Chapter 2 #2
But before the little courage left inside her disappeared completely, she forced herself to move.
Her shaky gaze searched through the closet until it landed on a delicate red lingerie hanging near the back. Her fingers hesitated before slowly reaching for it. The silky material slipped through her trembling hands as she pulled it down.
The fabric was delicate and thin, the neckline low and revealing.
Then, clutching it tightly against her chest, she hurried toward the bathroom.
The warm light inside the bathroom illuminated her pale face in the mirror as she stood there silently for a few seconds, staring at her exhausted reflection.
Her eyes were swollen.
Her makeup slightly smudged.
Her face pale.
She looked like someone trying desperately not to fall apart.
She turned on the shower and began washing away her makeup with trembling hands. Cold water ran down her fingers as she wiped her face again and again, trying to calm the storm inside her chest.
A few minutes later, she changed into the lingerie.
The thin fabric barely reached her thighs. The deep neckline exposed far more skin than she had ever dared to reveal before.
Her hands instinctively moved to cover herself.
Her heart was beating painfully fast.
She felt embarrassed. Nervous. Vulnerable.
Everything mixed together so violently inside her chest that it became hard to breathe.
The bathroom light remained on while the bedroom outside stayed dim and quiet.
Then suddenly—
Footsteps.
Amara froze instantly.
She recognized those footsteps immediately.
Elias.
Her fingers tightened slightly at her sides as she slowly closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.
Outside, she heard the faint sound of keys being tossed onto the table before his deep voice broke the silence.
“You came home with Juliet? I thought you were coming home with me. Couldn’t you at least inform me?”
Amara swallowed hard before finally stepping out of the bathroom.
Elias stood near the bed, loosening his tie absentmindedly.
Then suddenly, soft arms wrapped around his waist from behind.
His entire body stiffened.
He immediately turned around.
And froze.
His eyes landed on her.
For the first time that night, complete silence filled the room.
Amara stood there nervously in lingerie, her damp hair falling loosely around her shoulders. The thin fabric clung softly to her body, the deep neckline exposing her skin and curves.
Elias’s movements stopped completely.
His gaze darkened slightly before moving back to her face.
Amara’s throat tightened under his stare.
Still, she forced herself to speak.
“We’ve been married for over a year, Elias…” she whispered shakily. “Can we sleep together tonight?”
There was nervousness in her expression.
Hope.
Fear.
Everything she had left was placed in that single question.
But she couldn’t stop herself anymore.
Not after hearing she only had three months left to live.
Not after realizing she might die without ever once being kissed by the man she loved more than anyone.
Amara slowly looked up at him, her glassy eyes fixed on his face as she waited desperately for some reaction.
Anything.
Elias gently removed her arms from around his waist. The warmth of his body disappeared instantly.
Then he stepped away from her.
“There’s no hurry,” he said calmly. “We will do it later.”
The words shattered her completely.
He sounded so unaffected.
So untouched by her.
As if she could stand in front of him wearing nothing at all and it still wouldn’t matter.
Amara felt her heart crack so violently it almost felt physical.
If heartbreak made a sound, she was sure the entire house would have heard it.
But then—
The doctor’s voice echoed inside her head again.
“You only have three months left to live.”
And then Elias’s answer followed.
“There’s no hurry. We will do it later.”
The words suddenly became unbearable.
Because later was the one thing she didn’t have.
Her fingers curled tightly beside her body as she tried to stop herself from crying.
She didn’t want later.
Before she died… she wanted to kiss the man she loved.
She wanted him to hold her. To love her.
She wanted to know what it felt like to truly belong to him.
Wasn’t that what marriage was supposed to be?
And if she had to tell him about the tumor for him to finally give that to her—
She will.
Her breathing shook as she gathered the remaining courage inside her chest.
Slowly, she stepped closer again.
Her trembling hand reached for his.
“Elias…”
She swallowed hard.
“I have something to tell you.”
Elias looked down at her hand holding his before his gaze lifted toward her face.
But before she could continue, his phone suddenly rang from the bedside table.
The sharp sound cut through the silence mercilessly.
Immediately, Elias pulled his hand away from hers and reached for the phone.
“Yes,” he answered coldly.
Amara stood there frozen, watching him.
After a few moments, he ended the call.
“I need to go back to the office.”
