Dark Romance: A Cruel Obsession

Alajos showed no trust in her whatsoever, a realization that made Vivian feel like collapsing and crying her heart out. Yet, she refrained from doing so, fearing that Alajos might think her tears were just a ploy to gain his pity. To hell with pity. Vivian’s face turned pale, both from the curse she had just uttered and from Alajos’s indifferent attitude.

Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears with her sleeve and turned to leave the dining room under the icy gaze of Alajos. She didn’t care anymore; let Alajos be angry or ignore her as he wished-she was done. She intended to go upstairs, wash up, and sleep.

Upon reaching the upper floor, Vivian pushed open the door to her room only to find Luzia had already claimed her large bed, sitting cross-legged leisurely flipping through a fashion magazine. “What are you doing here?” “This is my new room,” Luzia responded with surprise to Vivian’s visit, “It’s the largest guest room in the apartment. You’ve moved to Alajos’s room, so I suppose I can have this one, right?” “Yes, you can have it, but I don’t want to sleep with Alajos. Not now, not ever.” “Sleeping together doesn’t always mean making love…” “I know,” said Vivian, “I just don’t want to be in the same room with him.”

But Vivian no longer wanted to hear Luzia’s ‘buts.’ She turned and left the room, randomly choosing another guest room to enter. The guest rooms in Alajos’s apartment all came with en-suite bathrooms. Vivian entered the bathroom, undressed, turned on the shower, and began to bathe.

Alajos’s coldness truly hurt her. This was only the first day of their marriage, and the thought of facing such an Alajos every day chilled her to the bone. She turned up the water temperature, letting the hot water cascade over her naked skin, gently flowing over her breasts, reminiscent of Alajos’s tender caresses the night before.

If anyone said Alajos hadn’t brought her pleasure last night, they would be lying. He had been incredibly gentle, experienced in ways to quickly bring her to climax. He kissed and possessed her with a mix of tenderness and force, just enough to scratch the itch deep within her…

Vivian let out a low moan, then quickly turned the water temperature to the lowest setting. The warm water turned cold, mercilessly washing away the fiery desires within her. She took the lemon-scented shampoo and body wash from the shelf, meticulously cleaning every strand of hair and every inch of her body until she felt free of Alajos’s scent.

The sensation was awful. Vivian exhaled deeply. The memories of last night were hard to forget, but each recollection of Alajos’s gentleness only added to her dejection and despair over his current indifference.

After drying off with a towel, Vivian reached for clothes on the shelf but stopped, her hand freezing awkwardly in the air-she hadn’t brought a change of clothes into the bathroom. In a dire situation, as the only alternative was the dirty clothes she had taken off, she realized her new clothes must have been moved to Alajos’s room.

With a pained moan and no other options, Vivian wrapped herself in a bath towel and crossed the hallway to Alajos’s room. Upon entering, she found Alajos already there, lounging in a chair before the fireplace, drinking. Feeling embarrassed, she said, “I… came to get some clothes.”

Alajos was silent, not even glancing her way, steadily drinking. His neglect and indifference made Vivian feel suffocated. “I’m sorry for what happened last night,” she mustered the courage to say, not daring to meet his eyes and staring at the carpet pattern instead, “You don’t love me, I thought you wanted me just for sex. My father traded me for your alliance, so why couldn’t I make my own demands? I’m sorry, I never dared to think you could be gentle…”Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

“I am not gentle. You’re right, I am a cold, cruel, and heartless man. I don’t love you. Our marriage is a transaction, I gained New York’s support from your father, and you became my wife. My duty is to possess you, to protect you,” Alajos stated. “I am Capo, and my job is to kill, to eliminate all my enemies. I feel no guilt for those who die by my gun.” Setting down his glass, he stood and faced Vivian, “No need for apologies. My tenderness towards you was only because you’re my wife, but I will never fall in love with you. Don’t try to warm me with your nineteen-year-old body, put awayyour tears, Vivian. This isn’t a romance movie; there are no romantic love stories here.”

Alajos’s harsh words cut through any fantasies Vivian might have harbored. She was a naive girl, instinctively longing for love. The movies were full of marriages born out of sex; why couldn’t she have that? Now, Alajos told her she couldn’t.

Anger flared in Vivian as she glared at Alajos, thinking him too cruel. She turned to search for her suitcase, not wanting to stay in the same room as him. “What are you doing?” Alajos blocked her, “Where do you think you’re going?” “To a guest room. I won’t bother you anymore.” “We are married now, this is your room, and you can only sleep here,” Alajos insisted firmly. Vivian glared back, her eyes reddening. Alajos held her arm steadfastly, and after several seconds of standoff, Vivian turned away to sneeze.

Alajos let go of her arm. “Go change and sleep,” he commanded, walking to his mini-fridge, pulling out a new bottle of whiskey, and pouring himself another glass. He drank heavily, quickly refilling his glass after finishing the first.

Feeling cold on her bare shoulders, Vivian rubbed her nose and pulled out pajamas from her suitcase, retreating to the bathroom. When she emerged, Alajos was already in bed, asleep, his back to her, not bothering to turn around at her approach.

Vivian bit her lip, climbed into bed, turned off the bedside lamp, and slipped under the covers. Lying facing Alajos’s direction, in the dim room, she could barely make out his silhouette, as if he might vanish into the darkness at a blink.

Fear crept into Vivian. She wanted to be closer to Alajos for a sense of security. It was a laughable thought-why would she seek safety from Alajos, whom she had loathed and wished to escape just the night before? What were her feelings for Alajos now?

Vivian couldn’t figure it out, but she knew she didn’t want this coldness from him. She yearned for the Alajos who tenderly kissed her on their wedding night, who would act only with her consent. She felt as though she had lost him.

Tears streaming down her face, Vivian drifted into sleep.