The rest of the days went by in a haze. There was nothing to do or think about. Don made sure of the former and for some reason, Jay was not responding to my messages, hence the latter. The door to my room creaked open, and I didn’t need to look up to know it was Don. He approached my bed with slow footsteps.His hand brushed over my shoulder as he leaned down to kiss my forehead. His hand brushed my cleavage and I almost thought that he would squeeze one breast until his touch disappeared but I did not hear him leave the room. “I’m leaving for two weeks,” he said “I’ve packed already. I just want to know if there is anything you’ll need while I’m gone?”I watched his dark eyes scan me on the bed, waiting for a response. Could he tell that I resented him? I did not want to feel bad for him but I did. No matter what Don said or did, he could never make me feel better when I was hot by another person who should have n
My sleep was shallow and restless. My dreams were filled with pictures of him. When the morning light seeped into my room, I turned groggily away from the window. Then my senses came to me and I immediately reached under my pillow.I blinked against the screen’s harsh glow and found a message waiting for me.Jay: Good morning, Beautiful.Gosh, even his texts made me feel warm all over. My fingers hovered over the keyboard. What was I supposed to say back? Good morning?You too? God, I sounded like a teenager.I typed: Good morning.Paused. Deleted it.Finally, I just sent a little heart emoji. The phone almost slipped from my hands when I heard Don’s voice. And it wasn’t my imagination. He was angry and he was making that clear to whoever it was he was talking to.Then I heard a ding from my phone. Jay had replied.Jay: I am surprised you have a phoneI was surprised that even his brother knew of
on sat at the head of the table like one of the carved stone statues in the garden. His wine glass was half full and of course he had his eyes locked on me.“You seem to enjoy the garden,” he said. His voice was calm, but not casual.I gave a small, nervous laugh and lowered myself into the chair across from him. “It’s peaceful.”He didn’t smile. “Or maybe you’re considering taking it up as a hobby?”I said nothing and took a seat on my usual spot. The food arrived, perfectly plated and steaming but I still had no appetite. I reached for my fork, just to give my hands something to do.“What were you doing there just now?” Don asked, not touching his food either.“Fresh air,” I said, after clearing my throat, hoping I sounded convincing enough.His eyes remained hard on me, boring into my skin. I felt the heat. Not like when Jay looked at me. This one felt like a hot knife smoldering my flesh. “The window in your room is big enough to let fresh air in,” he said, still watching me. “And
kissed me like he’d waited a lifetime for it. Like everything in him was burning and I was the water to put it out.My back hit the tree behind the fountain, his hands on either side of me, holding me like something precious. I couldn’t think. Couldn’t breathe.Then he lifted me effortlessly. I was a feather in his arms. My legs wrapped around him without a thought. He carried me and walked, slowly, reverently, back toward the oak bench beneath the twisted vines, our place. The one where his lips had first found mine.The world blurred around us. The wind ruffled the When he sat, I stayed on him, straddling his lap, our foreheads pressed together. My heart felt wild in my chest, galloping like an excited horse. His hands cupped the back of my neck, allowing his thumbs to brush my jaw. His breath was shaky, and I felt it, all of him, underneath me.“I have waited for this,” I whispered.“I can tell,” he murmured back, his voice like smoke in my ear. “So have I.”I closed my eyes. “It
I stayed in the bathroom long after I had cleaned myself, sitting on the floor, hugging my knees. The water in the sink had long stopped running, and the silence tortured me like a plague. I thought I would feel different. Changed. Maybe even stronger for doing it with Don. But all I felt was guilt.Guilt that I had used Don’s body to try to erase Jay’s name from my mind. Guilt that it hadn’t worked.Don had touched me. Taken me. And all I could think of was someone else.I rose, wrapped a towel around myself, and walked back into the room. My phone blinked once. A message.Nina: You okay? Do you want me to come over?I didn’t reply. I just stared at the screen like it might give me the answer I Knew that I needed. She didn’t know about the restrictions. I only told her that the service in Don’s mansion was very bad so I could only speak to her when I was out. I did not know if she believed me.Nina was on break from school and like any best friend, wanted to spend some time with her
Watching Jay leave through my bedroom window and not being able to follow was like being chained behind bars in a notorious prison cell. I reminded myself that I did the right thing by not letting Jay kiss me. I was someone else’s wife.A knock came on the door. I thought it was Elsie so I mindlessly told the person to come in.But it was Don. for a second, i thought he had heard me running up the stairs to my room. I checked his eyes for confirmation. There were no flames in them. Rather, they were ocean blue currents. “Cassandra, here is your phone.”Was it Wednesday already? I had been so distracted with Jay that I hadn't remembered my weekly internet access and call allowances. I took the phone from Don courteously and stepped back. He still stood there, all 6’3 imposing builds of a man. His eyes were set on me. If he was a more present husband, he would have seen the hitch in my composure.“Won’t you give me some privacy?”Don did not step back. He did not move an inch. “You are