Chapter 5

Alice’s POV

Arriving at Adam’s cottage was surreal. The inside was quiet, cozy, clean, and the warm air smelled of pine, soad

It was a place that felt alive, or held life, and each painting, or picture, on the wall was intentional – not extravagant like most rich people.

“No rush, but the bathroom is down the hall,” he offered, turning toward the large open kitchen overlooking the forest and gardens. “Take your time. If you’d like a shower, please go ahead. I’ll find something for you to wear.”

I didn’t realize I was trembling, but the stickiness of the wine was drying in my hair and on my skin.

The door to the bathroom was ajar, and when I turned on the light, I immediately felt relieved.

It was a cozy bathroom, with a wall heater, several fluffy warm towels, and a massive shower that I was desperate to take advantage of. I considered my reflection as I undressed, the woman looking back at me a stranger. My hair was matted, dried wine and red streaks peppering my hair and my dress. It clung uncomfortably in all the wrong places. Even my eyes looked sallow, sunken, and red, as if I’d been crying. I hadn’t shed a tear and yet, I looked absolutely exhausted.

Peeling off the dress with my shaking fingers, I tossed it aside on the floor. The hot shower, with its cascading head, was so warm and inviting. I didn’t want to get out, watching the porcelain below my feet as swirling streaks of red slipped down the drain. I scrubbed hard, using whatever soap I could find – something cedar-scented. I was hoping that by scrubbing roughly, I could erase the memory of that night. That was a bit unrealistic but the small world of this shower allowed me to slip away from reality, briefly.

Wrapping a fluffy gray towel around me, I stared at myself in the mirror again. I felt rejuvenated and it showed, though my eyes were still sunken and red. That’s when I heard a knock on the door, soft, apologetic almost.

“I’m done,” I said gently, cracking the door open. “Thank you.”

“Here… I don’t have much but this might fit,” he replied, looking away as he held out a simple white silken slip dress. “It’s clean and I’m not entirely sure who it belongs to. My sister most likely.”

I smiled at his uncertainty and took the dress from him, my fingers brushing his palm. The sudden warmth of that touch sent a jolt through me, startling at first but I felt more relieved than anything. Human warmth without expectation was so rare.

“It’s perfect,” I replied softly, nodding. “I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“No rush, no rush,” he repeated, stepping away from the door back down the hall.

The dress was quite nice, sliding over my skin like water. It was better than my wet clothes, though my hair, rinsed and conditioned, was somewhat messy. I tied it back in a long tail after using a towel to pat it dry. When I emerged, Adam was standing near his large sliding doors that led onto a deck and patio overlooking what, I assumed, was a beautiful view. It was dark so I could only see shadows.

“Does it fit?” he asked, turning to look at me. His gaze was calming, still, and it wasn’t full of entitlement or hunger like David’s. No, there was admiration, a quiet reverence. His face was alight, like he’d stumbled across something truly fantastical and wasn’t sure he was allowed to see it.

“It’s great,” I smiled, a slight chill crawling up my back. I shivered and he immediately stepped forward.

“You’re freezing,” he replied, voice soft. “Wait here.”

I watched as he disappeared back down the hall, returning with a dry towel and a thick fluffy blanket. He motioned for me to sit in the nearby armchair before offering me the blanket, which I draped over my chest and shoulders happily, stuffing my bare toes under it.

“Let me help,” he offered, showing me the towel. I watched him as he slowly circled behind me, wrapping my hair in the towel and drying off the excess water.

The intimacy was somewhat awkward, but I eased into it, his movements careful, gentle. This wasn’t sexual or tense – it was domestic and soothing. It was something that felt like the sun touching my face after a long cold winter. It was something that also felt like I’d never be allowed to have. I let myself relax at this, closing my eyes as his hands wrapped around my hair, drying each handful carefully.

A pounding on the front door jolted us both, and Adam dropped my hair, and the towel, around my shoulders. The pounding on the door wasn’t a knock – it slammed. Adam crossed to it but before he got there, it flew open, slamming against the doorstop with a loud crack. Cold air was rushing in, and it was sharp, violent, mimicking the fury I saw on that familiar face – David.

His eyes met mine instantly before scanning my wet hair and the white silken dress. He then glared at Adam, the temperature in the once cozy room dropping again.

“Get up, now,” David commanded, crossing the room. He grabbed my wrist through the blanket, tugging me out of the chair angrily. His grip was bruising as he threw the blanket and towel aside. “You’re coming with me. Let’s go.”

The pain in my wrist twinged and I gasped, trying to pull away but it only hurt worse, his grip tightening. This was familiar, the assumption that my body was still his to move, even now.

“Let go of her,” Adam demanded, calmly, surely, stepping between the front door and us.

“You’ve got some nerve,” David laughed humorlessly.

Adam stepped forward and placed his hand on David’s upper arm, squeezing it slightly. He was calm and didn’t raise his voice. “You’re hurting your wife.”

David flinched at this but refused to black down, loosening his grip on my wrist slightly. The power struggle was silent, electric. Two men locked in place, neither willing to back down.

“You’ve already publicly humiliated her for your mistress,” Adam said evenly, staring David in the eye. “Don’t add assault to the list.”

“She is my wife,” David retorted, his voice dropping to a low growl. “My wife, my business. Take your hand off me before I make you.”

I could feel my heart hammering, my blood rushing, the fear rising as quickly as the hope that maybe, just maybe, I didn’t have to go with David. Though, the last thing I wanted was for Adam’s kindness to be repaid in violence.

“David,” I said firmly, slipping my hand from his grip. “Stop.”

He ignored me. Then, Adam did something unexpected. He stepped away, releasing David’s arm. “Wait,” Adam insisted turning from us. He picked up my shoes now, discarded earlier by the couch, and set them at my feet. I slipped into them, his hand guiding each heel gently, as if my ankles would snap at any moment. The room, and my breath, was still.

David stood there, towering and furious, looking suddenly like a brute. Adam then rose smoothly, turning away to grab a heavy and warm jacket from the closet near the door. He offered it to me, placing it around my shoulders. I slipped my arms into it, zipping it tightly, the scent of his musk lingering in every thread.

“There,” Adam now spoke, his judgmental stare meeting David. “She’d ready now.”

That was it. David snapped. Before I realized it, he snatched me up into his arms, his grip tight, carrying me like a new bride toward the door. “You overstep, Adam. She’s mine,” he said coldly, not bothering to look back at him. “Stay away from what belongs to me.”