ChapterThree
703 Words
I couldn’t sleep that night, i spent the whole night tossing and turning thinking about what riven said at dinner.
The next afternoon, curiosity got the better of me
One voice belonged to riven
My husband.
The other ……
My breathe caught in my throat
The voice drifting from downstairs was painful familiar.
THE OTHER WOMAN.
For a second I thought my mind was playing tricks on me …
Then it came again clear, unmistakable
Valerie….
She was back ??
When ??
I couldn’t hear what they were saying clearly but i know i heard riven spoke more than i have ever heard him speak to me.
He was soft spoken
He let out a faint giggle, the sound vanishing almost instantly, leaving me wondering if i had imagined it.
That night i was so determined to confront Riven and ask what his plan was.
My footsteps echoed against the polished floor until i reached the study
The light in his study room was on and the door slightly opened.
Without asking if I could come in or not I pushed my way through
Riven looked up from the document on his desk.
His brows furrowed
What are you doing here ?
Valerie came earlier today….i asked even though i was not expecting an answer.
Who comes into this house is non of your business.
He spoke softly, each word measured and calm, yet anger lingered just beneath the surface like a storm held behind glass.
I stepped forward
You told me to stay in my room cause you had a guest coming….
Was she the guest ?
Was the Valerie the guest you talked about?
Explain to me how the woman who ran away from your wedding was here today like nothing ever happened.
His gaze harden
You are overreacting.
The word struck harder than they should have
Overreacting ?
As though my feeling were not valid
Or I wasn’t the woman carrying his name
As though I haven’t sacrificed everything because of their choices.
He stepped closer
Slowly
Deliberately
Until the space between us completely disappeared
I tried to step back, but there was nowhere to go
He was already there.
Too close
I could feel it now his presence wrapping around me like something inescapable.
The warmth of his breathe brushed lightly against my skin, sending an uninvited shiver down my spine
And then came his scent
A deep , expensive cologne
Commanding-lingering in the air between them making it harder to think, harder to breathe.
I forced myself to look up
His eyes were steady on mine
Calm
But not soft
His hand finally lifted
This time it touched me
Not forceful.
Just his finger brushing lightly under my chin, titling my face up.
“Why are you standing this close to me”? I asked, barely above a whisper
His gaze dropped- just for a second-to my lips
Then back to my eyes
And in that moment something changed
Not sudden
Not loud
Just inevitable
His hand slide from my chin to the side of my neck, studying me - not holding me captive but making it impossible for either of us to pretend
You should stop talking “, he said softly
The air between us tightened
And when he leaned this time it wasn’t like before
It was slower
Heavier
Certain
And when his lips finally meet mine-
It wasn’t gentle
It wasn’t planned
For a moment I forgot how to think
His hands at my neck steadied me, not forcing me closer, but not letting me drift away either
And I hated how my body didn’t know how to choose between anger and something softer.
So I made the choice for it
I pushed him
Not violently
But enough
Enough to break the moment clear in half
I touched my lips without meaning to
As if confirming it had been real
As if I needed proof I wasn’t imagining the way my entire world had just titled
And before I could process it, his hands moved not to me this time, but to the door handle behind him.
My breathe stopped.
Because from the other side, a familiar voice spoke again-
Open the door.
- Writer
