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“Hey.” Henry greeted as he stood in front of her office.Anaya took a side glance at Maia who seemed to be invested in the interaction. “Let’s talk in the office.” she said before walking past him into her office.She dropped her bag on her desk and took a deep breath, bracing herself for the conversation with Henry. She turned to him with a neutral look on her face. She had no idea why he was here and what he wanted to talk about but she knew she had to be calm to listen to him rationally.“How are you doing?” Henry asked, standing awkwardly by the door. She didn’t invite him to sit and he didn’t look like he wanted to stay in the same room with her long enough to sit.“Let’s save the pleasantries and get straight to the point, shall we?” Anaya crossed her arms over her torso. “What are you doing here, Henry?” Henry sighed, as though she had just asked his most dreaded question. “Anaya, I don’t know how that day escalated and I’m sorry for whatever happened. But we have a contract s
Anaya sat by the window in the cafe a few blocks away from her office. It has been a few days since she left Henry’s house and no matter how hard she tried to lie to herself, she felt…lonely.She cried a lot the first day she returned to her apartment. She was thankful her rent wasn’t due and she hadn’t sold all her furniture yet. She had been too lazy to do it since she got married to Henry and it was coming in handy now.The next day, she realized she couldn’t continue to mull over something that didn’t even have a label. Henry was simply being nice to her and she had taken those gestures to mean something else. She was the one at fault here, not him.She tried not to think too much about Henry and instead, her head was filled with thoughts of Ryle and how he must be coping without her. She knew Stella would take good care of him but her heart still ached each time she remembered how devastated he was when she was leaving the house.He always refused to eat each time he was upset. Sh
Henry sat in the living room, drinking his fourth or sixth shot of whiskey. He lost count after the third glass. Ryle had finally calmed down after Stella took over, comforting him before he finally fell asleep.Henry already knew it was impossible for him to even have a wink of sleep tonight. Drinking was supposed to help him forget the disaster of the day but it seemed like the opposite–each time the bitter liquid filled his throat, he remembered Anaya’s words today. Vividly.When she asked him if he was still in love with Lauren, her voice sounded…broken. Defeated with a tinge of hope. He didn’t want to admit it but he knew Anaya had feelings for him. If not, she wouldn’t have been that devastated with the attic. Their marriage was nothing but a contract but it seemed the few weeks they had spent together had transcended beyond that.Now, the entire house felt empty without her.Henry didn’t know what he was going to tell Ryle tomorrow morning if he woke up and Anaya wasn’t back.
Anaya whirled around with shock when she heard Henry’s voice from behind. He was standing by the door, his face contouring into what seemed like anger and confusion.“I said what are you doing here, Anaya?” Henry bellowed and Anaya unconsciously took a step back.“I–I…” Words couldn’t form in her mouth and she stuttered uncontrollably. “Who on earth gave you permission to step in here?”“What is this room?” She asked even though she already knew what it was. She just wanted to hear him say it.“It’s none of your business. Just leave.” Henry’s tone was guarded and dismissive.“None of my business? I am your wife, Henry. Don’t you think I should know if you still have her pictures and items in the same house I live in?” Anaya narrowed her eyes, fury overtaking her sadness now.Henry scoffed under his breath. “You constantly remind me not to nose pick in your business but what are you doing now? Sneaking into the attic almost like a thief.” Anaya blanched at his words, finding it hard
