37. Lucky

The four of them sat at the dining table, and Innessa was tense as a board. Her gaze was fixed on the food on her plate. The dumplings and borscht smelled so good, but the girl had no appetite. 

She kept picking at her food and playing with it aimlessly while Faina kept talking and telling Isaac how she met Arthur in the academy, and they instantly felt the connection. 

While Innessa was sitting beside Issac, Arthur and Faina were sitting opposite them. The atmosphere looked so peaceful and lively thanks to Faina's cheerful attitude, but Innessa felt depressed. 

"The food is delicious," Issac complimented after having a couple of dumplings. 

Faina chuckled. "Wait until you have the dumplings made by Innessa. She's an excellent chef. Her cooking is so good that you'll be licking your fingers," Faina praised her sister, which got everyone's attention shifted to Innessa, making her uncomfortable. Especially by those dark cognac eyes that peered at her with great interest. 

"I'd love to have anything she'll make for me," he mused, still peering at her as Faina giggled and Arthur smiled at young love. 

"You're lucky to have my sister, Issac," Faina said, making Issac smile genuinely as his eyes twinkled with joy. 

"Indeed, I am," he said with so much pride, but the nonchalant look on Innessa's face made Faina worried for her sister. She also noticed how Innessa was avoiding looking at her boyfriend and the way she was picking at her food. When Innessa's favorite food was made, she'd gobble it down happily with the brightest smile on her face, but right now it didn't look like that. 

After their meal, Innessa helped her sister clean the table. Issac offered to help, but Arthur took him to the lounge and made him play chess with him. 

Innessa was silently washing the dishes when Faina came to stand beside her. She gently tucked Innessa's hair behind her shoulder. Her eyes fixed on the small hickey on Innessa's neck. 

"Are you okay?" Faina asked softly. She knew her sister so well, and it was obvious that something was bothering her immensely. 

Innessa faintly stared at her sister. Her worried face almost made Innessa cry, but she controlled her emotions. She couldn't tell her sister anything. There was absolutely nothing her family could do to save her from Issac. Her misery would only cause them immense sorrow and helplessness. There was no escape for her; she was alone in this. 

"Yes, I'm fine." She lied in a soft voice, but Faina didn't seem to believe her. 

"It's okay, Nessa. You can tell me if something is bothering you. Did Issac do something? Tell me. Arthur and I would kick him out of the house this very instant," Faina said seriously. 

Innessa's heart melted at her sister's concern for her, but she knew she couldn't put her family into this mess. 

"It's not like that. I think I'm not feeling well because of the long traveling. A little rest would help," she lied, and Faina pulled her away from the dishes and began to wash them herself. 

"Why don't you rest?" Faina said that, since Innessa didn't leave, she grabbed the clean plates from Faina and put them on the stand. 

"I'm fine, don't worry," Inessa said. 

"So, how was the vacation? Did you enjoy yourself?" Faina teased. 

The girl felt her heart on the brink of exploding and crying her heart out in the arms of her sister. God knows how difficult it was for her to control her emotions as she inhaled sharply. 

"It was good." She lied, knowing fully well that the last two days had ruined her life so deeply that she felt utterly miserable. 

"Just good?" Faina teased, staring at the love bite on her neck, making the girl lower her gaze as she covered it with her hair and cleared her throat, making Faina chuckle. 

The four of them had some herbal tea in the lounge while watching a movie. She was hoping that Issac would leave, but to her utter dismay, he said he'd be staying at a hotel, so Faina and Arthur, being too kind, asked him to stay at their place for as long as he wanted. 

Later that night, Faina and Arthur retired to their room, not before making Innessa and Issac get into the same guest room that they'll be sharing because there wasn't an extra room for Issac. 

Where Innessa was a bit shy, Faina was the opposite of her. 

She heard their footsteps fading away. Her eyes darted to the door where Issac was standing. She shivered, noticing him locking the door. 

The girl didn't wait for him to jump on her; she hurried to the cupboard, grabbed her pajamas, and dashed into the restroom, locking herself in. 

She brushed her teeth and changed into her pajamas. Innessa stayed in the bathroom for God knows how long before she finally mustered up the courage to step out. If he tried to do anything, she'd scream his head off. 

As soon as she opened the door, her breath hitched when she came face to face with a broad, sturdy chest covered in strokes of tattoos. 

She abruptly stepped back, only to find Issac standing in the door frame with both of his arms grabbing the doorframe like a true beast. 

His gaze lingered on her face before cascading down her attire for a mini second before meeting her eyes again. 

"Took you long enough, precious," he mused as Innessa stared at him wide-eyed. 

The man pulled back, his muscles flexing as he stepped aside. Giving her space to step out of the bathroom. 

