004 - Am I actually going insane?

XANDER

I had blurted out those words before I even processed them. The idea had been to think this through with Maeve and know if it would sit right with her, but seeing Thayer talk down on her, and hurt her like that, I couldn’t think straight anymore.

She was incredibly beautiful. Her red hair perfectly matched her sea-green eyes, and her skin was glossy. Every part of her facial features were perfectly placed to enhance her full cheeks.  From the few months I’d known her as my daughter-in-law, I’d gotten to know how kind and soft-hearted she was in contrast to my son, Thayer.

The night I picked her, she looked a bit unkempt, with her hair in a mess, old clothes, and shoes. It was obvious Thayer was not taking proper care of her. All she needed was a little support to take care of herself, something Thayer was capable of providing yet didn’t.

Watching her cry on my chest last night broke my heart and made my throat dry. She must have gone through a lot, and I just couldn’t believe my son was also adding to that!

If only I had the chance to meet her before Thayer did, then I wouldn’t have hesitated to make this beauty mine. If I were to be honest, I would admit that I was attracted to her.

I just couldn’t believe Thayer was divorcing her because she was chubby. I couldn’t believe he faked his marriage to her just to hurt her emotions! He had insisted he was divorcing Maeve, and I wasn’t going to convince him otherwise. I was so angry at my own son’s stupidity and irresponsibility!

Thayer chuckled behind me as I went over to Maeve, who equally looked shocked on the bed. “I’m sorry, but I will explain later,” I muttered to her under my breath as I turned back to Thayer.

Slowly, I picked Maeve’s hand in mine and stroked it gently while looking confidently at Thayer. He scoffed and looked away, clenching his teeth. “Father, what do you think you are doing?” he asked again.

“I don’t need to repeat myself, Thayer. Now, if you don’t have anything important to say to her, I suggest you use the door and never come back to this room,” I ordered, and I watched Thayer glare at me, then down at Maeve.

“I know you are not serious about this,” he hesitated. “You can’t possibly marry what I abandoned.”

“Only time will tell,” I added and held tightly onto Maeve’s soft fingers. I couldn’t deny the feelings coursing through me from that closeness. The skin of her fingers against mine was like touching silk cotton-soft and smooth. “Now leave, Thayer!”

Thayer turned and started to walk to the door, muttering something I couldn’t quite place. As soon as he literally banged the door closed behind him, I took a deep breath and shut my eyes to calm the anger simmering inside me.

Slowly, I turned to find Maeve looking at me curiously and confused. Her magnificent eyes were like depths I wished to explore, and each second I stared into those depths, I seemed to lose track of time. But then I snapped out of it and rubbed my hand across my hair.

I noticed the way she avoided eye contact with me, and I knew I must have made her uncomfortable with the way I responded to Thayer earlier. Making her mine? That surely must have unsettled her.

I cleared my throat. “About earlier, I didn’t mean to unsettle you. I was only trying to make Thayer want you back. I was trying to get him jealous,” I explained, expecting at least a reply from her. Instead, she stared down at our fingers, still firmly locked, and that was when it clicked that I was still holding her hand!

“Sorry…” Quickly, I unhooked our fingers. I became nervous and fidgety, and I had never felt that way in my entire life. Maybe I really had reacted awkwardly.

It was a plan I came up with earlier: pretend to be in love with Maeve and make it public. But that would be after I’d discussed it with her. We were supposed to agree upon the plan together so that we could make Thayer jealous.

Although others might think I’m doing this because I was probably attracted to my daughter-in-law, the truth was that I was doing it for my son and his wife. I wouldn’t just sit back and let their marriage crumble. Though this plan might raise controversial opinions, I needed to change my son, and I would definitely need Maeve to achieve that.

“I should have discussed that with you before saying it to Thayer’s face. I’m sorry I had to do it this way.” I exhaled a large breath, but when I didn’t get any reaction or reply from her, I knew she must still be in pain. “I know how you feel, Maeve. I know how difficult it is to be separated from the man you love, but don’t worry. I will help you get your husband back.”

Yet, she didn’t respond or even look at me. “Since you don’t want to reply or even look at me, I should get going now,” I said, hoping to get her attention and hear her voice, but she didn’t make any move to talk to me. “I will send in Kath; she will help you freshen up and get dressed for dinner.”

“I would prefer to stay in this room,” she suddenly spoke up, still not looking at me.

“No, Maeve. Staying locked up indoors will only remind you of everything you’ve just gone through. You need to step out and distract your mind a little; it will help you heal,” I advised, breathing out slightly in relief that she finally spoke up. “I’ve arranged for new dresses and shoes for you. Kath will help you get them…”

“I really want to be alone,” she maintained, and I could detect her voice slightly shaking. Her eyes dampened and glistened with fresh tears as she turned to me. “I want to be alone, and I hope you respect that, please,” she begged, near tears, and I nodded.

It was not the best time to talk about the plan yet, so I put it aside and stopped trying to convince her to leave the room.

She sniffed back the rest of her tears and looked toward the window at the side. “Thank you,” she said.

As I watched the way her nose pointed elegantly, I wondered how I could build a romantic relationship with my own daughter-in-law. I’d never experienced romantic love despite being married before now. My marriage to Nora, Thayer’s mother, had been nothing short of business. It was an arranged marriage devoid of love from the start until Nora ended it.

I had read that most arranged marriages usually ended in love after spending a few good months getting to know each other, but the reverse was the case in my own marriage. Nora began to cheat and steal from me; she almost rendered me bankrupt before she finally disappeared into thin air.

We signed our divorce papers through a third party sent by her, and for the past fifteen years, I had not set my eyes on Nora.

As I watched Maeve, I wondered if having a romantic relationship with her would be acceptable. What would the entire world think of me? How would Thayer look at me?

It felt so strange and awkward, yet I couldn’t deny that seeing her this close to me excited me. I wanted to always see her face. Thayer divorced her for being chubby; I’m starting to like her just for being chubby.

I wondered if I was actually going insane.                                                  

“I will have Kath by the door in case you need anything,” I said, and Maeve smiled at me in response.

I turned and walked out of the room, so many thoughts on my mind. I would have to suppress this attraction, first, to save their marriage.