LOVE HURTS (Will BE PUBLISHED SOON)

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3Isabelle

***

I entered the apartment that once belonged to my father. Turning on the lights, I walked to the window and moved the curtains aside. The view in front of me would always mesmerize me whenever I came here. Eiffel Tower was clearly visible from this window. I was in Paris, not California.

The part in me which had always rebelled against Hunter won and I took the private jet of my father and flew here. I chuckled at the thought of angry Hunter. He should have known that I wasn’t going to obey him. Defying that arrogant ass gave me satisfaction which I couldn’t describe in words.

To hell with him and his deal!

“Certainly a beautiful view.” I spun around startled when I heard this. I felt as if I swayed on my feet when I saw Hunter standing in my doorway.

How the hell did he enter inside this apartment? Most importantly, how the hell did he know I was coming here?

I was still in shock and the next thing I knew he was standing close to me. I stepped back, creating some distance between us. When I looked up at his face, he had that bloody arrogant smirk plastered on his handsome face. He was clearly enjoying this.

Bastard!

“What are you doing here?” I breathed out.

“I think I should be the one asking this question, right?” he narrowed his eyes on me with a little twitch on his lips.

“Get out, right now,” I said as calmly as I could.

“And what if I don’t? Why should I obey when you clearly defy me at every step?”

“I’ll call the police and have you removed from my property.”

“And… what exactly would you say to the cops?”

“That you’re an intruder.”

“And...I’d say that I’m your husband, so…yeah, your plan is flawed.”

“Saying it won’t make the cops believe you when I’d deny it.”

“Hmmm… well in that case, I have our marriage certificate scanned, in my phone. That’ll make them believe me,” he said with a satisfied smirk. Of course! He had everything figured out.

“Why are you doing this, Hunter? Why can’t you leave me alone?”

“I can’t, Isabelle. I thought I could but I can’t.”

I scoffed at him.

“Then stay here. I’m leaving.” I walked past him but how could I forget that he wouldn’t let me.

“No. We’re going to stay here and I have also invited my clients whom we were going to meet in California, here. They will be staying next door.”

When the hell did he arrange all of this?

“Whatever. Let me be clear, I don’t care that your clients are here, just don’t expect me to attend any dinner with you. I’m not going to play a wife role.”

“You’re one hell of a stubborn woman.”

I rolled my eyes at him. To say that I was jet-lagged was an understatement. I didn’t have more energy to deal with this man, so ignoring him, I walked to my room and locking it to make sure he didn’t come inside.

Taking a quick shower I slept.

***

It was way past midnight when I woke up feeling hungry. I left the room to go in the kitchen but my steps halted when I saw Hunter sitting on the couch working on his laptop. He’d changed his clothes, and now he had donned a more casual look. He looked up from the computer screen and our eyes locked for a brief second and then I looked away. The last thing I wanted was to rekindle any feelings for him.

When I opened the refrigerator, there was already some take-out food— hunter had ordered it. Except that food, there wasn’t anything else to eat. Closing the door, I stepped back and leaned against the kitchen island, thinking about a solution to my hunger problem.

“That food is for you, Isabelle.” I spun around when I heard him.

“No, thanks. I can order myself,” I replied and took my phone to search for any nearby restaurant which could deliver food at this time. But Hunter was quick— he snatched my phone.

“You sure do know how to push my buttons, Isabelle. And I don’t know why I let you,” he said, stepping closer to me while putting my phone in his pants’ pockets. His hands held my waist, pushing me backward as he leaned down. I trembled because of this closeness because this man was intimidating and his powerful personality screamed dominance. His light chuckle confirmed he knew that he was making me powerless. “You are affected by my touch, yet you push me away.”

Taking in deep breath, I put my hands on his chest to push him as his words again reminded me that why I was hell bent on pushing this man away. “I respect my self-respect, Mr. Kingston. I’m not one of your w****s whom you treat like s**t and they still fall for you.” This was my anger talking. Even though his name has never been linked to any woman since our marriage but he could have secret affairs. Also, before our marriage, he had affairs— so many. Every week there was a new woman.

“You’re making assumptions about my personal life, wife? Let me put you at ease, I’m not cheating on you. I’m a faithful married man.” I scoffed at his admission, but I’d be fooling myself if I denied that this statement had brought a tiny bit of relief. At least he did take marriage vows seriously if not the relationship.

“Do I look like I care about this?” I deadpanned.

Moving a step back, he looked at my face carefully as if he had been reading something. “Yes, you do care.” He smirked and I looked away.

“Give me my phone. I need to order my food because I’m hungry,” I said.

“It’s your phone, so get it out yourself.” He arched his brow at me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

Asshole!

