The Realization.
1257 Words
Chapter 6.
The morning light slipped into the room, settling against my cheeks.
My body shifted softly against the bed as a sharp headache pressed against my forehead.
I blinked my eyes open, exhaustion washing over me.
My walls tingled, a subtle reminder of how this stranger had ruined me in ways Leo never had.
When I tilted my head back, my eyes met his. His head rested on his hand, and his dark eyes pierced into mine, like he had been watching me forever.
Heat stirred under my skin, and the memories of last night came clawing back to my head.
My gaze on his finger lingered longer, bringing back the image of how those fingers had made my body quiver in ways Leo could never.
My skin crawled from the weight of his gaze then I asked, softly. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
My voice shouldn’t have sounded like some college girl who just found love, but it did. And he liked it… because a small smile curved on his lips but it wasn’t a playful smile. It was dark, lethal, and certain.
The air in the room stilled as his eyes lingered on mine for seconds longer. Then he finally said in a tone so certain…. “Because I want you.”
The air in my lungs vanished as his deep baritone voice stirred something in me, his words hitting harder than I expected.
The smile on my face dropped and I glared at him, but his face remained calm. No games. No jokes. Just raw want and desire shimmering beneath his eyes.
My thighs pressed together under the sheets, shame and desire burning through me in ways I couldn’t comprehend.
I can’t want this, Right?
I was still in my thoughts when he leaned closer, his breath brushing my cheek. His voice was low and steady as he spoke. “Clara, last night—”
“It was a mistake,” I hurriedly cut him off, the word slipping past my lips before I could stop myself. I hadn't meant it that way but….
A loud hush fell over the room and I looked away from him, but his hand gripped my chin, forcing my gaze back to his.
His gaze burned into mine, sharp and unyielding. “Nothing about it was a mistake, Clara. I felt every inch of it… and I know you did too.”
My stomach knotted, want and longing colliding inside me. Heat rose in my chest, crawling into every corner of me until it hurt, but I shook my head, forcing words past my trembling lips. “This… this can’t happen again,” I said and looked away again.
Yesterday was a mistake. A damn mistake. And even if I enjoyed it, I can’t continue. I am not Leo… and burying myself in this only makes me no different from him.
Before he could say another word, I hurriedly pulled away, snatching my dress from the couch.
My heart was pounding, my body betraying me even as I hurried to cover myself.
The air in the room tightened, and the weight of his silence pressed in.
My skin prickled as his eyes followed my every movement, and for some reason, he didn’t chase or ask me to stay. He just watched as I collected my stuff, and I appreciated that a lot better. My mind was crowded and I needed this exact space… to think.
When I was done fishing my stuff, I stepped out of the suite, a soft exhale slipping past my lips, but his words clung to me like shadows I couldn’t shake.
*
It’s been three hours since I got back and Leo hasn’t been home.
Perhaps he is somewhere frolicking with his newfound love. Why should I care?
I slumped into the couch in the living room, burying my face into my palm.
For the hundred and tenth time, that stranger’s touch wouldn’t stop invading my mind.
I should have asked how he knew my name, but I was too afraid… afraid he would drag me back into his grip. And more afraid that my body would admit to his every touch.
A soft exhale slipped past my lips.
I should get a divorce, the random thought popped into my mind.
Not like it was random, but it was the only thing to help keep the stranger’s thoughts away.
Leo and I… we had done things no true marriage should endure. There was nothing left for us. So we should get divorced.
“Someone had a great time… didn’t she?” Leo’s voice cut through the air, pulling me from my trance.
Finally. I blinked back gently, raising my gaze to meet his.
He walked over to the wine bar and gripped a bottle. His brows arched. “You had a nice time, huh?”
My heart clamped and I just stood still, glaring at him with no emotions.
I didn’t even know what I felt for him again. Shouldn’t he be sad, or furious that his wife spent a night with another? I mean, isn’t that what men do?
The thought burned at me, but that was my call to end this. So I braced myself and said, “Let’s get a divorce.”
The air in the room stilled and Leo paused.
“You must be joking, right?”
“No. I am not. I am serious.”
Silence draped over the room for some seconds, then his lips curled into a smile. A low, pathetic one.
“Shouldn’t you be happy? I gave you the chance for an open marriage.”
“There is nothing to be happy about,” I shot back, the mere thought infuriating me.
Leo dragged his gaze across my body before grabbing his glass of whisky off the table and taking a gentle sip from it.
“You know… I am sure Maxwell had a great time with you and maybe for once…” his eyes lingered on my body, then he completed, “you could truly be useful.”
The air in my lungs vanished and I stood still, his words echoing against my ear.
My lashes fluttered and I blinked back.
Did Leo just call his name? Does this mean…?
“You know him?” I asked, trying not to jump to conclusions but Leo ignored my question and said, “That shouldn’t matter. If Maxwell likes you then I wouldn’t mind sharing you with him to keep our upcoming contract. What do you think?” He asked the last part, wiggling his lashes at me.
A feeling of disgust crawled over me and I felt bile rising up my throat.
So everything that happened between the stranger and I wasn’t coincidental? He didn’t just come? He was part of Leo’s plan?
My chest tightened and the weight of the reality pressed in on me. I didn’t even know which hurt most… the fact that every connection was a lie, or the fact that Leo was comfortable sharing me with another person.
Leo lifted his glass, taking a gentle sip before raising it to me like a toast. “What do you say, Clara? I share you with Maxwell and strengthen my business with him, huh?”
The edge of his voice held enough mockery and that irritated me as much as the moment.
Tears burned the back of my eyes as the realization that I was nothing but a bargaining chip struck me harder than lightning.
- Writer