Anaya got home early today because she wasn’t in the mood to continue interacting with people when her head was reeling with different thoughts. She couldn’t get it out of her mind–the attic.Entering into Henry’s condo, she saw Ryle covered up in a blanket in the living room as he watched TV. He looked up at her and a wide smile spread onto his head despite the large bandage on his forehead.“Mommy Anaya.” His voice was weaker than usual.Anaya dropped her bag on the couch and moved to sit next to him. “Hey, strong boy, how are you feeling now?” She stroked his cheek gently.“Tired and sleepy. Stella gave me a lot of yucky yucky sweets after lunch.” Ryle said and yawned loudly.Anaya smiled. “I hope you didn’t give Stella a hard time? The sweets are for you to get better so you have to be a good boy and take it, okay?” Ryle nodded. “When can I go back to school? I miss Sarah.” He sighed under his breath. “Once you’re done taking all those sweets, you can then go to school. For now,
Anaya’s body went tense as soon as Henry’s lips touched hers. She didn’t know what to do so she sat there, motionless and confused. Her heart was racing like she ran a marathon and goosebumps filled her skin. She had thought about this moment for weeks now. What it would feel like to kiss Henry.In all the scenarios she cooked up in her head, she hadn’t expected him to initiate the kiss. Wanting to revel in the moment, she leaned closer to respond to the kiss but she was left bare and cold suddenly.“Fuck!” Henry cursed under his breath as he pulled away from her. He got to his feet, letting out a series of profanities.Anaya stayed there, momentarily bedazzled at how fast everything went. One second, they were kissing and the next, they were not. She gazed up at Henry, even more bewildered by his behaviour. Why was he so angry?“Henry–”“No.” Henry shook his head, cutting her off. “I-I am sorry for what happened. I didn’t mean it.”Anaya grimaced at his words. He didn’t mean it? So,
Henry stood next to Ryle who was clutching Anaya’s hand tightly as the nurse cleaned his wound. Henry had been deep in thoughts in the playground when he heard a cry he knew all too well.Anaya moved first, and arrived in time to pick Ryle up. He sustained a huge gash on his forehead and Henry wasted no time in rushing him to the hospital. Thankfully, the wound wasn’t damaging but it needed stitches to heal properly.Ryle whimpered as the nurse began to stitch the wound. Anaya gripped him firmly and Henry noticed how she flinched each time the needle went in. Henry stood besides her, a steady hand on her shoulder to offer her comfort. Anaya had been quiet throughout the ride but he could see how worried she was about Ryle.She was the first one to be by his side and she hadn’t let go of his hand ever since they got to the hospital. Her hands were clenched so tight that her knuckles were white.Tears slipped down her cheeks as Ryle was bandaged up. The nurse gave him medicine and he
“Everything has been set now.” The lawyer muttered as he handed Anaya the documents.Nervously, she took the papers in her hands, reading through the lines to make sure she wasn’t missing anything. She froze in her seat when it all dawned on her. The trust fund was finally hers!“Is this real?” Anaya breathed out, turning to Henry who was seated next to her. “It’s really mine?” “According to James, yes.” Henry nodded his head.Anaya beamed, unable to contain her excitement. When Henry called from work to come to a law firm, she was confused, not knowing what he wanted to do.She got here and was surprised to see Mr. Jetkins, her mother’s lawyer, and James Crowther, Henry’s lawyer, having a heated discussion. There, Henry explained everything to her.He spoke with his lawyer who told him there was a provision for securing her inheritance when there was a threat or risk to the property. And Mr. Jetkins agreed to this. Her mother had provided a clause where she could claim the trust fun
Henry’s experience in the kitchen was as limited as it could get. He was born into a family that never had to do their laundry with their own hands and that wasn’t something he took for granted. But he didn’t want Anaya to head to bed sad and hungry. So he was going to make the little he could in order to put a smile on her face.“Where did you learn how to cook, Henry? I’m sure Margeret’s blood pressure would rise if she sees you in an apron past midnight.” Anaya laughed under her breath at her comment.“Well,” Henry whisked the eggs before throwing them into the frying pan. “Mother has no idea I know my way in the kitchen. I learnt all this from university.” “Hmm, I wonder how your university life was. Bodyguards, maids, drivers?” Henry shot her look. “Of course not. I was just like every other student. I hated standing out among my peers because of my wealth so I lived in a dorm with the two goofy dumbasses you met at the yacht party.” “That’s admirable.” Anaya nodded her head.