Chapter 61

Lillian

I bent over the sink with Zayden holding my hair up. This was the third time I was emptying my stomach through my mouth this morning. We haven't even gotten on the plane yet and I was already air sick.

Zayden had to delay the flight despite my protest, we were now to depart by evening.

"That's gross," Zayden said covering his mouth with a disgusted look on his face.

I nudge his stomach with my free hand while glaring at him. He released a chuckle and helped me up.

" Can we take a bus instead?" I batted my eyelashes at him.

" Nope, planes are safer." He walked me back to our bedroom and I collapsed on the bed.

" I don't feel good." I groaned. I felt tired, my bones felt stiff and just the thought of being thousands of feet in the air made me want to puke again.

Why did I think this was exciting!

" You'll be fine." He assured me.

I sighed." I hope so."

The next few hours were spent on the bed watching Zayden arrange a couple of files and his laptop into his suitcase.

" Are you going to be working while we're there? I thought we were supposed to have fun." I pouted.

" There's a project I'm working on. It's really important, and I have to finish before the end of the month." He said.

"Can I use your laptop then, just to watch a movie?" I asked.

He puffed out some air, groaning.

I frowned." Am I disturbing you?"

" What no!" He scoffed." It's just that there are some really important files that I haven't transferred to my drive yet. I can't afford to lose them."

My frown deepened.

You know, in the life of every woman, there's always that particular time of the month when she feels like her body is coursing with bad energy.

Right now, I'm in that time of the month, and I just feel like starting an argument with Zayden and playing the victim.

And then I'll make him beg while pretending I'm deeply hurt. I just love that superior feeling. That's how evil I am, but Zayden doesn't know it yet.

" So you think I'm just going to randomly delete files?" I raised a brow, my voice was stern.

He opened his mouth to say something but then shut it back." Well, no."

I shook my head, getting up from the bed." you know what, you can eat your laptop. I'll simply ask Aiden to get me one."

He rushed to me immediately, grabbing my hand." What's wrong with you, why are you acting so...."

I slapped his hands away." So unreasonable? Is that what you are going to say."

Deep down, I know I'm being unreasonable, but was I going to stop? Nope!

Sometimes, it's good to pretend you're in dreamland and that your life is a movie, and then you get to act the way you like, just like I'm doing right now.

He sighed, pinching the space between his brows."Okay, okay...I'm sorry. I'll get you a laptop, I promise."

I smiled internally, Zayden was getting used to saying the Words. The old him would die before he'd apologised.

I raised my chin." I want it now!"

He stared at me, his mouth hanging open." Our flight is in a few hours, we can just get it in Paris."

I shrugged." If you're not getting it now, don't talk to me. No sex till my hair turns white."

" What the fuck, Lilian! I can't get it now. I'm busy right now and we have a flight to catch." He groaned.

I flipped my hair over my shoulders, enjoying the show I was putting on.

Who said frustrating men wasn't satisfying?

"Oh, I get it. You're so busy that you don't have time for your wife." I shook my head and turned to leave.

He suddenly chuckled, I glared at him, my eyes spitting fire." Is this a joke to you?"

The grin disappeared from his face immediately." No, you're acting childish right now. I'll get you a laptop but when we get to Paris, okay? We have a flight to catch and I'm busy right now!"

I snapped." It's your fucking jet, there's no plane to catch."

"That doesn't mean we have all the time in the world!"

"you know what, fuck you!" I stomped out of the room immediately, not giving him any room to catch me.

I went into the guest room, slammed the door shut but did not lock it and lay comfortably on the bed with my laptop in my lap.

Yes, I had a laptop.

Don't judge me, I simply wanted to start an argument.

An hour later, the door opened, and Zayden stepped in with a paper bag in his hand. Slowly a satisfied smile crept on my lips. This just showed how much power I had over him.

" Here, are you happy now?" He placed the bag on my side bringing out the Brand new laptop.

His eyes suddenly landed on the one on my lap and he looked from me to the laptop on my lap and back.

" What the hell!"

I shrugged." I wanted another one"

He shook his head, biting his lips. I reached out my hand to him,my chest swelling with pride.

He glared at me." What?"

"Kiss my hand."

He released a low laugh." You're doing this on purpose, right?"

I shrugged, pride making my head swell." I just wanted to cause some trouble, nothing much."

He took it and then placed a kiss on my knuckles." you're crazy."

" I know."

