unicorniusfallapatorius

After that day…Maekar never mentioned the bus again. At least… Not to her. His life continued exactly as it always had.

Board meetings filled every hour of his day. Contracts waited to be signed. Flights to neighboring states for meetings that lasted barely two hours before he boarded another plane back to Seattle that very same evening.

From the outside… Nothing had changed. He was still Maekar Targaryen. Collected. Reserved. Unreadable. The kind of man who rarely allowed emotion to interfere with reason. And yet… Something had begun to shift. Not in ways anyone else would notice. Only in the smallest details.

The following Monday, his driver received an entirely different set of instructions. Not the airport. Not Targaryen Holdings. Not another shareholders’ meeting. Instead…An address near the university. And another one—a modest restaurant where she worked late shifts several nights a week.

“Pick her up after class.” Maekar never looked up from the documents spread across his desk. “And after work.”

The driver hesitated. “What if she refuses, sir?” Another page turned.

“Then wait.”Of course… She refused. The first afternoon, she smiled apologetically, explaining that her bus would be arriving in a few minutes.

The second time, she said she intended to stay in the library a little longer. The third… She quietly explained that she was working the late shift and didn’t want anyone wasting their time waiting for her.

Each time, the driver simply nodded before returning to report exactly what had happened. No exaggeration. No personal opinion. Only the facts.

“Miss declined, sir.”

Three days later… Maekar called her himself. For the first time in months. Her phone vibrated softly across the wooden table in the university library.

She stared at his name on the screen for several long seconds before finally answering. “Hello?” Silence lingered on the other end. Then…

“The car is waiting.”

“I can get home on my own.”

“I wasn’t asking.” His voice remained perfectly even. Calm enough that it was impossible to tell whether he was making a request… Or issuing an order. She closed her eyes. “It really isn’t necessary.”

“It is.” Silence. “If you refuse to come home with the driver…” He paused. “I’ll come and get you myself.”

The words were enough. Because she knew him. He never made idle threats. And he knew something else. She didn’t want to see him. Not now. Not after that night. Eventually… She let out a quiet breath.

“I understand mr.taragryen”

From that day forward, the black Targaryen sedan waited outside the university almost every evening. Sometimes outside the library. Sometimes outside the restaurant where she worked. She never stepped into the car willingly. But she never refused again.

Maekar never asked how her exams were going. Never asked whether she was exhausted. Never asked how work had been. Instead… He gave instructions. Six o’clock. Eight o’clock. Ten o’clock.

Depending on the schedule she had submitted at the beginning of the semester. As though he were organizing the calendar of another executive. Rather than the woman he was supposed to marry. Even so… She gradually noticed something.

No matter how late she was The same car was always there. Waiting. No complaints. No impatient phone calls. Every evening, the driver sent the same brief text.

“She’s in the car, sir.” And every evening… Maekar replied with only two words “Understood.”

Not long afterward… The boundaries shifted once again. Maekar never told himself he was having her followed. At least… That wasn’t the phrase he chose. Instead, he instructed the company’s security division to keep a discreet distance.

If she finished work late… Make sure she got home safely. If anyone caused trouble… Step in without revealing yourselves. If she walked alone after dark… Keep a vehicle close enough to intervene if necessary.

Nothing more. At least That was what he kept telling himself.

Several weeks passed. One evening, as she gathered her books to leave the library, her phone vibrated once again. A message from Maekar.

Maekar : 7:00 p.m. Same restaurant.

No greeting. No question. No Are you free? She looked at the screen for a long moment before typing back.

you : Is something wrong?

Several minutes passed before his reply appeared.

Maekar : Father and Mother are starting to ask questions.

That was all. No further explanation. She understood immediately. Daeron and Myriah had begun noticing just how little time the two of them actually spent together. you simply replied— All right.

