Divorcing The Billionaire On Valentine's Day

22. Adeline

ADELINE

“When are you moving in?” It wasn’t the question itself, but the audacity behind it. Like I had no choice but to do as he asked when he requested it. Maybe the Adeline he got married to before would have, but he had another thing coming if he thought that was how it was going to be.

“Soon.” I said simply and handed him the files. Instead of taking them, he let them hang in the air.

“When is soon? Date? Time? I don’t want you disappearing on me again.” I shrugged and pushed the files forward. He eyed them like he suddenly didn’t want it. I rolled my eyes and tossed it to his side of the table.

“Tomorrow.” I got up to leave, I’d gotten what I came for and there was no need to give him more time to insult me.

“And why not today? It’s not even noon yet.” He was quick to push for answers. Typical. It was a little weird how he went from ignoring my very presence to noting the little things and pushing for answers.

I thought about my answer for a long minute, a part of me wanted to just walk out and let him wonder why, but the other part wanted to be petty, she wanted to pull at his last nerve.

“Actually…” I searched his face, “I have a date later today. Moving in would have to come afterwards.” I shrugged. His eyes flared, but it was only a second before the unreadable mask was back on.

“Let me guess,” he leaned back, his index finger tapped impossibly slow against the table. “Same guy that got you in the tabloids and then ran off when s**t hit the fan.” He held back a smirk. I knew he was holding back something. There was a joyful glint in his eyes that could never mean anything good.

“It’s not your business who I date, Mr Archer.” A muscle in his jaw jumped, but again, it barely lasted a second before it was gone. I took that as my queue and pulled at the door knob.

“No it isn’t. I mean I’m your husband, but what does that matter.”

“Yes, on paper. In the actual sense of it, I’m just your son’s nanny and we had a deal.” I held onto the door knob tighter, ready to bolt the moment he got up from his ‘throne’.

“Yes we had a deal, but it’s funny that I have to be the one to behave, avoid other women while you prance around going on dates with other men.” He did that weird thing where he would tilt his head to the side like I was some lab rat he had to study. I held onto the knob even tighter, my legs fired up.

“I never said you shouldn’t be with other women, I said don’t embarrass me, do it privately if you have to and don’t forget I’m the one who gets to be by your side for important events and meetings.” His feet ate up the space between us in minutes, his eyes danced across my face, searching for only he knew what.

“Never knew you were bossy.” He didn’t say it like an accusation, rather, he said it like he just made a new discover and forgot he wasn’t the only one in the room. Typical.

“You barely spoke two words to me before. Believe me. That’s the least of the things you don’t know about me.”

He moved in even closer and I held my breath, hating the fact that I knew it was time to bolt but the invasion of my senses made it harder to think clearly. Citrus, spice and a scent so dark and so purely masculine, it threatened to suck me in. Even his cologne had an overwhelming presence.

“And yet I’ve somehow married you twice.” He thought out loud as his finger trailed my jawline as if trying to make sure I was infact real. His eyes met mine, but they weren’t focused on me, they were distant, even as his thumb flicked my bottom lip.

I sucked in a sharp breath, “wh-what are you doing?” I hated it the moment the words came out of my mouth. I sounded breathless, uncertain, not the warning I wanted those words to be.

His eyes searched mind, “what else don’t I know about you.” It would be the first time he ever sounded sincerely interested in anything that concerned me.

Whatever was going on, it wasn’t real. He was toying with me again. With that thought in mind, “That I hate to be late to dates.” I said to his face.

He looked confused at first, then like snapping the last piece of a crossword puzzle in place, it clicked. Fire flared in his gaze, another emotion I hadn’t seen before. Like I was suddenly infected, he pulled back and went back to his throne.

“What are you waiting for? Feel free to run off to the man responsible for your predicament. I’d just be here cleaning up his mess.” Well that didn’t sound petty at all.

I knew he was baiting me, but I also accepted a long time ago that my curiosity would be what killed me in the end. I’d die with all the answers I need though.

“What do you mean?” I shut the door behind me, but remained where I was.

His gaze pierced me for a long minute, like those unearthly green eyes were trying to see into my very soul. It was unnerving.

“Your date,” he stressed on the date like I was supposed to feel foolish or something. I did what I had been doing, I ignored him and his implied words, the only words that mattered were the ones that explained just what he meant. “Aaron? He was the one that started the whole story with the blogs.” He deadpanned.

“He planted the paparazzi, sent the pictures and headlines to the blogs and is as broke as a church rat. Wait, scratch that, church rat’s richer.” He smirked as he ratted it off like he was checking through a check list. He was enjoying it.

“That’s a lie.” I refused to believe it. Aaron had been nothing but nice since we met, he even tried to save me from Grayson at the restaurant. It was Grayson who felt the need to carry me like a sack of freaking potatoes! “That doesn’t make any sense.” I repeated, with more certainty.

“Doesn’t it? Who else knew about your date the same time you did? Just enough time to plant everything and everyone in place? Who chose the restaurant?“ There was one question he missed, the one that sent chills straight down my spine and not the good kind. Who was there before I arrived?

(Time jump)

I couldn’t shake it off, I tried to. But all I could think off was how the more I thought about the possibility and actually entertain the suspicions I had earlier, the more it seemed impossible for the culprit to be anyone else. But how did Grayson know? How did he know where to find us? Those were questions I couldn’t shake off so easily.

I let out a breath as I pushed the door to the cafe. It was supposed to be a casual date, something simpler. I wore some cargo pants and a free shirt I found at the back of my closet.

Aaron was all smiles when I walked up to him. The innocence his smile gave him was disarming, but his eyes were calculating, hazel eyes that matched that complemented his ginger hair so well, eyes that drew me right in till I was nursing a crush.

“Hey! I thought you weren’t going to make it anymore.” He chuckled nervously like he was actually worried I would cancel.

“Sorry, had to make a quick detour.” I smiled, but even I could feel the strain.

He called a waiter and ordered some coffee and a few snacks, doughnuts, apple pie, slices of lemon cake with whipped cream toppings and all sorts of ‘too much’ I wouldn’t be able to eat half of. Almost like he was rewarding me for something.

“So what have you been up to, you didn’t reply any of your texts today, were you busy?” He c****d a brow at me. What was he? My father?

“About that, Aaron,” I paused. Was I doing the right thing? What if Grayson just baited me so I ruined things myself? No I had to ask, it would weigh on me otherwise and I might as well end things. “I want to ask you something important and I really need you to be honest with me.”

The smile was gone as he leaned closer. He reached for my hands on the table but I pulled away before he could, “What’s the problem? Just ask, anything you want to know, i would tell you.” He rushed, he sounded worried, maybe I was making a mistake. No, I needed to know.

“Did you have anything to do with the blogs posting about our date?” That was it. He suddenly pulled back from me like I burned him. That was my answer.

He was quick to recover and plastered a smile on his face, “No honey, why would you even think that? I would never think of doing something that diabolical to you.” His smile was there, but suddenly it looked wishy-washy as he lied through his teeth.

The waiter dropped atleast five trays of snacks on our table and left without a word.

Invisible hands squeezed my chest till I couldn’t shake the numbing pain in my chest. I wanted it to be a lie, wanted him to be the one I could finally ease off with, but he not only used our date for fame, but he didn’t even have the decency to be truthful about it.

“I need to go home.” I said and without waiting for a response, I bolted out of there.