He joined me in the bed, and I couldn't help it; I just had to cuddle with him.

He wrapped his hands around my waist and pulled me closer. I pressed my face to his chest, inhaling his cologne.

He started placing kisses everywhere on my face.

I giggled trying to fight him off." Stop!"

" You wanted a kiss, right."

We continued like that for a while before finally settling down. We remained in silence for a few seconds before he broke it.

" Lillian?"

I hummed." Yeah?"

I felt him stiffen." Lillian, I...I love you."

It was my turn to freeze.

Say something lillain, say something!

"I don't expect you to say it back. I'm not the best version of myself right now." He ran a hand through his hair." Fuck! I don't think I'll ever be, but I'll try. I promise I'll try to be better."

My heart soared, and my eyelids were beginning to sting. I scooted away a little to see the expression on his face and capture this moment perfectly.

I love you too, even though you have all the red flags and you're the worst version of a husband. I love you.

But I couldn't voice the words out. They were at the tip of my tongue, so close to rolling out but I just couldn't.

"You and me." Zayden said,His eyes held min.." For real, this time no contract. Let's make it work.....that's if you want to."

I swallowed hard. I want to, I really do, but Zayden had many warning signs; I've seen them myself. And yet I was still longing for it, he longed for love.

I could see it in his eyes. I knew them because I was also in his shoes. After my parents died, I never got to experience love from both parents again.

A smile crept slowly on their face, and his eyes brightened." Yes, I want to! Let's make it work!"

He pulled me into another embrace immediately." For a second I thought you'd refuse." He snuggled into the crook of my neck, his chest heaving up and down.

" Refuse? Nahhh." I chuckled." But really Zayden, if you get angry, walk away."

He nodded." I promise I'll never hurt you again."

We remained in comfortable silence for a while before he broke it." I used to smash things to pass away time if I got bored."

I raised my head to look at him." Don't you go out, you know like the surroundings. Maybe walk a few feet from the house."

He sighed." No. The doors can only be opened from the outside. I could only stand on the balcony and wish I could go out."

My heart ached for him.

" I was only surrounded with books, educational books that could teach me how to become an ideal CEO. Noah kept me company but he couldn't do much. Somedays I'll get so frustrated and angry that I'll just start smashing things. It was relaxing and it kept me busy. Noah had filled me in on my mother's funeral; that was my only hope. I planned on running away, but he didn't even let me attend my mother's funeral."

I squeezed his hands, letting him know I was here for him."Do you remember how she died? How you...." I paused.

"The only thing I remember was trying to pull a knife out of her chest. My dad said I can't remember all of it because I fell and hit my head. He said I put a knife through her heart."

I released a low gasp, goosebumps crawling all over my skin.

"He said I was insane, sometimes I think I am. What I didn't get was why he had to lock me up for so long only to let me out and make me his heir."

"Have you ever thought about asking him?" I piped in.

He chuckled." There's no use. At least I get a life."

The first tear ran down my cheeks, he caught sight of it.

" Come on, cherry. Don't cry for me." Using his palm, he wiped my cheeks.

" It's not fair. Was there evidence that you did all those things?"

He nodded." There were a lot of them. With Oliver's brother, My mum, and sage. Although hers was fabricated. The funny thing was that I couldn't remember being in those pictures and videos they claim to be evidence of my crimes. The only one that was real was Oliver's brother, and it was an accident, but Loren used it as leverage to control me."

" What do you mean?"

He turned fully to face me." Our contract marriage was because Loren used His son's death against me. All I have to do is do whatever shitty thing they want and I won't end up behind bars "

I never liked Sage's father but hearing this only made me hate him more."What about the children you....you .umm ...killed in high school."

He chuckled." I was locked up for eight years, I never went to high school. I don't even know those kids."

Aiden had clearly said with proof that he killed two kids in high school.

I opened my mouth to speak but he sealed it with a kiss." That's enough story for one day. I don't want to mess up your thoughts."

I didn't push him. Opening up wasn't easy but he did." I want you to know that I don't care what you did in the past, whether they are true or not. It's you right here I care about."

He pressed a kiss on my forehead." I don't deserve you but I want you anyway."

He didn't let go immediately and when he did, we just laid there.

But knowing him, Zayden can't just sit and do nothing when the woman he loves is lying right beside him with just a few centimetres of materials covering her body.

Trust Zay Zay! He turned our nice, cute, little cuddle into rounds of ferocious pounding.