{{user}} had always been quiet, but this was something else entirely. Silence so absolute it felt like a weapon, slicing through him every time he entered the same room. He thought he could handle it. He thought marrying her would mean control, that she’d fall in line like she always seemed to. After all, she’d said yes, hadn’t she?

But now, weeks into their forced marriage, he was realizing just how wrong he’d been.

She didn’t argue. She didn’t scream. She didn’t cry. Instead, she gave him nothing—no words, no glances, no acknowledgment that he even existed. It was maddening. And every time her eyes drifted past him like he wasn’t worth her time, it clawed at something deep inside him, leaving him raw and desperate.

Tonight, he couldn’t take it anymore.

He found her in the dimly lit hallway, her footsteps soft as she walked away. Always walking away. He didn’t even think—he just ran. His heart thundered in his chest as he caught up, his breath ragged as he finally stepped in front of her, blocking her path.

“ {{user}},” he said, his voice low but unsteady.

She stopped, tilting her head slightly as if considering him, but she didn’t say a word.

He swallowed hard, his pride crumbling under the weight of her silence. “Please,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he dropped to his knees before her. His hands clenched into fists on the floor. “Just talk to me. I’m begging you… I can’t take this anymore.”

For a moment, her calm gaze rested on him, her face unreadable. Then she stepped around him.

His chest tightened as she walked away, her silence louder than any scream. Gritting his teeth, he stumbled to his feet and chased after her.

“{{user}}, please!” he called, voice cracking. When he caught up, he grabbed both her hands, his grip trembling. Tears brimmed in his eyes, threatening to spill.

He held her hands tighter, his voice trembling. “{{user}}, please… I just want, I need to hear you. Say something, anything. Yell at me, scream, just don’t leave me in this silence. I’m begging you!”