It was close to dinner, and I was yet to see the man who was supposed to be my husband. I was trying to decide whether he was a workaholic or was just avoiding me since he knew I was supposed to be here today seeing as he was the one who sent the movers.
After that delicious lunch I had in the kitchen with Lorenzo, I came back to my room, and I have been here ever since, with my only companion being my phone which I was already getting bored of.
I was considering going down for dinner, but I decided to hold myself back until one of the maids called me down for dinner. I didn’t want them to see me as an overeater on my first day of living here.
I could also not stop thinking about Lorenzo’s food. That man was a beast in the kitchen, and it also didn’t help that he was very attractive.
I was aware that I was now a married woman, and I should probably keep my eyes off men, but I should still be able to admire them, and I was certain that Atticus wouldn’t mind since he didn’t seem to be concerned about anything that had to do with me.
Someone knocked on my door and I told the person to come in. The girl I had been talking to earlier, walked inside the room and I sat up on the bed so I could talk to her.
“Dinner is ready, Mrs Hayland. Mr Hayland is back home, so you’ll be having dinner together in the dining hall”
I checked the time on my watch and it was 9 pm so it wasn’t too late to have dinner but what surprised me was the fact that we were going to be having dinner together.
“Did he request that we have dinner together…” I left the sentence hanging to let her know I wanted to get her name.
“Lily. My name is Lily and yes, Mr Hayland asked me to call you down to have dinner with him” She answered.
“Give me a minute and I’ll be down, okay?”
“Okay” She left the room, and I was alone again.
I searched my brain for any topic that might be brought up during dinner and the only big issue I could come up with that he would want to talk about must be what happened with his sisters this morning.
I wasn’t scared anymore because it was their fault. They shouldn’t have tried to pull that stunt with me so they got what they deserved and if their brother also wanted to play their dirty game, then he would get the same treatment as they did.
I checked my reflection in the mirror and when I was satisfied with my appearance, I went downstairs. I wasn’t putting on any makeup since I already took a bath, and I couldn’t care less what he thought of me.
I was already on the ground floor and was about to ask the maid I saw for the location of the dining room when I saw Lorenzo in a room by my right, so I entered it and it was the dining room.
Atticus was already sitting at the head of the medium-sized dining table, and a plate had been prepared at the other end of the table which I assumed was for me, so I took a seat and waited as the meal was served on both our plates.
Atticus had not looked up once from his phone since I entered so I didn’t know if he was aware I was here or he was just ignoring me.
Once the meal had been served, Lorenzo and the maids left the dining room, so it was just me and Atticus left.
I didn’t know if I could describe the silence as a tense one because I was sure I was the only one who felt uncomfortable. I decided to ignore the tightness in my stomach and started eating.
I was so tensed that they food which I knew was delicious tasted like paper as I kept taking secret glances at the man who was seated across from me and had yet to give me any form of acknowledgement.
I was halfway done with my meal when he finally put the phone down and began eating without any word to me and it pissed me off.
I was angry that I was pissed because I had anticipated that he would not be nice to me, but he had been the one to call me for dinner when I would have been fine with eating alone so the least, he could do was start a conversation or tell me why he called me down.
I finished my meal in the silence we started and by the time I was done, I was livid. I glared at my husband, practically shooting him arrows with my eyes but he didn’t seem to feel my glare, or he was very good at ignoring people.
Fed up with everything, I pushed my chair and made to stand up so I could head to my room when he decided to speak.
“Did you find it difficult to settle down?” He asked and I scoffed at the stupid question. So, he wanted me to stew first before he spoke. Such a pompous bastard. Who did he think he was?
“It’s a miracle. He speaks” I exclaimed sarcastically, and he looked up from his food for the first time to pin me with what he thought was a warning look.
It seemed like he forgot to read the memo that I was an only child and stares like that didn’t work on me.
“I asked you a question and I would appreciate it if you would give me a proper answer and not a sarcastic one” he said and continued eating his meal.
“And I’m sure your eyes are working properly so you are not too blind to see I have been sitting down here for almost thirty minutes so you could have asked the question a long time
ago” I fired back, and he raised his head to stare at me with raised brows this time.
“I was too busy to make small talk” he replied, and I scoffed at his pathetic excuse.
