Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 114584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 573(@200wpm)___ 458(@250wpm)___ 382(@300wpm)
He also didn’t pick me up for dinner tonight, just like he didn’t last night. Why has he stopped?
The maid–which I haven’t seen before–sets the tray down cautiously, almost as if she’s afraid. Her hair is long, blonde, and braided. Her features are dainty, and she looks young, close to my age.
Briefly, I wonder if I should ask about the other maid but push the thought aside when she starts to head back toward the door.
Talk to her, idiot.
“Hello, I’m Elena,” I say.
She gives me a sheepish grin. “I’m… Marie. They told me not to talk to you.”
“No one will know that we’ve talked, just you and me.” I smile, longing for some type of friendship or company at this point.
“I have to go. Sorry.” She sneaks out of the room and locks the door behind her. Like a balloon, I deflate. My stomach grumbles, alerting me to hunger, so I walk over to the tray and carry it to the bed. As I eat, I envision running through the grass and feeling drops of rain on my skin. I long for normalcy even though the world I live in will never allow it.
As I eat in silence, I become more and more aware of how late it’s getting and find myself dressed for bed, beneath the covers with my knees drawn to my chest.
Where is he? Had something happened to him? Was he still working? Worry festers in my gut even though it shouldn’t. I shouldn’t care for my savage soon to be husband. In fact, I should wish death upon him, maybe I would be sent back to my father, though that’s doubtful. I’d be given to a worse evil, I’m sure.
After what seems like hours, and my eyes start to become heavy, the bedroom opens, and Julian stumbles in. His dark hair is disheveled like he’s been running his fingers through it, and his tie is loosened, and the first couple of buttons on his dress shirt are undone.
Sleep leaves my mind as he walks in and closes the door behind him. He moves toward the bed, almost falling onto it. Looking into his blue eyes, I find them bloodshot and hungry. I can smell smoke on him from here. There’s also something else, a hint of something feminine, perfume, and that sparks something vicious inside of me. I’m well aware that men have needs, but I’m hurt and annoyed that he sought out someone else, leaving me locked in this damn room while he did it. It only reminds me further of how much of a disappointment I am to him.
“If you have to go have sex with another woman, you could at least have the courtesy to shower before you come in like you did yesterday.” I cross my arms over my chest. I don’t want to look at his stupidly handsome face, but there is nowhere else to look.
Julian gives me a coy grin. “Jealous?”
“Disgusted is a better word.” I know better than to be jealous. My father loved my mother dearly, and even he cheated. I know that in our world, that’s simply part of marriage, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.
“You don’t look disgusted, you look jealous. Red hot jealous.” He pauses and tilts his head to the side as if he’s examining my face. “Would it bother you that much if I was with another woman?”
“Yes,” I blurt out, shocking myself. “But not because of what you are thinking. I’m jealous of being outside. I’m jealous because you lock me in here while you take another woman out to do who knows what.” I don’t even want to think about that part. Did he take her to dinner before he screwed her? I think that part hurts the most. The fact that I was waiting for him to have dinner with me while he was with someone else. I waited like a dog at the door for him to show, and he let me down, not once, but twice.
Shaking his head, he starts laughing at me. He freaking laughs at me, and I want to punch him, punch that stupid smile off his face. “I think you have a very unrealistic idea of what I do with women when I take them out.”
Anger fills my veins. I’m tired of being the naive little girl. Tired of being sheltered and isolated away from the world.
“Then tell me. What do you do? What were you doing while I was locked in here waiting for you? Did you have dinner? Did you… have sex?” My throat tightens as I speak each word. I never expected to marry entirely for love, but I thought maybe, just maybe I’d marry a man who loved me a little bit, that wanted me enough to spend time with me and not lock me away like my father did.