CHAPTER THREE
1328 Words
What did I expect on hearing those words from him?
I'm not quite sure. However, I am aware that what I received did not meet my expectations.
despite the fact that I had no idea what to anticipate.
Our marriage's terms were written down and based only on an agreement that would be advantageous to both of us.
I don't mean myself when I say both parties. One party is Mr. Maxwell Nolan, and the other is my father, Mr. Richard Blackstone.
Oh! Did I overlook his wife, who resembled Cinderella's evil stepmother?
Even so, what does that sound like?
But I do hope you understand. They made the move and I had to follow it, so I'm just a pawn in this game.
similar to a dog!
To be honest, though, I didn't feel particularly bad about being a pawn for a while. It seemed like the entire universe vanished when he referred to me as his wife. You can rely on my imagination to conjure up a thousand and one scenarios of what might occur next.
Because none of them came to pass, call them fantasies.
This unidentifiable man burst whatever bubbles I had created. The worst thing is that he gave me every excuse to summon these fantasy worlds.
If you're going to ignore me after being so kind to me, why?
You mean you're confused? Let me clarify.
The after party followed the wedding. In the most endearing way, he asked me to dance with him, and I said yes without a doubt. As he led me to the center of the hall, the room fell silent. My breath caught when he put his hand around my waist, and all I could think about was how close we were. His cologne was filling the air around me, gradually replacing the oxygen I was breathing.
And the music, (which is fantastic, by the way), played through the speakers in a gentle symphony. My heart sank when he held my gaze while we moved in time with the music.
Well, there was another occasion when I didn't regret being given that title.
Mrs. Maxwell Nolan!
I feel empty now, but I won't say I regret it exactly. We were driven home after the party. I was a little too impressed by his house, and I believe I displayed it a bit too much for someone from a wealthy family.
Was that why he had stopped recognizing me as soon as we walked into the building?
Was he ashamed?
Jesus! All this thinking is going to drive me insane.
*Heavy sigh*
In other words, the same man who had won me over with his charm completely ignored me. It has been two weeks since he last spoke to me, which was when he showed me to my room.
Crazy, huh?
My expectations were all let down, but I'm not upset because I was foolish enough to have any in the first place.
No honeymoon took place. After our wedding, Maxwell went back to work the following day. My employer "graciously" granted me two weeks off, so I was unable to do the same. You can now get a sense of how it felt for me. I spent two weeks in a place with no one I knew and nothing.
I had no choice but to lose myself in my writing and resist the powerful forces of despair and suffering that threatened to overwhelm me.
Believe me, it was the hardest battle of my life!
I was excited to leave this building and eager to get back to work. The walls were as high as those of Jericho, and it had been two weeks since I had passed through the gates.
I had a prisoner's mentality.
I had to see my father, too. After the wedding, I wanted to see him right away, but Jenna wouldn't let me. It wasn't ideal, she said, to be out in the world right after my wedding.
She was only concerned with what the public thought was ideal and what wasn't while my father was in the hospital. You know, I have every reason to dislike this woman more and more every day.
I assume you do too.
Just so you know, I worry about my father because he is my father, not because I like him.
It is possible to love someone and not like them, just as it is possible to like someone and not love them.
This is the way it is. You guessed, Jenna is the reason why my father and I don't get along. She destroyed the relationship between my father and me and tore us apart.
Now, don't even blame me for allowing my father to be taken from me.
Tell me how you would feel if you witnessed your father marry someone else just a month after your mother passed away in a hospital bed from an unidentified illness.
I was right there, and there was nothing I could do to stop him.
I sobbed. I pleaded. I even skipped meals for days at a time.
I don't like to think about these memories anymore. Even after fifteen years, the thought still hurts.
I was too preoccupied to enjoy the exquisitely garnished and expensive meal that was placed in front of me. I was experimenting with the cutlery in my hand, lost in a world I didn't want to be in and found to be quite unpleasant.
His entrance was not audible to me. His scent was what jolted me out of my reverie. Even from a distance, I knew it.
He was the one.
He appeared incredibly divine as he stood just two inches from me. His hair was styled flawlessly as usual, which left me wondering how he managed to find the time to do it given his hectic schedule. I realized that one couldn't read this man from his facial expressions because they were blank.
I stumbled.
"Ummm."
Was he unaware of the anxiety he caused me? Or was he simply indifferent?
"Your two week leave ends today, correct?" He raised his voice. His voice sounded so incredible that I was on the verge of losing myself in it, but I quickly stopped myself when I heard what he had to say.
Was he monitoring?
He dropped the bombshell without waiting for my answer.
I submitted your letter of resignation to them, and it was accepted. You are no longer employed there.
My eyes got big.
"What?" I spoke without thinking.
"Ms. Emma, I'm pretty sure you heard me."
Ms. Emma? What the f**k?
Mr. I don't care about your reaction, disregarding my own!
"You only need to show up today, pick up any properties you own there, say your goodbyes, and anything else."
I could tell by the tone of his voice that he was eager to finish this conversation.
Wow!
I stood up, but it didn't really matter because I still had to bend over to see his face.
I swallowed, but I didn't want my mustard seed self confidence to be completely destroyed.
"Mr. Maxwell, that's not how it's done, you don't just wake up one morning and decide for me."
I must add that his eyebrows arched rather perfectly. He took a huge step in my direction before there was even time to dwell on that. My breath caught as his cologne's heady scent instantly replaced the air I was breathing.
Don't mess up, Emma!
I had already made a mistake. I somehow stumbled and needed support from the table. I swear my heart rate would have won an Olympic race when his hand touched the table as well and started to move in my direction.
Emma, take a breath!
I made an effort, but it became more difficult the closer his hand got to mine. I was on the verge of falling to my knees when I heard his voice.
"Then, Emma, explain the process to me."
- Writer
