Chapter 13

Vivienne's POV Cont

When I stepped into the living room, Alexander lifted his head from the sofa and looked at me as if he had been waiting.

“You’re back,” he said, his tone calm, almost casual, as though nothing had happened earlier.

The ease in his voice stirred something sharp inside me.

I did not respond.

Without sparing him a glance, I walked past him and headed toward the stairs. My steps were steady, but each one felt heavier than the last.

I could feel his gaze on my back.

Even without turning around, I knew he was watching me.

I refused to look back.

By the time I reached the corner and disappeared from his sight, my composure was already beginning to crack beneath the weight of everything I had been holding in.

The images from dinner replayed relentlessly in my mind. Every word. Every glance. Every moment I wished I could erase.

I walked into the master bedroom and went straight into the bathroom.

The sound of running water filled the space as I stepped under the shower. I closed my eyes and let it pour over me, hoping it would wash away the tightness in my chest and the bitterness lodged deep inside.

But it did nothing.

No matter how long I stood there, the humiliation remained.

Alexander's POV

After she ignored me and walked upstairs without a word, I remained seated for a while longer.

The silence in the living room felt heavier than before.

Something about the way she left unsettled me in a way I could not easily dismiss.

Eventually, I stood up and followed her.

The bedroom was empty when I entered, but the sound of water running from the bathroom made it clear where she was.

I loosened my collar slightly. The air in the room felt warm, almost suffocating.

Moving to the closet, I took out a bathrobe without thinking.

My mind drifted back to the gathering earlier that night, to the way she stood there, silent yet unyielding, even under pressure.

I pushed the thought aside and walked into the bathroom to take a shower, hoping the water would clear my head.

Vivienne's POV

When I finished showering, I wrapped a towel around myself and stepped out, only to realize I had forgotten to bring my clothes.

My hair was still damp, strands clinging lightly to my shoulders. The towel felt insecure, barely holding in place.

I took a step forward.

And froze.

Alexander had just stepped out as well.

For a brief moment, neither of us moved.

His eyes settled on me, and I felt heat rise instantly to my face.

I looked away first and walked toward the closet, forcing myself to remain composed as I reached for my clothes.

“I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight,” I said, keeping my voice steady, as though it meant nothing.

“What do you mean?” he asked, turning toward me.

“I’m just giving you space.”

As I spoke, I caught the faint scent of alcohol on him, and my brows drew together slightly.

He leaned casually against the doorframe, watching me.

“Are you angry because I asked you to toast Isabella?”

His tone was relaxed, almost indifferent.

It only made the irritation inside me rise further.

“Am I not allowed to be angry?” I asked quietly. “There are many reasons for it.”

Not just that moment.

Everything.

He exhaled lightly, as though this conversation was unnecessary.

“You’ll have to call her sister in law sooner or later anyway. There’s no need to make it a big issue now.”

The words struck harder than I expected.

My chest tightened.

“After the divorce,” I said, my voice sharper than before, “I will never call someone like her sister in law.”

His expression darkened instantly.

“Vivienne.”

There was a warning in the way he said my name.

He stepped closer, his gaze sharpening.

“What about that man?”

I frowned slightly, confused.

“The one outside the studio,” he continued. “Julian.”

Realization dawned slowly, followed by disbelief.

“You’ve been distant ever since I came back,” he said. “You agreed to the divorce so quickly. Was it because of him?”

For a moment, I almost laughed.

Not because it was funny, but because it was absurd.

I opened my mouth to explain, then stopped myself.

What was the point?

“Believe whatever you want,” I said quietly. “I’m too tired to argue.”

My indifference seemed to confirm something in his mind.

“You can’t even explain it,” he continued, his voice turning colder. “So you want to stay clean for him?”

The words hit deeper than I expected.

“Is that why you agreed so easily? So you can leave and go to someone else?”

I stared at him, hurt flashing through my eyes before I could hide it.

“How can you think that of me?”

He did not hesitate.

“Either you’re making space for me and Isabella,” he said, “or you’re planning to leave with someone else.”

Something inside me went completely still.

I closed my eyes briefly.

“I don’t want to fight anymore,” I said softly. “I just want to rest.”

I turned to leave.

His hand caught my wrist before I could take another step.

“You stay here,” he said. “I’ll take the guest room.”

Before I could react, he pulled me toward him.

My balance shifted, and I fell against him, my body colliding with his chest.

His arms steadied me instinctively.

“Are you alright?” he asked.

I nodded, still caught off guard.

Then everything changed.

The towel slipped.

It fell silently to the floor.

Cold air brushed against my skin, and I froze completely.

Heat rushed to my face as I bent down quickly, grabbing the towel and holding it tightly against myself.

“Don’t look,” I said under my breath.

“I’ve seen it before,” he replied.

There was something in his tone that made my heart skip.

When I looked up, he was closer than I realized.

Too close.

His eyes were dark, filled with something I could not name.

My body went still under his gaze.

His breath brushed lightly against my skin, sending a strange warmth through me despite everything.

My heart began to race.

Without thinking, I closed my eyes.

I waited.

But nothing came.

When I opened them again, he had already stepped back.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “Get some rest.”

He turned and walked out.

The door closed behind him with a sharp sound that echoed through the room.

Alexander's POV

I stood outside the room for a moment, my thoughts unsettled.

I had nearly crossed a line.

I reminded myself of what was coming.

The divorce.

Isabella.

The future I had already chosen.

Any man would react that way, I told myself.

It meant nothing.

I pressed my fingers against my forehead, trying to push away the image that refused to leave my mind.

Vivienne's POV

The sound of the door echoed long after it closed.

I stood there for a moment before moving slowly to the bed.

Pulling the blanket around myself, I curled into it as though it could shield me from everything I felt.

Tears slipped down quietly.

I felt humiliated.

And worse than that, I felt weak.

Just a moment of closeness from him had been enough to shake me, even after everything that had happened.

It made me feel pathetic.

To him, I was never truly his wife.

I was someone convenient. Someone he could acknowledge or ignore depending on his mood.

Compared to Isabella, I felt insignificant.

I told myself again and again to stop hoping for something that would never be mine.

The thought of leaving, of finalizing the divorce and disappearing somewhere far away, began to settle quietly in my mind.

Somewhere peaceful.

Somewhere I could raise my child alone.

A place where none of this could reach me.

A sudden crash of thunder shattered the silence.

My body jerked upright.

The room felt darker. Smaller. Suffocating.

Memories surged forward without warning.

Fire.

Blood.

The sound of brakes screeching.

My father’s last moments.

My breathing turned uneven as fear wrapped tightly around me. Sweat formed on my skin despite the cold.

I stumbled out of bed and searched through the drawer until I found my medication.

My fingers trembled as I opened the bottle and held a pill in my palm.

Then I remembered.

The baby.

I froze.

Slowly, I returned the pill to the bottle.

I climbed back onto the bed and curled into myself, pulling the blanket tightly around me.

“It’s okay,” I whispered, though my voice shook. “Just hold on.”

Thunder rolled again outside. Lightning flashed through the windows, illuminating the room for a split second before plunging it back into darkness.

Then I heard it.

A faint sound.

The door handle moved slowly.

My entire body tensed.

I pulled the blanket closer, my eyes fixed on the door as I held my breath.

It opened.

And a tall figure stepped inside.