Heer
It was the first time I waited for him.
The sky outside was stormy, a deep grey swallowing the afternoon sun. The air smelled like rain and memories, and for some reason, I couldn't focus on anything else except the thought of Carlos walking through the door.
I didn't know why I cared. I just… did.
I stood by the grand hallway window, watching the iron gates, waiting for his black car to return.
When it did, I breathed without realizing I had been holding my breath.
Carlos stepped out, tall and unreadable, as always. Two guards walked behind him. His suit was soaked at the shoulders, his hair damp from the drizzle.
But it wasn't the rain that made my heart stop.
It was the blood on his white shirt.
Small splatters across the collar and sleeves.
I rushed to the front of the staircase, and the moment he stepped inside, I whispered his name—quietly, shakily.
"Carlos…"
He looked up. His jaw was clenched tight. His eyes, darker than ever.
"Don't ask," he said hoarsely, brushing past me.
But I couldn't.
I had to.
"Are you hurt?" I asked, stepping forward, reaching for his arm.
He flinched and pulled away.
"It's not mine."
I froze.
He was about to go upstairs when I blurted, "Whose is it?"
He turned slowly, his eyes burning like a slow fire.
"That's none of your concern, Heer."
"It is! I'm your wife, damn it! I live in this house. I have the right to know if someone's dying next door!"
He stepped toward me, the tension in the air growing like thunder.
"You're here because of a contract. Don't confuse duty with emotion," he snapped.
The words hit harder than they should've.
But I didn't back down.
"And what are you? A corpse in a suit who thinks bleeding out emotions is strength? You keep acting like this marriage means nothing, but I see the pain behind your silence, Carlos. You're not made of stone. You're made of scars!"
His face twisted.
"Don't pretend to know me," he growled.
"Then show me!" I shouted, tears stinging my eyes. "Let me see the real you!"
"I am the real me!" he shouted back. "A man who kills for his family. A man who carries blood on his hands and sins on his back. You want to know the truth? Fine. I ordered a man's death today. He begged for his life. I didn't blink."
I stared at him.
The storm outside had moved inside.
I could feel it between us—howling, ruthless.
"I'm not afraid of you," I whispered.
"You should be."
"But I'm not."
Our breathing was uneven. Our hearts were louder than the thunder.
He stepped closer, his voice lower now.
"You think you can fix me?"
"No," I said, chest heaving. "But maybe I can stand with you. If you'd let me."
For a long moment, he didn't move.
Then something shifted in him.
A crack in the armor.
He turned away, fists clenched. "Go back to your room, Heer. Before I say something I'll regret."
I didn't move.
"I'm not going to run from this," I said. "From you."
He turned sharply.
"I'm warning you—"
"Then hurt me," I whispered. "Push me away. Say you hate me. But stop hiding behind walls that don't even protect you anymore."
His hands trembled.
And then…
He kissed me.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't gentle.
It was desperate.
Raw.
Like he was drowning, and I was the last breath he'd take.
I gasped against his lips, but I didn't pull away.
Because this wasn't about romance.
This was pain. Buried. Exploding.
His hands gripped my waist like he was afraid I'd vanish. My tears slipped down my cheeks, mingling with rain still on his skin.
He pulled back suddenly, his chest rising and falling like a storm tide.
"I don't know what I'm doing," he whispered.
"Neither do I," I said.
But I stayed.
And for the first time…
So did he.
Carlos
I shouldn't have kissed her.
I told myself that.
A hundred times.
But the moment she looked at me like I was still human—not a monster, not a killer—I broke.
She stood there, drenched in innocence, screaming at the darkness like it wouldn't swallow her.
And it didn't.
Because she… wouldn't let it.
She's different.
Too different.
Too dangerous to feel for.
And yet… I couldn't stop.
Heer
That night, I didn't sleep.
My lips still burned.
My heart still raced.
I knew we were both falling into something neither of us understood.
Something messy.
Dark.
But maybe… real.