Chanyeol had his feet up by a table in front of him the next day, a pair of dark shades perched atop his nose and a cold bottle of beer already opened. Mari scrunched her nose. It was barely seven in the morning and his cheeks were already flushed, shirt discarded messily on the floor as he laid in the reclined tanning beds from his room. The sun glistened down on his flawless skin, muscles flexing with each swig of the beer. He must’ve been so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t hear Mari entering the room, or if he did, he didn’t care.

He barely even spared her a glance when she sat down next to him, with a warm, flustered sensation fluttering all over her body from last night’s events. Baekhyun must’ve tucked her into bed because she woke up comfortable yet alone that morning, a small note beside her phone that said only three words, yet gave her the momentum of a lifetime.

It was safe to say Mari was in a good mood. A bowl of fresh fruits and a small cup of yogurt with berries on top were placed down on the small table beside Chanyeol—an act of Mari’s kindness. She didn’t know what came over her to do something nice for her detested husband, but she couldn’t help the smile that brightened up her face anyway.

“Good morning,” she greeted, far too cheerful for an obviously already bad day for her husband. Still, Mari beamed at him, crossing one leg over another as she pushed the tray of food closer to him. “Did you sleep well?”

He barely moved a muscle and remained so still Mari wondered if he even breathed at all. She got a snort in response, that even with his eyes hidden under the shades, she could tell he was rolling them. “Don’t be too civil with me. I don’t want to get used to it,” he commented, lazily turning his head to the side and crossing his arms on top of his chest. “What are you doing up here? I thought you made it clear you don’t want us to run into each other.”

“I can’t say hi to my husband?”

“You’re acting weird,” he took off his glasses and glared at her. “It’s scary.”

“I’m not trying to be,” she shrugged nonchalantly. Truthfully, she had no idea what she was doing here either. The last thing she ever thought of doing was going to his room of all places when both of them expressed their disinterest in seeing each other, yet there was Mari, a silly grin on her face and a heart that wouldn’t stop beating frantically in her chest. Maybe it was her desire to share her happiness with someone, but Baekhyun was still resting in the guard’s quarters that she’d have to make do with the last person she wanted to talk to. “What are we going to do after this?”

“I’ve got a company to run and you’ve got your own life and safety to worry about. From how I see it, you and I’ve got a lot to work on.”

Ah, Mari thought. “I’ve got a name for an assassin,” she announced, the enthusiasm toning down and replaced with seriousness instead. Chanyeol raised a brow at her statement, bringing his legs to the side as he sat up and leaned forward, his interest piqued. “He’s got a fake alias under Lee Jihoon, but I’m pretty sure he’s American. From what I heard, he followed me here shortly afterwards.”

“Is he trying to kill you?”

Mari scrunched her nose. The way he said was so off-handed, as if the matter of her life and death was something as mundane as gossiping about a coworker they didn’t like. It showed how much Chanyeol didn’t care, and it made Mari feel small. She shrugged the feeling away, popping a strawberry inside to get rid of the squeezing of her chest. “There’s a high chance he will, but I’m trying to understand why.”

She regretted it. The strawberry exploded in her taste buds like a frenzy firework of o a deceptive sweetness and a tangy sourness. She pursed her lips, swallowing down the fruit before the taste lingered any longer.

Chanyeol’s face matched her sourness, the both of them looking unimpressed, although for thoroughly different reasons. “Why do you need to understand why? If someone’s threatening your life, the first thing you do is protect yourself, not confront it.”

“This could hold the secrets to my past—memories I don’t remember.”

“Maybe you forgot them for a good reason,” he leaned back in his seat, swinging his shades from between two fingers. “Usually, when someone forgets something, it’s either because it’s not important or it’s way better not remembering it. Why would you want to know everything?”

“Because my Mother died protecting me,” she defended, her shoulders growing tense and rigid. Chanyeol paused from his rebuttal at her sudden aggressiveness, and Mari scowled. “I’m going to avenge her death. I can’t do that when I don’t know exactly what she’s protecting me from. Whatever my Father did that led to people chasing after me, it’s something serious. I can’t just run away from those that are trying to bring me down. I need to know my enemies and their weaknesses. If I don’t do that, I’ll be unsafe and scared for my whole life. How can I guarantee safety for my next generation?”

Chanyeol paled, then he chuckled nervously, as if he couldn’t believe what she was saying at all. “I don’t plan on having kids with you.”

“That’s not what I meant,” she rolled her eyes. Why was she even trying so hard? Had she gone crazy enough that she actually hoped she could have a decent conversation with him? “My parents—or my Father, at least—did a horrible job of raising his child. If I’m going to be a parent someday, I’m going to do everything I can to be a good one.”

“I think it’s too early to think about that. Let’s just focus on getting you to safety first.”

“I’m not safe anywhere,” she muttered to herself. A beat of silence passed, an awkward air forming around them. Out of habit, Mari fought it back by gesturing to his leg. “How’s your injury?”

“Why, are you worried?”

“Why are you being so difficult?”

