PROLOGUE
I had always been admired.
Respected, sought after—women looked at me with interest, with desire. It had always been that way. Patients trusted me, colleagues envied me, and in social settings, I was the man who drew attention without effort.
But my wife?
She barely acknowledged my existence.
Our marriage had been arranged. I had accepted it with an open heart, willing to build something real. I had no expectations of love at first sight, but I had expected… something. A connection, at the very least.
She gave me nothing.
She spoke little, avoided my gaze, and treated our marriage as nothing more than routine. She cooked, packed my lunch, and fulfilled every duty expected of her. But she never asked me how my day was. Never cared where I went. Never touched me.
For a year, I tried.
I gave her space. I was patient. I told myself that one day, she would let me in.
She never did.
Eventually, I stopped trying. I immersed myself in my work, spent my time with friends, and accepted that my wife was merely a stranger who happened to share my home. If she didn’t want me, I wouldn’t force her.
And then, one evening, something change, she saw me with another woman.
She didn't ask. She didn’t cry. She didn’t yell.
She simply looked at me.
And for the first time—something in her eyes was different.
A dull ache throbbed in my skull as I woke. My limbs felt heavy, my mind sluggish. The world around me was dark.
I tried to move, but something cold and unyielding bit into my wrists.
I tensed.
The fabric over my eyes blocked my vision, but my other senses sharpened. The faint scent of lavender lingered in the air. A familiar scent.
And then, I felt her.
She was close. Closer than she had ever been before.
I smirked, tilting my head slightly. "Tell me, wife—where did you find these?" I tugged lightly at the cuffs, testing them. I didn't want to slip this chance.
Silence. Of course.
I sighed, exasperation flickering beneath my amusement. "What are you planning to do?" "Kill me?"
Still, nothing. Again, no answer.
But she flinched. Just barely.
Something about it made my smirk fade. This wasn’t the woman who had spent the past year ignoring me. This was someone else.
Then, my phone rang. The vibration hummed against my pocket.
"Take this off," I muttered, a little more firmly this time. "At least let me answer—"
She moved.
I stilled as she reached into my pocket, her fingers brushing against me before pulling out the phone. She swiped to answer.
For a moment, there was nothing. Then, her voice—soft, firm.
"He can’t come today. Today, he’s spending time with his wife."
I was shocked because I never heard her talk like this. My smirk returned, slow and intrigued.
She silenced the phone and placed it somewhere out of reach.
The room was silent, thick with an unspoken tension.
I tugged against the cuffs again, my smirk fading slightly. "Alright, enough playing. Take this off."
She didn’t.
Instead, I heard a soft rustle, a hesitant shift in the air. She was moving closer.
A moment later, I felt it—fingertips barely grazing my hair. Light. Tentative.
I stilled, registering the touch.
Then, amusement flickered through me.
"So now you’re going to pat my head?" I teased, my voice low.
She yanked her hand back immediately.
Even without seeing her, I knew—she was fuming. She hated being teased.
I let out a chuckle. "Come on, take this off."
But before I could say anything else, something unexpected happened.
She moved forward.
And then—her lips were on mine.
My breath hitched.
For a moment, I couldn’t react.
She was kissing me. For the first time.
It was clumsy, unsure, but real. Not a duty. Not a formality. It was her.
Because she wanted to.
The thought sent a spark of heat through me, breaking my initial shock. My body responded instinctively. My lips moved against hers, seeking more, deepening. My tongue brushed against hers, tasting, exploring—
But just as quickly, she pulled away.
A sharp intake of breath. A hurried retreat.
Even in the silence, I could feel it—her embarrassment. The way the air around her shifted, the lingering warmth where she had been just seconds ago.
I knew without looking.
She was red. Red as a tomato.
Disappointment flickered in my chest because she retreat, but then—
I laughed.
A deep, amused chuckle that turned into full laughter.
Loud. Unrestrained.
"Ah," I exhaled, smirking. "You’re blushing, aren’t you?"
She didn’t respond, but I knew.
I couldn’t see her, but I could feel her flustered silence.
I grinned.
My wife—so cold, so distant— just want to claim me.
So, my wife wasn’t as indifferent as she seemed. Interesting.
I was still chuckling when I tilted my head slightly, my voice laced with amusement.
"Honestly, I never imagined you like this." My smirk deepened. "If you wanted this, you could’ve just told me earlier."
Silence. Of course.
