My ears turned bright pink. “Allie!” Why would she dare embarrass me this way? I wanted to die on the spot.
She simply brushed off my strong glares and fully focused on Reiss. “Seriously, I think you two are some sort of star-crossed lovers. It’s so bloody romantic.”
“That’s enough, Allie. Please, I beg of you.” The things that were coming out of her mouth made me feel nauseous and beyond nervous. How could she even say that this was romantic? Why would she say such things after I told her this was purely business?
She sighed, smiling at me and appearing as though she was about to cry.
“Bloody hell, Allie. I’m going to murder you when I see you next.” I couldn’t even make myself look at Reiss. I’d die if he found this amusing, and if he didn’t, I’d die twice as hard.
Allie sniffed before she wrapped her arms around me. “I love you, Ava, and I’m proud of you for fighting for what you feel is right. I know I’ve always made fun of your choices, but I also failed to mention that I would never be as brave as you, risking everything because it’s the best thing for you.” Her arms squeezed me harder before whispering into my ear, “This is your chance to win him back. He loved you enough to propose to you once; you can make him fall for you again. Don’t lose hope, my love.” Releasing me lightly, she gave me a wink before leaving a kiss on Reiss’s cheek and waving goodbye since she had a business appointment she couldn’t get out of.
After signing the remaining paperwork, Reiss and I left the city council, striding alongside each other as he reluctantly held my elbow, guiding me with him. Once we were outside, greeted by the mild cool air, he let out a long sigh.
“Well, that was quick.”
It was. I thought that was the speediest wedding ceremony I’d ever been to. I did not want to dwell on it much longer, though, because then I’d end up in a pity party for one.
A few minutes later, we were both comfortably seated in the back of his car, and I was anticipating who would break the ice of silence between us. His distant demeanor wasn’t surprising, although I would’ve appreciated it if he made a little effort not to make things even more awkward.
“I have to get back to work, but I’ll be over tonight to help you gather your things.”
I frowned at him, confused. “Excuse me?”
It was his turn to furrow his brows, his forehead creasing as he directed me. “I expect you to move into my home tonight. Why do you look as though this is the first time you’ve heard of it?” He sounded as if I had exasperated him, making me a tad bit edgy.
“No. I had completely forgotten about it. I mean, I knew I was eventually going to move in with you, but it had escaped my notice that it would actually happen tonight.”
I was biting my lip when he looked away, glancing at his watch. “You have about six hours until I come back for you. Will that suffice?”
Nodding, I lowered my lashes, thinking this was how things were going to be between us. “Yeah, I suppose it will.”
“We’ll go for dinner somewhere to celebrate the occasion, then we can head straight to my house afterwards,” he blandly informed me, like he was telling me about the weather forecast.
“Lovely. I look forward to it.” This situation was far from lovely, but what was done couldn’t be undone; as a result, it was best I think positive thoughts for the months to come before the baby was born.
When we got back to The Savoy, he offered to take me upstairs; however, I insisted I was fine and could manage on my own. Reiss didn’t argue with me. I was almost positive he had the same feeling as me, like he couldn’t get away fast enough so he could breathe. It wasn’t necessarily similar to choking, more being claustrophobic, as if I was trapped and the walls were closing in on me, limiting my breathing room, intimidating me to break. Hopefully, I wouldn’t come to a point where I couldn’t fight it off.
Back in the safe confines of my room, I looked around, silently saying goodbye to my surroundings. I didn’t have many items to bring with me since I was still practically living out of my suitcase. Although, Ashton had told me he was going to have all of my personal effects sent to me once I had a permanent address.
As I slowly gathered my belongings, my mind meandered towards tonight and what might happen. If he and I were a normal couple, I’d be giddy with excitement, and we’d probably be in bed by now, rutting out our passion for one another.
Pushing the sadness away as I took out the jewelry container I had in my purse, I slowly opened it, pulling out the only thing that was left of the past—a reminder that he truly had once loved me with his whole heart.
The modest ring with its speck of a diamond made me tear into a spiraling sob that couldn’t be pacified any longer. I didn’t stop until I had nothing left to draw out, drained and dried out.
Just as my miserably state had begun to lessen, my phone rang, as if the devil had summoned the person responsible for my sorrow. Well, as it turned out, I had no reason to worry at all as to how the wedding night was going to progress since Reiss would be held up for quite some time at work and wouldn’t be able to take me to dinner.
“It’s an emergency meeting I can’t cancel. Will you be okay if I just send my driver to come for you and take you to the house?” He sounded as if there were a lot of things on his mind. He seemed distracted as I heard the shuffling sounds of paper.
“Yeah, that would be great. You needn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” I tried to sound as convincing as I could, hoping he wouldn’t detect in my voice that I had spent a long time howling and bawling my eyes out until they were bloodshot and dry.
Ten hours into the marriage, and I could already foresee how it was going to work. Sighing off my rejected feelings, I vowed to find my footing again and have a social life that didn’t revolve around waiting for Reiss. Maybe I could busy myself by meeting new friends and taking part in hobbies that wouldn’t be too taxing to my present state.
Out of sight, out of mind. Perhaps I should take on the philosophy. It might cure me of this Lovesick Only for a Besotted Moron Syndrome.
Checking out of the hotel almost made me feel a little sad. Possibly it was because I wasn’t sure how things were run in his household, but the daunting feeling that lingered couldn’t be shaken off. Subsequently, I braced myself for the next chapter of my life.
His driver came and deposited me at his three-story home in Belgravia. It was a little overwhelming since I hadn’t truly seen this side of Reiss—the wealthy side. True, his office building, his car, and the way he dressed portrayed him as a polished, rich, successful business man, yet seeing his home, the personal effects inside it, made it blatantly obvious that he had come a very long way from the man I had known. If his impressive original collection of Renaissance and Neo-Renaissance paintings were something to go by, my mother would’ve probably worshipped at his feet if she didn’t know his real identity. My mother respected people through the size of their bank accounts, which would’ve grandly placed her new son-in-law as a gem in her lovely, superficial eyes.