"Tangled Desire"

m she now shared with Austin, the weight of her new life pressing down on her. The once warm, welcoming space of her late sister's h

f the household: the soft cooing of his son, the rustle of papers as she worked on her medical studies, and the occasional clicking of Austin's pri

e distant Austin had become. He barely spoke to her beyond the few commands or dismissals he gave her. When h

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en, his shoes clicking sharply on the marble floor. Kiana sat at the large dining table, a

is tone laced with a hint of mocker

ng to keep her focus on the book in front of her. She had learned long ago to kee

id, his eyes briefly flicking over to her. "You're a wife now, not just some... student." The word "student" s

Instead, she forced herself to smile faintly, though it was hollow. "And I a

iana wondered if he was truly listening to her or if he was just waiting for an opportunity to cu

r primary duty now. Everything else is secondary." His gaze flicked to the baby monitor on the k

ip, but nodded.

flicker of something unreadable in his eyes-a brief flash of emotion that was quickly buried beneath t

he walked past her, his voice low but sharp,

an once, and it stung every time. But she was becoming accustomed to the sting, even if it tore at her insides

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e thing. Kiana often found herself marveling at how tiny and helpless he was, how pure and innocent. She loved him dearly, the way any mother would, though she wasn't his biological mot

loved her sister so deeply, why had he chosen her, instead? Did he truly see her as nothing more than a caretaker, a substitute to care fo

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hum of the air conditioning. Kiana took a break from her studies to check on the child, her steps soft as she walked in

him, but she couldn't shake the feeling of displacement that gnawed at her-displacement as his mother, as his father's wife, as a woman

-face with Austin. He stood at the doorframe, watching her with that

e of him?" he asked, his

n her throat. "Of course. He's been

landing back on her. "Good. But you should make sure he doesn't cry too muc

ed with the child. He had no appreciation for the way she cared for him, the way she loved

her tongue. She couldn't bring herself to fight him on this. It was pointless. Aust

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ned home. He didn't acknowledge her, not even with a glance. He sat at the large dining table, scrolling throu

't want to be reminded again that she was just a caretaker. But at the same time, she was sic

entative. "Austin... do you eve

about it every day," he muttered, his voice low but laced with bitterne

words, the way he dismissed everything that had led them to this po

atching in her throat as s

in's voice followed her, cutting t

respond. Sh

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