“And I am too full and exhausted to answer petty questions. Can I go to bed now? I’ve seen a lot of unappealing things in less than twenty-four hours of moving here”
I was being petty, and I knew it but that was who I was. I would not hesitate to be petty if I was mad or hurt and right now, I was mad.
“Fine. Then I guess I should go straight to the point on the conditions of our marriage, I don’t want there to be any misunderstandings between us later on”
His statement made me pause from getting up, so I sat back down. I was confused about these conditions he was talking about because I thought we already went through those with the lawyers before my father died so where were these new rules coming from?
“What do you mean by conditions?” I asked and he dropped his fork and sat back against the chair and focused on me.
I wasn’t comfortable with the look he was giving me, but I had to hold myself back from squirming in my seat because there was no way in hell, I would let him know how much that gaze affected me.
“Certain things you have to understand about this marriage that wasn’t discussed in the presence of the lawyers” He replied slowly like he was talking to a dumb person, and I didn’t like it at all.
“I would appreciate it if you didn’t insult my intelligence and go straight to the point like you said you would. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to be. You aren’t the only one being inconvenienced here”
“Very well, then. First of all, I would like you to understand that this marriage is only on paper so do not expect anything from me just like I won’t be expecting anything from you except when we have to appear in public as a couple”
I laughed as soon as he finished his statement, and he was not happy about it. His face now wore a frown that made him look less attractive as he watched me laugh.
“I’m sorry for laughing but you are so funny, dear husband of mine.” I said and pretended to wipe a fake tear before continuing.
“Whatever gave you the impression that I was expecting something from you?” I asked with a mocking tone “I am happy to see that I am not the only one with this thought. I was going to tell you the exact same thing tomorrow morning”
There was confusion and anger on his face as though he had not expected my reaction to his demand. Maybe he thought I would beg like Lily had suggested his girlfriends did with his sisters.
“Very well, then. I am glad we are on the same page” he said after clearing his throat.
Deep down, I was hurt by his demands so i replied to hurt his ego as well. I knew he was used to girls falling at his feet, but I was never going to be one of them. It was already bad enough that I was an unwanted wife, I didn’t need to be pathetic as well.
I stood up to go to my room when it looked like he didn’t have any other thing to say but he stopped me once again and I was so close to screaming at him, asking him what more he wanted but I held my tongue.
“One more thing” he spoke again, and I sighed exasperatedly.
“You mean you still have other conditions?” I asked, not bothering to mask the exhaustion in my voice as I spoke.
“I want to assure you that you don’t have to worry about providing sex for me. I have mistresses who satisfy me well enough” Just when I thought his cold attitude couldn’t get any worse, he took a sword and stabbed it through my heart.
“Are you this heartless or just pretending to be dumb or are you actually a fool?” I couldn’t contain my anger anymore.
“I don’t like the words you are using so it would be wise to put your tongue in order” he warned but I was past the point of caring.
“What woman would want to hear she isn’t needed in her marriage and that her stupid husband supposedly has mistresses that would satisfy his sexual needs? No woman, you hear me. No woman” I screamed at him.
“I don’t understand why you are so angry. Shouldn’t you be relieved?” He asked.
God. This man has to be the dumbest male I had ever encountered on this earth.
“I understand that you don’t have feelings for me and honestly, I don’t give a fuck, but you don’t have to rub your whores to my face” I spat at him.
“Well, I didn’t think you would get offended. My apologies” I hated how calm he was while I looked like I was ready to fight a war.
“I don’t give a fuck about your whores as long as I am allowed to find my pleasures elsewhere” I watched as his jaw clenched in anger, but he didn’t lash out like I wanted him to.
“As long as you are discreet about it. I wouldn’t want news articles about my wife’s infidelity to be all over the morning paper” That was not the reaction I was hoping for, and I had no
idea why I even suggested it in the first place.
“As long as you are discreet as well. I hope you know that I would also not want to me mocked about not being able to keep my husband’s dick in his pant since he is like a horny teenager that has to fuck anything that moves” I didn’t know that, and I didn’t give a fuck.
I got up abruptly and walked out of the dining hall and I was surprised to find no staff scrambling to get away from the door after eavesdropping which would have been the case if it was my father’s house.
There was no way I was going to take a lover, but I wanted to get a reaction out of him. I was stupid to have expected otherwise.