ELIAS HADN'T SLEPT at all—not because he couldn't, but because he was terrified of waking up and realizing it wasn't a dream.
Three days. That's all his father had given him, and now time was running out.
The silence in his room was louder than any of the arguments he never had the courage to start.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains, warm and gentle—mocking, really, for a day that promised to ruin everything
It was morning, and Elias hadn't slept a wink all night. But the lack of sleep wasn't what made his hands shake or his heart feel like it was caving in. No, it was the fact that he had spent the entire night punching himself—again and again—desperately trying to wake up from what he prayed was just a nightmare. But the pain was real. The bruises were real. And so was the engagement his father had thrown at him like a business transaction.
Anxious, exhausted, and still stunned, Elias came to only one conclusion: he had to run away. The only person who could help him now was his boyfriend. They'd planned their first trip together for months—and now, ironically, that trip might become their escape route.
But first, he needed strength.
Dragging himself downstairs, he found his sister Catrina sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast as casually as if the world hadn't just collapsed on his shoulders.
"Good morning! Rise and shine," she said cheerfully. "Looks like someone didn't sleep. Was the trip too exciting to handle?"
Trip.
The word hit him like a slap. In all the chaos, he had completely forgotten they were supposed to leave that afternoon. It was already 9 a.m., and he hadn't even packed.
But before anything else, he had to tell Catrina.
He sat down at the table, eyes heavy, voice flat. "Do you... do you know anything about the marriage Dad arranged for me?"
She blinked. "Did you have a bad dream or something? Dad didn't mention anything about a marriage to me—wait, wait… what do you mean marriage?"she said as the words settled in her mind.
Her tone shifted instantly. She leaned forward, alarmed. "What the fuck, Elias? What's going on?"
And so, Elias told her everything—every humiliating, surreal detail. With each sentence, her face twisted more in disbelief and fury.
"No brother of mine is getting married while I'm alive," she snapped, slamming her fork down on the plate.
Just then, their father's voice cut through the room like a knife.
"What's with all the noise?"
Both of them turned sharply toward their father.
Catrina was furious. She stepped forward, her voice sharp with disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you? He's still in college—he's so young! How could you arrange a marriage behind his back?" Her words trembled with anger. Elias wasn't just her little brother; he was her best friend, her everything. The thought of him being forced into a marriage like some business deal was unbearable.
But their father didn't respond. He just gave them a cold, sharp glare.
Elias was used to it—but Catrina wasn't. That look, one he had endured his whole life, sent a shiver down her spine. She went quiet, lips pressed into a thin line. Then, without another word, she turned to Elias, grabbed his hand, and pulled him out of the house.
"Get your phone," she whispered, dragging him into her car. Once inside, she turned to him, her voice low and serious. "How long has this been going on? What exactly happened?"
Elias couldn't hold it in anymore. His chest tightened, and the tears he'd been holding back all night finally broke through. Through shaky breaths, he told her everything—every detail from the moment he walked into that restaurant to the second his father uttered the words "soon-to-be mother-in-law."
Catrina listened, her face growing more tense with every word. When Elias finally finished, she exhaled hard. "So… what now?"
"I'm going to my boyfriend's place," Elias said. "We're supposed to leave for the trip this afternoon. I… I'm planning to run away with him."
She stared at him, clearly conflicted. "That's not exactly a solid plan, Elias. You really need to think this through. Are you sure?"
Elias nodded. "It's the only choice I have left. I can't stay here anymore."
There was a pause, and then she reached over and squeezed his hand.
"Alright," she said. "If this is what you want, I'll drive you."
"Here we are," Catrina said softly as she parked the car in front of his boyfriend's house.
Elias stepped out, heart pounding. Something felt off—terribly off. The moment he entered the house, a wave of nausea hit him. His nose curled instinctively. That scent…
It was the unmistakable scent of an omega. But not just any omega—a regular one. Cloying, sweet, overwhelming. It clashed violently with his senses, setting his dominant instincts on edge. The pit in his stomach dropped. He felt sick. Betrayed. Why is there an omega here?
