Vows and vendettas

Episode4

NATHANIEL’S POV

As soon as I instructed Isabella to relocate into my home, I couldn't get over the impression of when I first saw her. It was hardly a passing acquaintance, I couldn't bring myself to forget her.

It occurred several months previously at an art show. Rarely I went there alone; but I needed something to occupy me that evening. My children, as much as I adored them, reminded too much of their mother. Business had been overwhelming. Art had always been a means of calming my head; I needed something changed and something quiet.

And then I saw her, staring at some art work with so much interest.

Though she was not clad lavishly like the other guests, she was more distinctive than any of them. One thing that captured my full attention was her mesmerizing green eyes. She made my heart raced in a way nobody has been able to in a long time. Though she looked enthralled by a painting, one of those abstract ones that made little sense to me but she was staring at it like she understood it. I caught myself looking more at her than at the paintings.

I wanted to approach her. There was something interesting about her. familiar, even if I was convinced we had not ever encountered each other before. Before I had a chance to move, she spun sharply and strolled away.

Her necklace dropped suddenly thereafter. An unassuming, elegant offering. Expecting to give it back, I grabbed it but she was gone by the time I raised my gaze once more. I looked at the audience but could not find her. I even ran outside the building to see if I could find her, but she was gone. I never saw her again after that day, even after frequenting the art gallery, hoping to catch a glimpse of her again.

I had kept the necklace in my drawer since then, never completely sure why I clung to it. And now, as destiny would have it, she turned out to be the girl uncle Alex introduced to me. And she was ready to marry me for the good of my children.

The marriage between us was not for me, though. This was about my children, they need a mother figure. I had told myself I wouldn't let emotion affect me.

When I walked into the house that evening, I made my way into the kitchen to get a glass of water when I noticed Isabella in the kitchen. I just addressed her formally and she walked out of the kitchen but I could help but notice that she was wearing some booty shorts showing off her beautiful long legs.

Why was she wearing that around the house? I swallowed hard, averting my eyes from her legs.

Humming to herself, she strolled up the stairs totally oblivious to my eyes on her. I ought to have turned away and not let her distract me but it was hard to do. Anytime I was near her, I found it difficult to control my emotions .

I went up to my room and sat down on the bed, wiping my hands down my face. “Get it together, Nathaniel. She’s here because of your kids, control your emotions.”

It was after I took off my jacket that I remembered that I had to discuss the wedding plans with Isabella. It was only a couple days away, and we hadn't considered any specifics. But when I knocked on her door and entered, I was not ready for what I found.

She was wearing only a towel, her head damp and body covered, she had just left the bathroom. The fabric hardly covered halfway down her thighs.

We simply gazed upon one another for a moment. My body stayed put but my thoughts yelled at me to turn away and go.

She finally said, "Nathaniel? "; her voice a little over a murmur. “What are you doing here?”

“I didn’t mean to intrude.” I swallowed forcefully. “We need to discuss the wedding.”

"All right, she said, tightening the towel around her.

Still, the wedding had slipped my mind. My eyes dropped to her bare collarbone and the droplet of water running along her body.

. “Damn it.”

I crept up to her unobserved. She wasn't moving. My hand moved of its own accord, caressing her cheeks. Her skin was warm and soft. They moved to her lips, tracing my thumb on her lower lip.

Before I could think it through, I captured her lips in mine, catching her by surprise.

It wasn't supposed to. It wasn't supposed to. But the moment our lips touched, something inside me shattered. My arms tightened around her waist, drawing her closer, deepening the kiss. Her arms tightened around my shirt, holding on like lost too.

My lips left hers and attacked her on her neck. I sucked and bit on it, making her moan out my name. The sound of her moan drove me crazy and I wanted to take her right there. I slipped my hands in between her legs, trying to take things further but realisation hit like a bucket of cold water was splashed on me.

I stepped away from her and I watched her catch her breath.

I ran my fingers through my hair. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

My kids chose that time to arrive and I used that as an excuse to storm out of the room before she could speak further.

The following day, I tried to just act like there was nothing wrong. We discussed making wedding plans. I responded in a frigid tone, like she was a total stranger.

We got to the guest list and I said, “Your parents would be available,right?”

She gazed at me despairingly. "I've no parents." i noticed something flashed in her eyes but it left quickly before i could decipher what it was.

“I’m sorry about that but is there no one at all that could be present from your side?”

She shook her head. "Just Sophie, my best friend."

There was a sickening sensation which spread through me. Sympathy? Worse than that.

"Then bring her along," I said to her, my voice not quite so chilly as it had been.

When we finished the entire plan for the wedding happening that weekend, i stood up to leave for work but she stood up and called my name.

“Nathaniel.”

I turned back to look at her and she locked hers with me. “Don’t you think we should talk?"

I stared at her, face impassive. "About what?"

She moved closer, leaving only a little gap between us. "About what happened yesterday."

I took a deep breath, instantly regretting it. "Okay, let me make this clear. Yesterday was a mistake. Can we forget about it?”

“Good, I was going to say the same.” she smiled at me and turned away, leaving me surprised by her words.