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I wasn’t sure if he was mad at me for saying that—or mad at himself for causing that despair. “I know our relationship was brief, just a couple months, but…you really meant a lot to me.”
His voice escaped as a whisper. “I know, baby.”
I looked at the bedroom behind him then rose from my chair. It was late, and I was ready for bed, ready for this conversation to end. I walked away, and he didn’t try to stop me.
“I just wish you knew how much you meant to me.”
The next day, we left the hotel and returned to his apartment, my new home.
My bedroom was on the same floor, down the hallway in a suite that was much smaller than his. A four-poster bed was in the middle of the room, with two nightstands and a dresser. There was a large TV on the wall, and then on the side of the room was a desk that faced the balcony doors. It had its own bathroom, so I didn’t have to walk down the hallway.
All the boxes of my stuff had been delivered, my clothes and shoes, my keepsakes. I’d left all my furniture behind and had decided to rent the apartment out for extra income. Axel and I hadn’t discussed finances, but I assumed he would have his money and I would have mine. Nothing would change on that front.
“What do you think?” Axel appeared in the doorway.
“It’s nice.” I looked at all the boxes, all the stuff I had to go through. “Am I free to use the kitchen?”
“You’re free to use anything you want,” he said. “This place is yours as much as it’s mine.”
I felt like a visitor—a permanent one.
“The chef will make you anything you want. Just ask.”
“But I like to cook.” I turned to look at him, seeing him in dark jeans and a t-shirt, just as handsome as he’d been in his suit on our wedding day.
“There are two kitchens in the house. Use the other one whenever you wish.”
“Why do you have two kitchens?”
“One is for cooking, and one is for entertaining.”
“Do you entertain a lot?”
He shook his head. “Not like I used to.” His eyes scanned the boxes stacked on the floor. “Need help?”
“No, it’s okay.”
“I have plenty of space for you in my suite.”
I looked away. “I’m fine.”
There was a long pause before he responded. “Alright.” His footsteps sounded then disappeared.
I looked at all the stuff I had to unpack, all the boxes of my belongings, all the things that gave me my identity. My wedding dress was the only thing hung up in the closet at the moment.
I gave a sigh before I got to work.
I was alone in my room when he texted me. Have dinner with me.
I didn’t text him back, choosing to ignore him rather than say no.
I’m not asking, baby.
You’re forcing me to do something I don’t want to do. I threw his words back at him, the best excuse to get out of his company.
You agreed to marry me, not be roommates. Your bedroom is for sleeping only. I expect you to spend the rest of your time with me. If that’s a problem, then I’ll come and get you. I’ll give you five minutes.
I sighed as I read his message.
And I’m not forcing you—as you admitted last night.
This was just the first day of this arrangement, of this long-term plan to backstab Axel the way he’d backstabbed me, but it was already challenging. I was used to living alone, and now I had a husband whom I had feelings for…whom I couldn’t trust.
I went down the hallway to his bedroom and let myself inside.
He was on the couch in just his sweatpants and nothing else, his chest hard as though carved with a razor-sharp knife. A game was on the TV, and the bottle of scotch was on the table, the room looking like a bachelor pad.
He immediately turned his head to look at me. “Good choice.”
It was the first time I’d been in his bedroom since he’d dumped me. I remembered climbing onto his lap on that very couch, hoping the feeling of our bodies together would fix all our problems.
I looked away when the memory became too much. I’d ridden him bareback, and I wondered if he’d already fucked Cassandra prior to that. It was good luck I didn’t catch anything.
I moved to the armchair on the other side of the living room, sitting as far away as I possibly could.
Axel gave a quiet sigh, like he knew the exact thoughts that crossed my mind. “Is there something you’d like to watch?”
“The game is fine.” I grabbed a blanket from the basket and pulled it over me.
Instead of looking at the TV, he looked at me. His black wedding ring contrasted against the fair skin on his left hand.
