Kairus' POV :
She didn't open the door.
Not that night.
Not the morning after.
Not when I knocked twice more—once with my fist, once with her name clenched between my teeth like a prayer I didn't know I believed in.
"Raven."
Nothing.
I heard movement once.
The soft shift of sheets, the creak of wood.
But no answer.
Not even a goddamn insult.
By the third time I tried, I didn't bother hiding the frustration in my voice.
"I said it meant nothing," I muttered at the door, jaw tight. "Doesn't mean you get to pretend I don't fucking exist."
Still.
No sound.
Not even her breathing.
It was worse than shouting.
Worse than rage.
Raven Moreno, the girl who fought fire with fists and never held her tongue, was giving me silence.
And I didn't know what the hell to do with it.
At breakfast, she walked past me like I was furniture.
Sat at the far end of the table.
Didn't even glance up when I spoke.
"Raven," I tried again.
She stirred her tea.
"Raven."
Nothing.
I clenched my jaw, slamming my palm on the table. The sound echoed—but she didn't flinch.
Didn't look.
She simply stood, left her cup untouched, and walked out of the room like I wasn't even there.
She wouldn't talk to me.
Wouldn't look at me.
Wouldn't even breathe in my direction.
I lasted until nightfall.
Then I snapped.
I was one twitch away from violence.
But for once, not against the world.
Just against myself.
Because no matter how many times I told myself this marriage was just a contract,
No matter how many times I gaslit my heart back into silence—
There was no denying the sting in my chest when she treated me like nothing.
Like I didn't matter.
Like I wasn't the man who watched her fight her demons with blood on her knuckles and still wanted to fall to his knees.
The hallway outside her room was dim, quiet—too quiet. My pulse drummed in my ears as I stared at her door again, jaw tight, knuckles white from clenching.
No more knocking.
I opened it.
She stood inside, brushing out her hair with her back to me, wearing one of those oversized T-shirts that barely reached mid-thigh.
She froze.
Didn't turn around.
Didn't speak.
Like I was air.
"Stop pretending I don't fucking exist."
My voice was low, guttural, already shaking with restraint.
She didn't answer.
Not a word.
Just kept brushing, as if I wasn't standing there, unraveling.
In two strides, I was behind her.
She gasped when I spun her around and slammed her back to the wall—not hard, but enough to knock the breath out of her lungs. I grabbed both her wrists and pinned them above her head, my body pressing flush to hers.
Her chest heaved.
Finally, finally she looked at me.
And fuck, I wish she hadn't.
Those eyes.
That rage.
The fire she tried to kill.
"You think ignoring me makes you strong?" I growled against her lips, my forehead brushing hers. "You think I don't see through this little performance?"
She didn't answer.
Didn't pull away either.
"You're pissed because I walked away," I bit out, pressing closer until her legs trembled. "But don't act like you didn't feel it too."
Still silent.
That look—defiant, burning—only made the ache worse.
"Say something," I growled. "Fucking scream at me. Hit me. Just stop acting like I'm not in your veins the same way you're under my skin."
Her lips parted—but nothing came out.
I stared at her mouth like it was the only truth I'd ever believe.
"You think you hate me?" I whispered, voice raw, twisted. "Then hate me with your whole fucking body, Raven. But don't ignore me."
Her silence burned more than a bullet.
And her trembling only fed the chaos clawing in my chest.
My hands tightened around her wrists, not hurting her, but desperate. Needy. Unraveled.
"Do you think I wanted to leave you there?" I hissed, pressing my forehead to hers, breath harsh. "You don't know what the fuck you do to me, Raven."
She tilted her head slightly, mouth brushing mine without a kiss. "Then tell me."
I froze.
"Tell me why you kissed me like I was the air you breathe," she said, voice sharp, low, cutting, "and left me like I was dirt."
Fuck.
"You can't, can you?" she whispered, eyes narrowing. "Because even you don't know what the hell you want."
My grip slipped. Just slightly. Just enough for her to yank her wrists free—and she did it with such quiet fury that my whole chest cracked.
She didn't step away.
She pushed me.
One hand flat to my chest, fire in her eyes.
"You walked away from me after that kiss," she said, voice rising now, rage finally spilling over. "Left me alone in that room like I was some kind of mistake—like it meantnothing to you."
"It didn't—"
"Don't fucking lie to me, Kairus," she spat, cutting me off. "Don't gaslight me into thinking I imagined the way you looked at me."
Silence.
Breathless. Bloody. Brutal.
"This isn't about the kiss," she said, quieter now. "It's about the fact that you're a coward."
I stiffened.
"You want my body?" she whispered. "Fine. You own it. You bought it with your contract and your damn money. But my soul? My heart?"
She stepped back, voice ice.
"You'll never touch those."
Then she turned her back on me—again.
But this time, I didn't chase.
Because her words had done what no bullet, blade, or betrayal ever could.
They left me hollow.
Hours passed.
I waited.
By the door.
In the hall.
Outside her fucking room, where her scent still lingered like a ghost pressed against my skin.
But Raven never came out.
And then—
I realized she wasn't even inside.
I yanked the door open, heart thudding louder than it should, and found nothing but air.
No bag.
No jacket.
No boots.
The bed, untouched.
The silence, mocking.
"Raven?" I called out. Once. Twice.
Nothing.
Not in the training hall. Not in the garden. Not in the goddamn library where she sometimes curled up in that ridiculous blanket when she thought no one saw.
Panic raised up my throat like poison.
No. No. No.
I turned, stalking through the hallway with blood boiling in my veins. My vision tunneled. My fists clenched.
She left me.
She fucking left me.
"Where the fuck is she?" I roared, grabbing Yuri by the collar when he didn't answer fast enough.
"She—she wasn't on the cameras, Boss. I—I thought she was still in her room—"
"She's not !" I bellowed. "Did you let someone in? Did someone take her?!"
"N-No one entered, I swear—"
"Then she left on her own." The words made my jaw grind. My chest ached—a sharp, foreign thing clawing through the iron around my ribs.
I turned to my men. Cold. Livid. Unhinged.
"Find her."
My voice cracked like thunder, low and lethal.
"FIND MY WIFE!!"