Chapter 24

"I like it a bit rough though." Jigyasa gazed up at him. "But I'm quite sore."

"Which means I was a bit too rough, wasn't I?" He was looking into her emerald green eyes.

"Yeah," She shrugged. "But I'm fine."

"No, you're not, baby," He caressed her soft cheek as he made her lay her head on his chest. "Don't try to make me feel good when you ain't feeling alright." He was rubbing her back. "I'm sorry, darling."

She felt like a baby in his big arms as he stroked her back and arranged her hair. "Weston, I'm fine, I promise. Last night was epic! Been a while I felt so satisfied after making love." She raised her body a bit, kissed him and he smiled down at her.

"My job is to satisfy you in all ramifications of your life, baby. Just say the word whenever you need me, okay?" As he bent his head to kiss her, a strand of his long curly brown hair tugged to his face. "I love you, diamond. I seriously love you."

"I love you too, Weston," Smiling, she blushed, feeling quite shy as he was gazing directly into her eyes. This made him chuckle softly as he pressed a kiss on her forehead.

"But I didn't see that coming." She said. "That was pretty intense too."

"See what coming?" He raised a brow.

"Like, since you were a bit mad last night, I never thought you'd even touch me, much less, make love. I was kinda surprised though."

A smile pulled his lips. He shook his head and said, "Really? Dann, this girl. Yeah, my brother got me upset last night though. But, my love, why did you have such an impression that you never expected me to touch you? That's so off, diamond."

"Firstly," She said without looking at him. "Because you were upset, secondly, it has happened once."

"When was that?" He was puzzled.

"The night you gave me this lump."

My god! He gasped and said, "Baby? Really? Damn. Thought you've forgotten about that?" He planted a kiss on her forehead. He hesitated briefly. "Baby, you can't compare that very night to last night. I lost a full-blown contract, and had a fucked up day with shitty clients…I had a whole lot going on in my head that night, my love. And the whole mess was driving me nuts, baby. I…I really lost my mind."

He sighed. "Meanwhile, last night was just a misunderstanding between my brother and me, which is normal." He lifted her chin with his right palm. "I know, baby, I noticed all your agitations last night. I noticed how curious you were and how you kept staring at me in the car. I know, sweetheart. I know you were nervous."

That kind of surprised her and she blushed.

For some reason, he smiled and shook his head slightly. "I can be very wild when mad but I don't want you to get frightened of me for any reason, sweetheart. I will never lay hands on you no matter how mad I might be. I…I just want you to understand me better. Understand that I love and care so much about you, Diamond. You're my baby girl. I might yell and do some crazy stuff, but, baby, you're safe with me, okay?"

"I just love how sensible you are," He commended her. "You're so smart, baby. I love how you give me my way whenever am ain't in the right state of mind and patiently wait for me to cool off. That's very virtuous and beautiful." He tightened his arm around her and pressed a kiss on her head. "You'd make a good wife, diamond."

She chuckled softly.

"Yeah, I'm damn serious here." He kissed her again. "I love you regardless of my state of mind, okay? Just understand that, my love. Feel free to do anything around me always. Don't be afraid. You're always safe around me, okay?"

Yeah, he'd said it all! She couldn't help but smile. He always knows the right words to say. Just when she panics, he reassures her. He comforts her. Good Lord, how did she get so lucky?

"So, baby," He smiled. "You're always craving for my touch but then you pretend as though…"

"No, I don't!" She laughed. "Where did you get that from?" God! He knows everything!

***

"Raiden?" Jasmine called playfully from the hallway as she approached his room. "Raiden? You still sleeping?" Opening the door, she popped in her head and said, "It's time for sch…" She railed off, gasping in surprise to see her mistress sitting on his bed.

And Elodre looked away quickly to hide her tears.

"Grand rising, ma'am," Jasmine bowed. "So sorry I bumped into you, I never knew…

" Just come in and do whatever you want." Elodre interrupted her. She just hoped her voice didn't quiver. She was trying hard to stifle the cry but tears won't stop flowing. It was rolling profusely down her cheeks. She just hoped Jasmine did not notice anything weird.

Raiden was still sleepy. Jasmine undressed him and carried him up from the bed to the bathroom, and Elodre grabbed this opportunity to wipe her tears with the back of her palm as her lips trembled. She was broken and the tears were flowing even more. She'd been crying all through the night till dawn.

She couldn't deal with the fact that Cayden sent her out of their room. The situation was getting nastier each day. Has it now gotten to this level? The level of not sleeping on the same bed with her husband? She was still in shock. Did Cayden really mean that? Can he be so…so cold on her?

Elodre shook her head in disbelief. No, this wasn't happening. She believes her fears have got the best of her.

For a while, she watched how Jasmine prepared Raiden for school. She was fuckin good with the kid. She'd make a good…"Jasmine, are you a mom?"

"I am, ma'am," Jasmine gazed up at her while slipping Raiden's leg into his tiny sneaker.

Elodre thought as much. "How many are your kids?"

"They're three, ma'am."

"Age range?" Elodre asked.

With a shrug, Jasmine said, "They're all adults, ma'am…but I don't have their age in my head."

Elodre bobbed her head slightly. Wow! "What about your…husband?"

"He…he's just fine, but," Jasmine didn't look bright. "He…we're divorced."

For some reason, Elodre felt sympathy for her. She could imagine the hurt. She knows Jasmine isn't ready for the divorce. "Do you mind sharing the reason he divorced you?"

Jasmine was silent for a while. Her misty-eyed face flushed red. "He…he thought I cheated on him…so…so he got mad and divorced me."

Elodre was a bit alarmed by that. Divorce?? Wh…what if Cayden does the same? What if he ends up divorcing her? She felt a hard knot in her stomach. That might be her story too. "But, did you cheat on him?" Elodre was curious.

With her eyes shut, Jasmine shook her head, "No…I never cheated." She quivered.

Oh, God! She didn't mean to bring up bad memories. Elodre thought, gazing at Jasmine who had become pale.

"I…I loved him." Jasmine said shakily. She was done dressing Raiden up for school. "Now I can't just get over him…even though I've been trying hard." She swallowed hard, stifling the cry.

Elodre had flushed red too and tears were already rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't hold back the cry. The fear of the future has engulfed her. She would surely die if she got divorced. Oh, Cayden, please don't do this to me. It was so real. She swallowed.

"Oh, ma'am," Jasmine managed to find her voice. "I'm sorry ma'am, I… I… didn't mean to…"

"Jasmine," Elodre was so broken she was tempted to confide in Jasmine about what was going on in her marriage…but no. She shut her eyes. "I should be apologizing to you. I can feel your pain. I can imagine the hell of time you're going through."

"Do you, ma'am?" Jasmine asked softly. "Sometimes I wish I was you. You're so lucky to have Mr. Brooks."

Studying her briefly, Elodre said, "Yet, there's no perfect marriage…" But there was…once in her life. "What makes you think such an unpredictable thing like a sudden divorce can't happen to me just like it happened to you? Didn't your husband love you?"

Jasmine nodded, "He sure did…until he started being suspicious and green-eyed. He…he never wanted to listen."

***

Since Jasmine left the room with Raiden, Elodre wept. She couldn't help but see herself in Jasmine's situation. Aside from the divorce, her situation is similar to Jasmine's. She believes Jasmine never saw the divorce coming. Who knows what Cayden is up to? Oh God, please…

Tears were flowing down her eyes.

She won't be able to live with herself in such a situation. Cayden was her life. He meant the world to her. She's nothing without him…

But… now she can't even sleep in the same bed with him?! Was he planning on divorcing her? Where is this leading?