His tone was dismissive as he grabbed his coat.
“There’s something important I need to handle.”
Then he turned and started walking away.
Panic instantly crossed Amara’s face.
“No—”
She hurried after him, grabbing his wrist tightly.
“Elias…”
Her voice cracked softly.
“Don’t leave.”
Elias roughly pulled his hand out of her grasp as if her touch irritated him.
He yanked his hand out of her grasp without a single care. His fingers slipped from hers harshly, almost violently, before he stepped back as if her touch disgusted him.
Amara froze.
Shock flashed across her face at the aggressiveness in his actions. Her trembling fingers slowly curled into fists at her sides while tears instantly filled her eyes. For one brief second, hurt flickered inside them… before it twisted into anger.
Pure humiliation.
Her chest rose and fell sharply as she stared at him.
“Why the hell are you always trying to run away from me?” she cried out, her voice cracking painfully. “We are married, Elias!”
She took a shaky step toward him, tears spilling down her cheeks uncontrollably.
“Am I really not even as important as your work?” she shouted. “What matters more to you? Your meetings? Your company? Your work or me?”
Her voice broke harder with every word.
“We’ve been married for a year! I’m your wife!” Her hand slammed against her own chest. “Do you even care if I live or die?”
His expression did not soften even slightly as he stared at her with eyes filled only with irritation and exhaustion.
His jaw tightened.
“You need to stop threatening me with your life,” he said in a deadly calm voice.
Amara stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re not a child anymore, Amara.” His tone grew colder. “Stop throwing these tantrums your parents spoiled you with. This kind of behavior might work on them, but it won’t work on me.”
Every single word felt like a slap across her face.
Amara’s lips trembled.
And then Elias turned around.
Without another glance at her, he strode toward the door with calm, steady footsteps while she completely broke down behind him.
A sob tore from her throat.
Tears burst from her eyes violently as panic and rage crashed through her chest all at once.
“Elias!” she screamed after him.
But he didn’t stop.
The moment he stepped out of the room, something inside her finally snapped.
Her tear-filled eyes landed on the crystal vase resting on the table beside the wall. In blind anger, she grabbed it with shaking hands and hurled it toward him with all her strength.
But the door slammed shut before it could reach him.
The vase crashed violently against the door instead.
Crash.
Glass exploded everywhere.
Glass exploded everywhere across the marble floor. Water splashed across the walls and furniture while white roses scattered violently across the ground. Sharp shards slid across the floor with scraping noises before settling into silence.
Amara collapsed to her knees.
Amara’s body gave out completely.
She collapsed onto her knees beside the shattered glass, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. Her shoulders shook uncontrollably while tears poured endlessly down her face.
Her chest hurt.
Everything hurt.
It hurt so much she thought she might actually die from it.
Just then, the door opened again and Kaya, one of the maids, hurried inside after hearing the noise.
“Madam—”
She immediately froze at the sight before quickly hurrying toward Amara.
“Please don’t cry,” the maid said softly, kneeling beside her. “Mr. Creed cares about you. You just need to have patience—”
Amara let out a broken laugh through her sobs.
“Patience?” she cried.
Her hands pressed against her chest as if trying to stop the pain tearing through it.
“For a year…” Amara sobbed.
Her voice cracked apart as tears streamed endlessly down her face.
“For a whole year I’ve done everything just to become his wife.”
Her shoulders trembled violently.
“But he treats me like I’m nothing more than a roommate he’s forced to sleep beside.”
The maid’s eyes filled with sympathy.
Amara laughed bitterly through her tears.
“Every month he barely spends seven days at home. I don’t even know where my husband goes when he disappears.”
Her breathing turned uneven.
“In the end, what am I?”
Her fingers dug into her dress.
“I’m just Mrs. Creed. Not the woman he loves.” Her voice dropped into a broken whisper. “Just a woman he was forced to marry and endure.”
Another sob escaped her.
“Just a fucking charity case wearing his ring.”
The maid looked at her helplessly, her eyes soft with pity, but she didn’t know what to say.
Amara cried so hard her entire body shook uncontrollably. Tears dripped endlessly down her chin while her chest tightened painfully with every breath.
The maid quietly cleaned the shattered glass from the floor before eventually leaving the room in silence.
The bedroom became deathly quiet again.