The bathroom door creaked open, releasing a small cloud of warm steam into the air.
Esme stepped into the bedroom with her skin still damp and a plush white towel wrapped securely around her body.
Wet strands of hair clung to her neck and shoulders.
The room around her was completely unfamiliar, a modest, slightly dated hotel room that lacked any of the grandeur she had grown used to at the Carven estate.
Holding her phone to her ear, she listened as Sia’s voice came through the speaker.
“Come on, Esme,” Sia pressed.
“You haven’t seen them in a month.
They’re your parents.” Esme groaned softly, walking over to the mirror.
“I didn’t see my parents the entire six years I was at university, Sia.
I think they can manage not seeing me for a few more years.” “Years?” Sia exclaimed, her voice spiking through the receiver.
“Come on, Esme, you can’t be serious!” Esme looked at her reflection, setting the phone down on the wooden dressing table and switching the call to speaker.
She picked up a small eyebrow razor, carefully angling it against her brow line.
“Fine,” she muttered.
“I’ll try unblocking their number.
If they call me, I’ll pick up.” “Why can’t you call them?” Sia asked.
Esme scoffed, a tiny, amused smirk tugging at her lips.
“Free will.” She chuckled softly under her breath.
Sia let out a dramatic sigh.
“Just make sure you actually unblock them.” “Yes, Mom,” Esme teased, leaning closer to the mirror to focus.
“Ew, who’s your mom?” Sia shot back instantly.
“You, of course.
With the way you nag and treat me, one would think you were my mother.” “I’m only older by a single year, you dumb rat,” Sia snorted.
“I’m well aware, lazy fucker,” Esme replied calmly, carefully shaping her brow.
A brief silence settled between them, filled only by the faint hum of the air conditioner.
Sia finally broke it, her tone dropping into something far more curious.
“So…
how are things over there?” Esme raised an eyebrow at her reflection.
“Over where?” “Your marriage.
Everything.” Esme’s hands slowed.
She let out a long, heavy groan.
“I don’t know.” “What do you mean, ‘you don’t know’?” Sia’s question hung in the air.
Esme dropped the eyebrow razor onto the table, picked up her phone, and walked over to the bed.
She collapsed onto the mattress, lying flat on her back and staring up at the plain ceiling tiles.
“I’m just not really sure,” Esme admitted softly, keeping the phone on the bed beside her head.
“Everything’s been a bit weird lately.
I’ve been feeling weird.” “Oh…” Sia paused, hesitating slightly.
“Is it because of Eli?” Esme rolled her eyes dramatically toward the ceiling.
“What?!
No.
It’s not Eli.
It’s…
Rowan.” Sia chuckled, clearly intrigued.
“Alright, so what’s the gist?” “Gist?” Esme scoffed.
“There’s no gist.
I haven’t even seen him in a week.” “What?
Why not?
Did he travel for business or something?” Esme stared up at the blank ceiling.
“I needed some space to think,” she said quietly.
“The house was feeling suffocating, so I’ve been staying in a hotel.” “What!” Sia squeaked.
“A hotel?
Is he aware of it?” “Nope.
The day I left, I told him I needed room to breathe.
So I went back to the estate, packed a few clothes and necessities, and found a hotel.” Sia let out a slow whistle.
“That’s good.
If you’re planning on running away for good, you know I can help you.” Esme chuckled softly, though there was little humor in it.
“I’m not really thinking about that right now.
It hasn’t gotten to that stage yet.” “Okay, then…” A sharp, firm knock echoed against the hotel room door.
Esme sat upright immediately, her towel tightening around her chest as she looked toward the entrance.
“The maintenance staff is here,” she told Sia.
“Huh?” Sia asked, confused.
Esme swung her legs over the side of the bed.
“The drain in the bathroom is a bit clogged, so I called front desk for someone to fix it.” “Are you staying in some cheap hotel, Esme?” Sia groaned on the line.
“What does it matter?” Esme snapped lightly, standing up.
“I’ll call you later, Sia.
I have to go.” “Are you short on money or something?” Sia asked, concern creeping into her voice.
Esme rolled her eyes at the phone.
“Bye, Sia.” She hung up without waiting for a reply, tossing the phone back onto the bed and muttering under her breath, “short of money, my ass.” The knock came again, slightly louder this time.
“I’m coming!” Esme called out, adjusting the tucked corner of her wet towel.
She walked over to the door, grabbed the handle, and pulled it open.
The sentence she was about to speak died instantly in her throat.
Her eyes widened in absolute shock, and her heart slammed against her ribs with a harsh, painful thud.
Standing in the narrow hallway was Rowan.
“What are you doing here?” she gasped out.
Rowan offered her a calm, effortless smile, his dark eyes scanning her face.
“Hello, Mrs.
Carven.” Instinct took over.
Esme slammed the door shut, leaning her back against the cool wood as her chest heaved.
Her heart was beating so fast it felt dizzying.
“What the fuck…
what the fuck…” she whispered to herself.
From the other side of the door, Rowan’s smooth voice carried through effortlessly.
“Aren’t you going to let me in, my wife?” “Go away!” she yelled back.
“Alright,” Rowan replied smoothly.
“I’ll go away.” Esme’s eyes widened further.
She frowned, muttering under her breath, “Is he really just going away?” She pressed her ear against the cold wood of the door, listening intently.
Total silence met her.
Suspecting he had actually left, she slowly unlocked the door and pulled it open a fraction of an inch, only to find Rowan standing right where he had been, looking down at her with an amused glint in his eye.
“Shit!” Esme tried to slam the door shut again, but Rowan effortlessly caught the edge of the frame with a firm hand.
The strength behind his grip was undeniable.
Realizing she couldn’t overpower him, Esme let go of the handle and stepped back into the room.
Rowan pushed the door open, stepped inside, and closed it gently behind him.
He took his time looking around the cramped space, taking in the basic furniture, the small window, and the outdated wallpaper.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding for a week, my wife,” he said softly, turning back to face her.
Esme stood near the foot of the bed, her wet hair dripping onto her bare shoulders, glaring at him with pure venom.
“Get out.” Rowan’s eyes slowly traveled down her form, taking in the damp towel wrapped around her body and the droplets of water resting on her collarbone.
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze darkening just a fraction before returning to her face.
“Were you really going to allow another man…
the maintenance worker…
look at you while you’re wearing this?” he asked, his voice low and possessive.
Esme looked down at her towel, her cheeks flushing hot before she snapped her head back up.
She pointed a trembling, furious finger straight at the door.
“Fuck off, Rowan!
Get the fuck out!” Rowan didn’t flinch.
He let out a quiet sigh, walking slowly around the room, running a finger over the edge of a cheap wooden desk.
“You said you wanted space, and I gave you that.
But you could have at least searched for a hotel with a larger space.
Or better yet, asked me.
I would have found a proper one for you.” “How did you find me, Rowan?” Esme demanded, her jaw clenching.
“And why are you here?!” Rowan stopped walking.
He turned toward her, crossed the small distance between them, and sat down comfortably on the edge of the bed.
He looked up at her, a soft, devastatingly handsome smile spreading across his face as he tilted his head.
“I missed my beautiful wife,” he said softly, his voice laced with gentle provocation.
“Is that so bad?” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Jael123 Oh dear Lord!!!
This man is every package!
I wish i got a man, who’d chase me around.
Hehe