When you arrived, Maekar was already there. The same restaurant. same table. Even the dishes he ordered were almost identical to every previous dinner they had shared. He sat in silence, absently watching people pass beyond the restaurant windows. Without realizing it…

His eyes drifted toward the entrance every time the bell above the door chimed. As though he were waiting. Only when she finally stepped inside did he look up. The first thing he noticed wasn’t the backpack slung over her shoulder. Nor the textbooks clutched against her chest.

It wasn’t even the rain clinging to the sleeves of her coat. It was the faint darkness beneath her eyes. More noticeable than before. She looked tired. Far too tired. He didn’t comment. Didn’t ask whether she’d been sleeping. Didn’t tell her to stop working so late. Instead…

He quietly slid a glass of warm water across the table toward her. Then lowered his eyes back to the menu. As though the small gesture… Had never meant anything at all.

After that night… Life simply went on. Neither of them ever brought it up again. There was no apology. No explanation. No attempt to revisit what had happened.

It was as though they had silently agreed to bury that evening somewhere neither of them would ever dare look again. Weeks passed.

She continued waking before sunrise, attending lectures throughout the day before heading straight to her evening shifts at the restaurant.

Whatever hours remained belonged to stacks of textbooks scattered across her desk. Final examinations consumed what little free time she had left. Some nights, she fell asleep at the library with her head resting against an open notebook. Other nights, she returned to the penthouse in the company car only to disappear quietly into her bedroom without so much as a good night.

Maekar never stopped her. He would simply glance up from the documents spread across his desk, watch her disappear down the hallway, and lower his eyes back to work. Everything appeared exactly the same. At least… That was what he kept telling himself.

He wasn’t entirely sure when it began. Perhaps during another board meeting. Perhaps halfway through reviewing another acquisition proposal. Or while signing yet another stack of contracts that all blurred together. Without warning… His thoughts would drift toward her. Had she eaten today? Didn’t she have an exam this morning? What time would she be working tonight? Would she make it home before midnight?

Then another thought followed. One he found increasingly difficult to ignore. Should he simply ask her to quit? There was no reason for her to continue working herself to exhaustion. Not when she didn’t need the money. The idea lingered in his mind longer than it should have. Strange

Months earlier, he wouldn’t have cared whether she worked at all. He had never asked if she was tired. Never wondered how many hours she slept. Never questioned why the dark circles beneath her eyes grew more noticeable every week.

Now… Every time he caught sight of them… Something inside him tightened in quiet irritation. Even his assistant had begun noticing that Mr. Targaryen seemed unusually distracted lately.

Their engagement anniversary arrived once again. This time… Maekar arrived first. He sat alone at the familiar restaurant, occasionally glancing at his watch before instinctively lifting his eyes toward the entrance each time the bell above the door chimed.

He hadn’t realized he was waiting. Not until several customers had come and gone without being the person he was looking for.

Finally… The bell rang once more. She stepped inside. The same backpack rested against one shoulder. A pale blouse, slightly wrinkled after a long day of classes. A light coat still damp from Seattle’s endless rain.

She clearly hadn’t gone home to change. She must have come directly from work. She stopped beside the table.

“I’m sorry.” A small, apologetic smile. “Have you been waiting long?” Maekar gave a slight shake of his head. “I just got here.” A lie. He had arrived nearly thirty minutes early.

She took her seat. Silence settled between them once again, familiar enough now that neither of them seemed bothered by it. Only after the first dishes had been placed on the table did Maekar finally speak.

“Your exams are over?” She looked up, almost surprised that he had been the one to begin the conversation. “Yes.”

“How did they go?”

“I passed every class.”She answered quietly before taking a sip of water. “All of my grades have already been posted.” Maekar gave a small nod. “Good.” Silence returned. But unlike before… He didn’t allow it to linger.

“And work?”

She blinked. “It’s been the same.”

“Still working late shifts?”

“Some days.”

“Are you tired?” The question caught her completely off guard. She hesitated long enough that Maekar almost assumed she wouldn’t answer. Finally… She smiled. A small one. “I am. But I’m used to it.”