“Why are you even trying?” he sounded exasperated. Mari only swallowed in response. He was right, why she was trying was beyond her. Perhaps it was because deep down she knew she wasn’t capable of hatred, or that holding grudges was like a poison the same with anger. Or maybe the events of last night that quite literally loosened her up made her have a change of heart overnight; although she knew it was too early to tell. When she didn’t respond, Chanyeol sighed, waving a hand in the air and placing his glasses back. “I’m fine. I’ll live.”

“Okay.” There was finality in his tone that she couldn’t argue with. The silence, combined with the far-off cries of seagulls and sea waves slapping against the sand, should’ve been comfortable, but it was anything but that. Clearing , Mari picked up the tray of food and exited the room, stopping when Chanyeol called her out.

“Mari…” he started off hesitantly. Mari paused from the doorway, watching as he cradled his head in his hands. “I need your help with something.”

“It depends if I can help you with it.”

“I want to leave.”

“I’m sorry?”

“I want to leave,” he repeated, louder and clearer this time. Chanyeol stood up and strode to her, the bags under his eyes visible. Something about the exhaustion lining his wrinkles told Mari it wasn’t the type of tiredness you felt overnight, rather something that had been accumulated for years yet hidden very well. The sight made Mari offer her full attention to him, raising her head up to look him in the eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. “When you’re finally done with everything, I need your help. Help me to have a new life somewhere. I don’t want to stay here.”

“Chanyeol, I don’t understand.”

“I’ve thought about it for a long time,” he let out, “I’ve wanted to leave the moment I fell in love with Evelyn. This family...I no longer want to be a part of it. There has to be a way I can break apart from them,” he forced out a chuckle, waving a hand behind them to gesture at the pristine view offered from his balcony. “All these—I know it’s something that people would die to have, but what’s all this luxury going to do for me when I can’t truly have what I want?” his voice cracked at the end, pain coating each word he spoke. She felt that pain as if absorbing all the emotions he’d pent up, and she only watched in silence as Chanyeol looked down on his feet, a sad smile playing on his lips. “Nothing matters to me anymore. It’s best for me to leave.”

“And where would you go? You’re Park Chanyeol, a public figure. What makes you think you can leave this life that easily?”

“Which is why I need your help,” he insisted, even going as far as placing his hands on shoulders. “I need a new name, a new identity. I don’t have to go anywhere fancy, a simple countryside will do. Maybe I’ll learn how to farm or milk cows, I don’t care. Anywhere is better than here.”

Mari shook her head, shrugging off his hold on her. “Chanyeol, I understand why you feel this way, but what would your Mother say? She raised and adored you her whole life, and you’re going to leave—”

“If that’s true, then she’ll respect the decisions of her son and won’t look for me. My mom loves you. If you tell her I left because I’m looking for my happiness, she’ll believe you, and if she really loves me, then she’ll let me go,” Mari could tell he was trying his best not to cry, and she scanned his face, nothing but pure vulnerability looking back at her. “I no longer want to live a life that my parents dictate. It’s not my life if they’re planning things for me. And that look on your face, I know that. You think I’m being immoral or bringing dishonor to them, but think about what I feel. I don’t have anything anymore, Mari, I’ve got nothing more to lose. This company is nothing but a means of luxury, and I don’t need it. This is not what I want for myself. You of all people should know what it feels like to have the privilege of making decisions for yourself taken away from you.”

“But why?”

“Because, Mari,” he aggregated, “I want to live like a normal man. Look at us, we got married yesterday but we don’t even like each other, yet we’re stuck in this island for three days in a ing mansion. What part of this is normal? Do you really think it feels great that people want to live our lives even if it’s not that great anyway? You know it yourself. All of this is suffocating. Now, I know you won’t leave because you have a mission, but I don’t. Our connection can help my company rise to power, and then what? You don’t need me for that. My mom could do it all by herself.”

“Are you sure about this? Everything you valued will be taken away from you. This life will no longer welcome you.”

“Everything that mattered to me is already gone,” he whispered, stepping back away from her. His hands were shoved down his pockets, one shoulder rising up in a lazy shrug. “Like I said, I’ve got nothing to lose anymore.”

Mari was tempted, she really was. Chanyeol had a point—none of this mattered. She, too, was aware that people envied them for the luxuries and privileges they were born with, but everything came with a price. While they had enough money to rule a kingdom for themselves by turning their respective countries into their empire, it was all for naught when all of them felt suffocated with everything they did.

Hell, even she used to envy Chanyeol. He had loving parents who did everything they could to show him how important he was. Not only was he recognized by his country, he was also adored by his people. Chanyeol was a respectable man; instead of his people walking carefully around him out of fear like how Mari’s people treated her, they actually cared for the well-being of their leader. Now, though, she could see they weren’t that different, after all. Both of them lived nothing but an illusion of perfection further emphasized with beauty, so the people wouldn’t see the ugly truth of who they really were.

Both of them had no freedom in how to live their life. The only difference between them was that Mari knew she had no chance of running away. Chanyeol could, however, i