CHAPTER 9. MY MAN

I woke up to find the othe side of the bed empty. Seth had already left. I was in a dilemma. Would it be appropriate for me to ask him about the photograph or should I let go?

In a pensive mood, I got out of the bed. I got ready, had breakfast and left for the work.

Going out and doing my work had a therapeutic effect on me; I ended up forgetting about the matters that kept me awake in the previous night. The best thing about my job was that I got to interact with a lot of people. It helped me in coping up with my anxieties and depression.

While getting back, I got a call from Seth. He seemed to have gone back to his normal icy state.

"We will be having some people over for dinner. Make arrangements for that. Make sure you dress pretty for the occasion", said the ice cold man.

"umm Ok, but, Could you tell me the reason for the gathering?", I questioned.

tut..tut...tut..

Then I heard a beep sound. He cut me off again. That was how our conversations usually ended. That man showed no interest in anything I said or answered any queries I had. That was the reason why I always had a hard time trusting him when he displayed superficial kindness.

Then, I reached home and went ahead with the preparation. I got ready and waited for Seth and all the guests.

Seth arrived at 6'oclock. He passed right through me without uttering a word, and started getting ready for the gathering. The people that arrived were Seth's colleagues. One person that I was able to identify among them was Evans Green. He did not work with Seth but he was present among the people who were invited. It seemed that the gathering was kept as a celebration of something. I attended all the guests and went to the living room. Just when I was about to take a sip of my drink, I felt someone's hand at my shoulder. It was Evans.

"Wow, You look really beautiful today. Why are you here all alone? Don't you want to celebrate Seth's achievement", he asked.

I was stunned by the sudden interruption and glared at his face blankly. As I was unaware about the reason of the gathering and particulars, I uttered in a shaky voice," Yes, obviously. I was just having a drink in solitude. I thought of joining the others afterwards.".

"Well, that's fine but you'll have to come with me now. Seth received the award from TIME for the youngest billionaire to achieve such grand success. He called me for the celebration. I thought that this could also be a chance for me to reconcile with my old friends. That's why I came", said Evans.

Then, he grabbed my arm and took me to the dining hall. Though I was Seth's wife, he stood so far from me that the truth of our relationship was quite obvious for the spectators. He was surrounded by a lot of women. That made me uneasy. His secretary, Stacy was standing right beside him. She held his hand in hers. People kept coming towards him to congratulate him. I was grateful that Evans was present otherwise I would have stayed oblivion to the fact that this gathering was actually a celebration of Seth's achievement.

Later, we all sat to have dinner. Stacy sat beside him . I was accompanied by Evans. Seth seemed lost somewhere. After some time, I could feel his gaze upon me. I glared back with a confused face. He seemed to be in a bitter mood. Then, he broke the eye contact we had and glared at his secretary. He kept leaning towards her and whispering something in her ear. They practically looked like lovers. I couldn't take it. Watching me getting all sulken, Evans tried to make me laugh. His stories about all of his adventures were ao funny and alluring that I kept on listening to him. Then, he abruptly took a pause and glared in my eyes.

He grabbed my hand and said," I know what you are going thorugh. Let me help! There is something that I need to tell you. I won't let you be this sack of melancholy anymore".

I was shocked beyond my senses. What did he mean? While leaving, he handed me a note upon which his number was written.

After the party, I got changed and went to sleep. Seth was not there. I was convinced he would be with that Stacy. I was quite resentful in that moment and did not wish to see him . After an hour, he entered. He went to take a bath and came towards the bed to sleep. I pretended to be asleep. Suddenly, I felt heavy weight upon me. It was Seth. He was above me.

Unable to control my anger, I tried to throw him off. He didn't let go. He leaned in towards my ear and said, " Evans has gotten really handsome, I guess. My wife was not able to keep her hands to herself throughout the dinner. I guess I should have let you go with him only".

I glared at him with anger with tears building up in my eyes and asserted, "You should be the last person to question my chastity. How was your date with Stacy? Did you have fun? I guess you should have just stayed with her". His glare scrutinized me and he said,

" I guess someone is jealous. Don't be that way".

He hugged me and buried my head deep in his chest. I tried pushing him away. He wiped my tears off and kissed me hard. He smelt sweet. I enrapped my hands around him and slept.

Next morning, I woke up to find a sleeping Seth beside me. It was Sunday. I guess he didn't need to go out that day. I took a bath and got ready to make the breakfast. As I was cooking, I felt hands enrapping my waist from behind.

"Mon coeur, what are you making?", asked Seth while caressing my cheeck.

I turned and kissed him on his lips and answered," Lemony Apricot Clafoutis, my love".

He glared deep in my eyes and asked," Do you love me?"

I bit my lip and lowered my gaze in embarrassment, and ushered in his ear," "Car, vois-tu, chaque jour je t'aime davantage, aujourd'hui plus qu'hier et bien moins que demain (For, you see, each day I love you more, today more than yesterday, and less than tomorrow)".

He smiled shyly and held my face in his hand and whispered," Je t'aime aussi, Mon Coeur (I love you too)".

I looked at him and placed light kisses on his face. Holding him near to me I asserted," Screw breakfast, I want to have you".

We made love to each other. It was such a blissful day. It was the first time I felt like I was married to the man I loved. He took such good care of me and was very gentle. It was hard to believe he was the same man that left me at my wedding night. Though those things did cloud my mind with confusion, I didn't want to ruin what we had in that moment.

As I laid beside him, he laid a deep kiss on my neck and said," You are so beautiful. You are my woman and I am forever yours. For better or for worse! Forgive me for the things that preceded before between us; there are things that I need to talk to you about. I will need you to love me in that moment more than you ever had. Would you give me the chance ?"

I nodded and kissed him back.