Innessa didn't wait a single second as she stepped out of the restroom and hurried into the room. She could feel Issac's eyes on her before she heard the closing of the door. 

She looked back to find him gone. A couple of minutes later, she could hear the shower running. 

Innessa stared at the bed, which was a queen-sized bed, and then her eyes darted to the couch, which could never fit Issac. It would be useless to ask him to sleep on the couch, and she didn't want to share a bed with him. 

She grabbed her pillow from the bed and took the comforter as well. He could sleep in the cold bed; he should be glad she was giving him the bed to sleep on. The girl ambled to the couch and quietly lay on it. She pulled the comforter to her chest and covered her eyes with her arm, hoping to sleep quickly before he would come out, but to her dismay, she was still awake when he stepped out of the restroom. 

Innessa pretended to sleep. She could feel his presence close to her couch. He was looming over her. She didn't dare move and tried to keep her breathing normal, hoping he'd leave her alone, and to her utter relief. He left her alone. She could feel him moving away, and then she heard some ruffling followed by his sigh. 

He stared at her small frame, cuddled up on the couch. Issac knew she was awake and was pretending to sleep, but he didn't say anything. He was lucky enough to be in the same room with her. 

"This bed smells like you," he rasped, inhaling deeply and watching how she stiffened. 

Issac tried not to smile at how adorable she was. He lay there wide awake as Innessa shifted in her place, giving her back to him, and eventually, she relaxed after some time, noticing that he wasn't pouncing on her. The exhaustion took a toll on her as she slowly drifted off to a deep slumber. 

The next morning, she woke up feeling hot. The girl tried to move, but she couldn't. Innessa scowled as she slowly opened her eyes to find herself in strong arms. Her eyes widened as she tried to move, but those arms tightened around her frame, pulling her closer. 

Innessa inhaled deeply to calm her nerves down. Her eyes darted to the couch, which was now empty. How did she end up on the bed with the pillow and the comforter as well? She knew the answer to that very well. It was Issac who was clinging to her like a leech right now. 

She glared at him only to find him peacefully sleeping. The girl pulled back, still glaring at him. He looked like a big, burly teddy bear, but with a cold heart. If it were some time ago, she would've been stroking his hair and kissing his forehead, but now she just wanted to get away from him. 

Innessa didn't hesitate when she roughly jerked his arms off of her, waking him up in the process. He frowned, waking up and was about to tighten his hold on her, but didn't when she looked angry. 

He knew he shouldn't have brought her to bed last night, but he couldn't let her sleep on that small couch, and also, he wanted to cuddle her. She was his sweet little wife, but looking at him right now, it was best to let her go. He didn't want to ruin her mood in the early morning. 

Innessa scrambled off the bed, not sparing him a single glance. She found her phone on the side table. So, he finally decided to return it. Grabbing her phone and new sets of clothes, she stepped into the bathroom. 

After showering, she didn't wait to face Issac and hurried out of the room to help Faina make breakfast. Both sisters made breakfast. 

Innessa felt a little better while cooking. She loved to cook, so it was her therapy, and she was cooking after so many days. 

They set the table as Issac and Arthur joined them for breakfast. Arthur talked about how Issac was so good at chess that he appreciated him nonstop. 

Innessa didn't like how Arthur and Faina had gotten close to him in such a short period. 

"I'll be leaving in the evening today," Innessa said, facing her sister, who frowned. 

"Why? You said you'll be staying till Friday. There are still two more days left," Faina said as Innessa shook her head. 

"I know, but something came up. My friend called me this morning. She was crying. She needs me, I'll be there by tonight," Innessa said as her sister got worried. 

"Is she alright?" Faina asked. 

"I don't know. That's why I'm leaving early," Innessa said. 

"It's okay, don't worry too much, okay, she'll be fine," Faina assured her sister, holding her hand gently that was on the table. 

Innessa nodded as Issac wiped his lips with a napkin. "Don't worry, precious. We'll get back there soon," he said, peering down at her. 

Faina smiled at Issac, calling Innessa precious, but Innessa just stared at him blankly. She could tell that Issac knew about her lie. He knew she didn't want him close to her family any longer. 

Faina was at the brink of tears as Innessa stepped down the stairs holding her bag, which Issac took from her and stepped aside so both the sisters could have their moment. 

As soon as the girls hugged, Faina started crying. Innessa couldn't keep the tears at bay, and the dam broke loose. She cried in her sister's arms. It wasn't the tears of leaving so soon but the tears of holding so much pain inside that she couldn't share with anyone. 

Her teary eyes met Isaac's gaze, making her bury her face in Faina's shoulder, hiding away from his intense gaze. 

"I'll come to visit you soon," Faina said, gently kissing Innessa's temple and pulling back as Innessa sniffed. Wiping her tears, not wanting to show her vulnerable state to Issac. 

