20. Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Orpheus
I keep trying to work, but my eyes refuse to stop glancing at the note and my ears to stop straining to make out potential signs that she’s returned.
But she still hasn’t.
“I’ll be spending the night at Lorcan’s.”
As if it would have killed her to come tell me in person. Or to write a touch less cold note.
“Well I sincerely hope she stays there,” I tell Nymeria as I go to pour myself another drink, finally giving up on installing the new test tubes.
I hoist myself up on the desk and fix my eyes ahead with the scotch in my hand. “It was awful having her here. Hated every minute of it. Finding her things everywhere… Hearing her padding around the house all night long… And don’t even get me started on those endless blasted baths of hers.”
I let out a scoff, turning my gaze onto Nymeria, who’s looking up at me with great interest in her eyes. “All in all, good riddance, Nymeria, don’t you think?”
In reply, she hops onto the desk with me and starts pawing through my things, making my eyebrows pull down. “And what do you think you’re doing?” I demand.
Then I see the thing she’s trying to claw to bits, the flower I took from her hair on the night of the Ball. Quickly, I get off the desk and grab her by the nape, lifting her up and shooting her a scolding look as I remove the flower from her claws. “Don’t you dare touch that.”
She thumbs her nose at me until I drop her back on the table. But I keep staring at her. “It’s you I’ve got to blame for her disliking me, you know?”
She narrows her eyes at me. “What?” I demand. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out what a warm welcome you’ve been giving her all this time? Well, that all stops, right now .”
I come into a crouch so we’re eye to eye. And I lift a warning finger. “From this moment onward, you , Nymeria, are the sweetest cat in existence, not just in this particular moment in time, but since the birth of the cosmos itself. The sweetest, most welcoming cat. Of all cats. Ever.” I pause to squint at her. “Are we clear on all the parameters, or need I repeat myself?”
She just looks at me, then starts purring and rubbing herself against my face. “Perfect,” I say as I get up. “Now all you need to do is replicate that behavior with Anyi—”
She cuts me off with a hiss, hops off the desk and saunters off in protest. I press my lips tight. “You stubborn little…”
My ears prick up when I hear the footsteps. It makes my heart start pounding when I recognize the walk.
Quickly, I go back to putting in the test tubes, my entire body tensing up. I pick the hammer up and start slamming it down.
I don’t stop even after I sense her enter the room, although all my attention becomes fixed on her.
“Orpheus,” she calls out.
And I have no intention of turning around to face her, but the next thing I know, I’m turning around to face her, taking her in as if it’s been weeks since I last saw her. Sure feels that way.
She frowns. Right, cross with me again.
“Are you drunk?” she asks.
“What if I am?” I reply coldly and turn back to the test tubes.
There’s a moment of silence before I hear her say, “You’re going to hurt yourself, Orpheus.”
The words fill me with this insufferably powerful mixture of anger and longing. I don’t turn around. “Don’t insult me by pretending to care if I live or die, wife. ”
“Suit yourself,” comes a cold reply. My body tenses up when I sense her get closer, these papers appearing in my line of sight. “I only came to give you these.”
Divorce papers. I grit my teeth and choose to ignore them.
“I’ll just leave them here then,” she says. “Someone will come pick them up tomorrow. Signed , please.”
With that, she walks away.
For one long moment, I just keep standing there.
I don’t care, I tell myself.
Then I hear these sounds of packing and I fail to stop myself.
I dart down, finding her getting her stuff. “Where do you think you’re going?” I demand breathlessly. It was one thing for her to spend the night at Lorcan’s, but packing?
“I’ll be sleeping at Farryn’s,” she says without looking up, “at least until I get other accommodations arranged.”
“You don’t have to do that,” I say, hating how weakly I do it.
She stops and looks up. “I’d like to part on good terms, Orpheus, I really would, but… I think my presence would only make things worse for you.”
Anger floods me. “Really?” I drawl.
“Yes.”
“Well you’re wrong,” I spit out. “Your presence is of no consequence to me whatsoever.”
“Perfect,” she replies and moves to push past me. “Then you won’t mind getting out of my way.”
Gritting my teeth, I do as she says.
Once she’s gone, I don’t go back to the workshop. I throw myself on her bed, inhaling her scent, my mind instantly going back to the kiss. But the longing for her only makes the anger flare up even more.
She just showed up one day, usurped my whole life and made my entire being scream, “Love me, please, love me.”
While she was thinking only of him all that time.
Jericho . I never knew you could hate something as neutral as a name, especially not this much. He took everything from me and he refuses to stop taking despite being six goddamn feet under.
Maybe I should do exactly what she wants. Divorce her and be done with it, at least stop the torture and save some of my pride if nothing else.
Then the image of her flickers before my eyes and I realize I don’t really care what happens to me and I most certainly don’t care about my pride. I only care about her and her happiness.
Tearing myself away from her bed, I stand straight and start thinking.