I exhaled a soft laugh. "No response again? Should I take that as a yes?"
Nothing.
But the air between us was thick—charged with something I hadn’t felt before.
I could hear the faint sound of her breath, uneven as if she was trying to calm herself.
I grinned. "You know," I mused, "I might start thinking you like me."
Still, she didn’t speak.
But I could feel her hesitation.
Feel the way she was holding herself back.
I leaned forward slightly, the cuffs biting into my wrists as I moved. My voice dropped lower, teasing. "Or… maybe you just don’t like losing control."
A sharp intake of breath.
Ah. I hit a nerve.
I smirked. "Are you blushing again?"
Still, nothing.
But I knew the truth.
I couldn’t see her—but I knew.
And for the first time since our marriage began, I felt something stir between us.
Something real. Something dangerous.
Something inevitable.
I sighed dramatically, tilting my head slightly. "Okay, fine. But at least let me see you."
Silence.
I smirked. "Come on, I want to see how you look while controlling me like this." My voice dropped to a teasing murmur. "You must be enjoying this, right?"
Still, she didn’t say a word.
But then, I heard movement. The faint rustle of fabric. The sound of her feet shifting against the floor. She was searching for something.
I barely had time to register the sound of her returning when I spoke again, my voice still laced with amusement.
"Back so soon? What did you—"
Before I could finish, her hand pressed firmly over my lips.
I froze.
Her touch was hesitant, trembling slightly—but determined.
I could have easily pulled away if I weren’t cuffed, but something about her silence, her unwavering presence, made me pause.
Then, I felt something cool against my skin.
A strip of fabric.
Before I could react, she swiftly tied it around my mouth, securing it tightly at the back of my head.
I inhaled sharply through my nose.
Now, my hands were bound.
My eyes were covered.
And my mouth—sealed shut.
I couldn’t see her. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t move without her permission.
I was completely at her mercy.
A slow realization settled over me.
My quiet, distant wife—
The woman who had spent a year avoiding me—
Had just claimed control over me in a way I never imagined.
And the strangest part?
I wasn’t sure if I wanted her to stop.
I resisted at first, shifting slightly against my restraints, but then—
Her hand.
Soft. Tentative. Pressing lightly against my chest.
I froze.
A shiver ran through me, my skin reacting to her hesitant touch. It wasn’t forceful, wasn’t seductive—but it was different. Something I had never felt before.
Her fingers, delicate and unsure, traced over my skin. Not in confidence, but in exploration.
I sucked in a sharp breath.
She was leaning closer. Her lavender scent—soft, familiar—wrapped around me, filling my senses.
Her touch traveled lower, slow and unsteady, slipping down the defined ridges of my stomach.
And then—
Her fingers brushed over my waistband.
I tensed.
This wasn’t calculated. Wasn’t a game. She was inexperienced—I could tell from the way her fingers faltered, from the way she hesitated every time she moved.
But she didn’t retreat.
I felt her lower, her breath warm against my skin.Then, her hands found the buckle of my belt.
Fumbling. Pausing. Pressing forward despite the clear uncertainty in her movements.
I exhaled harshly through my nose, my pulse hammering against my ribs.
She wasn’t confident. She wasn’t teasing.
She was determined.
And for the first time since this began, I had no idea what she would do next.
I inhaled sharply through my nose, my entire body taut with tension.
Her fingers lingered on my belt, unmoving for a long moment. I could feel the slight tremor in her hands—her hesitation, her uncertainty.
She was nervous.
And yet—she wasn’t stopping.
The buckle clicked.
A slow, measured sound in the quiet room.
I swallowed, my pulse drumming against my throat.
I expected her to retreat, to realize what she was doing, and pull away like she always did. But she stayed. Her hands, delicate yet determined, hovered at the edge of my restraint.
I exhaled, tilting my head slightly. "You know," I murmured against the gag, my voice muffled but teasing, "for someone who’s ignored me for a year, you’re certainly—"
She moved. Not away. Not in retreat. But closer.
I felt her breath near my collarbone, warm and uncertain. My smirk faltered, something deeper stirring beneath the teasing.
I could still feel her hesitation, the weight of her inexperience. But she didn’t stop.
Why? What had changed?
Her fingers brushed over the fabric at my waist, hesitating, barely exerting any pressure. She was uncertain—but she was making a choice.
A choice to claim me. A slow heat curled in my stomach.
For the first time since this began, I wasn’t teasing. I wasn’t amused.
