His Conditions

For three nights straight, Anna had stayed awake until midnight, waiting for Damien. Each time, he returned too late and left before she could wake up. He was slipping through her life like a shadow. A whole week passed without her seeing her husband yet she continued preparing food for him without any expectations. 

On the eighth night, Anna decided enough was enough. She made up her mind to wait for him in the living room. Sitting on the sofa, she waited for him. She had been busy all day managing household tasks and her own errands without a moment's rest. Now, at 2 a.m., with her eyes growing heavy from sleep, she still held on as she refused to surrender to sleep. Seven days without a word from him was too long. Today, she would see him by hook or crook. 

Finally, the front door creaked open. A man dressed in a sharp suit stepped inside. Anna jumped to her feet. As he entered, he glanced briefly at her and then at the housekeeper who had likely also gotten up to make sure there was someone to serve food for him. Damien was never ate outside and always returned home for meals, regardless of the hour,  as he was very particular about his food.

As he began to walk past her, Anna stepped directly into his path with arms crossed over her chest, defiantly. She was dressed in her cozy pajamas with hair slightly tousled but she was deterimed.

He cast her a blank look. 

“Damien Callahan, what time is it?” she exclaimed, her frustration spilling over.

He said, “Excuse me?”

She pointed at her watch. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost 3 a.m.,” he replied.

“Exactly! It’s almost 3 a.m. You are coming home now. When will you sleep? When will you wake up? Do you have any care for your health?”

His jaw ticked. He hated when someone used his vulnerabilities against him. To the world, he was invincible. Nobody knew about his weaknesses or health issues and he didn’t like to portray himself as weak. Yet, it was an unfortunate truth that this woman knew almost everything about him.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he said curtly. “Thank you, but I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

She scoffed. “Are you? Look at the dark circles under your eyes. Your hairline is receding! You are not even thirty, and you are almost going bald!”

Mrs. Luna, standing behind them, put a hand over her mouth to conceal a laugh.

He stared at her, anger flashing in his eyes. “How dare you call me bald?”

She yelled, “Because you are! Your lifestyle will make you an old and sickly man in the next five years! You won’t be able to survive without medicines and helpers if you don’t correct it!”

He hated this woman so much. She knew his wounds and was just adding fuel to the fire. She was showing him his worst nightmare. He hated being dependent on anyone.

“I can’t deal with you. You are such an infuriating woman!” he snapped.

She smirked. “Well, this infuriating woman is your wife and you have to deal with her for a long, long time!”

“Unfortunately!” he muttered.

“What did you say?” she challenged.

“Move aside and let me go to my room,” he said, attempting to push past her. 

She stood in front of him again. She was so tiny without heels that she barely reached his chin. Her curly hair which she once hated,was let loose and cascading down like a waterfall and some thin standard were framing her face. He stole a secret glance at her hair while noticing how the thick and luscious curls fell to her thick and plump ass which made him swallow saliva.

Dear lord! He gritted his teeth. How on earth could he lust after the woman he hated so much?

“Mr. Callahan,” she said, her voice firm, “You broke clauses 5.6, 7, and 10 of the marriage contract we signed. As a penalty, you will have to grant me three wishes.”

“What the fuck?” he replied.

She pulled out her phone and opened the contract he had signed. “Read carefully. Clause 5.6 states that Party A and Party B shall have at least two meals a day together for at least four days of the week. Clause 7 says we must meet and discuss the progress of our contract at least every three days, meaning we can’t stay away from each other for more than three days a week. It’s the eighth day since I last saw you.”

He frowned. “What the hell is clause 10?”

She smiled, a hint of mischief in her eyes. “Both Party A and Party B shall share the same room for the duration of their marriage and cannot have any kind of relationship with other partners. It means we have to be loyal to each other.”

“They are ridiculous clauses!” he exclaimed.

She replied cheekily, “I gave you the chance to draft your conditions to be added to the contract, but your ego which is as big as the universe wouldn’t let you do that. You signed the contract without even reading it. Be grateful I didn’t make you sign over your power of attorney.”

He took a deep breath. She was right. He had made a mistake. “For a minute, I will agree that I broke the first two clauses. When did I break the last one?”

She smiled, hiding her real feelings. “Today’s front page of the newspaper. It says you and Regina are engaged and the wedding can happen anytime. If you were loyal to your wife, how could such news be printed on major platforms? I don’t believe your PR team is that incompetent.”

Damien glanced at the newspaper she was referring to. Understanding dawned on him,  it was his mother’s doing. In the past week, he had been overwhelmed with his sick mother who refused to see him and a nagging grandmother who threatened to cut him off. This was his family’s way of appeasing the Spencer family.

“I will take care of it,” Damien said. “Fine, I accept my penalty but it’s unfair that you have terms while I don’t. I want a chance to draft my terms for our marriage contract.”

“Okay,” she replied, “You can text me your conditions, and I will get them added.”

He said, “My first condition is that I won’t share my bedroom or personal space with you.”

She frowned at his condition but didn’t react.

“My mother’s condition is that we keep this marriage hidden until it ends.” With that, he turned and left her standing alone and angrily seething in the living room.