SHE'S MY WIFE

Chapter 11: It's Happening Again

             She'd watched them talk and knew from Max's expressions that something was wrong. Anger, shock, rage, fear, all passed through his face at intervals as TC spoke. Emilia wondered where he'd been. She hadn't seen him since the day Zander was kidnapped. According to Gwen, he'd been in the bathroom when everything had happened. But when the ambulance arrived, the paramedics said Gwen was alone, surrounded by strangers. She hadn't had time to wonder where he'd gone or why he wasn't with her sister in-law.

Now that he was here, she wanted to know. Emilia remembered telling him to watch over Zander. The least he could do was tell her why he'd left. Of course she wasn't blaming him for anything. Playing the blame game wouldn't bring back her son. She just needed to fill in some blank spots so she could finally put everything behind her. Thinking about Zander brought thoughts of Lisandra which Emilia truly abhorred. Having them related in any way brought back the anger she felt at herself. She'd underestimated that witch, and she'd paid dearly. It made her feel a little better knowing she was locked up, but honestly, she would have preferred her to not be in the world of the living.

Dark. It was the only way to describe her thoughts when it came to Lisandra. Even Genevieve didn't evoke those kinds of feelings in her. She was sure given the chance, she would have been capable of killing her two years ago. Outside the burning house, or in court, she wouldn't have cared. Since she hadn't known she was pregnant, her life meant nothing. It would have been so easy for her to end up in that same place Lisandra was. But things were different now. Shaking her head to dispel the dark thoughts, Emilia wondered if it would be appropriate for her to open the window a crack so she could eavesdrop on them.

As if he could hear her thoughts, TC turned his head and smiled at her, like he was letting her know he was aware of her presence there, then went back to talking to Max. He looked her way but it seemed like his attention wasn't really on her. She sighed. Why was she so interested in what they were talking about? For all she knew, TC could have come here to officially resign. No. If that was it then why didn't he do that in front of her? She really wished Thea was there. Due to the nature of her job, she had to learn how to read lips and she could have told her what Max was saying. Deciding it would be easier if she asked him about it later, she left the kitchen, heading upstairs to their room.

Their room. Thea and Preston had slept in the guest room the day they'd arrived, forcing her to let Max sleep in her room. In her bed. Emilia could have moved him after their friends had left but she didn't. She liked having him there. After two years of sleeping alone, it was nice to have a warm body next to her. Especially when that body belonged to her husband. Assuming he hadn't signed the divorce papers. She saw the way he hesitated to touch her. Like he had no right to do that anymore. It made her wonder if he'd finalized their divorce and didn't want to tell her because of Gaby. Was that why he'd hesitated to kiss her that morning?

She knew him well enough to know he was being careful around her. He watched what he said and how he acted. The Max she knew wouldn't allow Doug to walk into their house and not say anything. He would have demanded that Doug hand over the spare keys and even gone as far as to tell him to call before showing up. He was jealous, possessive, a trait she loved and hated at the same time. Loved because it meant he wanted to keep her to himself but hated because he tended to overreact sometimes. What had happened to him? Did he not love her anymore or had she destroyed him that much? Was it her fault he'd lost his confidence?

Because that was what it looked like. If he couldn't even speak up when something bothered him, then he wasn't the same man she'd fallen in love with and married. Which made her wonder what she could do to bring back the old Max. She'd already started on his physical health by making him eat the way he did before. Five meals a day, excluding alcohol. He needed to cut down on that. Now she had to think about his mental health. If she could help him with that, there was a chance he'd go back to being his real self. Emilia had been so deep in thought that when she stopped outside her room, it took her a moment to wonder why she'd done that.