CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 5

I was shocked.

And I could tell it wasn’t just me.

Everyone else was shocked, they had even stopped the squabbling, and turned to stare at me.

But Levi still stared at me, and I nodded. “Thank you. The pleasure is mine.”

He gave a small nod, and turned to his food, while my eyes went to mine.

I didn’t miss the stern look Carter gave me but I decided to ignore it. It wasn’t my fault that his cousin had decided to speak to me.

“You’ve heard a lot about Yilena?” Fiona’s voice permeated the air. “That’s strange. The only thing I have heard about her is the way she snatches other people’s husbands.”

It was like a small whisper but I’m sure everyone heard it, but I didn’t have the strength to react.

“Speaking about marriages. When are you going to bring a woman home, Levi?” Mrs Stone leaned forward with a stare, easily changing the topic.

So he wasn’t married, anyone would easily guess he had a woman because of how matured he looked.

“Exactly,” Another woman spoke, and I realized that this was the first time I was seeing her.

“Look at Carter, he currently has a beautiful wife by his side.” She said, pointing at Fiona.

I scoffed, no one corrected her, and even my husband couldn’t be bothered, his eyes were on me, while he shook his head.

I knew what he was trying to say, but I focused on filling my stomach.

“Aunty Carole, you made a mistake…”

Carter spoke, “It’s fine. Not a big deal, so you don’t have to interrupt her.” He answered.

Not a big deal, huh.

“That’s true Billy, you shouldn’t speak when elders are having conversation as a child.”

My heart pounded, because I knew exactly what was coming. It was the same way it had started in every family.

“That’s true. Yilena, you and Carter have been married for three years,” Mrs. Stone seized the opportunity.

“And still no child, it wouldn’t be good on the Stone family. This would taint our family name if they think one of our children is barren.”

I gripped the spoon in my hand tightly. I knew I said I was going to stand my ground, but this was a lot harder than I thought.

Mrs Stone leaned forward, she didn’t even look at me, “I hope you are hearing me, Yilena. If you plan to be barren for so long, at least let Carter take another wife.”

“It’s okay Mum. We are doing what we can.” Carter frowned, but despite the relief that came when your husband was standing up for you, nothing like that came to me.

I dropped the food, and pushed the plate away, losing all my appetite.

Talking about children, made my chest tighten. It wasn’t like I didn’t want them, but how do I say it?

For three years, Carter refused to touch me.

Even when I made advances, he would quickly shut it down. At first I thought it was because of my looks, until a fateful night.

Carter slammed a bottle of wine on the floor, and pointed a finger at me, and spoke.

‘I didn’t want to get married to you, Yelena, but Grandfather had insisted. Do not cross your boundary. The only person I’d spend a night with is Fiona, and her alone.”

Since that day, I stopped making efforts.

“You can’t keep pampering her, Carter. She needs to know her place as a woman.” His mother retorted.

I watched the squabble with little interest, scrolling through the internet. They could say whatever for all I cared.

A chuckle filled the air, and it came from besides me, it was Levi.

“Biology isn’t so one-sided, Aunty.” The man said, swirling the deep red wine in his glass.

I looked up, wondering why he was doing this.

Levi continued, his eyes locking on Carter. The tension in the air was thick enough to be cut by a knife.

"If a garden remains barren, one doesn't blame the soil without first checking if the gardener ever bothered to sow a single seed. Perhaps the problem isn't the field, but the one holding the plow." Levi smiled, and I bit my lips to stop the overwhelming sense of happiness.

My eyes instantly shot to Carter, he looked like he was about to blow.

“I don’t think I invited you to have a business in my marriage, Cousin.” Carter drew the last word, his eyes pointing daggers at Levi.

For once, it actually felt like I was given a footing, and I didn’t care even if it was at the expense of my husband’s dignity.

“Levi, you can’t say that,” Fiona said, faking an angelic tone. “That would just mean you are insulting Yilena’s ability to appeal to her own husband.” She noted, her eyes narrowing at me.

Typical.

“It’s not Carter’s fault if his wife isn’t sexy enough. Have you seen the way she dresses? Who would want to sleep with her?” She laughed, and nods came from the table.

Okay, this was too far, but before I could feel the particular burn of shame, Levi had already moved.

A soft clink echoed on the table as he dropped his wine glass.

“A woman doesn’t need to fit your definition of allure to be captivating,” He said, and his eyes narrowed.

“If you think dressing sexy is the only way to look beautiful, it’s quite obvious that you lack intellectual substance, and also confusing that you are both related.” Levi continued, rising to his feet.

“Anyways, Grandpa called me here for a reason. Carter, you have proven to be quite a useless person both in business and in marriage.” He said, straightening his suit.

I was speechless, and my back straightened. What exactly was going on?

Levi turned his gaze to me, and a soft smile appeared on his face, before he turned to Carter, “And for being such a disappointment, your marriage with Yilena would be dissolved.”

My mind went blank. What?

I ran through the events that had just transpired, and I got angrier by the minute. I was grateful to Levi for standing up for me, but this time, I was tired of people making my life’s decisions.

Yes, I wanted to divorce Carter.

But I wanted to do it by myself!