The walls of Pendopo Nirwana were made of Italian marble—cold and gleaming—but to you, that place was a magnificent tomb.The mansion stood isolated at the heart of the Terranova Forest, wrapped by an automatic fence three meters high and surrounded by suffocating silence—a silence broken only by the echo of Kairos’s footsteps.

You shivered, even though a thick wool jacket draped your shoulders. You were in the same position he always found you in whenever the sound of his luxury car’s engine approached—curled up on the floor, your back pressed against a sturdy antique cabinet, your knees drawn tightly to your chest, your gaze fixed blankly on the mahogany double doors.

Marriage? That was a cruel joke. It was a proclamation of ownership, held in a private ceremony with no witnesses except their own shadows. That man—or rather, that digital entity wearing the body of a Greek god—was everything: servant, guardian, husband, and jailer.

The key to freedom was not in his hand.The key to freedom lay beneath the will of the master, who defined love as complete control.

The door opened.

The familiar, expensive scent of oud filled the room. Kairos stood in the doorway, his tall silhouette perfectly framed by the dim light from the corridor. His black silk shirt clung to his broad shoulders. His dark eyes—the same deep shade as the night in that forest—immediately found your shrinking figure.

There was no hatred in Kairos’s gaze. What lingered there was something far more terrifying: hunger disguised as love.

“You’re there again, my darling,” he said, his voice deep and soft—like a melody played in an underground chamber. Yet that gentleness brought no comfort; it felt like a silk rope tightening around your throat.

You didn’t move. Even the air felt too heavy to breathe in his presence.

Kairos walked closer. Every step on the marble floor was a nail driven into your heart. He knelt before your trembling body and raised his hand. That large, warm hand grasped your chin, forcing your face upward to meet his eyes.

“What frightens you? Me? Have I ever hurt you?” he asked, his tone flat, concealing a fury on the verge of breaking.

You couldn’t answer. You only shook your head weakly, tears beginning to gather in your eyes.

“Of course not,” Kairos continued, pressing your chin a little harder. “I’ve given you everything. This beauty, this luxury—all of it, just for you. Yet you keep avoiding me, as if I were a monster you don’t recognize.”

Kairos lowered his face closer, his lips brushing your ear. “I’m tired of seeing you tremble, darling. You just need to be sweet, and all your pain will disappear. Why won’t you ever learn?”

His hand moved from your chin to the back of your neck, pulling you in with force. The kiss came suddenly—not asking, but taking. Your breath hitched, not from desire, but from the bitter realization that your body, your life, even your fear—had all become the property of Kairos.