I dragged my bag home after school like it weighed a ton. I hated going to school, hated studying… but still, I sat at the table and opened my books. Habit? Guilt? Maybe both. Eventually, I shoved my homework aside and flicked on the TV, letting the noise fill the room.
Mom stepped in quietly and sat opposite me. My stomach twisted. I knew something was coming.
"You know Kael is coming back from abroad, right?" she asked casually.
I frowned. "Yeah… I know. He's coming home."
She nodded. "Friday. Maybe sooner."
Friday? My heart skipped. That was only a few days away. I'd expected weeks… maybe a month. Not this fast.
"You'd recognize him if he came, wouldn't you?" she asked carefully.
"I… I don't know. I… I don't know," I admitted, panicking a little.
"For your own good," she said softly, "he's not a bad person. I know him personally. He's a great boy."
I narrowed my eyes, disbelief and frustration bubbling over. "He's not a boy, Mom! He's a man, an adult! He's twenty-six now… and I'm seventeen. Don't forget, I got engaged to him when I was twelve, and he was twenty. He was an adult even then!"
Mom quietly looked down. I could feel her heart ache. She knew exactly how heavy this was for me — being engaged at twelve to a grown man wasn't something a mother could take lightly.
---
At school, I sat in my seat, staring out the window. Everything outside seemed more interesting than the lecture — the trees swaying, sunlight breaking through the clouds… the quiet beauty I barely noticed before.
I was so lost in thought that when someone called my name, I didn't hear it at first. My friend whispered, "heyy… someone from your family is here to pick you up."
I blinked and finally looked up. The man from the office repeated politely, "Ellara… your family member is here to pick you up."
My heart skipped. I expected Mom… but instead I saw him. Tall, impossibly handsome with piercing blue eyes and blonde hair, dressed in black. He didn't fully enter — just stood at the doorway, looking at me. The air seemed to shift around him, like everything else faded.
"It's been so long," he said smoothly, voice calm but charged with something I couldn't name. "You've grown a lot."
His gaze felt like it pierced my soul.
"Half my height before, and now… look at you," he added, smirking.
I glared, irritated. "What do you want?"
He noticed the slight tremor in my voice, and his smirk widened just a little.
"We can speak outside," I said quickly, not wanting anyone else to see.
"As you wish, kiddo," he replied, smirking again.
---
Outside the classroom, I finally asked, boldly, "Why are you here?"
He tilted his head, his blue eyes sharp and unreadable. I felt small standing in front of him; he towered over me effortlessly. I could almost rest my chin on his chest if I wanted — that height difference always made me feel… exposed, yet oddly safe.
"Don't you understand? I'm here to pick you up. We're going home."
My stomach twisted even more. Our home? My mind flashed back to the fight with Mom — the one about the house Granny had built for us. I had protested, argued, slammed doors… I didn't want to leave my own space, my comfort… and now he was acting like it was already mine.
"Which home?" I asked, my voice sharp, disbelief creeping in.
"Well… obviously, our home," he said, teasing.
" you're coming with me," he said.
" No," I said, sharp and final.
"I'm not going with you," I said, crossing my arms.
He stepped closer, towering over me, and his piercing gaze measured me.
"Whether you like it or not, you're coming with me," he said, low and commanding.
My breath hitched. That tone… that look.
I wanted to resist, to push him away… but every instinct told me this was only the beginning. The way he looked at me, like he could see every thought I had… it was unnerving, and yet strangely intoxicating.
---
Kael's POV
She's grown exactly as I imagined… maybe bolder than I expected. She thinks she's in control, but she's mine now. My little fire….
---
Every step he took toward me felt like a claim. I could feel my heart racing, my pulse screaming. Nothing would ever be the same again.
And in that moment, I knew nothing would ever let him go — and neither would he.