3. Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-Annabella-
I had finally come to understand why my sister had chosen Kace for me and why no one found it implausible that I could marry such an incredibly handsome man... An accident had confined him to a wheelchair.
Standing outside with my books, I felt a wave of terror wash over me. I stared at the door, my body tensing with anxiety. How did I end up here? Why had I let my insecurities dictate my decisions? But it seemed like people were mocking me behind my back. Chasing after my sister’s boyfriend, now fiancé—how pathetic could I be? That’s why I couldn’t stay.
Shaking my head, I summoned my courage. There was no turning back now. I climbed the stairs, knocked, and soon a woman answered the door.
For a moment, with her radiant smile and cheerful demeanor, I almost convinced myself that she was his mother. But I quickly reminded myself that it couldn’t be possible unless ghosts were real.
“Miss Annabella?” she inquired.
“That’s me,” I said and smiled.
“My apologizes. It should be Mrs. now, shouldn’t it?”
“That’s what the papers say,” I teased.
I had never thought myself to be a funny person, but the woman laughed like I had told her the funniest joke, and it made me feel good. I stepped in, and the older woman welcomed me.
“I'm Mariam. I'm in charge of keeping the house in order. If you need anything, you can come to me. I'm here to help you settle in as well. Shall we bring your suitcases to your room?” she politely asked.
“Oh, yes, please.”
We walked up the enormous staircase, and I stopped for just a moment in the middle of it, looking around and feeling mesmerized by everything. His house was more than grand. It was bigger than my parents’. It had to have cost him millions to buy it, as it was located right in Beverly Hills.
“Mrs.?” Mariam called.
“Just Annabella. I would prefer that,” I informed her.
“All right then,” Mariam said. “Is everything okay? Not to your liking?”
“It’s all very good. I was just taking it in.”
“If it does not suit your taste, Mr. Connor has given you clear permission to change whatever you would like.”
“Oh, really?” I inquired.
“Yes.”
“I'm probably not going to change anything. It’s not really my house.”
“It is now,” she said and continued upstairs, but as we walked higher up, I realized something and stopped again.
“Eh, Mariam?” I called.
“Yes?” She turned.
“Kace can’t… walk, right?”
“A little, he can.”
“But he wouldn’t climb a staircase, would he?” I asked.
“No, he wouldn’t,” she said, giving me a small smile.
“Why are we going upstairs, then?” I inquired.
“I’m sorry?”
“He must have a room downstairs, right?” I asked.
“He does. He has even connected a few rooms to make it bigger for him,” she informed me.
“Shouldn’t I sleep downstairs then?”
“You want to share the room with him?” she inquired.
“Oh no! I mean… not… yet. I mean, we have never even spoken, but I thought it would be easier if he wanted something from me, that I had a room downstairs.”
“There is an intercom,” she explained.
“It seems very… eh, over the top, when I can sleep downstairs. Unless there aren’t any bedrooms there?” I inquired.
“Not as big,” she replied.
“That’s okay. I packed little, as you can see.” I held up my suitcase and then gestured to the one in Mariam’s hand.
“Are you sure?”
“I'm sure,” I assured her.
“Very well,” she said.
We walked downstairs again and found a room for me. It wasn’t big—much smaller than my normal bedroom—but it was rather cozy. It had light cream walls, a big queen-sized bed, and a closet with plenty of space for my things. I took my suitcase from Mariam and walked over to the small walk-in closet.
“Are you sure this will be enough?” Mariam asked.
“It’s fine,” I reassured her, giving her a small smile.
“Because we can still walk upstairs. Are you sure you don’t even want to see the rooms there?”
“No need. He would need me down here, anyway.”
Mariam looked at me like I had lost my head, and so I tried to reassure her with my eyes that it was fine.
“All right. I will inform him that you’re here. When you feel ready, he wants you to go see him. He has his room down the hallway,” she said.
“Thank you.”
I continued unpacking slowly, postponing the moment I had to face Kace. But nervousness gripped me anyway. My hands were sweaty and clammy, and my heart was racing.
Even with my hair up and wearing a small pastel-colored dress, I still felt uncomfortably warm. Knowing I couldn’t delay this for too long, I forced myself to muster courage as I finished unpacking the clothes. With a deep breath, I lifted my chin and resolved to act braver than I felt.
Walking down the hallway, I halted before a pair of double doors before I hesitated, my hand poised to knock.
“You can do this. He’s just... your husband,” I whispered to myself.
Finding my strength, I knocked, and a commanding voice from inside granted me entry. Swallowing hard, I finally moved forward.
Pushing the door open, I cautiously peered inside. At first glance, Kace was nowhere to be seen, but as I stepped further into the long room, I found him seated at the far end, in front of a desk.
“Annabella?” he called.
“Yes,” I said.
He gestured for me to come closer, and I shut the door quietly behind me before making my way down the length of the room. It felt as though I were a commoner seeking an audience with a king, exacerbating my already racing heart. Had I made a terrible decision? Deep down, I knew I had, but it seemed like my only escape from the looming humiliation that followed me wherever I went.
Stopping a few paces from his sturdy brown desk, I avoided his gaze by focusing on various points of interest around the room before finally meeting Kace’s eyes.
He smiled warmly, momentarily easing my fears with his charm. Despite being seated in a wheelchair, his face bore no signs of the accident that had crippled him. He looked just as handsome as in the few pictures I had seen of him.
“All settled in?” he asked.
“I am,” I replied.
“Which room should I call to get you?”
He had a strange smile on his lips, almost like the one my sister had carried when she told me she was going to find me a husband.
“I… No need. I'm down here,” I replied.
Kace turned shocked, and it only made me even more confused.
“What?” he asked.
“Yes, I mean, I knew you couldn’t… I mean, I knew you weren’t sleeping upstairs, so I asked for a room down here,” I explained.
“You asked for a room down here?”
“I did, and… eh, so no need to call. I’m sure if you yell really loudly, I will hear,” I chuckled, but he didn’t laugh at my little joke.
“Just down the hallway,” I added.
“But those rooms are not as big as upstairs,” he told me.
“I know. I don’t need a big one. It’s fine. You’re down here, and considering we are… married, we should probably at least try to make it work, right?” I asked.