Faina gently cupped her cheek, smiling at her, and Innessa smiled back. Issac said his goodbyes to Arthur and Faina as he stepped out of the house, followed by Innessa. She said her goodbyes to her sister and brother-in-law. 

Issac opened the door for her, and she got into the car. Closing the door, he walked over to Faina and was talking to her, which made Faina smile with tears. 

"I'll take care of her. Please come to visit us, Innessa would love it, and don't worry, she's not alone." Issac assured Faina, making her so happy knowing her little sister got such a lovely boyfriend. 

"She's a very sensitive girl, Issac. Please, never hurt her," Faina requested, making him smile. 

"I won't," he assured her, though deep down he knew he had already hurt her. 

Issac got into the car as Innessa waved at them, and the driver put the car into drive. 

Once they drove out of the neighborhood, Innessa faced Issac, who was already staring at her. 

"What were you talking about?" She asked, referring to when he was talking to Faina after making Innessa sit in the car. 

"I was assuring your sister that I'll take care of you," he said. 

'The only person who can hurt me is you.' She thought but didn't utter a single word. 

Innessa faced the windows only for Issac to grab her chin as he made her face him. The sudden act earned a startled gasp from her. 

"You're not a good liar, Innessa," he said, and she stiffened, jerking her face out of his grasp. Of course, he knew she lied about her friend needing her. 

She kept quiet and glared at her lap before she faced him. "Stay away from my family." The way she sounded so possessive of her family made him want to devour her then and there, but he refrained from doing so. 

"Come to think of it. I'm their son-in-law. So technically speaking, they're my family as well," he said with a little smirk, teasing his lips as Innessa glared at him. 

"They're not. You're not their son-in-law and you'll never be-" She stopped abruptly, noticing her cold voice and the dark look swarming in his eyes. 

The girl looked out of the window and tried her best to ignore him. She felt so defeated and exhausted. She thought she'd stay at Faina's place for two weeks and would freshen up, meanwhile Issac would forget about her, but she was so wrong, and look at her now. 

The flight was short as they reached the dormitory at night. The gates were still open as she was about to get out of the car, but Issac grabbed her hand, stopping her. Throughout the whole ride, she had ignored him, and he let her. 

"Let go-oomphhh," she couldn't even finish her words when he grabbed the back of her head and pressed his lips on hers in a needy kiss. Innessa's hands shot up as she pushed at his shoulder and chest, but he didn't stop. 

His fingers dug into her scalp, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss, sucking on her tongue and forcing her to open her mouth wider so he could get better access. 

Innessa landed punches on his shoulder with her small fists, but to no avail. She needed to breathe, and her body was turning warm because of the way he was eating her alive. 

"Sto-umphh," She barely got to speak, the girl didn't even get to breathe before he chased her lips again, kissing her like a hungry beast. 

Issac pulled back with a suck on her lower lip, making a pop sound as the girl stumbled back, plastering her back to the door and breathing heavily as she stared at him with wide eyes, while his eyes were a darker shade of cognac hues peering at her in raw hunger. 

"Thank you for the taste, wife." He rasped in his thick tone as the driver coughed, clearing his throat. 

Innessa's head whipped in the driver's direction, and her face turned a bright shade of red as embarrassment washed over her. There was no partition in the middle. Issac had absolutely no shame. 

She opened the door and hurriedly scrambled out while mumbling, "I hate you," under her breath. He heard her, and despite everything, it f*cking pierced him right through the heart. 

Why was she behaving as if she had never loved him before? Why was she turning into this cold-hearted version of herself? 

He noticed her struggling with the luggage as he stepped out and grabbed her suitcase. 

"I can do this," she tried to take it back, but he didn't let go. Issac walked over to the watchman and handed him the suitcase. Before the watchman could frown and argue, Issac gave him a couple of dollars. "Deliver it to her dorm," Issac said as the watchman nodded. 

Innessa didn't look at Issac, nor did she thank him. She began to walk after the watchman when Issac grabbed her arm and pulled her back to give an adorable kiss on her fluffy cheek before letting her go as she stumbled back, touching her cheek with wide eyes. 

"Run before I eat you alive," he rumbled in that deep tone, causing her to swivel on the balls of her feet and dash into the dormitory, not looking over her shoulder at all as she disappeared from his sight, making him frown as he glared at the gates. 

He didn't like it. She was his wife; she should live with him. The thought alone brought a couple of possibilities as he dialed someone. 

"I want you to look for some amazing penthouses with an excellent view of the city. It should not be too small, a pool and jacuzzi are a must, yeah, good." After conversing with the other person, he dropped the call, smiling to himself. 

It'll feel like heaven when she moves in with him. He couldn't f*cking wait for that day.