1. Waiting

GIANNA

~•~

After two years of marriage, I was used to waiting for my husband.

I just didn’t know I would be waiting for him tonight as well. It was my birthday and I expected him to be home so we could celebrate together, but he wasn’t.

My birthday was celebrated last night because today was a work day, but towards the end of the night, Brandon had gotten a call, which made him rush out of the party before it even ended. I didn’t say anything about it because it could have been an emergency, but when I asked him about it this morning, he said it was nothing and left for work.

He hadn’t been back since then.

I wasn’t worried about him because coming home late was usual for him, but it was almost midnight and my birthday would soon be over.

I bit down on my bottom lip as I stared at the little cake I’d baked by myself earlier in the day. It was my birthday yet I was the one making the cake.

“Should I put the cake in the fridge?” Allison, our housekeeper, asked me. “It’s humid and if it stays out for long, it’s bound to get spoiled.”

She was right. I’d made it in the morning and left it out for whenever he came back, but… “Let’s wait a few minutes.”

“Okay, ma’am.”

I looked away from her so I wouldn’t see the pity in her face. She lived with us so she knew everything in our marriage. The first time I saw Brandon was when I was in college and he attended an event for alumni. I had a crush on him since then, which was why when his father proposed an arranged marriage between us, I jumped at the opportunity.

I thought it would be the best thing ever to be married to the love of my life, but it seemed as though I was wrong. Brandon didn’t love me back.

He respected me and cared for me, but his heart wasn’t mine. I had long ago given up on trying to win his heart. I just wanted to have a happy marriage and how could I have one when he was neglecting important days like the day I was born?

I liked watching the news but I didn’t dare turn on the television because it would be filled with news about the party yesterday. They would all be gushing about how extravagant it was and the presents Brandon bought for me. Yes, they were expensive and rare, but they had nothing to do with my interests and it saddened me.

We had been living together for two years yet Brandon still didn’t know the things I liked.

I watched the clock above the television and as it struck midnight, a single tear rolled down my cheek.

I dabbed it away quickly. I had no reason to cry. Maybe he was stuck at work and couldn’t come. It happened at times. Besides, he had already celebrated with me last night.

Releasing a sigh, I looked outside the window one last time to see if his car would drive in. It didn’t.

“Put it in the fridge,” I instructed Allison before I climbed up the stairs and went into our room.

It took a while but I eventually drifted off to sleep.

I was awoken the next morning by shuffling. I opened my eyes slowly to see that Brandon had arrived and was in the middle of taking off his shirt.

“Good morning,” I mumbled, hiding the fact that I was still bitter about yesterday.

“Morning.” He walked toward me to place a kiss on my forehead. “Sorry for not coming back yesterday. How was your birthday?”

At least, he remembered, I told myself. “It was alright.” I lied through my teeth. “I spent the day with Emily and Tyler.”

“Oh.” His expression fell, but he covered it up in a second. I knew that he didn’t like how close Tyler and I were, but he couldn’t say anything about it since he also had a girl best friend. I hated her with passion, but I kept it to myself as well.

“Where were you last night?” I changed the subject. “Work?”

“Yeah, but I’m taking the day off to spend with you since I couldn’t make it back yesterday.”

His words warmed my heart. It was times like this that I was happy I married him after all. He was very considerate and treated me the way he would treat someone he loved.

I stood up at once, making him chuckle. “I’ll go and shower.”

“It’s still early, G. You can sleep some more.”

I shook my head. I couldn’t, not when he promised to spend the whole day with me. That had never happened before. Maybe he was trying to make our married life better. I didn’t have any opposition to that. I was more than happy to spend time with him.

He watched me with a strained smile as I skipped into the bathroom.

I spent a lot of time in the shower, scrubbing, and exfoliating because I hoped the day would end with great sex. Brandon knew how to treat a woman right, in and out of bed. I was really lucky to be married to him.

By the time I finished getting ready, it was very much bright outside. It was past nine.

Brandon got ready as well and we went downstairs to have breakfast together. While we were eating, the doorbell rang. We stared at each other. None of us were expecting any guests.

“I’ll go and check who is at the door.” Allison offered and I nodded.

A minute later, Allison came back with Bernice, Brandon’s younger sister. “Surprise!” She squeaked out. “It’s past nine and you’re not at work yet which means you are taking the day off. I’ve come to spend time with you.”

Brandon glanced at me. “You came at the wrong time, Bernice. I have plans with my wife.”

My cheeks heated up. I could never get used to Brandon calling me by that title since he didn’t do it often. Bernice spared me a glance, almost sneering at me. “Oh, come on! You and ‘your wife’ have forever to spend time together. I can join you today. Gianna wouldn’t mind.”

I closed my eyes briefly. Bernice was the spawn of the devil. For some reason I couldn’t fathom, she hated me and hated my marriage with her brother, so I hated her as well. She had tried to sabotage our relationship in the past by attempting to create scandals about me but it didn’t work and she ended up being scolded by her father.

It had been two years and she still hadn’t warmed up to me.

Without waiting for confirmation, she sat on the right side of her brother, opposite me. “I don’t have any classes today and I’m bored. It has been a while since we hung out. I invited Bailey as well.”

I blinked in surprise. “You invited who?”

“Bailey. Don’t tell me you’re still insecure about the relationship between her and my brother.”

I gritted my teeth. “I’m not.”

“Then it’ll be fine!” She said with an evil smirk. I had the strongest urge to wipe that smirk from her face but I kept my cool.

She had ruined my day already. I didn’t want to ruin my relationship with Brandon by fighting with his sister.