Chapter Five: A Taste of His Own medicine
There was a saying Elián's grandmother used to whisper:
"People only miss the sun when it stops warming them."
That morning, as Kairo watched the boy he'd married slip into a dark silk shirt and walk right past him without a glance, those words burned in the back of his mind like a cigarette kiss to the skin.
Elián didn't smile.
He didn't ask if Kairo was coming with him.
He didn't even wait.
He just left.
And for the first time since their wedding, Kairo Laurent followed.
---
The gala was an annual tradition — the Laurent Foundation's Mid-Year Charity Ball.
Silk gowns. Black ties. Photographers. Flashbulbs. Scandals.
Everyone expected Kairo to arrive with Lucien.
Instead, he arrived alone — and five minutes later, Elián entered through a separate door, hand on the arm of the Foundation's elderly chairman.
Elián looked... breathtaking.
He wasn't the shy student anymore.
He was elegance carved from cold marble: tall, poised, lips slightly curved in polite detachment. His hair had been styled back to reveal his sharp cheekbones, and the pearl pin in his lapel glistened like moonlight on snow.
People turned.
The press whispered:
> "Is that his husband?"
"I thought they were just a contract."
"He looks different... refined."
Kairo clenched his jaw.
---
Throughout the evening, Elián worked the room.
He spoke with politicians. Artists. Doctors. Ambassadors.
He wasn't just polite. He was intelligent — fluent in French and Spanish, subtly navigating conversations with a calm grace that made people lean in when he talked.
When someone asked about his role in the Foundation, he smiled gently.
> "I used to be invisible. But I realized you don't need permission to take space."
And every time someone asked about Kairo?
He'd answer with:
> "He's very busy these days."
That was it.
Cold. Distant. Untouchable.
Kairo watched from across the room, untouched whiskey in hand, while the boy he once thought disposable became the object of every eye.
It was driving him insane.
---
Later, a scandalous moment broke the buzz.
An investor's daughter — a stunning heiress — cornered Kairo by the wine table.
"Why are you alone tonight?" she purred. "Trouble in paradise?"
Before Kairo could answer, Elián walked by. He didn't stop. Didn't even look. But he said it loud enough for her to hear:
> "My husband doesn't believe in paradise."
The words sliced the air like ice.
Everyone heard.
And when the heiress turned bright red, Kairo knew: Elián had mastered the art of public revenge.
---
At midnight, the music changed. A slow waltz began.
Couples gathered on the dance floor.
Kairo walked to Elián with a low, tense voice.
"Dance with me."
Elián turned, expression blank.
"Why?"
"It's expected."
"So was love."
Kairo's breath caught.
"I didn't mean to—"
"I know," Elián cut in quietly. "You never meant to."
He stepped onto the floor anyway.
Their bodies aligned, but nothing about it felt close.
Kairo's hand on his waist. Elián's palm against his.
A formal pose. Nothing more.
Kairo stared at him, studying the distant look in his eyes.
"You're angry."
Elián looked up at him slowly.
"I'm done being angry. I'm just learning how to forget you."
---
After the dance, Elián left without saying goodbye.
Kairo returned home alone. He stood by the fire, tie undone, shirt loose, staring into the flames.
He thought about Lucien.
About lies.
About betrayal.
But most of all, he thought about Elián —
The boy he'd called useless.
The boy he'd slapped once, in a fit of rage.
The boy he'd ignored.
And now, the boy he couldn't stop watching.
---
Meanwhile, Elián sat by the window of the guest bedroom.
He couldn't sleep in the master suite anymore. Not where the scent of Lucien lingered.
He stared at the stars, his heart tight but proud.
He was surviving.
And for the first time, he whispered to himself:
> "You don't need someone to love you. You just need to love yourself enough not to break."
---
End of Chapter Five.
Next up:
Chapter Six – "Jealous Hands, Shaking Hearts"
Where Kairo starts to unravel. The public is drawn to Elián's strength — and Kairo starts to hate the attention Elián gets… because it's no longer his.