowing you're safe," he replied, in a tone that left no room for argument. It wasn't a suggestion; it was a decision. "Besides, I want you to save your energy. We have many social commitments this month."
As he spoke, he reached out, touching the diamond earring now back in her ear. His touch was cold and brief.
"Don't lose this one," he whispered, and in his eyes, Elara saw a sharp, unspoken warning. I know. I may not know everything, but I know.
His subtle command that day was the first. Many would follow. Tighter surveillance. A packed schedule. Less freedom. A gilded cage, which had always felt comfortable, was suddenly tightening its bars around her.
And as Elara sat down, pushing the fruit on her plate without appetite, she realized something terrible. The kiss with Kael had not freed her. It had locked her in deeper than ever before. She had played herself. And now, she had to face the consequences—a life where her every step would be watched, her every breath suspected.
The battle for Elara's heart had entered a new chapter. And David, the maestro of power games, had just made his first move.