Chapter 12: “Real or Delusional?”

Amber’s pov

I stood in front of the mirror trying to check my outfit for the umpteenth time. This was the first time I would be meeting Adrian’s family and I don’t know why I’m nervous about it.

I guess it’s probably the fact that I have to make it believable to his cousins and uncle who he already has a bad blood with. I was still lost in my thoughts when I heard his voice from outside my door.

“You always look good Amber, you don’t have to beat yourself up about it plus it’s not a big deal” He said.

“You think so? You think they would like me ? I asked worriedly.

“They don’t have to like you, we are just going to introduce you to them, that’s all. If for any reason you feel uncomfortable, tell me.”

There he goes again, making me feel protected and when I long for more, he disappears. Shaking my head and refusing to be delusional once more, I took a deep breath and we left the house together.

****

The house was bigger than I expected. Warm and lively too, nothing like Adrian’s. Voices echoed from the dining area, soft laughter blending with clinking glasses.

“Stay close,” Adrian said quietly beside me.

I glanced at him, that didn’t sound like a command. It sounded like he was worried about something,

not wanting to think about it, I followed suit.

We stepped in together and just like that, all eyes were on me.

“Ah, there she is,” his grandmother said warmly, standing up.

It wasn’t something but she was a familiar face amidst the off looking faces staring at me.

“At least someone likes me,” I whispered under my breath.

“I heard that,” Adrian muttered.

“Good.”

His grandmother walked up to me, holding my hands.

“You look beautiful, my dear.”

“Thank you,” I said softly.

Then another voice.

“Oh, so this is her?”

I turned.

A woman, elegant and sharp-eyed looked me over like I was something to be inspected.

“She’s simple,” she added.

What did she mean? Was it a back handed compliment or an insult ? Whichever way, I decided to not let anyone take me out of character so I just decided to smile at her Instead but Adrian beat me to it.

“Simple or more natural you mean? My wife has never been the makeup type of girl but I love her that way.” He cut in.

He said this looking me straight into my eyes while smiling and I couldn’t decipher if he was just trying to play along or if he was being serious.

That was unexpected, he defended me? This is shocking. I didn’t have time to process it before we were asked to sit.

And of course, I was seated beside him. What else did I expect?

Dinner started smoothly and it was looking like the calm before the storm. Which meant something was coming.

“And what exactly do you do, Amber?” the same woman asked.

It looked like she was the mouthpiece of everyone in the table, more like, she was saying what they were scared of saying.

There it was

I placed my fork down gently.

“I work,” I said simply.

A few quiet chuckles, not the kind ones but the mocking ones.

“For him?” she pressed.

“Yes.”

“How convenient.” She scoffed.

I felt it, the judgement and the sudden assumption.

Before I could respond…..

“She works because she’s capable,” Adrian said.

Calm but enough to pass the message across and I couldn’t help but smile at my husband.

Adrian’s POV

I didn’t plan to speak but I had to. I didn’t like where that conversation was going and more importantlyI didn’t like the way she was being perceived as.

They were looking at her as an opportunist ans someone who seduced her way to that position.

They looked like her like she was trash and they were above her. Heck, she works ten times harder than any of them here except grandma of course.

She might not belong here but that didn’t mean they had to say it to her face, nobody had that right.

The rest of dinner passed in fragments, conversations I barely followed and stared I pretended not to notice.

As we stood to leave, grandmother pulled me aside.

“You handled that well,” she said softly.

“I didn’t do much.”

“Oh you did, I was scared she would run out because of their incessant questions but you handled it so well, I’m proud.”

I didn’t know why that felt like a bigger compliment than it should but if anyone had the right to talk down on Amber, it’s me and no one else.

On the drive back, she was quiet like she was trying to process everything that happened.

“You didn’t have to hold back,” I said suddenly.

She turned to me. “About what?”

“Them.”

She let out a small breath. “It’s your family plus I don’t want them thinking you made the wrong choice.”

“And you’re my wife.”

The words came out before I could stop them and for some reason, I liked the sound of wife rolling out of my tongue.

Silence filled the car and we were back to our staring contest. She looked away first and I found myself gripping the steering wheel tighter than necessary.

This wasn’t supposed to feel like this, none of it was.

And yet It was already getting harder to separate what was real from what was just part of the deal.