I was watching—even if I couldn’t see.
And waiting—
To see how far she was willing to go.
The belt came undone with a quiet clink.
I felt the shift, the soft graze of her fingers against my waistband—hesitant, uncertain. My breath hitched when her touch lingered, her fingertips barely skimming the fabric of my innerwear.
Hesitation.
But no retreat.
I exhaled slowly through my nose, my muscles coiled with an unfamiliar tension. She wasn’t confident, wasn’t seductive—this wasn’t an act of experience.
But she was in control.
With a slow, almost reluctant movement, she slid my pants down. The cool air brushed against my skin, a stark contrast to the warmth of her hands hovering uncertainly over me.
She wasn’t speaking. Not a single word.
Instead, she moved over me, her presence pressing closer.
Then—her fingers found my face.
Soft. Featherlight. Exploring.
A hesitant touch, yet purposeful. She traced the sharp lines of my jaw, the slight stubble on my chin as if memorizing me for the first time.
I clenched my fists against the restraints, forcing myself to remain still.
Then, she moved lower, her fingers finding the buttons of my shirt.
One. Two.
Each is undone with excruciating slowness.
She was nervous—I could feel it in the way her hands trembled, in the way she lingered before slipping the next button free.
I wanted to see her.
I wanted to watch the expression on her face, to read whatever was driving her to do this after all this time.
But I couldn’t.
I was blindfolded, cuffed, silenced.
Completely at her mercy.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stop her.
The room was quiet, save for the sound of my breathing—slightly unsteady, uneven.
Her fingers ghosted over my skin, barely touching, yet igniting something I couldn’t name. Her lips followed, soft and hesitant, pressing against my jaw, then lower, tracing a slow path down my collarbone.
I tensed.
This wasn’t the woman I had known for the past year—the one who avoided my gaze, who stayed distant, who had never once shown interest in our marriage.
Yet here she was, touching me with a quiet certainty that sent a slow, burning heat through my body.
I swallowed hard. “I never imagined you like this,” I murmured, my voice rough, teasing—trying to ground myself.
She didn’t respond.
Her lips brushed against my chest now, each touch featherlight, hesitant but deliberate. She was exploring—learning.
Then I felt her move lower.
A slow, lingering press of her lips against my stomach, the warmth of her breath fanning across my skin.
My fingers curled into fists, the restraints digging into my wrists. “If you want something, you could’ve just told me,” I said, forcing a smirk despite the way my body betrayed me.
Still, silence.
Her fingers brushed over the waistband of my last remaining barrier.
A flicker of hesitation—so brief I almost missed it.
And then—
The fabric slipped down.
A rush of cool air met my skin, but my mind barely registered it.
Shock crashed through me, swift and sudden.
I hadn’t expected this.
Not in my wildest thoughts, not in my most vivid dreams, had I imagined her—shy, distant, indifferent—taking control like this.
My breath left me in a slow exhale, my pulse thrumming wildly beneath my skin.
She wasn’t speaking.
She wasn’t retreating.
Since our marriage began—She wasn’t ignoring me.
His world was darkness—blindfolded, bound, unable to see or move, stripped of control.
And yet, it was the time he truly felt her presence.
He felt the hesitation in her fingertips as they lingered just above his thing, the way her breath hitched before she dared to touch it. A soft, tentative graze—like a whisper against his bare skin. His body tensed instinctively, muscles tightening under her uncertain touch.
His head tipped back against the pillows, a slow exhale escaping his lips. “You’re hesitating,” he murmured, voice low, teasing, testing. “Are you scared?”
She didn’t answer.
Silence had always been her language.
Her fingers traced over him again, this time more deliberate. Not practiced—exploring.
He swallowed hard.
The softness of her touch sent a strange, burning sensation spiraling through his body. It wasn’t just about the physical sensation—it was her doing this. The woman who had spent a year avoiding him. The woman who had barely looked at him.
And now—
Now, she was claiming him in a way he never expected.
His breath hitched when her grip tightened around it—just a little, enough to make his body jerk involuntarily. His fingers curled into the sheets, frustration and something deeper clawing at his restraint. He wanted to see her. To look into her eyes and understand what had changed.
“Let me see you,” he said, his voice rough, strained. “Take this off.”
Still, no response.
Instead, she leaned in closer, her lavender scent wrapping around him, her warmth hovering just above his skin.
He felt her hesitation. He felt her resolve.
She was making sure he knew he was hers.