He moved through the house, each step heavier than the last. The scent only got stronger as he approached his boyfriend's room. His hands trembled. He reached for the doorknob, hesitating. Part of him screamed to turn around—but he didn't.
He opened the door.
And instantly wished he hadn't.
There they were—his boyfriend, tangled in bed with a woman. An omega. Bare skin. Sweat. Twisted sheets. The scent was suffocating now, thick with heat and betrayal.
For a moment, Elias couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. He just stood there, staring, as the entire world shattered around him.
At first, Elias's boyfriend didn't notice him standing in the doorway. But the moment their eyes met, the color drained from his face. He shoved the woman beside him off the bed as if he'd just seen a ghost, scrambling to cover himself, panic written all over him.
His body went cold—caught red-handed.
"Babe—babe, this isn't what it looks like!" he stammered. "I swear, it's a misunderstanding! She—she seduced me! I didn't do anything wrong!"
The woman, who had been quietly trying to gather her clothes, suddenly froze. Her eyes snapped to him.
"Excuse me?" she snapped. "I seduced you? Is that what we're telling people now?" Her voice was sharp, cutting. "You've been calling me your omega for over a year. And now that you're caught, you're pretending I'm some random slut throwing myself at you?"
Elias just stood there, silent, watching them both. His chest felt tight, like someone had slammed a fist into his ribs. His mouth opened, but no words came. Finally, he forced himself to speak—his voice low, broken, but demanding.
"How long?" he asked.
His boyfriend flinched but said nothing.
"I said—" Elias took a step forward, his voice trembling with anger, "how long has this been going on?"
The dominant energy in his tone stunned the room into silence. Even his boyfriend looked shocked—he had never heard Elias speak like that before.
After a long, tense pause, it was the woman who answered.
"…One and a half years," she said quietly.
Elias let out a small, breathless laugh. It started as disbelief, then cracked into something darker—bitter amusement mixed with heartbreak.
"Haha… One and a half years?" His voice was shaky now. "So you're telling me… half of our relationship was a lie? All those times you said you were working late, helping your sick grandparents, too busy with schoolwork—those were all just excuses to fuck someone else?"
Tears streamed down his face, but his expression was one of rage and sorrow twisted together.
"I gave you three years of my life," Elias whispered, his voice raw. "Three years. And all this time… I was loving a fucking liar."
His boyfriend tried to reach out, grabbing his shoulder. "Please, Elias—she doesn't mean anything! You're the only one I love! I swear!"
Elias slapped his hand away.
"'Matter'? What do you know about that word?" he spat. "If I really mattered to you, you would've never done this."
Elias took a shaky step back, chest heaving, his whole world cracking beneath his feet.
His ex—because that's what he was now—stood there, pleading, pathetic, trying to reach for him again. Elias recoiled like he'd been touched by poison.
"I don't even know who you are," he said, voice cold and distant now. "And I don't want to."
Without another word, Elias turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed down the hallway like a final goodbye.
Catrina was waiting by the car, eyes narrowed, arms crossed. The moment she saw his tear-streaked face, she opened the passenger door without a word.
Elias climbed in, silent.
She didn't ask. She didn't need to.
As the car rolled away from the house, the weight of everything settled over him—the betrayal, the humiliation, the raw ache in his chest.
But something shifted too.
He had nothing left to lose now.
His voice was soft but firm. "Take me to Father."
Catrina glanced at him, brows raised. "Are you sure?"
He nodded, jaw tight. "If he wants to sell me like property, fine. I'll play along—for now."
"But?" she asked carefully.
"But I'll be the one pulling the strings from now on."
For the first time that day, Elias looked calm—dangerously calm.
Catrina blinked. "Damn. Remind me never to piss you off."
Elias didn't respond. He was already planning. Calculating.
If the world wanted to break him, they were going to have to try a lot harder.