CHAPTER 7

"Alexander! What are you..." The rest of her words were muffled as his lips crashed against hers, swallowing the words she was about to say and taking her breath away. Her mind went blank for a moment before her eyes widened in shock, her heartrate increasing. What the hell?!

He kissed her fiercely making her head spin and her body short of breath. She felt as though her whole body was on fire and he could hear her fast-paced heartbeat. She began pushing him away even though some silly part of her was tempted to pull him closer.

Alexander had no idea what had gotten into him. All he knew was that when he held her in his arms, all of his pent-up frustration came bubbling up and he suddenly kissed her. Both to vent and as a form of punishment. He wanted to punish her for making him so frustrated, for forcing him to this point, for making him marry her and most of all because at that moment, he simply wanted to. But when his lips met hers, he forgot the reason for his absurd behavior and all that was left was the feeling of her soft lips against his. His hands went up from her shoulders to her face, tilting her head and deepening the kiss. The feeling of soft hands pounding on his chest brought him back to his senses and he released her like he'd been electrocuted. Scarlett took a deep breath and stared at him, chest heaving and heart pounding a mile a minute.

"What on earth was that all about?" she asked, flushed, confused and angry. He could not do this to her. She wasn't a toy he was allowed to play with and discard whenever he pleased.

"You do remember your words about any form of intimacy between us, right?" she asked even though it was the last topic she wanted brought up between them especially after the kiss.

Alex wasn't quite sure how to answer her questions because even he wasn't quite sure what happened. At first, the kiss had been a means to punish her, or so he thought but as he recalled the feeling when their lips met, and saw her face glaring back at him, looking flushed and her cherry like lips, he knew that wasn't all. But then again, he'd been attracted to her for some time before Ella, so it was probably just a fluke, and she was now out of his system.

"Don't overthink it! You are my wife for all intents and purposes. One kiss shouldn't give you any ideas. Everyone's waiting for us back there. Better to give them something to speculate on instead of the real facts of our marriage."

"Oh... It was just for show..." she muttered to herself. She was disappointed by the answer but not surprised. She'd gotten so used to listening to his awful words to her that she didn't even stop to think about exactly how it was for show, in the bathroom, alone.

" We should get going," and he walked out leaving her standing there in a daze. As needy and quite frankly thrilled as that kiss had made her, it also reaffirmed her previous decision to get a divorce. If this happened again, she wasn't sure that she was strong enough to hold herself back from staying by his side. But right now, she was clear headed enough to know that those breadcrumbs he gave her, were just that. He reserved his love and his heart for someone else.

She followed him out and he was outside the door waiting for her in deep thought.

"Let's go" she said passing by him. He reached out his hand to stop her, grabbing her arm and pulling her to himself.

"Now we can go." With one hand on her waist, they proceeded back to the dining room.

Her confidence regained, she picked up her fork and knife and proceeded with her meal. Unknown to her, Jennifer, picking up on her change in mood, mistakenly thought that they'd patched things up. Moreover, the color on her cheeks that was yet to fade told its own story. She could hear her muttering to Mariah a in low disgruntled voice, throwing her angry and dissatisfied looks and she was pretty sure that she'd said nothing complementary about her. At the end of the meal, everyone retired to their respective rooms, and she excused herself, heading to the library, finally relieved to be alone with the door shut. Her sanctuary. She could read or design and no one would think to find her here, not even her husband.

Alexander walked into their bedroom and took a shower before getting into bed and proceeding to work on his laptop. He kept checking his watch, wondering where she'd disappeared off to. This was one of the times he tended to try and avoid her, when they were at his parents' or grandparents' place. On those days when they were required to spend the night, they had to pretend to be a normal couple. She previously used to sit up and wait for him to get back to their room. To her, it was one of the few times they got to share the room and bed and the only time she could be with him, as indifferent and cold as he usually was around her. However, today, the roles were reversed. He was stuck waiting for her. Why he was even waiting for her was beyond him. Was she deliberately avoiding him after the kiss?? Where was she anyway?

Then his phone rang, a unique ringtone. The caller ID read Your Ella with a love heart. She'd saved herself on his phone as such. This was the woman he loved. Why was he even bothered by the actions of a woman he did not care about? Smiling, he picked up the call, walking to the balcony.

"Hello Baby," Her sweet voice came through the speaker, reminding him why she was the one for him.

Scarlett left the library on the way to the bedroom some time before midnight and took a detour to the kitchen for a glass of warm water. On her way back, she ran into Mariah. at the landing. Mariah was only fifteen, still a teenager and very easily influenced. Jennifer was twenty. Jennifer had never really liked her, and she had no idea why, as for Mariah, that was just a different situation altogether.

"Well... well... well... if it isn't the unwanted wife," Mariah started with an evil smirk. "Were you off crying alone, mourning your sad life and wishing for my cousin's love?"

"Mariah, I'm not in the mood for this today. Besides, it's already very late shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Stop mothering me Scarlett, you're not my mother. Besides, shouldn't you be more concerned with your lack of kids. If you're not careful, my cousin will kick you out one of these days and replace you with a more able woman if you catch my drift."

"Mariah dear, you should stop worrying about things that don't concern you as a young girl such as my marriage to your cousin and focus on your studies instead. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to bed. I suggest you do the same." She replied as she made her way past her and proceeded to their bedroom.

"I'm getting some warm milk, I can't sleep," came a low voice from behind her and she smiled to herself. "Don't overthink it. I'm telling you because you asked not because I care or anything..."And she left for the kitchen. They really are related; she couldn't help thinking to herself while shaking her head.