003

CHARLOTTE

~•~

The day wasn’t supposed to go like that.

It had been three months since I was home and three weeks since I last saw him. What could have possibly changed in just three weeks?

I buried my face in the pillow and let out a frustrated scream. I shouldn’t have lashed out at him like that. Alexander wasn’t an unreasonable person. I should have tried to hear him out even if he wasn’t making it easy for me. There had to be a reason for the way he was acting.

I looked for my purse and brought out my phone. I didn’t think twice before I dialed his number. I should not have let him walk out like that when he was still angry. Alex barely yelled and he had never thrown anything out of anger. But I also didn’t know what I could have done to make him so angry.

He thought I was hiding something from him and apparently, it was huge enough to make him throw a fit. That confused me more than ever.

I brought my phone up to my ear, waiting for him to pick up, but he never did. The second time I called, his phone was switched off. I huffed and threw my phone on the bed.

The doorbell rang and I groaned as I made my way downstairs. Whenever Alexander was home alone, he dismissed most of the workers as he was barely home himself. I already knew they would all resume work tomorrow.

As soon as I opened the door, arms were thrown around my shoulder, engulfing me in a tight hug. I laughed, reeling backward as I wrapped my arms around Leah. “It hasn’t even been ten minutes since I came back. How are you here already?”

Leah pulled back, grinning. “Alex told me you were going to be back this afternoon.”

“Oh.” My face turned grim at the mention of his name.

“Speaking of…” she looked around like he would magically appear out of nowhere. “Where’s he?”

“Work,” I replied begrudgingly, dragging my feet as I walked back to the living room.

She followed behind me. “Work? What is he doing at work when you just got home?”

I couldn’t answer that question. I couldn’t tell her that her brother was mad at me as soon as I got home. I couldn’t tell her that he stormed off without telling me what was wrong. I just settled for shrugging.

“I’ll give him a call right now.” I sat on the couch and watched her as she called her brother, frowning at her phone when he didn’t pick up. “His phone is switched off.”

I shrugged again. Leah was our biggest shipper. Aside from the fact that she was supportive of our relationship while we were still in college, she was also excited because her brother was lucky enough to get married to a “star.”

“When he comes back, I’ll scold him for you.”

I winced. “You intend to stay here until he’s back?”

“Yes?” She sounded confused. “I’m not leaving you to be alone.”

Unfortunately, that was exactly what I wanted at the moment. To be alone. “I just came back from a stressful tour, Leah. All I need is to rest and recuperate.”

“You can go upstairs and rest. I’ll just be here looking after the house,” She said. “I want to be the first to meet my idiot brother when he comes back.”

Unable to argue with her, I just nodded and headed upstairs.

Alexander didn’t come home that night.

Nor the next night.

Leah ended up going home the next day after asking me whether we were fighting. I didn’t know how to answer that so she took my silence as an answer.

Tired of staying at home alone, I got dressed and prepared to go to my parents’ house. I packed the gifts I’d gotten for them into my bag and set out.

The drive to my parents’ house was way too short and in no time, I’d arrived.

Since no one was expecting me, I rang the doorbell instead of just going in. I didn’t usually tell them my schedule because then, they’d feel entitled to my time.

I heard footsteps approaching the door but it never opened. I frowned and rang the doorbell again. This time, the footsteps retreated. I bit the inside of my cheek as I turned the knob of the door, opening it just in time to see Briella walking away.

I sighed. “Is opening the door really that hard a job?”

“You’re not a visitor,” she didn’t glance back as she spoke. “Why should I have to open the door for you?”

I didn’t even bother to respond. She was older than I was yet she was somehow less mature too.

“By the way, why did your husband not accompany you? I thought you two were joined at the hip?”

“Where’s mom and dad?”

Instead of replying, she just scoffed and sat on the couch, resuming what she was watching before I got there.

I shook my head. It was so fucking hard to deal with her. We’d been living with each other since we were 7 and 9. I only moved out when I was eighteen to go to college while she attended college from home, then blamed me for having more opportunities than she did.

I went upstairs to check their room first. They were there. Then I walked around the hall but still couldn’t find them. It seemed they weren’t at home. Briella could have just told me that. What an infuriating woman. How could we ever be regular cousins when she acted like a bitch all the time?

Since there was no need to hang around, I dropped their gifts in their room, not trusting Briella enough to keep them with her. Despite how much she annoyed me, I still gave her hers. As expected, she didn’t appreciate it. Instead, her lips lifted in a scowl. “Are you leaving?”

“Should I stay and hang with you?”

“Next time, call before you come, as regular people do.”

“Thanks for the advice, Briella.” I turned around to leave.

“Also, the only reason Mom and Dad appreciate your visits is because of who you married. If you’re not coming with him, it’s best you don’t come at all.”

I closed my eyes briefly. I knew she was taunting me on purpose. Did she know that we were currently having problems? I turned around to face her again. “You’re oddly interested in my husband, Briella. Do you, perhaps, want him for yourself?”

Her eyes blazed with anger, cheeks red with embarrassment. “And what if I do?”