Archive of Our Own ^beta

Rey felt the blood boiling in her veins, a fiery rage rising from her chest to her throat. She was angry. No, she was furious.

How dare he?
How could he have dared to insult her like that, in front of everyone? In front of their friends, her family, and, worst of all, her fiancé. Without a shred of respect, without even trying to keep some semblance of decency.

She had hoped—desperately wished—for this dinner to go smoothly. She had envisioned a peaceful evening where she could introduce Poe, her future husband, to her almost-family and friends. Instead, Kylo Ren had decided to ruin everything.

The fact that his friends were there, invited without her consent, only made things worse. This dinner was important to her, a moment she wanted to treasure, not a circus to be shared with people who had nothing to do with her personal life.

Rey felt tears pressing behind her eyes, but she held them back. She wouldn’t cry. Not here. No, she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her break. She wanted to scream, to throw something at him—anything—to vent the fury that was eating away at her stomach.

With a sharp motion, she stood up from the table. The cotton napkin slipped from her lap, falling silently to the floor, as her hands braced against the wooden surface of the table, trembling. Then she shouted.

— How dare you?! — Her voice echoed through the dining room, drawing every gaze toward her. Her face was red, her cheeks burning with anger, but the tears—no, those wouldn’t fall. Not yet.

Kylo Ren slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, his calm, provocative demeanor making her want to wipe the smug expression off his face. — Yes, I dare, — he replied with infuriating simplicity.

Rey clenched her fists. — You have no right to do this!

Kylo stood as well, his movements smooth and authoritative. — Oh, but I think I do. — He turned toward Poe, who had remained silent, visibly uncomfortable. — Don’t you think your fiancé deserves to know who the woman he’s about to marry really is?

Rey’s eyes widened in disbelief. — How dare you? — she hissed, her voice lower now but dripping with venom.

— I dare because I know you, Rey, — Kylo said, his cold gaze fixed on her. — And I know you’re not who you pretend to be.

— You’re no one! — Rey shouted, her tone full of contempt. — I only invited you out of obligation, but I didn’t want you here. And I certainly didn’t want your stupid friends.

The room fell silent for a moment, heavy as a storm cloud. Kylo stared at her, and in his eyes, Rey saw a fury she recognized all too well. It was the prelude to something terrible—she could feel it.

In a sudden motion, Kylo stepped closer to her, his eyes locked on hers. — This isn’t your family, Rey. Your family abandoned you because they didn’t want you. You were useless to them. And you’re useless to us, and especially to—

— BEN, ENOUGH! — Leia’s voice sliced through the tension like a blade, trying to stop the inevitable.

But Rey didn’t wait for him to finish. She grabbed the glass in front of her and threw its contents in his face with a swift motion. The water hit him, making him take a step back.

— You disgust me. You’re a monster.

Kylo, his expression cold and unbothered, wiped his face with his hand. — Yes, I am, — he murmured, his voice so low that only Rey could hear him.

She didn’t respond. She turned abruptly and left the room, tears finally free to stream down her cheeks. She didn’t want to cry in front of him—she wouldn’t give him that.

But she didn’t make it to the living room before she heard heavy footsteps behind her. A hand grabbed her wrist, forcing her to stop. When she turned, she saw Kylo’s face, and without thinking twice, her instincts took over. A slap. Hard, sharp, and forceful enough to make his head snap to the side.

— Let go of me! — she shouted, yanking her wrist free from his grasp.

Rey stormed through the living room and headed toward the front door. Behind her, there was the sound of a chair falling over, followed by a primal scream that sent a shiver down her spine. She turned just in time to see Kylo grab a lamp and smash it against the wall, shattering it into countless pieces.

— Rey! — called Poe, his voice tinged with fear, but she waved him off without looking.

— Not now! —

She turned to Kylo, her eyes filled with tears and blazing with hatred. — Are you happy now, huh? No, please, I really want to know!

Kylo didn’t respond. He just stared at her, unable to find the words. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his knuckles white from the pressure.

— Do you want to put on your little show, throwing things and screaming? Fine! — Rey grabbed a ceramic ball from the console by the door and hurled it at him with all her strength.

Kylo barely ducked in time. The ball flew past him, slamming into the wall above Hux’s head. The man went pale, and if he had been standing, he would have been hit squarely.

Everyone stared at Rey, shocked. This wasn’t like her.

— Didn’t see that coming, — Han and Luke muttered in unison.

Kylo turned to look at Rey, and for a moment, he found her so breathtakingly beautiful in her fury.

— I hate you, Kylo Ren! I should have never invited you tonight!

Kylo clenched his jaw, grabbed a vase, and hurled it at her while shouting an insult. She dodged it and retaliated instantly.

What followed was chaos—a battle of thrown objects and shouted insults, a storm of rage that engulfed everyone in the room.

And that was how the ruin of the Organa-Solo household began.