His, Forever ✔️

Chapter 18: Thank The Chef

I fled to the other side of the country. 3,000 miles. I put as much distance between us as I could.

But even on the other side of the country, even when I had thousands of men at my disposal, Ezra always crept his way back into my mind. When I had sex with Alex, my vision blurred and my thoughts unclear, when I looked into the bathroom mirror, I saw as if I was there with Ezra. 

I opened the box, and my breath felt like it was taken away. A beautiful baby blue dress sat folded in the box, along with a pair of new golden earrings. 

My fingers ran along the silk fabric, moving it slightly, revealing a note at the bottom of the box.

'Hand-made, just for you.'

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A bouquet of Marigolds sat on my nightstand, courtesy of Ezra. 

The large house where the dinner was taking place sat before my eyes as we walked up the steps. 

A large, glass door remained open for us to enter through. I entered, arm linked with Ezra's, as Eliza, Asher, and Martín walked behind us. 

The sound of laughter, talking, and eating could be heard before we even stepped through the door.

"Ezra!" A man happily greeted him.

Ezra smiled back at him and replied, while my eyes went to a beautiful stone statue that sat in the middle of the room. It was of a woman with long hair and a kind smile. 

"Welcome, I'm Marc," the man smiled widely at me, giving him wrinkles beside his eyes and lips. "I see you looking at the statue of my wife."

"It's beautiful," I told him. 

"It's a shame that somebody broke the rule those years ago," he said vaguely, his voice laced with sadness for a moment. "But at least they're dead now."

Having no idea what he was talking about, I just nodded.

A man at the table called his name, making him turn and return to be sitting. 

"What rule is he talking about?" I asked Ezra. 

"The rules are, that the women become untouchable once you are married. You cannot kill or harm them," he whispered in my ear as we approached the full table. "Somebody broke that rule and killed his wife a few years ago - but they didn't live for a day longer. That's the protection I'm trying to give you."

We reach the table and he shows me to my seat. I sit in between Marc, and a middle-aged woman, with Ezra sitting across from Marc.

The smell of the food was mouth-watering. 

Steak, pasta, vegetables, salad, chicken. Large plates and bowls went down the entire table, free for people to take whatever they wish. 

I wanted to grab the food and eat it, but I felt uncomfortable around all of these people I didn't know.

It was as if Ezra could sense this. He reached across the table and grabbed my plate, and began filling it with food. 

"Don't be nervous, Lilac," he set the full plate in front of me. "The people here are only murders and drug lords."

I kicked his leg under the table, making him smirk.

"I'm serious, though. Don't be nervous. If anybody even lays a hand on you, then they'll lose it," he spoke without sarcasm this time. 

None of the many people here dared to look at Ezra wrong. In fact, they stared at him in a mix of admiration and fear. As if they all wanted his approval, but also felt terrified of him at the same time.