“Stop these bloody childish games, Hunter. Give me my phone.” I sort of yelled at him. But that ass ignored me and walked out of the kitchen.

“Eat that food,” he yelled back. But I remained standing at my place, fuming and cursing him inside my mind. But then the hunger won, and with the dejected mood, I got the pasta out and microwaved it for myself.

After eating, I decided to do some work since I wasn’t feeling sleepy. Taking my laptop, I sat in the living room and started working. After about half an hour, there was a loud noise as if something had burst, and with that the lights went out. There was pitch-black darkness around me.

What the hell has happened?

I stood up, trying to see around me with whatever light my laptop had been emitting. The sound came from the kitchen, and I quickly found my phone and swatting on the flashlight I almost ran in the kitchen’s direction.

Hunter was standing near the microwave, and his expression startled as if had caught him doing something illegal.

“What was the noise?” I walked to I'm and moved the flashlight around the kitchen.

“This has broken down.” He pointed at the microwave and I frowned. As I moved to open it, Hunter grabbed my arm pulling me back to him with so much force. “Are you mad, Isabelle? There was a shock circuit and you’re going to touch that damn thing.”

“Short circuit, really? It was fine when I microwaved pasta. And, just a month ago, I’ve had this apartment reviewed and everything is fine. There wasn’t any problem with the wiring.”

When he didn’t answer me, I asked, “What did you do?”

Shuffling to his feet, he let my arm go. “I was just trying to use it,” he said in a defensive voice and I rolled my eyes at him.

“Hold it and let me see.” I handed him my phone and opened the microwave. There I saw the reason for this power outage.

“Are you kidding me?” I faced Hunter, hands on my hips. “Tell me, do you even know how to use kitchen appliances, especially the electronic ones?” I sighed. He was really a hopeless case. I faced the microwave and got that container out which had pasta in it. This billionaire genius had put a spoon in it. “This spoon is the cause of this. Do you even know that we don’t put metals in a microwave? I wonder how did you survive all those years living alone in a different state. This is totally nonsense that a man who has lived half of his life alone doesn’t know how to use the microwave.” I ranted on and on while getting that dish out of the microwave and cleaning the little mess he had created. “I am here, and you could ask me if you didn’t know. You could have hurt yourself. How big of an i***t you could be?”

I yelped when Hunter pulled me closer to him, engaging me between the kitchen island and himself. “So, you worry about me. I thought you had stopped caring about me,” his voice so soft and low and I widened my eyes when he said this. Of course, I was worried about him. Although he was a jerk, I never wished anything bad for him. I didn’t say anything. “Also, I have twenty-four seven waiting staff.”

Of course, you do!

“Say something, Isabelle?” he said. Now the situation wasn’t helping me. First, I was still in his arms which were tighter around me. Second, I was suddenly feeling emotional, and powerless. I had kept this anger bottled inside me ins tend of channeling it out someway, and now this had been becoming difficult to stay calm. Third, this darkness was overpowering, the little light from the flashlight had created a very different environment that gave strength to me.

“What do you want to hear?”

He sighed. “How long Isabelle? When are you going to forgive me?”

I scoffed when he said this. “Yeah! You really are an arrogant ass! You expect me to forgive you for something so big for which you haven’t yet apologized even in two words.” I pushed him but he didn’t budge. “Your ego is so damn bigger than anyone’s feelings. You feel powerful by crushing someone’s dreams and emotions. Physical wounds heal with time, but the emotional ones don’t unless… unless… never mind. When I’m giving you a way out of this sham, you are holding us here. Give me a divorce, and free both of us.”

He didn’t say anything. I would have forgiven him if he had said sorry at this moment. But no, he was one damn proud bastard! He stepped away, and I took my phone and walked to the door in this darkness. We had to spend this night in darkness until morning.

I turned to him and Hunter was still at the same spot looking to his left. But then I walked back in the kitchen and taking that pasta I put it in a pan and heated hit on the gas top.

“For you,” I said while holding the bowl for him. He took it and put it back on the kitchen counter. Grabbing my wrist, he stepped closer and his other hand went to my nape, angling my face up. The next second, I felt his lips on my forehead. And an emotional gasp escaped my mouth. This action was Tally unexpected and so powerful that my emotions overflow. Bile rose up my throat and silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Then let me earn your forgiveness. Not by my words but my actions.” I couldn’t hold the sobs any longer and had cried in front of him for the first time. I didn’t want to but my emotional state wasn’t on the same page with my stubborn one.

The next thing I knew I was in Hunter's arms. He held me tightly and safely. I wound my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest. He rubbed my back soothingly and we remained standing in the darkness for a long time.