Prologue: Zaden planned to move out—but instead, he woke up in Lara's house with no memory of how he got there.
Their eyes locked. Zaden slowly removed his hand from her mouth and whispered, "Shhh," mirroring the command with a silent gesture.
She stood frozen, unable to find her voice. Zaden tilted her chin, his thumb brushing softly against her skin. His gaze swept over her, taking in the water tracing paths down her neck and disappearing beneath the edge of her towel. He noted her small frame and her shallow, nervous breath.
Locking eyes with her once more, he asked, "Why are you shaking like this? I didn't do anything yet!"
Lara was paralyzed; his piercing gaze and deep voice sent a wave of anxiety through her. "Why are you here, sir? And how..."
"Sir?" He offered a dark smirk. "Did you just call me sir?"
"Yes, sir," she replied, swallowing back her fear.
"Hmm," he rumbled. "You called me Zaden the other day. You also called me immature and childish. Now, you suddenly address me as sir? Hahaha... very well," he remarked sarcastically.
Lara remained rooted to the spot. "Are you drunk, sir?" she managed to ask.
"Yes. Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Zaden countered.
She looked down, falling silent for a moment before whispering, "I have to change, so if you move..."
"No!" he interrupted instantly.
She looked at him in total shock.
"I don't want to," he continued.
"Sir..." her voice trembled.
"Don't call me sir. Call me Zaden, or you can call me Zaddy if you want," he said. His gaze was unstable; he was clearly not in a normal state of mind.
Lara noticed his condition. She placed her hand on his chest and shoved him suddenly, attempting to bolt toward her room.
Zaden was jolted back, but he recovered quickly. He caught her wrist, hauled her back toward him, and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
Lara shook uncontrollably. "Let me go! Please!"
He tightened his grip, leaning in to whisper "No" against her ear.
"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked, her eyes welling with tears.
"Because I love you! I love you, Lara. Please don't tell me to go!" He expressed his feelings with a heavy sense of sorrow.
Lara went rigid. She stood in silence, unable to process his words as the tears in her eyes seemed to dry instantly from the shock.
His hand traced a path from her stomach up to her neck.
He turned her forcefully to face him, maintaining a firm grip on her neck. Her face showed only confusion and shock.
He pressed her back against the wall, causing her towel to loosen and slip, partially exposing her chest. He stared at her, unblinking. His expression shifted, and she instinctively shielded herself with her hands. His gaze traveled from her eyes to her lips.
He tightened his hold on her neck and kissed her harshly. Lara couldn't handle the pressure. He began to choke her; she tried to push him away, her hands striking against his chest, but he was too strong.
A muffled sound escaped her as she fought back. She started beating against his body until he suddenly broke the kiss and recoiled. She doubled over, coughing violently.
The sight of her distress seemed to snap Zaden back to reality. "Are you okay? Oh my god, are you okay?" he cried out. She looked up at him; her face was red, and her neck bore the visible marks of his fingers.
"What have I done? Baby, oh my god, I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry," he wept, his voice growing weak. Terrified by his behavior, Lara replied, "It's fine. I'm fine. I'm alright." She swallowed hard as he collapsed into her, pulling them both to the floor.
He buried his face in her shoulder, sobbing and asking for forgiveness.
Stunned, Lara found she couldn't pull away. Seeing him like this, she took a breath and held him. As he wept against her shoulder, she ran her fingers through his hair. "It's okay. Calm down. Everything is alright," she whispered.
They stayed like that for several minutes.
"Sir?" she whispered. There was no response. She tried again, "Sir?" He didn't move. "Zaden?" Still nothing.
She held his head to look at him; he had already fallen asleep on her shoulder. His head was heavy, but she managed to lift him up. Using all her force, she made him lie on her bed and corrected her towel. He was in a deep sleep. She exhaled a long sigh, went out of the room, changed in the bathroom, and slept on the couch.
Next morning, she woke up and looked at Zaden in her room. He was still sleeping.
She took a shower and made coffee. It was almost 8:20 AM, so she started making breakfast for both of them.
Zaden woke up, his eyes scanning the room. He saw the small bed and the cozy atmosphere. He was confused and stood up; his head was spinning and aching.
"Arughh!" He was unable to understand anything around him.
He slowly got up and opened the door. Downstairs, Lara was standing in a T-shirt and shorts, cooking with her hair tied up in a bun. At the creak of the door, Lara looked up the stairs.
Zaden was standing there with his eyes wide open, completely confused.
"Lara," he moaned in his deep voice.
"Yes, sir?" she said with attitude, one eyebrow up.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Oh? I don't know! You tell me," she replied.
"Oh my god..." He was confused and couldn't remember anything. He asked, "I don't know, Lara. How am I here?"
She burst out laughing and said, "Oh, you don't remember? Wow! What do you mean, *zaddy*?" Her expression changed like a baby girl.
He was terrified. "What?" he replied.
"Hmm? You don't remember what happened last night, zaddy? Hmm?" She acted sarcastically and started stepping up the stairs.
Zaden understood that she was being sarcastic and realized he must have done something. His face went cold—no reaction, just a tight gaze fixed on Lara.