Natalie
A few days later, after Noah bought me my new car. I'm making dinner in the kitchen when Alaric comes home. My mood is so good, and I'm dancing to some new pop song on the radio. These steaks are going to taste like a happy life.
Sadly, the music within me dies when Alaric walks into the kitchen with a bouquet of flowers. There is a big smile on his lips. It turns into a sad line when I cross my arms underneath my chest.
I frown at him, meeting his eyes with fury behind mine. "You didn't call me after I was let out of the hospital."
"I know, honey," Alaric inhales deeply. "Losing our child was hard on me..."
"It was hard for me too. I expected us as a couple to get through the hardship together," I tell Alaric, looking him up and down.
Alaric is wearing an expensive suit, and he has shaved. He cleans up nicely, but I won't step into the trap of inhaling his cologne and letting him kiss away my anger.
Alaric let me down when I needed him the most. Instead of him being there for me, it was my ex-boyfriend making my days better. Noah has been an angel; I wish Alaric could just... GAH! Care about me?
Alaric changes the topic. "Did Noah let you borrow one of his cars? A Ferrari is standing outside our house."
"I know—I'm not blind," only pissed off. "And no, Noah didn't let me borrow it from him. He bought it for me as a gift."
Alaric snorts and opens the fridge to pour himself a pint of wine. His expression is dark, and when he turns around, he is glaring. There is no friendliness in his gaze.
"Perfect, my future wife's ex-boyfriend, who is her daughter's real father and a billionaire, wishes to fuck her."
I stare at Alaric. "Excuse me?"
I'm not used to Alaric talking to me in this manner. He is usually so sweet and understanding, slightly obsessed with everything work-related. Still, I've never had him act this jealous.
"You heard me," Alaric chugs wine and dries his mouth on his sleeve before focusing his dark eyes on mine. "You really think Noah would buy you a brand new car if he didn't want to fuck you? And how stupid aren't you to keep it?"
I blink repeatedly. "What do you mean?"
"Fucking idiot," Alaric shakes his head, laughing. "That car outside our house, do you know how much it's worth? The damn thing could pay off the mortgage on this house! We should sell it, not drive around in it and pretend we have more money than we do."
I'm blinking away tears. "You're scaring me right now..."
"Oh, am I?" Alaric walks closer, grabbing my face with both his fingers and sinking into the hollows of my cheeks. It hurts. "Because you're the one who has probably been screwing with your ex-boyfriend."
"N-no..." I can barely get the words out. Alaric got my face stuck in his grip, and I'm crying. "I haven't... We haven't fucked..."
Remorse moves over Alaric's face, and he lets go of me. I back off to stare at him in silence. I've never seen this violent side of him. He has never hurt me, but now I realize he easily could.
Men are so much bigger than women...
"I'm sorry..." Alaric mumbles. "There is just this client who is driving me mad, and I'm taking it out on your... I'm terribly sorry..."
I swallow thickly. "No problem..."
"I still don't think you should keep the car Noah gave you. It's not normal receiving such gifts from an ex-boyfriend, even if he is a goddamn billionaire with way too much money."
I know Alaric is right, but I love my car so much that his words sadden me. I had hoped to keep my red pearl.
"I guess..." I sigh. "I just love the car."
"I know you do," Alaric picks up his phone to scroll on it. He frowns at something distasteful and then continues talking. "Noah is also a football player—I don't understand how he got so much spare time on his hands. Not only he is trying to fuck my future wife, but he is also infiltrating my football games."
His words actually make me laugh. I also would like to know how Noah manages to play professional football and be the CEO of a multimillion-dollar company.
I guess Noah gets all the help he needs from his uncle. The two of them are very close, even though I have never gotten the chance to meet his uncle. I've seen pictures of him holding Emma, though.
"Noah is remarkable, all right," I smile and walk over to the stove again. My hands pick down plates before my brain can even register what I'm doing. "Are you hungry?"
"Starving."
"Good, I made a lot of vegetables, and the steaks are enormous," I wave my spatula in Alaric's direction and put on an accent. "Big enough to feed a whole family of four, I'm telling you."
As expected, Alaric doesn't laugh. He looks at me like I've grown two heads, which saddens me. Noah would have laughed at my strange accent and played along.
Shit.
I shouldn't compare the two of them.
"Alright, can I just be given my steak today, please? I'm starving, and it smells delicious."
I force a smile. "A steak with vegetables is coming right up!"
"Thank you."
Alaric and I don't get into another conversation and eat dinner in silence. I don't ask him any questions and let him have the couch to watch a football game.
My head craves silence and peace, so I get into the bathroom. I want to shower off the confusion and dread I felt when Alaric acted out his jealousy and anger.
I discard my clothes on the floor, noticing a new notification on my phone. It's Noah who has uploaded something new onto his wall. I click on it and hold my breath at the new pictures.
Most of them are of Noah and Emma, but some of them are of Lexie and Noah doing couple stuff together. A sad smile takes hold of my lips. Lexie uploaded the pictures, but Noah is tagged in each one.
"I hope he is happy..." I mumble to myself. "I know that I should be happy... I mean, drama happens in every relationship, right?"
I put away my phone and jump into the shower. After I've cleaned myself, I plan on making up with Alaric. We need to talk things out. The wedding is soon, and we shouldn't be fighting right now. I still love Alaric, even if I'm worried I might not be in love with him.