THE BILLIONAIRE'S HEIR UNCHAINED

CHAPTER 6

That evening, Raka sat in the small living room, exhausted. The flickering light from the old television barely held his attention as he stared blankly at the screen. The muffled sound of Nadine’s voice drifted from the bedroom, sharp and laced with frustration.

He wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but the walls in the Santoso home were thin—just like his patience.

“I don’t know what I was thinking, Dina,” Nadine sighed heavily. “I let my mother pressure me into this marriage, hoping Raka would help lift our family out of debt. He was hardworking back then, at least he had a stable job.”

A pause. Then a bitter laugh.

“But now? He hasn’t worked in years. I don’t even see a future with him anymore. Every time I look at him, I see failure. My mother was right—he’s just another burden.”

Raka’s hands curled into fists.

Her words cut deep, not because they were unexpected, but because they confirmed what he had long feared—Nadine had given up on him.

She had once believed in him. But now? Now, he was nothing more than a regret in her life.

Raka sat frozen, his fingers gripping the armrest of the worn-out couch. The moment he heard the soft click of Nadine ending the call, something inside him snapped.

Without thinking, he stood up and walked toward the bedroom, pushing the door open without hesitation.

Nadine turned, startled. "Raka? What—"

"All these years we’ve lived together, you never once told me the truth." His voice was eerily calm, but his dark eyes burned with something unfamiliar—something dangerous. "You married me because I was stable back then. Because I had a job. Because you thought I could fix your family’s problems."

Nadine’s expression hardened. "And what’s wrong with that?" She crossed her arms. "You act like I tricked you. I married you because I thought we could build a future. But look at us now, Raka. Look at you. You haven’t worked in months. You can’t even provide for yourself, let alone for me. Tell me, what future do we have?"

Raka let out a breath, shaking his head. "So that’s it? The moment things got hard, you gave up on me?"

"Don't twist my words," Nadine shot back. "I waited, Raka. I waited for you to get back on your feet. But you haven’t. I’m tired of waiting for a man who has no ambition, no plan, no—"

"Enough," Raka cut in, his voice low but firm.

For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick and suffocating.

Nadine exhaled sharply, looking away. "I never wanted this life," she admitted, her voice softer now. "I was supposed to marry someone successful. Someone who could give me security. But my family needed help, and you were there. I thought… I thought you would be different."

Raka clenched his jaw, his chest tightening.

He had always known he wasn’t the husband she dreamed of, but hearing it aloud—it was like being stripped bare.

Nadine scoffed, running a frustrated hand through her hair. "You know what, Raka? I don’t have the energy for this."

She grabbed her phone off the nightstand and stormed past him, her perfume lingering in the air as she walked toward the living room.

a cruel reminder of what had just transpired.

She was gone—not physically, but emotionally, mentally. She had walked out of the room without a second glance, her absence leaving an emptiness that felt heavier than her presence ever had.

He let out a slow breath, forcing himself to move. Step by step, he followed her into the living room.

Nadine sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone as if their conversation hadn’t just ripped apart the last fragile thread holding their marriage together.

Raka clenched his jaw.

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words. The only sound was the hum of the television, flickering shadows casting across the room.

She didn’t even look up.

He sat across from her, elbows resting on his knees, watching her carefully.

Nadine had never been an overly expressive woman, but there had been a time when her eyes softened around him, when her lips curved into something close to affection.

Now, she was unreadable.

No anger, no sadness. Just… indifference.

It stung worse than any argument.

Raka swallowed. "Do you really mean it?" His voice was low, almost hesitant. "That you regret marrying me?"

Nadine sighed, locking her phone. She tilted her head slightly, finally meeting his gaze, but her expression remained distant. "Raka, I don’t want to have this conversation again."

"Again?" He let out a bitter chuckle. "We never even had it in the first place."

She exhaled, rubbing her temple. "What do you want me to say?"

"The truth."

"I already said it." Her tone was flat. "I did what I had to do for my family. And now... I’m just tired."

Tired.

She kept saying that word.

Raka let the silence settle before leaning back against the chair. "Then tell me, Nadine. When did you stop wanting me?"

She didn’t answer right away.

Her gaze drifted to the floor, lips pressing together as if debating whether to even dignify the question.

Then, finally, she spoke.

"I don’t know," she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe it happened slowly. Maybe it was always there, and I just ignored it."

A muscle in Raka’s jaw tightened. "So I was just a convenience to you?"

Her eyes flickered with something unreadable. "It wasn’t like that."

"Then what was it like?" He pushed, his voice laced with quiet frustration. "Because from where I’m standing, it sure as hell looks like I was nothing more than a temporary solution to your family’s problems."

Nadine inhaled sharply but didn’t argue.

That silence told him everything he needed to know.

Raka ran a hand down his face, letting out a slow, bitter laugh. "You know what’s funny?" His voice was strained. "I never asked for this either. But I stayed. I tried."

"I never asked you to," Nadine said softly.

He stilled.

Her words weren’t harsh, weren’t cruel. But they were final.

She hadn’t asked him to stay.

She hadn’t wanted him to.

Raka stared at her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. He understood now. There was no fixing this. No grand gestures, no desperate attempts to reignite something that had never truly been there.

"You can go to bed," Nadine said, her voice unreadable. "I’ll sleep out here tonight."

Raka let out a dry chuckle. "Of course."

Without another word, he pushed himself up from the chair and walked back toward the bedroom.

The bed felt colder than ever.

But at least now, he knew—he had been sleeping beside a stranger all along.