12. A place to stay.

I have never signed a deal on the very same day it was proposed. Never… There was always much to consider.

Until I met Duke Grand, that is.

Duke Grand, my new husband.

This is insane.

When he proposed this deal, I had no idea he already had the marriage certificate at hand, all that was needed was my signature! I signed after a little bit of hesitation.

And just like that, I've switched husbands.

If anyone told me I would be divorcing just after 5 years of marriage, I would say it was never going to happen. But then it did.

However what's more shocking is not the divorce, because if anyone told me that I would be getting married just some hours after finding out about my divorce, I'd say the person was insane.

And yet, here I am. I was checked into the hospital as Champagne Gold, but I'm checking out as Champagne Grand.

Grand Champagne, haha. This won't get old.

"What will you do now? If you are uncomfortable with going with me to my place for the first time, do you have somewhere you would like me to drop you off?" He's asking as we walk out of the hospital.

He is a strange man. Seriously strange. It's strange that he's asking me this.

However, why do I feel so grateful for him asking?

When I think about it, somewhere I would like him to drop me off… Someplace I could go to rest.

My home of five years is gone, along with my evil husband. The only place I loved to go again was Grandpa's. That too is compromised now that I know he never loved me. I will have nightmares if I sleep there.

Am I even allowed to go there now that I have literally been kicked out?

How do I not have anywhere to go?

I can think of one more person… Mary.

Mary and her husband would be glad to have me spend a night. I know that… But, the last time we spoke, she said her sister was coming over. Her sister has five children, plus Mary's three boys. It will be a full house already. I don't want to add myself to the equation.

That leaves me with no option.

"Can—" My words pause in my mouth as I feel a thick cloth wrap around my shoulders. I turn my head to stare at him with a questioning gaze.

"It's snowing. Your dress is thin." I guess I was cold before, seeing how heat is slowly rising inside me as he buttons me up in his coat.

And as I breathe in… Eucalyptus… that's what it smells like. That's what he smells like.

"T_thank you." I manage to say.

"Mention not." He says as he does the last button. "So? What say you?"

"C_can we stop at a cloth store? I need to buy some—"

"Do not worry about that." He says and takes my hand in his own. "I already prepared what you will need." He says and places a kiss on my knuckles.

God help me. I_ I cannot handle someone being this nice to me.

"Let's go." He says as we walk into the mild pouring snow. A black car parks in front of us and a young man steps out of it and is walking toward us.

"You got everything I asked?" Clearly, Duke knows this stranger… I must say, a handsome one, now that he is standing close to us.

"Yes, everything should have arrived by now." Uh, why does his voice sound familiar? I think I have heard that voi—

""How can you be sure?"" Ahh, I remember, he was there last night when I almost got knocked by that truck.

Why is he looking at me like that though? Like he has some kind of malice towards me.

"Let's go." Duke says as he collects the keys from the man and leads me to the car. I can't help but turn around one more time to see if the man is still staring at me.

He is! Why?! It's such a scary gaze. It turn my head swiftly and scurry into the car through the door opened by Duke. He slams it close and walks to the other side, slides in and sets the car to motion.

I last look at the man outside and this time he makes it clear that he's looking at me. He points his two fingers to his eyes and then points those fingers back at me. Meaning, "I am watching you."

Why?!

What did I do?

…

The ride to his place was a silent one, he only asked me one question, if I was allergic to anything, and I replied with a truthful no. After that it was completely silent.

But I could not keep that silence for long… At least not after I stepped into his world.