The next morning,
Reiha opened her eyes suddenly and sighed, staring at the fallen angel painted on the ceiling.
She blinked twice.
“You and I are the same,” she exhaled deeply, “we both have fallen to the ground.”
Rubbing the back of her neck, she murmured, “I shouldn’t have slept on the couch.” She sat up straight.
Her hands pressed against the couch cushion as her eyes turned to her left; the bed was empty.
She ran her hand through her hair and realized that Arthav never returned to the room.
She pulled her hair up and tied it in a loose bun; holding it up with one hand, she looked for the hair tie.
“Where can it be?” she grumbled to herself.
She searched in front of the mirror and in the drawer next to her bed but couldn’t find it.
She raised the pillow, and there it was.
Some of the loose hair strands fell down on her face.
A faint laugh came from the outside; she turned her head and walked to the window overlooking the garden.
Arthav was standing in the garden wearing a crisp white shirt with tailored charcoal pants, holding a teacup in his hand.
As he took a sip, the sun shone on his chin.
He smiled, looking to his right
Reiha also followed his gaze to the right as well and saw a middle-aged lady dressed in a rich blue two-piece dress with a refined, confidence, and elegance, with a big piece of diamond on her finger.
Walking towards him with her arm open.
The lady’s eyes softened the moment she saw him.
“Mother,” Arthav shouted from a distance.
Reiha’s brow scrunched up.
“Huh, Mother?
The lady simpered and pulled him into her arms.
“My boy,” she said fondly.
“I miss you a lot.”
Arthav held the lady’s hand and smiled.
“I miss you too, Ma.” He hugged her again.
Arthav lifted his head towards her direction at the window.
Reiha jerked back and hid behind the curtains.
“Did he see me?” biting her nails nervously, she thought.
“Why did he call her mother? That’s not the lady who was at our wedding.”
She peeked through the curtains again and murmured.
“Then why did he call her mother?”
Something is wrong.
Her chest tightened.
“He is not what he showed.”
Slowly she glanced through the curtain once more.
Arthav remained standing, serene and composed, talking with the woman as if there was nothing matter at all.
She sighed deeply and walked into the bathroom.
Turning on the shower, she lowered her head beneath the stream.
Cold water rushed down her hair and slid all over her body.
Beneath the shower her thoughts tangled with each other.
No matter how hard she tried, her mind failed to answer about what Arthav did last night and why.
Reiha wiped the water from her face and inhaled deeply.
Wrapping a towel tightly around herself, her hair still dripping water to the ground, she stepped out of the bathroom and walked toward her walk-in closet.
Then stopped abruptly.
Arthav was standing there.
Her breath caught instantly.
He took a step closer to her.
She stepped back; her breathing turned uneven.
She looked at him and gulped.
As he moved closer to Reiha, she kept going back until she hit the wall behind her and had nowhere left to run.
She froze.
Arthav placed both of his hands against the wall on either side of her.
He touched her jaw lightly, his thumb brushing her cheekbone.
“Did I hold you too tightly?” he asked.
His eyes were searching her face.
Reiha looked at him, her brows knitted together, she thought.
“What’s wrong with him?”
His lips moved closer to hers; she shut her eyes quickly.
Arthav stopped and leaned closer to her ear and whispered.
“This is just the beginning.”
Reiha opened her eyes again and looked at him.
“Why you shut your eyes?” he murmured, the corner of his lips lifted.
“You really think I was going to kiss you.”
“No.” I shut my eyes cause i don’t wanna see your face.
He chuckled.
“But you have to kitten, every day, every second, for your entire life; you’ll be seeing this face.”
His fingers brushed her collarbone, slipping lower toward her cleavage.
His fingers moved towards the edge of the towel as if about to pull it free.
In an instant, Reiha grabbed his wrist, stopping him before he could go further.
“Don’t,” she snapped
He smirked.
“What’s wrong? There is nothing. ” He licked his lips.
“I haven’t seen there before or touched it.” He smiled lightly.
Reiha pushed him back.
“You’ve seen cause I let you see it,” she said, pointing her finger at him, “but if you ever touch me without my consent again. I’ll fuck your ass.”
He chuckled and touched his nose lightly with his knuckles.
“Well see how hard you can fuck, little trash.”
He looked her in eyes and started to unbuckle his pants.
Reiha looked down, and her heart started to pound rapidly.
She thought, “Is he going to force himself on me?”
He removed his pants and stood in front of her butt naked.
Reiha looked the other way and gulped.
He smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” he said, “just going to shower.”
Then he turned and he walked to the bathroom.
Reiha held the wall with a trembling hand and gulped.
She pulled her hair back from the front of her face and sighed in relief.