Kiss me in the crossfire

Chapter ten

Chapter Ten

Annika's POV

My racing heart couldn't stop aching as I stand listening to my dad, calling me foolish for trusting people who stood in my life and were my only access to trust.

How can it be that he doesn't even feel pained on my behalf or think that I should be treated better? Looking at him, all I could see was his worry about what he will do next to keep my marriage secured with Ares despite telling him what I wanted was a divorce.

“Let's go outside.” Walking over to me, he pulled me to himself while he snarles, “You better don't make a scene out there. You've done enough for today.”

He pushes me away like I meant nothing to him. Loosing grip of balance, I stood still to make sure I didn't hit the wall.

“Don't you see how much I just want a divorce rather than all these things you have going on. Just get me a lawyer, Dad.”

“You're definitely not my daughter!” He yells at me with an assuring look on his face. Stern and wicked. “If you were a product of mine, I would have known by your character and how well you listen to me.”

He steps closer to me, leaving a little gap with his index finger pointed in my face like he wants to threaten the s**t out of me. Then he smirks his lips and shakes his head, holding back from what he wanted to say.

“Young lady, don't dare to see what I can do.” He steps back, heading to the door. “You must behave yourself, and I must see you outside smiling. Don't dare me.”

He walks out the door, and yet again, I did not get what I needed out of the conversation with him.

I can't fight my husband without the help of my father. He's the only one who dares to fight someone like Ares.

All I am asking is just one divorce, it shouldn't be that hard for him to get me that.

My soul feels broken as I pace myself in the direction of the sofa ahead of me. “I just need a break,” I say aloud. “If people can listen to me…” I took a long breath out to relieve myself of the grief that keeps spreading across every nerve and vein in my body.

Sinking into the sofa, I glare at a picture that hangs on the wall of my Dad. It's a picture of my mum when she was in her youth, unmarried to my father. He always said that he loved that picture because that was the woman he saw and fell in love with before the whole crisis of her sickness began.

“I wish you were here, mum.” I rest my back on the sofa, hitting it like a bounce on it to lighten my weight.

“Annika?” A familiar voice calls out to me from outside the room.

Drying my tears quickly out of my eyes while I say, “Yes, I'm in here.”

I see the one leg of a pair of beige wide leg pants, and I can tell it's Sloane's.

“What are you doing in here? Your dad has made a toast to you. He even added that he's making the toast in remembrance of the sacrifices he has promised to make for you when your mother was alive and how he has kept all his words in honour of her.” She walks over to me, looking around like she was excited to be in a room as modernly put together but she couldn't show the excitement knowing the current situation I was in.

“You should not sit around here like this. You should be outside.” She adds.

Scoffing, I could not believe what I had heard her say. “Honour my foot.” I shake my head on my behalf. “I should not sit here. And what will I go outside doing?”

“I mean, you can meet some new guy that can treat you better among one of your father's business men, you know.” Sloane smiles and speaks excitedly like that was how things are suppose to go from now on.

My eyes frown at Sloane as I help myself up. “You’ve just come here for an excursion, right?” With a disgust look on my face, I walk away from her, heading for the door.

“What do you mean?”

“All I see is excitement in your face for how large the house is and all the artefacts. You're definitely not concerned about me. You're just like everyone else.” I stop and say.

“Now, that's not fair.” Sloane stamps her foot as she responds. “Fine, I'm happy to see all this and take shots of them, but that's because you gave me authorization to do so. I'm here for you, but I know you'd need your space, and it might be best for you that's you're not seen walking with me. I don't think I deserve to be spoken to like that.” Sloane's words were hard, but her voice was soft and calm. It was one that came out with concern and yearn to be accepted.

“I'm wrong. I'm sorry. You've been of great help, and I'm not ready to lose you as well. But I can't be here right now. My dad is doing everything else than what I have come here to ask him to help me with. He's not willing to allow me to divorce Ares for his business reasons, and clearly that would make it harder for me to get a divorce paper.”

Sloane walks over to me and places her hands on my shoulder, as she raises her head to look me in the eyes and says, “It's fine. I promise you, we will get through all of these together. I will make sure that happens.”

There's a way Sloane speaks that makes me feel like she has everything under control. And I, knowing so well that she doesn't, but I decide to trust her words anyway.

She holds my hand tightly and we both walk out of the room.

“Annika, Annika, I didn't know you were around.”

I turn to see who called out to me.