Chapter 17
CORMAC
I hate that I have to leave Brenna home alone when she isn’t feeling well. Especially for something as ridiculous as a supply check.
I find myself wishing I had more people I could trust. People that could do these mindless tasks instead of me. Of course, I know I can’t trust anyone, especially with there being some added threats flying around us right now.
Thankfully the check didn’t take very long. All of twenty minutes and I was out of there.
I’m anxious now in the back of the truck, waiting to get home and make sure that Brenna is okay.
I send Maxim a text message to make sure he’s doing what he was told and checking on her. He replies back that he called in to her and she asked for uninterrupted rest.
She wants some quiet time. I guess rushing back home and fussing over her isn’t really giving her what she wants.
My eyes scan the scenery out the window and it settles on a small strip of stores. It’s the middle of a weekday and after the holiday, so there aren’t many people outside.
Before I realize what I’m doing, I press the intercom button to talk to the driver.
“Pull over here. I need to go into that store.”
The car comes almost to a screeching stop before slowly pulling into an open space.
I don’t think I’ve been out of my own property on my own for years. Now I’m going into a store. I need to do this though. I need to show Brenna how much she means to me.
There is one way for me to do that. I need to give some meaning to how we started.
Our marriage was forced upon both of us, but if I had the choice, I’d marry Brenna every day.
She’s perfect for me. Understanding, feisty, caring, and beautiful both inside and out.
And for some reason, she sees good in me.
I would be a fool to ever even attempt to look for anyone better. There isn’t anyone better.
Looking out of the car, I wait until there is absolutely no one in my immediate vicinity before I step out of the truck. My palms are sweaty and every step I take away from the safety of the truck feels like I’m getting ready for a fight.
It’s just my anxiety. My need to be invisible. I can’t stay invisible, not if I want to keep Brenna.
I’m not sure if she knows it, but she is only required to stay married to me for a year.
That is the length of the contract. After that, she can choose to divorce me.
I was set for that when this first started, counting down the days until I could put those papers in, but now I can’t see my life without her.
I don’t want just a year. I want all my years to be with her.
Letting out a deep breath, I push on the door to the high-end jewelry shop, but it doesn’t open up.
I look inside and see employees. They look through the clear glass at me.
One of the women is startled and her eyes open wide when she gets a good look at my face.
The shock turns to fear, but the other woman looks me over once and simply presses whatever buzzer she needs to in order for the front door to open.
I frown at the woman who stared at me like I was some type of miscreant before I walk over to the other who was kind enough to buzz me in without much fuss.
“How can I help you?” she asks, her voice polite and soft.
“First, a question. Do you all make commissions here?” I ask loud enough for the other woman to hear.
“Er… why do you ask?” The one helping me furrows her brow. I guess it’s not a normal question.
“Indulge me, please.”
“Yes, we do.”
“Wonderful. I need to look at some rings.” She hesitates for only a second before she takes me over to a display with some run-of-the-mill rings.
“No, this won’t do.” I shake my head before she even has the chance to reach in and show me any of them. Brenna isn’t just a normal woman. She deserves the best of the best.
“Okay, do you have a certain cut or size in mind?” the woman asks.
I raise my eyebrows and shrug my shoulders. I don’t have the slightest clue. “It needs to be showstopping.”
“Okay, price range?”
“Show me your absolute best.”
She smiles bigger. “Give me a second, I have a few exclusive pieces in the back.” She walks away and I turn to stare at the woman on the other side. She quickly glances down as if she were embarrassed. It’s nice to know that I don’t have to be the one who is ashamed in this scenario.
Seconds later the woman helping me walks back out with a tray of about two dozen rings, some of them with diamonds bigger than my knuckle. I’m sure they are expensive, but they don’t say Brenna to me.
“Crap, this is hard… I don’t know which one. Any suggestions?” I look up at the helpful woman and she leans closer, but not so much as to intrude on my space.
“Well, let me ask you a bit of a personal question first.” She looks at me, waiting for my approval.
“Go on.”
“Okay, I assumed when you said you were looking for rings it was for an engagement, but now that I’m looking at your hand I see you already have a wedding band on. Did I get it wrong?”
My eyes drop down to my left hand and the black band there on my ring finger. “No, actually I wasn’t able to buy an engagement ring for my wife. She has a plain band now. I want to make that right.”
“Aww.” She stands straight and claps her hands once. “That’s so sweet. So tell me a little something about her. Maybe I can help you narrow it down.”
Trying to put Brenna into simple words is tongue-tying. “She’s beautiful, long dark hair. She’s like a rolling storm. Sometimes she can be calm, peaceful, warm, a perfect angel, but there are times she can be fiery, strong, a force to be reckoned with.”
The woman laughs. “Sounds like she’s keeping you on your toes… good girl.”
“That’s an understatement.” I add, and actually chuckle along with her.
“Well then, based on what you’re telling me, I don’t think the plain solitaires would be a good choice for her.” She picks those out of the case and lays them to the side. “What about size, is she a particularly flashy woman? Does she wear a lot of jewelry usually?”
“No, not much at all. Though I do want this to be seen. Want it to be a reminder every day of how much I care for her.”
“Right, I’m thinking maybe one of these.
” She directs my eyes to several rings that seem less conventional.
Instead of the typical round diamond shape, these are diamond cut, emerald, oval.
As I’m looking over them, one in the corner catches my attention.
It’s tilted so I can’t see the full face of the ring.
The entire band of the ring is set with diamonds, but the main diamond is a large emerald cut.
What really makes it stand out is the pink or maybe reddish tint to it.
“Is this a mistake or is something wrong with it?” I gesture to the pinkish red colored ring.
“Oh no, it’s not a mistake. These are rose diamonds. They are rare and usually hard to set. But they are incredibly beautiful.” She hesitates before she continues, “I have to let you know it is one of our more expensive pieces.”
