Paper Bride ✔️ (Book 4 - DP Series - COMPLETE)

5. I'm A Dragon

I'm up in a heartbeat, searching the house for any sign of the man responsible. To think that Seth had seen me sleeping there and felt the need to do something about his cold wife brings a smile to my face. And yet, the house remains quiet. If he was here before, he isn't now. Maybe I'd dragged the blanket from the back of the couch in my sleep. Maybe I'm the one responsible for keeping me warm—just as I have been for the past four months.

It's time for dinner, but I'm not hungry enough to cook for just myself. So, instead, I fill the tub with steaming water and sink into the heated mist of bubbly delight. My muscles relish in the feel of warmth penetrating the tension, and I let myself relax for a few blissful moments.

Until I hear the front door open.

I don't really give it a thought until I hear Seth's voice. It's not so much the fact that he's talking to someone. It's the someone he's talking to that bothers me. I pull myself up and lean over the tub, hoping that getting a little closer to the door will help me hear better. I hear some muffled laughs and then things go quiet for a moment until I hear an unmistakably feminine voice mention that she needs to head home.

"Alright," Seth replies. "Have a good night, Tracy."

I can feel nausea scorching its way up the back of my throat. Is he rubbing it in? I ask if he's cheating and just to make a mockery of me, he brings her home? To my house. I'm furious in seconds. And then another thought snuggles into my mind; the thought that maybe he brought her here to give me peace of mind.

I shake the idea away, quickly pulling my water-logged body from the bathtub. I wrap my towel around me, securing it into place by tucking the end into my cleavage. I want to yell and scream, but I have nothing to say. I'm literally stunned into silence.

After letting the water drain, I swing the door open and slip quietly into my room. My mind is buzzing. There has to be something I can do. I can't just sit back and let Seth destroy our marriage. I won't allow it.

I slip one of Seth's large t-shirts over my head. It comes to mid-thigh, and that's good enough for me. There's no one here that I need to be modest for. I don't bother brushing my blonde hair. My fingers will have to do. I run them through the strands, eyeing my tresses in the mirror. When Seth and I first met, my hair was a bit shorter. Now it hangs down the middle of my back without a single curl in sight. I've wondered a few times if my appearance has pushed Seth away. I'm not the girl he remembers. Maybe if I tried to convert to my old appearance, he'd want me.

I nearly laugh at the thought. I'm not a complete moron. I know that can't be the only reason he can't stand me. Really, a man doesn't leave his wife because she grew out her hair. Besides, I'm happy to admit to myself that I look way better now than I did then. Maybe Seth just can't see that. He's so blinded by his desire to escape that he can't even see me as a woman anymore. But he's wrong. I'm definitely a woman. I'm a woman in all the right places, and I'm not ashamed to admit that.

A knock on my door has every atom in my body halting in place. I'm pretty sure my heart even holds its breath for a second as it tries to figure out what exactly just happened. Nobody has knocked on my door in months. Seth doesn't dare venture into what he's labeled as my domain. Unsure of what could be the cause for the interruption, I briefly wonder if it's some kind of medical emergency that has him seeking me out.

"Yes?" I call out, turning away from the mirror to face the door.

It creaks open slowly and I see Seth peering through the crack. When his eyes settle on mine, he pushes the door the remaining distance until it's standing wide open.

"What's wrong?" I ask, not able to hide the worry from my voice.

"Why would you think something's wrong?"