Three hours later.
Something warm brushed gently through my hair.
Slow.
Careful.
Like someone didn't want to wake me.
For a moment I stayed still, half asleep.
Then my eyes slowly opened.
The room was darker now.
Only the faint light from the hallway illuminated the living room.
And in front of me—
Chak.
His hand was still resting in my hair.
The moment our eyes met, something inside my chest snapped awake.
All the emotions I had pushed down earlier rushed back instantly.
The jealousy.
The anger.
The hurt.
My gaze hardened.
Without saying a word, I turned my head slightly and glanced at the clock on the wall.
3:30 AM.
So late.
My jaw tightened.
Before Chak could say anything, I suddenly grabbed his wrist.
His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
"Come with me," I said quietly.
My voice was low.
Controlled.
But the tension in it was impossible to hide.
I stood up and pulled him with me.
Chak didn't resist.
He followed as I led him quickly down the hallway.
Past the stairs.
Straight toward our room.
I pushed the door open and walked inside, still holding his hand.
Then I pulled him further—
Into the bathroom.
The bright light flicked on.
For a brief second we just stood there.
Facing each other.
Water droplets still clung to Chak's hair from the rain outside.
My chest rose and fell slowly.
Then, without hesitation, I stepped closer and began pulling at the buttons of his shirt.
Chak blinked in surprise.
"Niran—"
"Shower," I interrupted quietly.
My voice was firm.
"You smell like a her parfume."
My fingers continued working at the buttons, one after another.
"And I'm not letting you go to bed like that."
The last button slipped from my fingers.
Chak's shirt hung open now.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
The silence inside the bathroom felt thick.
Heavy.
My chest was still rising and falling faster than normal.
All the emotions I had tried to bury earlier were suddenly right there again.
Burning under my skin.
I looked straight into his eyes.
"Take a shower," I said.
My voice was low.
But sharp.
Angry.
Chak blinked slightly, clearly surprised by my tone.
"Niran—"
"Shower," I repeated, my jaw tightening.
Then the words slipped out before I could stop them.
"And wash her off."
The sentence hung in the air.
Chak froze.
"If you don't," I continued, my voice dropping even lower, "I will."
For the first time since he came in, I saw something unfamiliar in his eyes.
Not anger.
Not stubbornness.
Something else.
A small flicker of uncertainty.
Almost… caution.
Like he wasn't used to seeing me like this.
Like he wasn't used to me being the one in control.
I stepped a little closer.
Close enough to see the faint mark on his collar where Phalin's lipstick had smeared earlier.
My stomach twisted.
"Wash properly," I said quietly.
My eyes lifted to his lips.
"And clean your lips."
My voice trembled slightly despite my effort to keep it steady.
"Because I'm not kissing them if she kissed them first."
The words came out harsher than I expected.
For a moment Chak didn't move.
He just stood there, looking at me.
Studying my face.
The anger.
The jealousy.
The hurt I had tried so hard to hide all night.
Finally he spoke softly.
"…You were watching."
It wasn't a question.
I didn't answer.
I simply stepped back and turned toward the shower.
The water handle was right there.
Waiting.
I turned the handle.
The shower came to life with a sharp rush of water, steam already beginning to rise in the small bathroom.
For a moment neither of us moved.
Then I stepped back and crossed my arms.
"Go on," I said quietly.
Chak looked at me for another second.
Like he was trying to read something in my face.
But whatever he saw there made him stop arguing.
Slowly, he reached up and pulled the rest of his shirt off his shoulders.
The fabric dropped to the floor.
Then his watch.
His belt.
His pants.
Each movement calm.
Deliberate.
I stayed where I was, leaning slightly against the sink, watching him.
My anger hadn't disappeared.
If anything, seeing him here — in front of me after everything that had happened tonight — made it burn even stronger.
Chak stepped under the shower.
The water ran down his hair and shoulders instantly.
For a moment he just stood there, letting it soak him.
Then he reached for the soap and shampoo.
He washed his hands first.
Then his arms.
His neck.
Exactly like I had told him.
But my eyes stayed fixed on one place.
His mouth.
Chak noticed.
Of course he noticed.
His hand slowly lifted.
He rubbed the soap across his lips.
Once.
Then again.
More carefully this time.
Almost like he was proving something.
The steam slowly filled the bathroom.
I felt my chest tighten again.
Because even now…
Even angry.
Even jealous.
Even hurt.
I still wanted to walk over there and kiss him.
Chak rinsed the soap away and pushed his wet hair back from his face.
Then he finally looked at me again through the falling water.
"You done being mad at me?" he asked quietly.
My jaw tightened.
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Chak let out a quiet breath.
"Good," he muttered.
