Shoutout to heyambrose for the beautiful picture
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I clenched my eyes shut, as if the darkness could shield me from his gaze. This was a nightmare, worse than any I'd ever had. When I dared to open my eyes, I found Mark staring at me, his expression one of utter bewilderment. He glanced back and forth between me and his friend, the silence in the room growing heavy.
"Don't look at her. She's mine." Evan's voice echoed in the hallway. Despite his state, he managed to shoot a piercing glare in Mark's direction.
"Really? What am I supposed to do then?" Mark retorted; his voice laced with confusion. "Out of all the places we could've met, it happens to be in the house of my friend, your boss. It's like..." He glanced at his wristwatch, then back at me, "...it's freaking ten o'clock at night and I see a woman in your house. I didn't even know where you lived, but she's already here." His face twisted in confusion.
"Rose..." Evan's voice was weak, but I immediately went to his side. I didn't expect him to pull me close to him. I could feel him slowly slipping into unconsciousness. Left with no other choice, I turned to Mark for help.
"Can you please help me take him upstairs?" I pleaded. Mark gave me a disapproving look but complied, nonetheless. Together, we managed to carry Evan's heavy body upstairs and laid him on the bed.
"Woah! Man, you're heavy!" Mark muttered, wiping an imaginary bead of sweat from his forehead.
"Thank you," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
"You're wel..." He stopped mid-sentence, his gaze fixed on something behind me. I turned to see what had caught his attention, only to find him staring at a framed photograph of me and Evan on the bedside table. Our wedding photograph .
Mark moved closer and picked up the small frame. My throat tightened. He wasn't supposed to know.
"What the hell!" He exclaimed, his voice echoing in the room.
"Mark..."
"You two have been married? For God's sake, why couldn't you guys tell me? Evan Carter is married, and no one bothers to tell me." His tone was harsh, and I flinched. This was not what I expected. Evan was soundly asleep on the bed, oblivious to the world.
"Mark, can we talk outside? Please." He stormed out of the room, heading downstairs. I closed the door and followed him, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"Explain," he demanded, turning around to glare at me.
"Why are you angry?" I asked him.
"What am I supposed to do then? I've been thinking of different ways to woo the woman I've met a few times in my friend's office and lo and behold! She's suddenly his wife. For heaven's sake, I liked you, but you made a fool out of me." His words stung, and I felt a pang of guilt. It was never my intention to hurt him.
"I've never led you on. I never said that... I know it was wrong of me to hide this fact from you, but believe me, it wasn't my choice," my voice shaky was shaky as I tried to explain.
"What does that mean? You knew I liked you. You could've told me. Stopped me." His words took me by surprise.
"You like me?" I blinked, "You can't like me. You said you just wanted to be friends with me."
"What difference does it make now?"
He was right. It wasn't going to make a difference now. I was someone's wife. There was no way I was going to be someone else's. We stood there in silence, neither of us knowing what to say next. Mark seemed so angry. I had never seen him so angry. How did I not know that he liked me? Sure, he had flirted with me a couple of times, but he did that with every female employee at Carter Industries whenever he'd come to visit Evan.
"Why didn't anyone tell me you two got married?" He asked out of nowhere.
"No one knows about us except the Carters. We got married in a very quiet and private ceremony," I confessed. He didn't respond, simply turning his head away, clearly irritated.
We fell into silence again.
"Ehm...Do you want food? Stay for dinner. My mother said never to leave a guest without offering food," I said, trying to break the tension. I really wanted things to be uncomplicated and normal between all of us.
But Mark stared at me as if I was speaking an alien language. Then he shook his head in refusal, "I think I should leave."
"Please, stay for dinner. I insist," I pleaded. He smiled.
"You're too nice Rosaline. You don't have to feel guilty about anything. I'm sorry if I'm being harsh with you. I didn't mean to yell at you. I was just.... Anyways, it's going to take me some time to digest this fact but I'm really happy for you and Evan. I don't know why you two have kept this a secret but if I were him, I'd show you off to the whole world." He laughed at his own words. That made smile.
"Anyway, it's getting late. I have to go."
Mark left soon after. I finished my dinner alone and went to the room to check up on Evan. He was still sleeping. I carefully removed his watch, his shoes, and unbuttoned his shirt. But I wasn't as careful as I thought because he stirred sleepily and peeped at me.
"Woah, my sweet Rose, are you trying to take advantage of me?" I smacked his arm. As Evan's heavy body lay next to me, I joined him on the other side of the bed. With the lights switched off, I slipped under the covers. Within moments, Evan rolled over, nestling his head in the crook of my neck, and wrapping his arms around me. His sleepy groan echoed in the quiet room as he tightened his hold on me.
His peaceful slumber was endearing, and I didn't have the heart to disturb him. Soon, sleep claimed me as well.
Awakening to find Evan sprawled on top of me, his head nestled between my breasts, I couldn't help but smile at his childlike innocence. He stirred slightly, nuzzling his head further into my chest. As his eyes fluttered open, a painful moan escaped his mouth.
"Rose! My head is pounding." Evan groaned, rolling off me.
"You had too much to drink last night. You couldn't even walk straight. Your driver brought you home." I deliberately avoided mentioning Mark's name. I didn't want to complicate things further. Evan rubbed his eyes and then clutched his head.
