Chapter 14
1033 Words
"Perfect Couple"
My entire body froze very slowly, I looked up.
Lucien Vaughn stood in the doorway with one hand inside his pocket. His gray eyes swept over the disaster I had made of the room.
Clothes covered the carpet, drawers hung open, shoes were scattered everywhere.
My suitcase lay overturned beside the bed.
And there I was, sitting on the floor among the ruins with my breathing still uneven and my hands shaking.
He looked at all of it then his gaze settled on me without any hint of surprise, confusion or anything of that sort. It was as though he had expected this.
Which meant absolutely one thing he knew.
Heat rushed through me so quickly my skin felt hot.
"Where are they?" My voice sounded rough.
Lucien remained by the door. "Where are what?"
I almost laughed, nothing was funny but this man really had the nerve. "My passport."
Silence took over the room as the mr of the house refused to say a word.
"My cards."
Silence again.
"The emergency cash."
The rain outside tapped softly against the windows. The lavender diffuser filled the room with its sweet scent and suddenly I hated it.
Everything in this room smelled calm except me.
"You took them, didn't you?"
Lucien's expression remained unreadable.
"No."
The answer came out too quickly and strangely… that made me believe him.
Not like I trusted him or anything but Lucien Vaughn didn't strike me as a man who lied.
He struck me as a man who simply decided things and expected everyone else to accept them.
"You knew they'd be gone."
His jaw tightened slightly. "They're being held temporarily."
I stared at him.
Held.
I'd have preferred if it were lost or misplaced, not held like some contraband.
"So that's what I've become."
He frowned. "Aria"
"Property!"
His eyes darkened. "You know that's not what this is."
I smiled, yes i put up a fake smile. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of me begging with tears streaming down my face neither was i gonna waste my precious energy screaming.
"I don't know what this is, Lucien." My voice came out softly.
"But I know what it feels like."
He stood there for several seconds then something strange happened.
His eyes seemed tired like a man standing in front of a language he couldn't understand. But whatever words existed inside him… they never came out.
Eventually, he simply said, "Get some sleep."
And he left ust like that.
The next morning, I woke up alone. Rain had disappeared sunlight streamed through the curtains.
For a few beautiful seconds, I forgot where I was. Then reality dawned on me as i stared at the ceiling and remembered it all.
The gates, the documents, the lawyers, the heir, Lucien every damn thing
Mrs. Harper brought breakfast.
I couldn't eat much. After she left, I wandered aimlessly through the sitting room.
I wasn't looking for anything until I noticed a stack of magazines sitting beside the fireplace.
Probably forgotten by one of the maids.
I picked one up absentmindedly and froze.
There they were Lucien Vaughn and Selene Hart.
Three years ago she wore a silver dress, he stood beside her in a black tuxedo.
The sight was beautiful, elegant or should i say perfect.
Another magazine, another photograph, another gala, another charity event, nother headline.
Vaughn Heir and Hart Princess Dazzle at Charity Gala.
Power Couple of the Year.
The Pair Everyone Expects to Marry.
I picked up another and another and another. Years and years of photograph standing beside each other.
They probably whispered sweet nothings as smiled at each other.
One article even had a comment section printed beneath it.
Poor Selene.
They look perfect together.
She's always loved him.
Everyone knows they'll end up married.
I sat down slowly the paper felt cold beneath my fingers and strangely… i was expecting the warmth of jealousy to swell in my stomach but it didn't.
I only felt sad for the woman I used to be because I slowly starting to understand something terrible.
I had been competing with a woman who wasn't even trying. Selene didn't need to fight or do too much she already belonged.
Everyone had decided it long ago his family, the servants, even strangers.
Perhaps the only person who hadn't received the memo was the woman who became Mrs. Vaughn.
I turned another page with trembling fingers. Different year, different charity, different city.
The faces around them changed, the headlines changed, even the designer gowns changed. But one thing never did.
Lucien and Selene were always standing side by side, while I couldn't find a single photograph that made me look like I truly belonged beside him.
My chest tightened for the woman who had probably convinced herself that one day she'd finally be enough.
My tears fell silently onto the magazine pages and I decided she deserved better.
Dinner arrived with all the elegance and suffocating perfection I'd come to expect from this family.
Candles flickered softly, crystal glasses reflected warm golden light. The smell of rosemary chicken and fresh bread filled the room.
Lucien's mother chatted pleasantly, Mrs. Harper moved quietly around the table and Selene sat beside Lucien.
Of course she did.
She wore emerald green tonight looking sophisticated, perfect exactly what everyone imagined beside him.
She laughed softly and reached over.
Her fingers adjusted his tie. "Honestly, Lucien."
She smiled fondly. "You'd be helpless without me." Her voice carried playful affection.
Everyone smiled except Lucien. He moved though it was barely noticeable but he moved. His shoulder shifted away, his head tilted back slightly and her hand missed.
It lasted less than a second most people wouldn't have noticed but I did and so did Selene.
Her smile froze just for one second then she laughed.
"Oh."
Her voice remained sweet.
"You moved."
Lucien picked up his wine.
"I've got it." He said politely but something had changed.
I saw it and judging by the shadow that flashed through
Selene's eyes...
She had seen it too and Selene Hart looked afraid.
I realized something perfect women don't panic not unless they're starting to lose something.
- Writer