He studied that smile for a moment. It was polite. Gentle. Yet impossibly distant. Nothing like the easy smiles she used to wear during the first weeks of their engagement.

Only then did he notice something else. She almost never called him by name anymore. Every sentence ended the same way.

“It’s all right.”

“I understand.” As though she were speaking to a business associate… Not the man she was supposed to marry Maekar lowered his eyes to his plate before speaking again.

“I heard…” He paused. “You were named Employee of the Month.” A faint blush colored her expression. It was the first genuine smile he’d seen from her all evening.

“My manager announced it last week.”She laughed softly. “Everyone at the restaurant has been incredibly kind to me. My classmates helped me study during exam week. Even my professors stayed after class to answer questions whenever I needed help.”

She continued speaking almost absentmindedly. For the first time in months… He heard her speak for more than a few sentences. She never once praised herself. Instead… She thanked everyone around her. As though every achievement she had earned somehow belonged to everyone except herself.

Maekar listened quietly. He didn’t interrupt. He didn’t reach for his phone. He ignored every email vibrating across the screen beside him.

Instead… He simply watched her. And, for the first time, a quiet realization settled over him. Everyone else seemed to know her far better than he ever had.

After that dinner… Something shifted between them once again. Not reconciliation. Not forgiveness. And certainly not a new beginning. It was simply that

Maekar began finding reasons to see her more often. He never texted to say I miss you. He never called simply because he wanted to hear her voice. He wasn’t that kind of man. He doubted he ever would be.

Instead…He did what he knew best. He found practical excuses. Reasonable ones.

One evening, just as they were finishing dinner, Maekar quietly set down his fork. His voice was calm, almost businesslike.

“During your semester break…” She looked up. “Have you decided where you’re doing your internship?” She thought for a moment before giving a small shake of her head.

“Not yet I’m still looking.” He nodded, almost as though he’d been expecting that answer.

“Come to Targaryen Holdings.” She blinked. He continued before she could respond. “You’re majoring in Accounting and Finance I’ll have the Chief Accounting Secretary mentor you personally. You’ll get real corporate experience.”

There wasn’t a trace of emotion in his voice. It sounded like nothing more than a professional opportunity. A logical proposal. Nothing else. But the truth was… Ever since he’d learned how late she worked every night…The idea had never quite left him.

If she worked at his company… She wouldn’t have to spend long hours waiting tables. She wouldn’t have to ride buses home after dark. She wouldn’t have to exhaust herself just to make ends meet.

An internship at Targaryen Holdings paid several times more than her restaurant job ever could. And if she worked in the headquarters… He would always know where she was. Whether she’d eaten. Whether she’d gotten home safely. He wouldn’t have to rely on security reports anymore.

The thought alone filled him with an odd sense of satisfaction. A quiet relief. One that made no sense. Even to himself.

She remained silent for several moments. Her fingers rested lightly around the glass in front of her before she offered him a faint smile.

“Thank you.” A pause. “But…” She drew in a slow breath. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.” His brows knit together slightly.

“Why?” She took her time choosing her words.

“I’d rather earn an internship on my own.” Another small smile. “I don’t want people thinking…” She hesitated. ”…that I only got the opportunity because I’m your fiancée.”

Maekar held her gaze. “No one at the company would dare say that.” She smiled again. Gentle. Polite. Painfully distant.

“Maybe not But I would.” He didn’t argue.

Didn’t insist Only gave a small nod.

“I understand.” For the first time… He chose not to push. Not because he’d given up. But because he understood something now. Ever since that night… She had built a wall between them. Every act of kindness. Every invitation. Every gesture. She saw them as performances.

As another carefully staged attempt to convince both of their families that everything between them was perfectly fine. If he forced her any further… That wall would only grow taller.

Without anyone noticing…Maekar quietly began changing his own life. Several phone numbers disappeared from his contacts. Messages from women he’d occasionally spent time with were left unanswered.

