002

We were happy—or at least, I convinced myself we were. Eventually, we got married. It was the biggest wedding the city had ever seen, a lavish affair that made my family beam with pride. But the glamour ended at the bedroom door.

On our wedding night, Maxine fell asleep almost immediately. He claimed he was exhausted and had to travel the very next morning for an urgent business meeting. I tried to wake him, my heart pounding. I had never had sex before, and now that I was finally a wife, I needed it more than ever. I needed him to at least hug me, touch me, or show some sign of desire. But he didn't lay a hand on me. I laid there in the dark, staring at the ceiling, figuring he was just drained from the festivities.

The following morning, I woke up to an empty room. No note, no message, just a cold, silent house. He was nowhere to be found. I called him repeatedly, but he didn't respond. I spent my first day as a bride entirely alone. When Linda texted to ask how the "big night" went, I had to lie. I told her something had come up, protecting the image of my perfect husband even then.

A whole month passed before he finally returned. I had spent our entire honeymoon alone, still a virgin.

"Why didn't you contact me once during your business meeting?" I asked the moment he walked through the door. "You didn't even care to know how I was feeling."

Maxine kicked off his shoes and, for the first time, he leaned in and pecked me on the head. It was such a small gesture of affection, but it was so rare that it effectively shut me up. I swallowed my anger instantly.

"Is this how you are going to welcome me?" he asked softly.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I was just worried and lonely."

He looked at me with a strange expression. "Matilda, you do know that you have the freedom to do whatever you want, right?"

"I know, but... I just wanted you."

He walked past me, heading straight for the stairs. "I'm so sorry, babe. Where I was, there was no network. I couldn't get through to you. I hope you understand."

I wanted to believe him, so I did. That day, I pushed aside my thoughts of intimacy because my menstrual period had just started. There was nothing we could do anyway, so we just settled for cuddling. For the first time in our lives, he held me in bed. It felt a bit stiff, almost forced, but I leaned into his chest anyway. When I tried to reach down to rub him, he turned away. When I finally managed to touch him, he was completely flaccid. I ignored it, telling myself he was still stressed from work.

The day my period ended, he vanished again. He traveled, but this time we stayed in contact. Over text, he was a different person. He would fantasize about how he was going to make love to me when he got back. We would both "smile" in text in anticipation. But when we had video calls and I tried to show him my body without clothes, he would suddenly claim "network issues" and the screen would go dark.

He stayed away for three months. He only returned because of Linda's wedding. She was getting married to Tony, Maxine's elder brother, and we were expected to attend together. To my surprise, the assistant I always saw him with a man named Tony—ended up sleeping over at our house that night.

Linda had given us two VIP tickets since the wedding was being held out of the city. I was so happy; I saw this trip as the final end to my sexless marriage.

"These are couple's tickets," I said, showing them to Maxine excitedly. "What should we wear? Are you going with the groomsmen outfit or something else? And what about our summer wear for the after-party?"

"Easy, Matilda," Maxine said, his voice calm. "Tony and I will take the VIP tickets. You can take Tony's standard ticket."

I froze. "What? Babe, why would you do that? Don't you want to be with me?"

"No, don't get me wrong," he said quickly. "I just don't want you to be away from your friend. I don't want it to feel like this marriage is breaking the bond between you and Linda. It's better if I fly with my assistant to handle business, and you can fly and spend time with her."

I smiled foolishly, my heart softening. "Aww, babe, you're so considerate. But I want us to be together. Linda would understand, wouldn't she, Tonu? Wouldn't you want the couples to be together?" I asked his assistant.

"Of course I want that," Tony said, though his voice sounded tight. "But as your husband said, we are business partners. It wouldn't be nice for you to feel alone without knowing anyone there."

I thought about it. He actually had a point. "Fine, you win," I sighed. "You two go first, and I'll come tomorrow."

Maxine jumped up happily and hugged me. As his head was on my shoulder, I caught sight of Tony. He had a look of pure disgust on his face a dark, angry expression. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but we had never been friendly. Asking would be sticking my nose where it didn't concern me.

They left, and I arrived at the wedding destination a day later, alone.

"Congratulations best Gurl "

" Don't tell me that, cause Gosh, I am so so angry at you!" Linda fumed the moment she saw me. "Why did you sacrifice your couple's ticket to fly solo?"

"But he said you asked for it," she murmured, her voice like dry leaves. "Well, that's none of my business. Settle in and come out at night."

Before I could demand what she meant, she faded into the shadows of the hallway, disappearing as if she were never there. I was left alone in the silence of the upstairs, the weight of the house pressing down on me. My husband was nowhere to be found.

When night finally fell, I moved through the hotel like a ghost, joining my friend Linda in her celebration. The air was thick with the scent of expensive cologne, champagne, and the musk of werewolves, but I couldn't find Maxine. Throughout the night, my head was on a constant swivel. I was hyper-aware of every door that opened, every laugh that echoed through the hall, turning my head like an owl, desperate for a glimpse of him.

"You looking for something?"