I frowned slightly.
"What?"
He looked straight at me.
Because now there was something different in his eyes.
Something intense.
Something honest.
"I'd be worried if you weren't."
The water kept running over his shoulders.
Droplets slid down his face and neck, disappearing under the stream.
But his eyes never left mine.
"I'd be worried if you weren't," Chak repeated quietly.
My arms tightened across my chest.
"Oh really?" I replied coldly.
"Yes."
The calmness in his voice only made my irritation flare again.
I pushed myself away from the sink and stepped closer to the shower.
Steam wrapped around us.
"You don't come home for hours," I said.
My voice was still controlled, but the anger underneath it was impossible to hide.
"It's three-thirty in the morning, Chak."
My eyes flicked to his lips again.
Clean now.
But the memory of earlier still burned in my head.
"You let her kiss you in front of everyone."
Chak's jaw tightened slightly.
"I didn't—"
"You didn't stop her," I cut him off sharply.
The words echoed against the tiles.
For a moment the only sound in the bathroom was the running water.
Chak looked at me silently.
Then he reached up and turned the shower off.
The sudden quiet felt almost louder.
Water continued dripping slowly from his hair and shoulders.
"Niran," he said softly.
But hearing my name like that only made the frustration rise again.
"You know what the worst part was?" I continued, my voice lower now.
"Everyone was watching."
My chest tightened again at the memory.
"The cameras."
"The guests."
"The whispers."
I shook my head slightly.
"And I had to sit there and pretend like it didn't bother me."
Chak stepped a little closer.
Water dripped onto the floor between us.
"You think it didn't bother me?" he asked quietly.
My eyes snapped back to his.
Before I could respond, he continued.
"She grabbed me."
His voice stayed calm, but there was tension underneath it.
"In front of hundreds of people."
"I couldn't exactly shove my wife away on the dance floor."
The word wife hit my chest like a small blade.
I looked away for a second.
And that's when Chak suddenly reached out.
His fingers gently caught my wrist.
Warm.
Steady.
"Niran."
I tried to pull my hand back.
But he didn't let go.
"You told me to clean my lips," he said quietly.
"So I did."
My heart started beating faster again.
His thumb brushed lightly against my wrist.
"But you forgot something."
I frowned slightly.
"What?
Chak leaned just a little closer.
Close enough that I could feel the warmth of his breath.
"You said you wouldn't kiss me if she had kissed me first."
His eyes dropped briefly to my mouth.
Then back to my eyes.
"But now," he murmured softly,
"they're clean."
Chak was still holding my wrist.
The space between us felt too small.
Too warm.
My heart was still beating fast from everything he had just said.
But then—
My eyes moved.
And froze.
There, just below his collarbone, on the side of his neck…
A red mark.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
A bite.
My stomach dropped.
Then the anger came back all at once.
Stronger than before.
I stepped forward suddenly, grabbing his chin and turning his head slightly.
Chak blinked in surprise.
"What—"
"What is that?" I demanded.
My voice echoed sharply in the bathroom.
Chak followed my gaze.
Then he went still.
For a brief second he didn't say anything.
And that silence was enough to make the fire inside my chest explode.
"Phalin," I said bitterly.
The name tasted like poison.
My hands clenched.
Chak watched my face carefully.
Then, unexpectedly, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"You know," he said quietly,
"you look like an angry cat right now."
That did it.
My head snapped up.
"An angry—?"
I stepped closer and grabbed his shoulder, forcing him to turn so the mark was clearly visible.
"She bit you!"
My voice rose despite myself.
"And you're standing there joking?!"
Chak lifted both hands slightly in surrender.
"I didn't say I liked it—"
"Oh, really?" I shot back.
My chest was rising and falling quickly now.
The jealousy, the frustration, the humiliation from earlier — everything crashed together.
My finger jabbed toward the red mark on his neck.
"Fine," I snapped.
"If that's how she wants to play."
Chak's expression changed slightly.
"Niran—"
"Then I'll show her," I said sharply.
My eyes locked onto his.
"Who you actually belong to."
For the first time that night, a small flicker of uncertainty appeared in Chak's eyes.
"…How exactly are you planning to do that?" he asked cautiously.
Instead of answering, I grabbed the front of his shoulder and pulled him down slightly.
And before he could react—
I bit him.
Right on the opposite side of his neck.
Hard enough to leave a mark.
Chak sucked in a sharp breath.
"Niran—!"
But I didn't let go immediately.
Only after a moment did I pull back.
My chest was still heaving slightly as I looked at the fresh mark forming on his skin.
Then I muttered stubbornly,
"There."
Now both sides of his neck were marked.
I crossed my arms again.
"Fair."