Chapter 4

"Here's your lunch, darling." I said as I gave it to him at the door.

"Thank you, baby." He leaned down and kissed my lips.

"You're welcome. I hope you have a great day at work."

"I will, and I will see you later, Mrs. Taylor. I have a surprise for you."

"Oh, I can't wait to see what it is."

When he was gone, I decided to do some cleaning.

I came across our wedding photo. I remember that day like it was yesterday.

I wore a beautiful white dress, and Nathan, oh, was he perfect! I married the man of my dreams, and in that moment, I knew I had made the right choice.

Nowadays, I feel like there's something wrong between us. I was scared to lose Nathan.

When I was done cleaning, I bit my lip as I contemplated what I should do.

After deciding, I called Alexander, Nathan's cousin.

We agreed to meet at Starbucks in 15 minutes.

When I arrived, he was already sitting there waiting for me.

"Hey Alex." I smiled as I sat down.

"Hi Annie. What's the problem? You sounded distressed."

"Well, you're a private detective. So I was wondering if you could follow Nathan."

Alexander Taylor is a private detective who started his business four years ago. He is the same age as Nathan, and they practically grew up together.

"What?"

"I think Nathan might be cheating on me."

"No way. He loves you too much to do that."

I bit my lip as I heard his words. That was probably the old Nathan. The way he has been acting, I was right to have my speculations.

"Well, that might be true, but I need to be sure."

"There's no way I would do that, Annie. It could ruin your relationship. If there's no trust, then there can be no love."

"What if he is cheating on me?"

"And what if he isn't? Shouldn't you trust him?"

"Alex, you said you saw him at the Garland. I asked him about it and he said he was with a client. I just don't believe that."

"Why not? I'm not defending him or anything; I'm just trying to make you understand that if he's not cheating, then you have some serious issues."

"For a few weeks, he was barely talking to me. He was acting so cold. He would come home late at night and early in the morning. When I asked him about it, he said that he was busy, then proceeded to fucking gaslight me. Gosh, I've never seen him act this way. Nathan is the only family I have, so please just give me peace of mind. I want to know if he's cheating on me."

Alex stared at me as he listened to what I said, then sighed.

"Fine. I'll do it. I'll track him and see if he's with another woman."

"Thank you."

"I can't believe I'm going to be spying on my own cousin."

"I know that must be hard for you. You're the best detective I know."

"I'm pretty sure I'm the only detective you know." He cracked a smile, and I laughed.

"Well, that's true."

"Thank you for helping me, Alex."

"Anytime, Annie, but what if he is cheating? What are you going to do?"

"Well, I don't want to think about that right now."

"Let's just hope for the best." He said and I nodded.

Alex and I chatted for a few more minutes, then parted ways. I really hoped he could prove me wrong.

I returned home and prepared dinner for Nathan and me. A freshly made lasagne lay on the table as I admired my work. I also baked cookies and had them cool.

Time went by slowly as I sat down and waited for Nathan to come home. I thought that we could eat dinner together as we usually would.

Minutes turned into hours, and before I knew it, I fell asleep at the table.

My eyes slowly fluttered open as I felt someone tap my shoulder.

I released a yawn as I stretched.

"Damn, I fell asleep." I said sleepily and Nathan chuckled.

"Yes you did sweetheart. You should get to bed on time."

"I was waiting for you. What time is it?"

"Well it's almost twelve. I had so much to do today. I'm so sorry baby." He kissed my cheek.

"Oh I see." I muttered.

"But I did get your surprise for you."

He gave me a box which I hurriedly opened. I gasped as I saw the content. It was a beautiful red dress that had a slit at the side of it.

There was also a sapphire necklace inside a smaller box.

I stared at him, shock in my eyes and he chuckled at my reaction.

"Do you like it?" He asked and I nodded.

"I absolutely love it. It's freaking gorgeous." I gushed and he smiled.

"I'm glad you do baby."

"Thank you! Thank you so much."

"I promise I would make things up to you. So I'm just fulfilling that. I'm so sorry I'm home late. You cooked so much for me. I appreciate you." He kissed my forehead.