The penthouse, once visited by unfamiliar faces from time to time… Fell completely silent. No laughter echoing through the living room. No unfamiliar perfume lingering on the furniture. No strangers staying until morning. Little by little…

He simply removed them from his life. Without ever stopping to ask himself why. Whenever the thought crossed his mind…He dismissed it with the same quiet conclusion.

They’re unnecessary now. Nothing more. At least… That was what he told himself.

As the weeks passed, they inevitably began seeing each other more often. Anniversary dinners. Charity galas. Family gatherings. Corporate events where appearances still mattered. And somewhere along the way…Maekar noticed a habit of hers.

Whenever her phone vibrated… She would lower her eyes to the screen. Then smile. Sometimes it was only the faintest curve of her lips. Other times… She let out a quiet laugh to herself. It wasn’t the polite smile she reserved for him. It wasn’t the distant expression she’d worn ever since that night.

This smile was effortless. Warm. Real. And somehow… It unsettled him.

He never asked who she was talking to. Not once. But the question lingered in the back of his mind every single time. Is she talking to someone? Someone she likes? Someone she actually wants to tell about her day? Someone… Who wasn’t him.

The thought irritated him far more than it should have. He had no right to feel that way. He knew that. After all… Their engagement had always been an arrangement. One year of pretending. A marriage to satisfy their families. Separate lives afterward.

Those had been the rules. Rules he had written himself. And yet… For reasons he couldn’t explain… The possibility that someone else might occupy the place beside her… Bothered him more with each passing day.

What Maekar didn’t know… Was that there wasn’t another man. No secret boyfriend. No quiet romance unfolding behind his back. The person responsible for those smiles…

Was simply a university group chat.

Her classmates were sending ridiculous memes, complaining about exam grades, arguing over deadlines, and teasing one another about surviving finals.

And every time she laughed softly at her phone… Maekar mistook those harmless moments… For someone else slowly taking his place. After that…Their meetings stopped feeling accidental.

At least…To Maekar. They never had been.

At first, she genuinely believed it was nothing more than coincidence. Targaryen Holdings’ headquarters wasn’t particularly far from the university. It wasn’t unusual for one of the city’s most influential businessmen to pass through the area.

But when one encounter became two…And two became nearly every week…She quietly realized that no one could possibly be that lucky.

Some afternoons, a familiar black sedan would pull up outside one of the campus buildings. Maekar would step out carrying a small brown paper bag from a bakery near the university. Without saying much, he would walk over and place it in her hands.

“I picked this up.” She accepted it almost automatically before opening the bag. Warm butter. Fresh pastry. A hint of cinnamon. Her favorite. A cinnamon croissant.

From the tiny bakery nearly twenty minutes away—the one she stopped by almost every Friday morning before class. She looked up at him in surprise. “How did you know I like these?” For the briefest moment…Maekar hesitated.

“Lucky guess.” She nodded. She didn’t question it any further. What she didn’t know… Was that it hadn’t been a guess at all. He knew because the security reports had become strangely detailed.

“Every Friday morning, Miss stops by the same bakery before class.She always orders the same thing.A cinnamon croissant.”

From then on…He began appearing more often. Sometimes he would arrive just as her final lecture ended, claiming he had happened to be nearby. Even though the university and corporate headquarters were in completely opposite directions.

Other times… He would walk across campus simply to hand her a cup of coffee before leaving five minutes later. There were never long conversations. No affectionate gestures. No hand-holding like the couples surrounding them. Only a few quiet moments together… Before he returned to work.

She…Never really changed. She never ran toward him. Never called him first. Never tried to prolong their conversations. But she never rejected his kindness, either. Whenever Maekar said,

“Get in the car.” She did. Whenever he quietly added, “We’re going home.” She simply nodded. She had never been stubborn. Quite the opposite. She was gentle. Soft-spoken. Thoughtful. The sort of person who rarely argued unless absolutely necessary.

