"It's funny how you look at him that way when I'm the husband." Nathaniel whined, whispering into my ears.
Nathaniel interrupted my thoughts of David at that moment. But he was right. I was crushing on someone else when I just got married. But then again, he wasn't totally right.
"It's not like you love me so what's the use." I defended myself, trying not to make it obvious that I was already blushing from my day dream.
“You look beautiful,” David said gently, finally standing right in front of me, ignoring the fact that Nathaniel was standing beside me.
I managed a small smile. “You came.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” His gaze went to Nathaniel briefly. "Even though I don't like the second party involved." They both locked eyes for a second, then his gaze returned to me. “Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” I blushed.
Suddenly, Nathaniel put his hand on my waist and tightened his grip to make it obvious and David had no choice but to n
Nathaniel’s POVWe didn’t speak the rest of that morning. Ava rushed into the bathroom and came out in her robe without a single word. I wrapped myself in the nearest robe I could find and holed up in the bathroom for an hour, just... staring at myself. Splashing cold water on my face. Trying to scrub the irritation and guilt off my skin, but it didn’t work.By the time I came out, Ava was dressed, barely. One of those loose sundresses with thin straps and a back so low I was ninety percent sure it was just held up by prayer. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she was already vlogging again. Like we hadn't had sex some hours ago.She looked at me once, then looked away immediately. We were mutually avoiding each other, which was good cause that worked for me.“I’m heading out,” she said casually, slipping on sunglasses.“Where?”“To do my job,” she said flatly. “Make content. Get views. Influence things.”“Right,” I said, scratching my neck. “Be safe.” That was definitely awkward coming
We got back to the villa, and I tucked the pouch into the little bag next to the bed, still thinking about the old woman’s words.Later that night, after some content editing, dinner and the usual silence, Sarah’s “special drink” sat on the bedside table with two glasses. A strange, honey-sweet scent rose from the bottle like it was blooming in slow motion.I stared at it. “Why did you bring this out?”“It was lying around,” he shrugged. “And it looks good.”“Do you remember what Sarah said?”“Who?”“Sarah. About the drink.”He picked up the bottle and sniffed it. “Nope.”“Oh! She said we should take it before sleeping. Together.”“What? Why? Is it alcohol?”“I don’t think so… maybe it’s wine?”“I doubt that,” he said, turning th
Ava’s POVThe fortune-teller didn’t speak right away. Her fingers shuffled the cards with precision, like she'd done it a thousand times in her sleep. The way she moved was too calm.Nathaniel gave an exaggerated sigh behind the camera but I ignored him."You carry a loud beauty,” the old woman said without looking at me. Her voice was deep, melodic. “But your spirit is quieter. Like it’s waiting for something.”I blinked. “Excuse me?”She finally looked up, her gaze soft. “Something inside you has gone quiet. A part of you once full of music and light.”I gave a nervous chuckle. “Marriage does that to a woman.”Nathaniel smirked. “We’re five days in. The light can’t be dead yet.”The woman ignored him completely. She laid the cards out in a fan and gestured. “Pick FIVE.”I glanced back at Nathaniel. “You're really recording this?”“Of course,” he said. “If she summons a demon, I want the footage.”I rolled my eyes and leaned forward, choosing five cards. My fingers hovered over each
Ava’s POVThe week after the interview felt like a slow-motion car crash. Not because Nathaniel and I were fighting, we were way past fighting. We were in full Cold War mode.Jessica handled PR related issues while forcing us to post lovey-dovey pictures and videos.Nathaniel buried himself in meetings, calls, Hargrave press statements. I spent the week touring the hotel for pictures and videos, editing content, posting curated photos of myself looking stunningly beautiful, rich, and doing daily Lives that somehow pushed my following to almost 15 million on youtube.I was really the most-followed woman in the country. I started receiving a lot of offers from companies and events, but I decided to leave those in the background when he walked past shirtless. I didn't mind sharing.(You’re welcome, ladies.)But even with the social media glow-up, we hadn’t talked. Not about the interview. Not about James. Not about
Ava's POV"Oh my God! "I gasped.My eyes stayed locked on the screen behind us, frozen, watching James Hayes casually using the leg press machine in the background of the viral gym video.The crowd murmured, the host leaned back with a smug smile, and I could hear the producers whispering excitedly off-camera. A scandal was good for ratings.I sat frozen, and I couldn't breath. Nathaniel just sat there with no reaction, no assistance."Ava?" the host prompted again, sweetly, but with mischief underneath. "Do you have anything to say about this?"My throat was dry. I tried to speak, but all I could do was stare at the screen. I felt every eye on me, including Nathaniel’s. His hand was still on mine, but it wasn’t the same gentle pressure from before. It was rigid. Like he was deciding whether to keep holding on or let go."I... I didn’t know he was there," I finally said. My voice was cracking. "I didn’t s
Nathaniel’s POVBy the time the article headlines started trending, I already knew my mother would call. But shockingly it was my Father, first thing in the morning. He didn’t waste time with greetings."This is a PR mess," He said, with annoyance in his tone. "James Hayes being manhandled by you, videos of Ava alone in the gym, emotional headlines? You guys were alone for just few hours and already causing more trouble.""It wasn't our fault. It just happened unexpectedly.""I don't care about that. Just fix it. We need damage control immediately."I looked at Ava, and could see her drop her spoon; her expression showing anxiety, guilt, and oddly, something softer like she felt bad that I was caught up in her mess."I’ve already blacklisted James Hayes," I replied. "He won’t get a foot into any business remotely associated with Hargrave.""You did what without consulting me?" Jessica screamed in the background