“Expensive, good.” I say loud enough once again so the woman behind can hear. I want her to know what she’s missed out on.
The woman in front of me smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. She probably doesn’t think I’ll make the purchase.
I pick up the ring and examine it in my hand. It’s still delicate, but the pink hue to the diamonds almost feels like the fire that sometimes burns so bright in Brenna.
Yeah, this is it. This is the one.
“I’ll take it.” I say, pushing the ring back in her direction.
“Wait,” she blinks in shock a few times, “don’t you want to know how much it is first? I can find you others similar to this, maybe one that is tinted?”
“No, I want this one.”
Her fingers shake as she picks up the ring. “It’s sixty-seven thousand dollars,” she whispers, as if she doesn’t want anyone to hear.
I raise my voice. “Sixty-seven thousand dollars. I see. Are you permitted to accept tips?”
Her face goes bright red. “Yes, we can.” She says, matching my volume.
“Great, make it an even seventy thousand and the excess can be for your tip.”
She squeals in excitement, in probably not the most professional manner, but her happiness is infectious.
Now I’m starting to feel bad for the woman behind.
Not bad enough though. The one working with me quickly rings the purchase up and puts it into an ornate case, which I have to tell her to change to a regular flip-top one.
I don’t want to get caught up trying to open a box that doesn’t want to budge.
I hand her my black card so she can put the purchase through and I swear I see her nearly swoon when it quickly comes back approved.
She thanks me profusely for the tip and for being a customer after she brings out some paperwork for a warranty and insurance that she is adamant I fill out. That way if it’s ever lost or damaged I can be covered.
I take the paperwork and the ring and slip it into my pocket. As I make my way to the door, I turn to look at the woman across. She still looks ashamed, but at least now she can bear to make eye contact with me.
“Next time I come back, remember me. Maybe you’ll have something I need.” It’s only to assuage some of her guilt. I know my face comes as a shock to a lot of people. I can afford to give her a second chance.
“Yes, sir, absolutely. You have a great day.” She pipes up and I walk out of the jewelry store feeling like I truly accomplished something. Now just to get home and ask my wife if she wants to marry me.
***
I’m not even nervous on the ride home. I’m not sure if it’s because we are already married or because of how sure I am of how much Brenna cares for me. Honestly, I’m more anxious about getting home and making sure she’s feeling better.
The second I walk in the house, a chill I haven’t felt in weeks slams into me.
The shadows are deeper. The walls creaking with whispers I’ve been able to put out of my mind. Something is wrong.
“Brenna?” I call out. If she’s sleeping I’ll apologize, but right now I just need to make sure she’s okay.
I rush to her room and she’s laying in bed. She sits up on the opposite side so her back is to me.
“Brenna?” I call to her again, softer. The entire room is devoid of light. She doesn’t even have the drapes open so the sunlight can come in. Maybe she has a headache.
“What?” she snaps at me, her tone laced with venom.
“What’s wrong? You’re not well.”
“I’m perfectly fucking fine.”
“You don’t seem fine.” I take a few more steps in the room, trying to get a good look at her.
“I’m telling you I am. Now what do you want?” she questions. The chill seems to be coming from her. I know it’s impossible, but I don’t ever remember her being so cold to me.
I’m hoping this ring in my pocket will thaw her out.
“I wanted to give you something. Something I should’ve given you a while ago.” I reach into my pocket and, with a courage I’m scrambling to come up with, present her with the ring.
She looks at the ring, tilts her head, laughs, and then looks up into my eyes. The fire I thought the color of the diamonds emulated scorches in her gaze.
“A fucking engagement ring? You truly are out of your mind, Cormac. This isn’t a real damn marriage. This is a business deal. I’ve already got this shackle of a wedding band on my finger, there’s no way I’m letting you add a bigger one. Get that away from me.”
My heart drops to my feet.
This isn’t how I thought she’d react. Maybe I should’ve been more nervous about doing this for her. I thought we were on the same page. I thought the feelings were mutual.
“Brenna, what is wrong? What did I do?” I ask, scouring my memory for a reason for her to be acting this way to me.
“You exist. That’s what you did wrong. You’re a cold, heartless savage who is holding me here against my will and I won’t pretend it’s anything else. I won’t fake it for you or for my father. You are my problem.” She hisses and gets to her feet to stalk toward me.
I’ve been in burning rooms, have had guns pointed at me, but not once have I ever felt the panic I feel now with her coming in my direction. When my back hits the wall I have no choice but to stand my ground.
“You’ve got to be feverish. This isn’t like you at all.”
She tosses her head back and cackles like a madwoman. “This is exactly like me. Are you impressed? Do I make the cut?” She points her finger in my face. “You disgust me. Everything about you irks me to my very core. Leave.” She orders, pointing to the door.
“No, I’m not going to leave. Something is wrong. Tell me what it is so I can fix it. Don’t fucking do this, Brenna. Not now. Just talk to me.”
I can see it before it happens. She pulls her hand back and smacks me across the face hard.
“Get out!” she screams so loud I’m sure the windows shake.
“Fucking leave!” She raises her hand to hit me again, but I block the blow.
It doesn’t deter her. Instead, she hits my arms. The blows come fast and furious.
With each one she screams at me to leave.
There’s no getting through to her like this. The woman I thought I was in love with isn’t standing in front of me. Maybe this was the real Brenna after all. I shove her back and she stumbles but thankfully doesn’t fall to the floor. Instead, she lands on the bed, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Leave me alone. Leave me alone, Cormac. Go.” She orders over and over.
I clench my jaw, having nothing to say.
I turn on my heel and walk out of her room, the engagement ring feeling like a concrete brick in my pocket.