Prologue: A love that was never promised… a heart that refused to listen… and a war that began the moment feelings were confessed.
Zaden stepped into the house and instantly felt it—the tension was suffocating. The silence wasn't calm, it was heavy… sharp enough to cut through him.
Jeylin sat there, shattered, her eyes swollen from crying. Her parents looked furious. Even his own parents carried disappointment.
He read the room in a second.
"What's going on?" Zaden asked, his voice firm but edged with irritation.
Jeylin's father let out a cold laugh. "That's exactly what we should be asking you. What is going on with you?"
The room grew even stiller.
"Yesterday you said you wouldn't marry her," he continued, his voice rising. "And today you walk in with another girl and announce she's your life partner? What about my daughter?"
Zaden's expression hardened instantly.
"Did I ever promise to marry your daughter?" he shot back.
Silence.
Jeylin's father clenched his jaw. "No. You didn't. But you never said no either when we fixed this alliance."
Zaden let out a dry scoff. "I was a kid back then. What exactly did you expect from me?"
The tension thickened.
"Whatever!" her father snapped. "You know my daughter would die for you. She loves you that much. Now who is going to convince her?"
Zaden didn't hesitate.
"Jeylin."
She didn't even look at him.
He didn't care.
"You know I've never seen you any different from Conrad, Richard, Michael, or Simon," he continued, his tone blunt and unfiltered. "And you also know I've never been interested in any woman. You knew that very well… then why did you even love me?"
That broke her.
Jeylin slowly lifted her head. Her face was red, tear-stained, trembling.
"So Lara is not a woman?" she asked, her voice shaking but sharp. "What changed now? You suddenly fell in love out of nowhere? Or is she that extraordinary?"
Zaden froze.
For the first time—he had no answer.
Before the silence could swallow the moment, Simon stepped in calmly.
"The way he looks at Lara… it's different," he said, observing Zaden carefully. "I knew something would happen. He never tolerates anyone's attitude, but with her… he doesn't react, he just feels. He loses control. I think he's loved her from the moment he saw her."
Richard nodded immediately.
"I've never seen him like this. He used to be robotic… now he's emotional. Because of her."
Michael added with a small smile, "And that's a good thing. You all should be happy for him, not criticize him. People change. Zaden has changed."
Zaden's father stepped forward, his tone calm but firm.
I understand your pain. Yes, we once wanted our children to marry. But Zaden… he was never emotional before. Now he loves someone. And we support him. Please don't let this turn into something worse."
But Jeylin couldn't stay silent anymore.
"What about me?" she burst out, her voice cracking. "I was never cold or robotic. You all knew I loved him. So what am I supposed to do now? Do none of you care how I feel?"
Zaden's patience snapped.
"I already told you not to love me," he said coldly. "And I told you clearly—I would never love you. No matter what."
The words hit harder than anything.
Jeylin stared straight into his eyes.
"So… do you love Lara?"
Zaden's frustration exploded.
"Yes!" he shouted. "I love her. I don't know why, but I do. I can't live without her!"
His voice echoed through the house, raw and uncontrollable.
"And now," he continued like a storm unleashed, "get out of this house. I don't care about your feelings or your opinions. I don't want anyone around me who stands against me."
"Zaden!" his father tried to intervene. "Don't speak like this. We are family—"
But before he could finish, Jeylin stood up.
She walked straight to Zaden, her eyes no longer just hurt… but dangerous.
"Really?" she said quietly. "You love her?"
She stepped closer.
"Do you know what irritates me the most, Zaddy?" she whispered, her tone turning dark. "When I don't get what I want. And when I can't have something… I don't let anyone else have it either."
Zaden didn't step back.
His gaze turned lethal.
"And you know what irritates me the most?" he replied. "When someone blocks my way." A pause.
"I eliminate them."
The air between them turned deadly.
Their parents and cousins rushed in, trying to pull them apart before things went too far.
"Let's go," Jeylin said suddenly, turning away.
Her parents followed her without another word.
Zaden's family tried to stop them—but they didn't listen.
Just before stepping out, Jeylin turned back, her eyes locked onto Zaden.
"I hope she never loves you the way I do," she said, her voice laced with bitterness. "You'll beg her one day… for love."
The door shut.
And for the first time—
Zaden didn't respond.
He stood there, frozen.
Her words didn't anger him… they pierced him.
His chest tightened painfully. His stomach twisted. Breathing felt heavy.
Simon walked up to him quickly.
"Don't listen to her. She's upset. She'll calm down."
Zaden's voice came out low… almost broken.
"What if it comes true?"
Simon stiffened. "What? Lara loves you too, right?"
Zaden didn't answer.
He just looked at him… and that silence said everything.
Without another word, he turned and walked upstairs.
Simon watched him, unease creeping in.
Something wasn't right.
Zaden entered his room and shut the door behind him.
He slowly slid down to the floor beside his bed, sitting there like everything inside him had collapsed.
His mind replayed everything.
Lara.
The way she looked at him…
No fear. No admiration. No love.
Nothing.
She never cared.
She never softened.
She never loved him.
And maybe… she never would.
Jeylin's words echoed again and again—
"You'll beg her one day for love".
Zaden closed his eyes.
And for the first time in his life,
Love didn't feel powerful.
It felt terrifying.