Sometimes…Maekar caught himself thinking she had never once made his life more difficult. Not even once.

The one who had changed…Was him. Without realizing it… He found himself growing less impatient. Employees who once would have received a lengthy lecture over a minor mistake were now met with nothing more than—

“Correct it.”Even the executives had begun quietly commenting among themselves.

“The president seems calmer these days.”

No one knew why. Neither did he. The only thing anyone failed to notice… Was that it always seemed to happen on the days he saw her.

Occasionally…Maekar invented reasons of his own. Reasons that served no practical purpose whatsoever. Like taking her shopping after work.

“You need something appropriate for next month’s charity gala.” She insisted several times that the dress she already owned was perfectly fine. She didn’t need another one.

But she had long since learned… There was little point arguing with someone far more stubborn than herself. Maekar walked a few steps ahead. Every employee in every boutique greeted him the moment he entered.

She followed quietly behind with the same worn backpack she’d carried since early that morning. Her eyes drifted toward the price tags hanging from the dresses. One gown… Cost more than several months of her salary.

“Maekar…”She called softly. “It’s too expensive.”He didn’t answer. Instead, he turned to the sales associate.

“We’ll take this one.” She immediately shook her head. “No, really I don’t need—”

“You do.” His tone remained calm. “You’ll be attending these events with me.” A brief pause. “You should be dressed appropriately.” She lowered her eyes. She already knew she wasn’t going to win.

Before leaving the mall…Maekar stopped in front of a jewelry boutique. She followed him inside, still feeling guilty about the dress he’d already purchased. Then his attention settled on a delicate necklace displayed beneath the glass. A simple silver chain.

Elegant. Understated. A tiny heart-shaped pendant rested at its center, set with a single crimson gemstone. It wasn’t extravagant. It wasn’t ostentatious. Yet somehow…It reminded him of her.

He stood there looking at it longer than he intended. Finally… He spoke to the sales associate. “This one.” She looked at him in disbelief.

“Please…” She shook her head. “It’s far too expensive.” An awkward laugh escaped her “I’d have to work for three months just to afford something like this.”

Maekar accepted the velvet box from the associate before walking back toward her. He opened it. The deep red gemstone caught the warm lights of the boutique. Beautiful. Quiet. Unassuming. Just like the woman standing before him.

“Wear it to formal events.” That was all he said. No It’s a gift. No I wanted you to have it. No explanation whatsoever. She looked down at the necklace for a long time before lifting her eyes toward him. There was gratitude in her expression. But also hesitation.

“Thank you.” A small smile. “But I can’t accept it.” His brows drew together. “Why?” She smiled again The same gentle smile she always wore whenever she was about to refuse him.

“Because…” She paused. ”…I’m afraid I’ll get used to receiving beautiful things from you.” Silence settled between them. She laughed quietly, though there was sadness hidden beneath it. “And one day…” Another pause. “when we’re no longer together I don’t think I’d remember how to live the way I used to.”

For the first time in months… Maekar found himself remembering the agreement they had made. One year of engagement. A marriage for their families. Separate lives afterward. An arrangement. Nothing more.

He had been the one who proposed those conditions. He had been certain they were reasonable. Necessary. Simple. Yet now… For reasons he couldn’t explain…

The mere thought of a future in which she was no longer walking beside him… Left an unfamiliar weight settling quietly inside his chest. After those words… Maekar remained silent for a long time. The jewelry boutique was quiet.

The sales associates politely pretended not to notice the conversation unfolding between them, though every so often, curious eyes drifted in their direction.

The black velvet box remained in his hand. Slowly… He closed it. “Don’t say that again.” His voice was as calm as ever. So calm that she simply assumed he disliked hearing people talk about separation.

She offered him a small smile. “sorry I didn’t mean anything by it.” Maekar merely gave a slight nod before turning toward the exit. He didn’t say another word.

The drive home was unusually quiet. She spent most of it watching Seattle’s rain-streaked streets pass by outside the window. She never noticed… That the man sitting beside her was quietly sulking.

