Chapter 9: Marie's Quiet Disdain
1287 Words
YELENA
I got home to a surprise.
Who was I seeing?
Was this not Marie?
I blinked twice to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. She was really here in our home.
A smile crept to my lips before I even realized it. I closed the living room door gently behind me, trying to stay quiet like I might scare her away if I made too much noise. I should prepare something for her. I should make her feel comfortable.
I brushed my hand down my nurse uniform to dust off invisible dirt and walked toward her. She was sitting at the dining table, her back to me, her posture straight, elegant… and slightly intimidating.
I coughed softly when I reached her back, just to get her attention.
She turned slowly, lowering the cup of tea in her hand. Her other hand was working on her phone. Her eyes met mine, cold and sharp enough to make my smile twitch.
“Good evening, Marie,” I said, trying to sound cheerful and polite at the same time. “Welcome. I heard you’re just back.”
She stared at me, her face blank. “Sorry… who are you?”
My eyes widened, but I quickly masked it with another smile. She didn’t know me?
Even if she wasn’t around during our wedding, didn’t Tristan tell her about me? Didn’t she see anything on social media?
‘There are no pictures of you both on the internet,’ my wolf, Lena, whispered dryly in my head.
‘Oh no… how could I forget that?’ I scolded myself silently. My imagination was beginning to embarrass me again.
“You can’t talk again?” Marie’s voice sliced through my thoughts, it was cold and unimpressed. She sipped her tea slowly, her gaze running over me like I was something she’d found on the floor.
I looked down at my uniform, just in case I was dirty or messy. I wasn’t. But her stare made me feel like I was.
I didn’t like this feeling, this heaviness between us.
“I’m Tristan’s wife,” I said quickly, forcing a bright smile. “His newly wedded Luna.”
I raised my left hand proudly, showing her my golden ring.
She spat her tea out, straight toward me.
I gasped and jumped back before it could touch me, my heart thumping fast. I looked at her, startled.
“Are you okay? Is the tea too hot? Should I get you water?” I asked, worried even though I didn’t understand what just happened.
She coughed lightly, dabbing her lips with a napkin. Then her gaze snapped back to me, sharp and disbelieving. “You’re what?”
“His wife. His Luna,” I repeated, my voice softer but firm.
“Didn’t he tell you about our wedding?” I asked curiously. “Don’t you know I got married to him?”
For a moment, she just stared like she was lost somewhere far away. Then she blinked, coming back to herself. “My bad,” she said finally, a ghost of a smile curling her lips, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “I had totally forgotten. I knew he was married, but…” She pointed at me with a manicured finger. “Your name?”
“Yelena,” I said, smiling.
“Oh, now I remember,” she said smoothly, though something in her tone didn’t sound like memory at all. “Happy married life.”
“Thank you,” I said brightly.
I noticed her cup was empty now. “Should I make you another tea?”
She shook her head quickly. “No, don’t bother. I’m fine.”
“Okay then.” I smiled again, trying to stay cheerful. “I’ll clean this place and start dinner soon.”
She didn’t respond. Her attention had already gone back to her phone, her fingers typing rapidly, her eyes glued to the screen.
Maybe she was busy. Maybe I should just keep quiet. But something inside me wanted her to like me. If she liked me, Tristan would be happy too.
So I took a deep breath. “What would you like for dinner?” I asked softly.
She didn’t look up until after some minutes. “Huh? You’re talking to me?”
“Yes,” I said quickly. “I was asking what you’d like for dinner so I can know what to prepare.”
She paused, tapping her chin with one finger, acting like she was thinking deeply. Then, still looking at her phone, she said, “I’ll have roasted lamb with spicy herb sauce, mashed potatoes, and golden bread. The kind that melts in your mouth.”
My mouth dropped open a little.
That meal would take hours. Hours!
I looked at the wall clock and felt my chest tighten. Tristan would be home soon. If dinner wasn’t ready by then…
Still, I smiled. “Of course. That sounds delicious.”
“Make sure the meat is soft,” she added lazily. “I hate tough meat.”
“Don’t worry,” I said quickly. “I’ll make it just the way you like it.”
I went upstairs with a small skip in my step. She was his sister, I had to please her. That’s what family do.
‘Thank goodness we have all the ingredients,’ I thought.
‘And if we didn’t?’ Lena asked in my head, dry as ever.
‘She wouldn’t tell me to go out now, would she?’
‘Yes, she will,’ Lena said simply.
‘Ah, ah, stop overthinking,’ I said. ‘She likes us already for her to tell me what to cook.’
Lena snorted and went silent.
I changed quickly into something more comfortable, grabbed the mop from our room, and headed back downstairs to clean where she had spilled her tea. But before I could even step into the dining room, I froze.
A voice thundered through the living room.
“Who the hell did this?”
My blood ran cold. Tristan.
I had never heard that tone from him before, it was sharp, commanding, and angry.
“It's me, brother,” Marie’s voice came, soft but steady. “The tea spilled from my hand by mistake.”
Relief washed through me. She was telling the truth. Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.
“So it spilled…” Tristan said, his voice lower now, calmer but dangerous. “And it can’t be cleaned?”
“I was waiting,” Marie said. “Your supposed wife said she’d clean it. I don’t know what took her so long.”
The tone in her voice changed. There was something else there now. Irritation? Or maybe mockery?
My hand tightened around the mop handle. I swallowed hard.
“So where is she?” Tristan asked, his voice sharp again.
My heart stopped as I remembered... that he was home. And I hadn’t even started dinner.
“I don’t know,” Marie said lazily, the sound of her voice scraping across my nerves like claws.
Panic burst through me. I straightened quickly, pretending I’d just come from upstairs, and hurried down the stairs as fast as I could. My heartbeat was loud in my ears.
I could see Tristan’s tall frame standing in the living room, his dark aura curling around him like smoke, his back straight, his shoulders tense. Marie stood near the dining table, her phone in hand, her eyes flicking to me with that small smirk.
I forced a smile. “You’re back...”
He turned.
His cold eyes filled with restrained rage met mine.
The smile died on my lips.
He took a slow step forward, his scent heavy with dominance.
- Writer
