Forever After All: Chapter 30

I watch Elena interact with my brother over dinner, both of them giggling and making inside jokes. One week. I was gone for one week, and I come back to my wife and brother being two peas in a pod.

I haven’t forgotten that Lucian wanted to marry her in my stead. It’s obvious he loves her. Maybe I was selfish when I told her to marry me. I rushed into it when I realized that my usual jokester of a brother wanted her. The guy who was never serious about anything was willing to spend the rest of his life with her. I took her away before he even had a chance.

I watch her giggle at something he said, and my whole body just screams Mine. The need to claim her as my own is unreal, and something I’ve never experienced before, not even with my ex-girlfriends. Not even with Jennifer. I don’t understand where it comes from. Maybe it’s just because Elena is my wife, and as my wife, she’s supposed to be mine. Maybe it’s simply because I own her, and I’ve never liked sharing my things. Whatever it is, I don’t like it.

I take her in, and the way my heartbeat quickens irritates me. She’s wearing a tight white dress today and her beautiful eyes are glowing. She’s curled her hair, and it falls in big loose waves around her face. She looks like a beautiful mermaid or something, a siren. All I can think about is how those curls are going to look on my pillows tonight. No, there’s no way I could let her go.

My phone buzzes and my mood drops even further when I realize that it’s another text message from Jennifer.

Jen: Please, Alec. I just want to talk. The way we left things… neither one of us got closure.

Closure? Yeah, I do have countless questions. But getting answers to those won’t undo the pain she inflicted. It won’t take away that she cheated on me. I lock my phone and slip it into my pocket, feeling torn. Part of me wants to take her up on her offer to talk. I want to know why she did what she did, but another part of me takes great pleasure in ignoring her. Jennifer hates being ignored, and it must be driving her insane.

My brother grins at me, and I realize he must’ve said something. I hate that his face annoys me these days. I love my brother to bits, but I hate having him around my wife. Elena seems to bask in his attention. If I were to stay away longer, would she stray like Jennifer did? Would she leave me for my own brother?

“What?” I snap.

Lucian groans, annoyed that he’s got to repeat himself. “I said, don’t you think Elena looks beautiful today? I picked her entire outfit. Top to bottom.”

I give her a once over, and her cheeks redden slightly. “Entire outfit? Isn’t it just a dress? It’s beautiful, by the way.”

Elena’s smile drops, and I realize I complimented her dress, but not her. Rookie mistake. “You’re gorgeous, Buttercup. As always.” Some of the frost in her eyes melts, and she smiles at me, making my heart beat just a little quicker.

“Yes, her entire outfit. What, did you think she was naked underneath?” Lucian says, and my mother coughs, sending him a warning look at the same time that Elena hits his arm, her entire body tensing. I’m tempted to pull my brother over the table and demand clarification on his statement.

“Are you trying to tell me you picked out Elena’s lingerie?” I ask him, staring him down. My voice sounds harsher than I intended it to, and I watch his eyes widen slightly. I can tell he didn’t expect me to react as strongly as I did, and he doesn’t answer my question. I look at my wife instead. “Elena?” I ask. She doesn’t reply either and looks down at her plate. It’s like I’m back in the past, the two of them putting up a united front against me. Except this time, Elena should have been on my side.

I drop my cutlery and let it clatter onto my plate loudly. I sit back, folding my arms over my chest. I see Elena and Lucian glance at each other, both looking panicked, and I have my answer.

“Why exactly are you picking out my wife’s lingerie?” I ask Lucian, pinning him down with a stare.

“I… he… Luce is just joking, Alexander.”

I glare at Elena, annoyed that she’s calling me Alexander instead of Alec, yet she calls Lucian Luce.

She’s my wife, yet it’s my brother she has a nickname for. The worst thing is that it’s my own fault. I’m the one that took away her rights to my nickname in a childish fit, telling her we weren’t close enough for her to call me Alec.

I stare at Elena, and I wait for her telltale sign. There it is. She blinks twice. She’s done that whenever she lies ever since she was five, and I doubt she even realizes it.

I feel my anger rise. I’m usually well in control of my emotions. I’m known for my poker face and leaving emotions out of my decisions. I couldn’t have helped my grandfather grow the family business into what it is today without that. But as soon as it involves Elena, all my famed rationality goes out the window.

“Elena, a word please,” I say, tipping my head toward the stairs. “Excuse us, Mother.”

She nods at me, a smile on her face, and I get up. I head toward the stairs without checking if Elena is following. I walk slowly, trying my very best to regain control over my emotions, Elena’s heels clicking behind me.

I close the door behind her and lead her straight past the sitting room, into the bedroom. She’s fidgety, something that hasn’t changed either. She always used to fidget whenever she knew she did something wrong. “Sit,” I tell her, pointing to the bed. She sits down at the edge, and I kneel on the floor in front of her.

“Explain. I told you to get the thought of being with anyone else out of your mind. That I won’t tolerate rumors about you. So why the fuck is my brother insinuating that he picked out your underwear? Did you forget who you belong to in the week I was gone? Do I need to fucking remind you?”

I push her legs apart slowly and watch her dress ride up to her thighs. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t stop me. As her legs part, the tiniest scrap of white lace I’ve ever seen comes into view.

“What the fuck?”