“Why?” she asked again, her voice strained.
“Why what, Ari?” he asked softly.
“Why are you so nice?” Her voice cracked.
He didn’t know if he could smile at such a question, but he couldn’t-not when she was crying.
“You’re my wife, Ari…”
“Cut the crap and tell me what you want,” she interrupted, her voice sharp. “Not like I even have anything to offer.”
“Why? There must be a reason behind all of this-the good food, the new dress, defending me like that. Tell me, what do you want?”
“You,” he said quietly. “It’s you I want.”
“Don’t make me laugh. No one would want me. No one would want anything to do with someone like me. I’m worthless and useless…”
“Never say that again,” his deep, authoritative voice cut her off.
“I am,” she replied, almost shouting. “I was once married, divorced, pregnant, and lost my baby all in the span of a month.”
“So?” he asked calmly, “I know. What’s the sin in that?”
“You knew?” she scoffed, crying bitterly.
And he still wants me? Who is he deceiving? she thought to herself as her sobs intensified.
“Ari…” He moved closer to her, but she pulled away.
“Please… please don’t. I don’t know what your intentions are, what you’re thinking, or what you’re planning, but I’m begging you,” her lips trembled, tears and mucus staining her face. “Don’t make me think you’re just like them,” she whispered, before walking away.
“Ari…” Christian called after her, but seeing how quickly she moved away, he knew she might need space. He let her go.
He sighed deeply, guilt weighing heavily on him. I couldn’t protect her when I promised to, he thought, his head dropping as he walked to his room.
Meanwhile, a maid, who had been hiding in an alcove, gritted her teeth. Her fist clenched angrily.
“Who does she think she is, talking to Christian like that? Just wait until I teach her a lesson,” she hissed, her voice laced with venom.
Christian stood in front of the window, staring out as the rain poured, his mind heavy with thoughts of Clarisse. He couldn’t help but worry about her, wondering if she was okay. After a moment, he decided to check on her. He quickly changed into black pants, a gray hoodie cardigan, and flip-flops, then made his way out of his room.
He stood outside her door, contemplating whether to knock or just go in. He pressed his ear to the door, listening for any sounds, but there was silence. He hesitated for a moment before quietly opening the door.
Inside, he found Clarisse trembling violently, muttering words in her sleep and crying. His heart dropped. She was sweating, shaking uncontrollably, clearly having a nightmare.
He rushed to her side, gently placing his hand on hers and calling her name softly, but it didn’t work. She continued to shake, so he climbed into the bed beside her, pulling her closer to his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, smoothing her hair gently.
“It’s okay, Ari. It’s just a dream,” he whispered repeatedly, gently patting her back. Slowly, she began to calm down, snuggling into his arms and eventually falling back into a peaceful sleep.
Christian sighed in relief, watching her sleep soundly. He didn’t want to disturb her, so he stayed where he was, afraid to move. Eventually, exhaustion took over, and he fell asleep holding her.
Meanwhile, Alice was seething with anger. She threw her purse down and knocked things over, venting her frustration.
“Calm down, Alice,” her mother tried to soothe her.
“Calm down? Didn’t you see how he stood up for her?” Alice shot back, her anger growing.
“If you had accepted to marry him, this wouldn’t have happened. So deal with it,” Ferdinand said, his tone indifferent. He walked away, clearly unconcerned as long as it didn’t affect his business.
Alice, on the verge of tears, looked at her mother. “Can you hear that, Mum?”
“Calm down. Listen to me,” her mother said, pulling her down onto the couch. “Stop crying.”
“He even asked me to tell her sorry. That was an insult!” Alice shouted.
“Not only to you,” her mother replied, her voice calm.
“Have I lost him, Mum?”
“No, never. He’s yours, okay?”
“But he wouldn’t even look at me. He seems to have been entranced by her.”
“He can only be entranced by you. And even if he’s head over heels, who says the heels can’t break?”
Alice gave her mother a questioning look. “Do you have any plans?”
Patricia smiled wickedly. “I already have someone keeping an eye on them. An opportunity will open up soon, and when it does, we’ll claim Christian and make him yours.”
“Yes!” Alice brightened up. “That’s why I love you, Mum,” she said, happily hugging her mother.
Patricia smiled, pleased that she had managed to cheer Alice up and reassure her that Christian belonged to no one but her.
Meanwhile, Clarisse moaned softly as she stirred in her bed. She woke up to the sound of her room door opening and closing. A moment later, she heard the old man’s voice.
“Good morning, ma’am,” he greeted her, and she could tell from his voice that he was smiling.
She opened her eyes slowly, still unaware of the man who had snuck out of her bed early in the morning.
She sat up and bowed to him. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, ma’am. I hope you had a restful night.”
“Hm,” she nodded. “Thanks.” She almost said “sir,” but remembered what he had said about being fired if Christian found out.
Clarisse’s eyes wandered to the window, where she could see water trickling down the glass.
“Did it rain… last night?” she asked, turning to Clinton.
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied.
“For how long?”
“Throughout the night, ma’am.”
“Huh?” Clarisse furrowed her brow, confused and surprised. “And I slept through it? How is that possible?”
“Is everything alright, ma’am?”
“Y-yes,” she answered uncertainly. She had never slept well during rainstorms; they always brought nightmares. The trauma resurfaced each time it rained, haunting her. Most nights, she would wake up panting and sweating, trembling and crying as the night terror reminded her of moments she desperately wanted to forget. Sometimes, she would pass out from the overwhelming fear. It was strange, then, that she had slept through the entire night while it rained. No such miracle had ever happened in the past twelve years.
“I’d like to introduce you to your personal maids, Blue and Sandra,” he said, bringing them forward. They bowed respectfully before her. “They will attend to your needs. If you ever need someone to run errands or accompany you anywhere, they will always be available.”
“Thanks, but… um… no… I’m good. I don’t need any maids,” Clarisse responded, a little hesitant.
“We promise not to cause you any trouble or make you uncomfortable in any way,” Blue said with a smile, but Clarisse didn’t like the idea of having personal maids.
“Don’t worry, ma’am. They won’t stick with you 24/7 unless you want them to,” he reassured her.
“No, no, no,” Clarisse quickly replied. “I don’t want that.”
“Anything you wish,” he said and then moved on to another topic. “That being said, ma’am, we need to start preparing you.”
“Prepared? For what?” she asked, confused.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.