"Thank you Nate." I smiled.

"Anything for you princess."

"Do you want anything to eat?"

"No, I'm not hungry."

"Well I'll put these away while you go and shower." I said and he nodded.

I put the food in the refrigerator but not before having a slice for myself. When I was done I went upstairs and met Nathan already asleep on the bed.

I sighed and climbed into the bed and pulled the cover over us.

I prayed that everything was okay between us. Or at least I hoped it would be.

The week carried on the same way, Nathan coming home late and apologizing. I didn't bother waiting up for him anymore and just went to bed on time. I had interior designing classes in the day so that had me occupied.

Our anniversary was in one week and I had planned how we would spend the night.

Alex hadn't reported anything to me yet so I was nervous about that.

I was out shopping for a new lamp when I got a call.

"Good morning Mrs. Taylor. This is Westshore clinic. You have an appointment today at 1pm. I'm just calling to remind you." The woman said over the line.

"Yes ofcourse, I will be there."

After I hung up, I finished shopping then went straight to my appointment.

"Good afternoon Mrs. Taylor. How are you today?" She smiled.

"I'm alright. How are you?"

"I'm good. Let me just check your documents then you can go in." She said as she typed on the computer.

"Alright you can go see the doctor now."

I went to the doctor's office and Dr. Jones greeted me.

"Good morning Mrs. Taylor. How are you feeling today?"

"I feel great."

"That's good to hear. Let's discuss the results of the exam shall we." She said and I nodded.

"Okay from the physical exams, there was the presence of lesions on the ovaries. It can barely be seen on the ultrasound but it's there." She said as she she showed me the ultrasound and I nodded.

"Given your symptoms and what we've discovered based on the physical exams we've had, it has been determined that you have endometriosis." She said sympathetically.

"Oh my gosh!" I said as I covered my mouth.

"Don't be too alarmed; it's very mild, so you don't require any surgery just yet. In fact, there is a list of medications you can take."

"What about pregnancy?"

"It is more difficult to get pregnant with endometriosis, but it is possible at your stage." She said and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You have options, Annette, so please don't let this get you down."

"I'll have to discuss with my husband which option is best."

"Yes ofcourse."

After I chatted with the doctor, I went straight home.

Well, that explains why I couldn't get pregnant. This is so fucking dumb.

I wanted to scream, but I held myself together pretty well.

I took a few deep breaths and steadied myself. I was so nervous to tell Nathan about this.

I was doing an assignment for interior design when Nathan came home.

Surprisingly, he came home early with Chinese takeout. It was around 6 p.m.

"Nathan, you're home early." I said, and he nodded.

"I had less work today." He grinned and kissed my lips.

We sat in silence as we ate. I didn't have much of an appetite, but I forced myself to eat anyway.

"So, there's something I want to show you after we eat." He said.

"Oh, is it another surprise?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yes, it is. I'm sure you'll love it."

After we finished eating, I threw away the boxes, took out the garbage, and then went back inside.

I walked upstairs and met Nathan in our room; his shirt was off and his back was turned to me.

"Nathan?" I said, but he didn't respond.

I walked over to him, and he held my hand.

"There's something I want us to try." He whispered, and I nodded.

He dipped into his pockets and pulled out a pair of handcuffs.

"What is this?"

"BDSM. I think it will add spice to our relationship."

"What the fuck?"

"Annette, we should just give it a try."

"I don't think so. I'm not into that kind of stuff."

"Neither was I, but I gave it thought, and I think we should try it."

"No way. I don't want to."

"Don't you love me, Annette? So why can't you do this for me?"

"This isn't about love; this is about respect. At least let me think about it, okay?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Fine." He said this as he walked over to the bed.

As I was brushing my teeth, I thought about Nathan's suggestion. I'm not interested in bondage, and I'm not going to start now.

No offence to people who do that, but it isn't my style.

I went to bed, and Nathan's back was turned towards me. I sighed as I laid down. He can't be upset over this, right? If he is, then I don't know what to say.

I hope we can be okay.