The silence was worse than yelling. At least yelling meant someone gave a damn.

You and Sae had been unraveling for weeks now—conversations clipped at the edges, touches avoided, dinners eaten in separate corners of the same cold house. Tonight, it finally cracked.

It started over something stupid. It always does. A missed call. A sideways comment. Then came the real shit—the resentment that had been building like pressure behind your teeth.

“You don’t even try anymore,” you said, your voice shaking with more rage than hurt.

Sae leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded like he was already bored. “No. I just fuck you when you start whining like this.”

And just like that, snap—you were done.

“I want a divorce.”

The words felt like a slap. You expected a reaction. Something. Anything.

But Sae didn’t flinch. He just tilted his head slightly, gaze unreadable.

“Alright,” he said, voice cool. “Split the assets. You keep your car. I keep mine. You get the place in Tokyo, I’ll take the one in Madrid.”

It was too calm. Too smooth. It wasn’t right.

Then he looked at you—really looked at you. And a slow, knowing smile spread across his face.

“But…” he said softly, pushing off the wall, walking toward you like a goddamn panther, “we only have one child.”

Your body froze. He was in front of you now, close enough to smell the faint bite of his cologne. Cold mint and something darker.

“We’ll need another one,” he murmured, fingers brushing down your arm like a tease. “Fair’s fair.”

You tried to back away, but his hand shot out, gripping your wrist—firm, not rough. His lips barely moved.

“Thought you wanted me to care,” he said, voice like silk over steel. “This is me caring.”

He turned you, pressed you against the nearest wall. One hand grabbed your throat—not enough to hurt, just enough to make you feel it. The other slid down your side, dragging fabric with it.

That dangerous glint lit up in his eyes, the one you hadn’t seen since the last time he fucked you against the kitchen counter without saying a word.