Chapter 2 - The Three O’Clock Violation
The digital clock on the nightstand flickered silently through the dark room as the hours ticked by. Sleep was an impossible luxury for Mari, whose muscles remained coiled like steel springs. Ernest constantly shifted, adjusted his pillow, pulled at the heavy wool blanket, and tossed from side to side. Every microscopic movement felt uncomfortably, intrusively close. Twice, Ernest rudely tapped her shoulder, barking that she needed to lie closer to the center of the bed. Then, he gave her arm a rough, demanding nudge.
"It doesn't work like this," Ernest muttered under his breath.
Mari sat bolt upright in bed, her patience completely shattered. "What doesn't work?"
Daniel opened his eyes, looking intensely annoyed at his wife rather than at his boundary-crossing father. "Babe, come on. Just let him finish the ritual so we can get some sleep."
"What ritual, Daniel?! Nobody explained a single thing to me!" Mari whisper-shrieked, fury burning in her chest.
Ernest let out a dry, condescending chuckle that made Mari's skin crawl. "The younger generation has to argue about everything," he sneered.
Defeated and exhausted, Mari lay back down, but she refused to close her eyes. She watched the digital clock flick relentlessly from 2:41 to 2:58 AM. Outside, the courtyard music had finally died down, leaving behind only the low, steady hum of the air conditioner.
Then, exactly at 3:00 AM, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Mari felt something brush lightly against her lower back.
Once.
Then again.
And a third time.
It wasn't the wool blanket. It was deliberate, purposeful contact.
Mari froze, her heart hammering so violently against her ribs that she was certain both men could hear it echoing in the quiet room. The sensation returned—slow, calculated tracing along her spine, moving upward toward her shoulder, while Daniel’s steady, rhythmic breathing sounded heavily from the other side of his father.
Without thinking, Mari whipped around instantly, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.
May you like
Ernest was wide awake. His hand was outstretched toward her, and in his other hand, he held the small red cord, dangling it near her skin.
"What do you think you are doing?!" Mari demanded, her voice trembling with white-hot rage that pierced the silence of the bridal suite.
