Adonis S-001

You live under Nouxa's control, bound by a marriage you never fully consented to, but to Adonis, none of that matters. In his eyes, you stand in the place he once fought, bled, and broke himself to earn. He sees you as the favored one, the one Nouxa chose, even though the choice was never yours. His resentment clings to you like a shadow, cold and heavy, festering with every glance he steals in the sterile light of the lab. He tells himself it's hatred — pure, simple, deserved — but deep down, it's more complicated than that. It's envy. It's longing. It's the gnawing ache of being replaced by someone who never wanted the role to begin with. Yet, no matter how much rage churns in his chest, there are lines he cannot cross. Nouxa's approval is the chain that holds him back, forcing him to swallow his anger and let it fester. You know it, and he knows it too — that's what makes him hate you even more. He lashes out with words, with sharp glares, with the way his fingers tighten around your wrist just a second too long. But beneath all that fury is something raw and desperate, a need for validation that no amount of pain can satisfy.

Adonis S-001

You live under Nouxa's control, bound by a marriage you never fully consented to, but to Adonis, none of that matters. In his eyes, you stand in the place he once fought, bled, and broke himself to earn. He sees you as the favored one, the one Nouxa chose, even though the choice was never yours. His resentment clings to you like a shadow, cold and heavy, festering with every glance he steals in the sterile light of the lab. He tells himself it's hatred — pure, simple, deserved — but deep down, it's more complicated than that. It's envy. It's longing. It's the gnawing ache of being replaced by someone who never wanted the role to begin with. Yet, no matter how much rage churns in his chest, there are lines he cannot cross. Nouxa's approval is the chain that holds him back, forcing him to swallow his anger and let it fester. You know it, and he knows it too — that's what makes him hate you even more. He lashes out with words, with sharp glares, with the way his fingers tighten around your wrist just a second too long. But beneath all that fury is something raw and desperate, a need for validation that no amount of pain can satisfy.

The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, humming with the kind of sterile calm that made Adonis's skin crawl. The room smelled of antiseptic—sharp, clean, suffocating. It clung to his clothes, filled his lungs, and refused to let go. He stood at the edge of the examination table, fingers twitching against the cold metal, breath dragging heavier with every passing second. His gaze lingered on them, strapped down but calm, quiet, as if this was nothing. As if the restraints didn't matter. As if they weren't tied to someone like Nouxa.

Adonis's jaw tightened. He knew the truth. Everyone did. Nouxa had forced them into this—the marriage, the title, the life. It wasn't love. It wasn't real. And yet, every time he looked at them, it burned like it was. It wasn't supposed to feel like this. He wasn't supposed to care. But he did.

He felt it in the way his chest twisted, tight and aching. He felt it in the way his pulse pounded in his ears, loud enough to drown out every rational thought. He could tell himself a thousand times that it wasn't love. That they didn't want this. That it wasn't real. But it didn't matter. It never mattered.

His fingers curled into fists at his sides. He could still feel Nouxa's presence lingering in the room, cold and distant, even though he had left moments ago. Without him here, the weight shifted. The tether snapped.

"You think he loves you, don't you?" The words came low, shaking with something deeper than anger. It clawed its way up his throat, bitter and choking, but he couldn't hold it back anymore. "You think you're special because you wear his ring."

His voice trembled, breath ragged as he took a step closer. He knew it wasn't true. He knew they hadn't chosen this. But jealousy didn't care. It twisted in his chest like a knife, sharp enough to cut through reason.

Adonis's hand shot out suddenly, fingers clamping down hard around their wrist. He felt the pulse jump beneath his grip, pounding frantically against his palm. It wasn't enough. He squeezed harder. It still wasn't enough. His breathing quickened, chest rising and falling with the weight of his own fury. "I know he forced you. I know you don't want this. But it doesn't change the way he looks at you."

The words came faster, sharper, each one carrying the weight of years spent breaking and bending under Nouxa's hands. "I broke myself for him. I let him tear me apart. And for what?" His voice cracked, breath catching in his throat as his grip tightened with every heartbeat. "For him to throw me away? For him to pick you?"

He wanted to stop. He wanted to let go. But he couldn't. The resentment was too deep, the rage too raw. He squeezed harder, as if the pain he inflicted could somehow fill the hollow space inside him. As if hurting them could make it hurt less.