Chapter 2. A Controlled Marriage

He looked at me, expression devoid of any emotion. It had always been hard to get a read on Aiden and I usually prided myself on being able to read people with some measure of accuracy. Not Aiden though. He was a block of marble - cold, impenetrable.

"What is it?" There was a hint of impatience in his voice and that made me lose what little nerve I had managed to muster.

"I..." I hated myself for stuttering, because I could see how much it irritated him, if the narrowed eyes and wry twist of his lips was any indication. My hands formed tight fists, nails digging into the soft flesh of my palms, the pain helping to ground me a little. "While I was at the hospital, I stopped by..."

His phone went off, the sound shattering the tense moment and drowning out my words. I fell silent as Aiden cursed under his breath and slid the phone from his inner suit pocket to glance at the screen In the dim interior of the car, I could easily see the lit up screen and the name of the caller displayed.

Elisa.

A tinge of bile filled my throat at the sight of the name. My shoulders sagged and I looked away, my chest feeling like a vise had clamped down on it, squeezing tight.

"Can it wait?" I heard Aiden ask and I glanced up at him. He was looking at me with that same impatient look, head c****d to one side as he waited for my answer. "I need to take this call, we can talk afterwards."

"Yeah, sure." I said, forcing a lightness to my voice that I didn't feel. I watched as Aiden accepted the call, my throat tight as I noticed the way his voice got softer, the way his tense shoulders relaxed as he listened to the reply on the other end, the hint of a smile that lifted his stern mouth and felt the vice tighten until I could barely breathe.

Unable to bear the sight, I looked away, swallowing down the lump of bitter emotions that threatened to spill over. I let my mind wander again, unwilling to listen to whatever conversation they were having, knowing it would only hurt me more.

For the second time today, tears welled up in my eyes and once more, I refused to shed them. It must be the pregnancy that was making me so prone to tears, wreaking havoc on my hormones.

I wasn't one to cry easily. I had only cried five times in twenty five years and those had been out of pure grief at losing people I cared about to the cold hands of death. The most recent crying episode had happened a month ago, when Julian Brown, my mentor, friend and the father of the man seated next to me had passed after a long battle with cancer.

The time before that had been when Julian had gathered all of us in his home office to break the news of his cancer diagnosis. That had been two years ago, the same day my life had taken a turn for the worse, or for the better, depending on who you asked.

Knowing he was dying soon, Julian had expressed his desire to see his son married before he left this world. Julian had known of my feelings for his eldest son, had known that I'd fallen in love with Aiden from our first meeting during a thanksgiving dinner with the Brown family.

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He would always tease me about it, good naturedly, of course, but never in a million years had I ever imagined that Julian would scheme to bring us together in marriage.

Particularly since he knew damn well that Aiden did not reciprocate my feelings, that he saw me as merely a friend of the family, someone to be endured and be polite to during the few times we met but nothing more.

I knew where his heart lay. With Elisa Harding, the stunning beauty with brains to match who was his childhood friend, school mate and now his co-worker.

So, when Julian had asked Aiden to get married, I'd assumed, much to my dismay, that Aiden would ask Elisa to be his wife. But Julian had thrown in a wrench in his plans when he'd stipulated that Alden many me

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Julian had been adamant and refused to change his mind. Not when Aiden had refused at first, not when almost everyone, including myself had pointed out that Elisa would be the better match for Aiden. Not even when I'd privately pleaded with Julian to change his mind because I knew Aiden would never agree to the marriage and I did not want to force myself on him.

Then to my utter shock, Aiden suddenly changed his mind and agreed to the marriage. For a while, I'd been in heaven, foolishly indulging in fantasies that maybe he had come to realize his true feelings for me. I ignored my misgivings, or the fact that he barely spoke more than two sentences to me the entire time we were planning the hasty wedding, or that whenever he looked at me, his face was devoid of expression. I'd fooled myself into thinking it was because he was still coming to terms with his feelings for me.

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Then, on our wedding night, Aiden had coldly informed me that our marriage, as far as he was concerned, was nothing but a sham. He'd congratulated me in such cold tones that I'd felt goosebumps all over my skin for manipulating his father and himself into marrying him.

"I suppose congratulations are in order." Aiden had snarled on the ride back from the reception, heading towards our new home, a three storey mansion that was a gift from Julian. "You finally got what you wanted, didn't you?"

I stared at him in confusion. "What are you talking about, Aiden?"

His laugh had been filled with derision. He tugged at his bow tie viciously and I had the sense that he wanted to wrap his hands around my neck instead.

"Cut the innocent crap, Jessica," the way he said my name sent cold shivers down my back. "You may have everyone fooled, but I can see through that f*****g angelic face."

"Fooled? I...I didn't fool..."

"I said cut the crap." he cut in ruthlessly and I'd instinctively shrank back in fright.

He followed me, leaning close until our noses almost touched, eyes an icy glint of anger. "Enjoy your victory while it lasts, because the second my father is cold and in his grave, you and I are done."

While I'd struggled to process his harsh words, he moved back to his seat and continued. "This marriage is in name only. We might live together, but do not expect even the slightest consideration from me. As far as I'm concerned, you and I are two strangers who merely share a last name, on a temporary basis."

It didn't matter how many times I'd protested that I had nothing to do with his father's decision and eventually, I'd given up trying to make him understand. We'd lived together as strangers ever since, barely speaking and avoiding each other unless necessary.

Until the night Julian had passed away. Driven by grief, I'd stopped by my best friend's bar and drunk a little more than I could handle. When I stumbled home at one in the morning, I'd met Aiden, who had been drinking too and one thing had led to another and we'd ended up in bed.

I shut my eyes and tried to recall that night, but no matter how hard I tried, I could barely remember our time in bed. The last thing I remembered was standing in the doorway of Aiden's study and that was all.

With Julian dead, I knew it was only a matter of time before Aiden served me with divorce papers. To be honest, I was surprised he didn't give me my marching orders the day after Julian's death, but I reasoned that he was probably waiting for the funeral before he made his move.

The funeral was the day after tomorrow. I felt a stinging pain in my mouth and when I tasted blood, I realized I had chewed on the inside of my cheek so hard to break the delicate skin. Aiden was still on the phone, but it looked like he was rounding up.

With shaky hands, I reached for a fresh bottle of water and took deep gulps.

"I need to head back to the office." Aiden said after hanging up.

"Oh? Is it the shareholder meeting?"

"No, that was rescheduled for tomorrow. Elisa was able to set up an impromptu meeting with the chairman of Linston Healthcare and she wants me to sit in for it."

Of course she does, I mused silently, careful to keep my expression neutral. Okay. If you need the car, Martin can pull over here and I'll catch an Uber back to the house."

"No need. We're almost at the house, so it shouldn't take too long."

"Will you be back for dinner?' I asked and wished I didn't when he leveled me with a quelling look, mouth twisting in familiar derision. I knew the question was silly, we never ate dinner...or any other meal together, but I'd wanted to know if he would be coming back home tonight or spending the night elsewhere...probably at Elisa's place.

It wouldn't be the first time.

"No, I won't." He replied, curtly.

Cheeks burning - from humiliation and hurt, I nodded and looked away again.