It was a feeling Maekar himself didn’t entirely understand. He disliked what she’d said. He disliked hearing her speak so calmly about the day they would eventually go their separate ways.

Even though He had been the one who proposed those terms.Yet hearing her accept that future so effortlessly…

a Left an unfamiliar emptiness somewhere inside his chest. She never noticed. She was far too innocent. Far too trusting. She didn’t even realize he never looked at her once during the entire drive home.

In the end…Maekar was the first one to get over it. The following morning, the familiar black sedan was already waiting outside the university. On the back seat rested a paper bag from the same bakery. A cinnamon croissant. And a cup of coffee, still warm. When she climbed inside, she looked down at them in surprise.

“For me?” Without lifting his eyes from the tablet balanced on his lap, he answered simply, “Mm. Eat before it gets cold.” She smiled. A genuine one. “Thank you.” That was all. And somehow… The strange frustration he’d carried since the previous evening disappeared completely. To his own annoyance.

A few more days passed. Life slipped back into its familiar rhythm. She attended classes. Worked her evening shifts. And returned home each night in Maekar’s car. Until one afternoon… His personal driver knocked quietly on the office door.

“Sir…” Maekar looked up from the documents spread across his desk. “What is it?” The driver hesitated. I thought you should know about something.”

Less than five minutes later… The atmosphere inside the office had completely changed. Maekar never raised his voice. He never slammed his hand against the desk. Yet the room somehow felt several degrees colder.

The driver explained that earlier that afternoon, as she was leaving the university… A woman had approached her. Well-dressed. Expensive perfume. Someone who clearly knew Mr. Targaryen. The driver hadn’t heard every word.

But he’d heard enough. The woman mocked her. Called her nothing more than a fiancée on paper. Claimed Maekar would grow tired of her soon enough. That a man like him would never truly choose someone as ordinary as her. The driver tightened his grip.

“Miss never argued.” He paused. “She just smiled…And said…”Another pause. ‘If you’ve finished… I’ll be going now.’

“Then she came back to the car.” Silence. Maekar said nothing. The driver lowered his eyes. “I don’t think she wanted you to know. That’s probably why she never mentioned it.”

Slowly… Maekar closed the file in front of him. Then reached for his phone. He didn’t ask who the woman had been. Because he already knew.

That evening… She returned to the penthouse a little later than usual. The moment she stepped inside… She found Maekar sitting alone in the living room. Only one lamp illuminated the space. His phone rested on the coffee table. As though he’d been waiting.

“I’m home.” He gave a small nod. Then picked up his phone. She watched him curiously. A few moments later… Someone answered. A familiar feminine voice echoed faintly through the speaker.

“Maekar?” He didn’t acknowledge her greeting. His expression remained perfectly blank. “I’m calling to end this.” Silence “From this point forward…Do not contact me again.” Another pause. “And stay away from my fiancée.” His voice never rose. It didn’t need to.

It was cold enough that even she froze where she stood near the entrance. “You had no right to speak to her that way Whatever existed between us ended a long time ago.” A brief silence followed. Then Maekar delivered his final words with quiet finality.

“If you approach her again The legal department of Targaryen Holdings will be the ones contacting you next.” He ended the call. Immediately. No explanation. No negotiation. No hesitation. Only silence remained.

She stood by the doorway, blinking in confusion. Her bag was still hanging from her shoulder. “What… happened?” Maekar looked at her. His expression had already returned to its usual unreadable calm.

“Nothing.” A brief pause. “Just taking care of unfinished business.” She looked at him, completely bewildered. She didn’t know who that woman was. She didn’t know that Maekar had already learned about what had happened outside her university.

And she certainly couldn’t understand…Why he had chosen to cut that woman out of his life so decisively. Because in her mind… Maekar was still the same man he’d always been.

The man who had never loved her.Not even once

by @velvetsainthills do not repost