Heather
“Chelsea, could you chew a little more quietly?” I grumbled, rubbing my face stressfully.
The munching paused for a moment as she mumbled an apology and proceeded to chew her popcorn softly.
I glanced at her without raising my head from the files. “Didn’t your manager want you to diet?”
She shrugged nonchalantly. “She’s not going to find out that I ate one bag of jalapeño cheddar popcorn. Besides, this stuff is amazing!”
I chuckled and went back to marking the file. This was absolutely frustrating. Even though I loved my job, there were times when I wanted to pull my hair out in anxiety. It definitely wasn’t easy being a genetic counselor, but I knew what was coming when I decided to go into this field.
My fingers started aching in protest, and I put my pen down with a sigh. It was only noon and I had one more appointment left to take care of before I could leave.
Suddenly, a huge thump snapped me from my daze as Chelsea slammed her hand on my desk.
“Look, it’s your husband!” she exclaimed, waving her phone in front of my face.
I frowned and stared into the glaring, bright green eyes of my dearest husband of a few weeks. My fingers involuntarily moved to scroll down the article that talked about my husband’s success and how he was proving to be a promising CEO for Solace Enterprises, the company his family had passed down for generations. I was grudgingly impressed by how he was so successful for a twenty-six-year-old.
“Figures,” I muttered, shaking my head and gripping my pen once again. Before I could continue writing, Chelsea’s hand covered mine and she took the pen out of my hand.
I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.
She frowned and tilted her head in confusion, her hazel eyes flashing with curiosity. “Why do you seem so upset? Does he not treat you well?”
I pursed my lips and scraped my nail along a crack in my desk.
That was the problem. He didn’t treat me like anything! I could be on fire and he still wouldn’t notice me.
How should I explain to my best friend that my wonderful husband couldn’t care less about me? Everyone, except for our families, thought we actually liked each other despite the circumstances.
While I contemplated how to describe the situation to Chelsea, my phone started ringing with a message from my mom. I picked my phone up slowly and stared at the text blankly.
Hey, sweetie! Come to dinner tonight and bring William. XX
Well, there went my plan of eating ice cream and watching Netflix for the evening.
A groan escaped my mouth and I banged my head against my desk several times as Chelsea watched in confusion.
“Great. Just great.” I snorted and ran a hand through my tangled hair.
Chelsea gave me a questioning look. “Care to explain why you’re banging your head against your desk?”
“William didn’t want to marry me,” I blurted before I could stop myself.
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped a little. “What are you talking about? I thought both of you consented to the marriage?”
“He may have said yes, but it’s pretty obvious he was forced to. The other day I heard him saying he didn’t want to be tied down,” I muttered.
Chelsea narrowed her eyes. “What makes him think you wanted to get married? You’re only twenty-three, for crying out loud!”
“Exactly!” I exclaimed, waving my hands in vexation. “I only agreed because Grandma would have forced me regardless of whether we both wanted it. It was in Grandpa’s will and she was intent on fulfilling his every last wish.”
My grandpa and William’s grandpa signed a contract together stating that my grandpa’s first granddaughter should marry the first grandson of William’s grandpa. However, no one was informed about this contract until a few months ago, right before my grandpa passed away, and he had finally mentioned the contract he wanted us to follow through with.
We were silent for a few moments before she smiled slightly. “At least he’s attractive.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
William had soft, curly black hair that could make anyone jealous, and forest green eyes that seemed to stare right into your soul. On top of those striking features, he had a slightly pointed nose, a sharp jawline, and full pink lips that sometimes made me wonder what it would be like to kiss him.
Not that that was ever going to happen.
We didn’t even kiss on our wedding day; instead, he had kissed my cheek discreetly so it looked like he had kissed me on the lips.
But looks didn’t compensate for personality, and his was terrible. It seemed as though he was out to get me for something I wasn’t aware of. There was just something about him that irked me, and I was yet to find out what it was and what his plans were.
“Hey, I’ve got to go. My manager just texted me; she apparently needs to talk to me immediately,” Chelsea said, grabbing her purse and bag of popcorn.
I frowned in concern. “I hope it’s not too serious.”
She rolled her eyes. “Carrie likes to be dramatic sometimes. I’m not too worried.”
My lips twitched into a small smile, and I stood up to give Chelsea a quick hug.
“If he does anything, call me. I’ll be there to beat him up,” she whispered, patting my back gently.
I pulled away and shook my head in amusement. She waved and exited my office just as my assistant made her way in. Kathy skipped over to my desk excitedly and gave me a huge grin. “Your two o’clock appointment canceled, so you’re done for the day!”
I smiled as she twirled around my office joyfully.
“Okay, well, I’m gonna head home, then. You’re dismissed, Kathy,” I said, picking up the scattered pieces of paper and putting them back into their respective files.
“Thanks, Heather!” she yelled, running out of my office in a hurry.
I smiled and reached into my purse to grab my keys. Once I had locked up my office, I left the building and drove off in my Range Rover. After about twenty minutes, I started to pull into the long driveway of the mansion, but my foot slammed on the brakes when William’s car came into view.
He was usually never home at this time.
My heart started pounding as I thought of all the possibilities why he was home so early. I parked my car and ran into the foyer, kicking my heels off hurriedly.
This was going to be interesting.