"My head feels like it's splitting open. Damn it!" He groaned.
"I'll get the hangover cure for you." I offered. He threw the sheets aside and somehow managed to stumble to the bathroom. Sighing, I left the room.
We decided to skip work. Instead, Evan chose to work from home when his headache subsided a bit. He was usually grumpy in the mornings after a hangover, but he would gradually improve as the day wore on.
"How did you end up drinking so much?" I asked him when we sat down to eat.
"It's always like that between us. Don't worry, I made sure he got the message loud and clear." He smirked, clearly proud of himself.
"You shouldn't have resorted to violence. He's your friend and it wasn't entirely his fault. He just wanted to be friends with me." I tried to reason with him.
"He had ulterior motives. He confessed as much to me. Do you think I'm going to sit idly by while another man plots to seduce you? He should be grateful that I left him in one piece. No one lays a hand on what's mine." Anger was clearly radiating off Evan. He was practically seething with rage.
"But he didn't do anything. I wouldn't have let him. I'm loyal."
"I don't question your loyalty, but I don't trust Mark either." I could tell he was hiding something. I didn't know much about Evan's past, but I sensed there was some unresolved issue between him and his friend.
"Did something happen between you two?" Before I knew it, I had voiced my thoughts.
"What could possibly happen between us? Don't overthink. Just avoid him and keep your distance." He dismissed the topic, but it was far from over in my mind.
"But.."
"No buts, Rose. The discussion is over. You are going to stay away from him. It's for your own good."
"You sound like my dad." I mentally slapped myself for saying that. But he really did sound like my father. When I was little, he'd scold me whenever I'd be stubborn about anything. As a child, I always thought he was unfairly strict, but as I grew up, I realized that he always had my best interests at heart.
"Do you miss him?" Evan's voice broke me from my trance.
"Very much." I replied. He stayed silent. I stayed silent too. Our earlier conversation long forgotten.
***
The next day, Diana and I met up at the most luxurious spa in town. It was as posh as Diana had described. But she deserved the best. After all, it was her party tonight. We spent most of the day getting pampered from head to toe. It was a wonderful experience. For once, we allowed ourselves to feel like goddesses.
"We should make this a regular thing, don't you think?" She asked. I agreed. Who wouldn't want to be treated with so much pampering and care? My skin already felt incredibly smooth and soft.
We finished our spa day and headed home. "See you in the evening." She hugged me and blew me a kiss.
I decided to visit the local foster homes like I usually did. The goodies I bought for the kids were already delivered. I always felt a strong connection to these children. Being with them and playing with them brought me peace and happiness.
By the time I got home it was already a quarter past six. Upon entering our room, I saw Evan looking as handsome as ever in his expensive black suit and a white dress shirt underneath. He was trying to fix his blue tie around his neck, which really brought out the blue of his eyes.
I fixed his tie and leaned back, admiring my husband's handsome features. I could only imagine how beautiful the woman who gave birth to this beautiful man must be.
"You're leaving so early?" I asked.
"Yeah."
"Alright, I'll get ready too." I stepped into the closet knowing exactly what I was going to wear.
Evan's hand caught my wrist, halting me in my steps. He looked guilty and hesitant. I was taken aback by his sudden change in mood. I had never seen him hesitate over anything before.
"Rose..." He started and I waited for him to continue, "you're not coming."
"I don't understand. Of course I'm coming. It won't take me long to put on a dress."
"I wasn't asking you, Rose, I'm telling you. You're not coming to the party." This time Evan's voice was confident and cold. My smile fell.
"Why can't I go?"
"Because I said so. It's enough if one of us attends."
"But Jake and Diana will be upset if I ditch the party. It's their day, we can't disappoint them. They've been there for both of us and supported us." I couldn't believe he'd suggest something like this. It would make sense if he'd said we'd be going in separate cars or even arriving at different times considering how he felt about our relationship in public. But this was unexpected.
"I'll handle them. You don't have to answer to anyone. I'll come home early, and we can have dinner together. I promise." He replied, taking my hand in his.
"But why do you want me to stay here..."
"That's enough, Rose. I have my reasons, but you don't need to know them. If your husband is asking you to listen to him, you should listen to him for once. I would never intentionally hurt you." He replied, caressing my face. I was hurt by his words. The least I wanted was a reason.
"You don't get to say that. All I ever do is listen to you and follow your orders. You want me to be a good submissive wife then be a good, loving husband first." I could tell Evan was not expecting me to take that tone with him. It caught me by surprise as well. But I had enough of him jerking me around as he pleased.
He sighed exasperatingly. I waited with folded hands for him to come up with a good enough reason. Finally, he spoke, "It's a private family event. I don't want people speculating your ties to the family." I felt like I was slapped in the face. I had always suspected but Evan's admission confirmed that he was ashamed of me. I didn't fit in with the Carter's. I was an outcast and that made sense. I didn't come from wealth, nor did I have the job description to fit their standards. I was only a dirty little secret. Someone he enjoyed in the privacy of his home but could never proudly flaunt in front of the world.
Embarrassed and insulted walked out of the door. I would not cry in front of him. Before I shut the door I halted.
"Take the gift bag with you. Tell them it's from us... or just you."
"Rose, I'll be home before you even know it. Don't go anywhere alone."
"Whydo you care?" I bit out. Before he could respond I shut the door behind me.
. . .
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