Chapter 3

Marlowe’s POV

The sunlight streaming in through the open curtains woke me up. The sound of someone breathing caused me to turn to my side. 

A surprising sense of calm washed over me as I realized where I was. 

The memory of last night came to me in a rush. The feel of Callum’s fingers on my skin, his tongue in my mouth and his dick deep in my hungry wet pussy. 

I remembered the way he had looked at me as he had brought me unexplainable pleasure akin to the warmth of a raging fire.

I remembered how everything had started. The bar had been dimly lit when we got in. We had gone to the counter and Callum had ordered four shots of whatever, sliding one glass across, to me.

“Drink up,” he told me. I did as he asked, downing the liquid in one goal. Whatever it was burned down my throat to my belly. 

"Here, have another." He slid me another glass and I took it.

"Cheers to escaping hell." He said while raising his glass.

“Cheers to that.” I muttered before I downed the shot in one go.

“What was hell like?” he asked me as he watched me with siren eyes. 

“A failed marriage, a cheating husband and a divorce.” I said flatly.

“That is hell.” He agreed as if that explained everything that I had gone through. I laughed bitterly. He could never understand.

"Yes. But it is over now. I signed the stupid papers."

“My offer still stands, a glimpse of heaven or even a tour if you want Marlowe.” I liked the way he said my name. 

It conjured feelings that I had long forgotten about in my marriage. He leaned forward and spoke to me in a low husky voice. “I could help you forget all about him.”

"What if I say no?" I asked him with raised brows. 

"I will pay you for one night." His voice was dangerously seductive, bewitching.

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me.” His eyes glistened with something dark. “I will pay you to spend the night with me.”

“You really don’t hold back, do you Callum?”

“I am a man who knows what he wants.” He said with a shrug. “And right now Marlowe, it is you.”

If it was twenty four hours earlier, I would have taken offense. I would have slapped him and walked out on him because I was married but that wasn't the case now. 

"I will do it because I want you, and not because of your money."

“I would still pay you nonetheless.” He breathed into my ears.

“Suit yourself. I just do not want to be alone tonight. I don't want a glimpse of heaven. I want a tour of heaven, the gates and beyond.” He nodded and simply stood to his feet.

“So shall we?” 

And just like that, I had let him take me away to a hotel room where he had shown me the gates of heaven and beyond, making me cry out his name all night long till I could do so no longer.

And now as I silently dressed and sneaked out of the bedroom, I realized that it was a solace in the chaos of my unraveling life.

I took a taxi back to my parents home. 

I was on edge, anxious as I wondered how to break the news to them that I had been divorced by Derek. 

But I was not about to hide what had happened, my father needed to know the truth.

As soon as I stepped into the grand foyer of the mansion, I saw my father who was grinning from ear to ear at my arrival. “Marlowe! You came.”

“Yes father,” I said as I embraced him and followed him to his study. He took a seat behind his massive oak desk and I took one opposite him. 

“I have been expecting you?” His sharp eyes scanned me, causing me to hesitate before speaking.

“Derek gave me divorce papers. I signed them.” I blurted out. “It is over. He and I, we are done.”

“You did what?” he asked and the room fell silent.

“I divorced him.” My voice shook as the tension thickened. “He lied about Tessy. She is not his sister. He had been cheating on me with her all this time, under my nose.”

“When would you start acting like a grown woman Marlowe? Marriage isn’t something that you walk away from because of a few differences.” He snapped at me.

“Differences? Dad, he made me miserable for years. He cheated on me with another woman? That is a few differences?”

“Enough!” he bellowed, shutting me up. 

“What have you done? What will people say now? You think that the world cares about your feelings and your petty grievances? You are my daughter, Marlowe and every one of your actions reflects on this family.”

“And leaving a cheating man who treats me like dirt reflects well?” I shot back.

"You chose him Marlowe!"

"And I choose to let him go father!" I snapped as he rose to his feet. 

“Look here, you can not stay unmarried. If you won’t go back to Derek, then you will marry someone else immediately.”

“Someone else?” I asked with an incredulous look.

“Yes.” His tone was final. “You will marry your sister’s suitor. She is not ready for marriage yet but he is. He is a wealthy and respectable man who wants an alliance with our family. If you won’t fix this mess with Derek, you will marry him on her behalf.”

The weight of his words sunk into me with each passing second. “You don't mean that father.”

“I am serious,” he said with an unwavering gaze. My chest tightened but I weighed the options. It was better to marry an unknown man than to go back to Derek. I would not back down.

“I will do it.”

“We will go there in an hour and you will sign the marriage contract. Go and get ready.”