Chapter 38 - In The Spur Of The Moment

At a first class lounge, waiting for Jason to arrive, Edmund was sipping from his ridiculously expensive, neat scotch, silently reprimanding himself for being such a major idiot. He always thought highly of himself, but the last events shook him off.

Firstly, he failed to read into Moira’s façade. All that time, he was clueless. He was being fooled by a half-baked girl. Or was he the weak-minded one? She surely knew her game better than him.

He loved her the way he would have loved a younger sister, but she stabbed him in the back and he never saw it coming.

‘I wonder if this is what some parents feel about their children.’ He sighed. ‘My name brings instant fear to those who hear it and there I was, outplayed by a kid.’

Secondly, there was Luisa. He accused her of taking advantage of his brother’s love to gain a slice of his vast wealth. Then he blamed her for causing an accident that nearly killed her as well. And to top it all off, he pressured her sister to sign an atrocious marriage contract.

‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!’

He rubbed his forehead. “Keep the drinks coming!” He urged the waiter.

“Yes, sir!”

‘Ahh, and not to forget about Regina! I never suspected her to be a gold digger! Was I acting stupid all my life and nobody dared to point it out?’

It was devastating to hear Isabella asking for a divorce, he thought she loved him. Or at least, he believed that she cared about him deeply.

‘Clearly, I have poor skills in judging a person’s character. Maybe I read her wrong as well. Who knows?’

Instead of pouring alcohol into his veins, he would have certainly preferred to have Isabella in his arms, to feel every inch of her naked skin pressed to his body, to have her fragrance fill his nostrils as he dived into her luscious softness, to whisper into her ears words that made her blush.

‘I was her first man. Oh, God, does she hate me for that? She must hate me! Clearly, she was saving herself for someone special and I ruined that for her.’

“I want what he’s having!” Jason patted Edmund’s shoulder with sympathy, making him snap out of his fantasy, then he took a seat on the next barstool.

“We should move at a table!” Edmund requested, signaling the waiter to bring them the drinks.

“I was surprised when you asked me here and I can understand why you need a drinking buddy, but don’t you think that you should be with your wife? She’s been through hell, I’m sure she needs you by her side, and you look like a fucking mess!”

Edmund chuckled nervously. “I thought so too, but after I took her home, she said she wanted to spend some time alone. Not to mention that… she asked for a divorce. Cheers to that!” He raised his glass, but Jason just stared at him empathetically.

“Auch. Not a good day for you, pal!”

It was the first time seeing Edmund so lost, and so… miserable. Jason always looked up to him, he seemed like the type of guy that had everything figured out. But today, that image had fallen apart.

‘I guess he’s human after all.’ It crossed his mind. ‘But I hope he’ll pull his shit together soon.’

“And what are you planning to do regarding Isabella and your contract?”

Edmund closed his eyes, his mind traveling to the atrocious terms of the awful document.

“I will file for an annulment. She will have whatever she wants. It’s the least I can do for her, after what she’d been through.”

“Won’t you at least try to patch things up? You clearly have feelings for her.”

“Waiter, why is my glass empty? Just bring the fucking bottle and leave it here!”

* * *

Isabella was tossing and turning in the huge matrimonial bed. The room seemed empty without Edmund, the atmosphere was too quiet and she missed everything about him. The way his eyes shone when he looked at her, the way his arms wrapped around her while he was sleeping, his deep sexy voice.

‘Did I do the right thing to ask for a divorce and then send Edmund away from home?’ She regretted uttering the words the moment they left her lips, but in her opinion, it was the right thing to do.

‘Well, if he wanted to stay, he would have stayed. He doesn’t care about you, Isabella. You are practically strangers.’

In fact, after she told him she needed time alone, he made a really quick exit. It was as if he was waiting for the proper moment to vanish into thin air.

‘We both went through a lot, and part of me hoped he would reject the idea of a divorce. A foolish part of me desired a confession from him, but that will never happen.’

“Isabella!!!” She heard a masculine voice. It sounded a bit weird, but it definitely belonged to Edmund. “Isabellaaa!!!” She concluded that he sounded drunk. “Isabella, you are a bad woman for dumping me like that! Isabellaaaaa!!!!!”

She jumped off the bed, grabbed her robe and put it on, then rushed to the front door, where her husband was struggling to take his shoes off. A maid was trying to assist him, but he kept dismissing her.

“Leave my sight, now!” He warned, and the poor maid cowered in fear.

“It’s okay, I’ll help him!” Isabella chimed in.

“Madam, he never got drunk. It’s the first time I see him like this, I don’t know what happened to him.”

“It’s fine. You can retire.”

“Isabellaaaa!!! You are here!” He pulled her into his arms, holding tight to her.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to prepare something for him?” The maid insisted, looking concerned.

“I’ll do it.”

Sadly, living so many years with her mother in the house made her an expert in dealing with drunks. Watching him like that brought painful memories, but at the same time, a ray of hope made its way into her heart. He might care for her after all.

‘Not the best way to show it though!’

“Isabella!!!! You are so beautiful!”

Against her will, a smile broke on her face. “Let’s get you into the shower.”

“Will we shower together? You want to take advantage of me, I know it!” He smirked mischievously.

“Highly unlikely! I heard that drunk people deliver poor sexual performances.”

He pouted. “Not me! I’ll prove you wrong!”

‘Why is he so damn cute? I should find him repulsive, but instead, I think he looks adorably this vulnerable. There is something wrong with me!’

“Let’s go! And no, there will be no sex!”

He frowned the entire time she helped him undress. And when the cold water hit his skin, he muttered a string of curses.

“The aftermath of your misjudgment. Maybe not make a habit out of it?”

She tried not to stare, but the water trailing his muscled toned body made him look like a Greek God. He was the epitome of sex allure, and she could not help but burn holes into his skin with her eyes.

In the spur of the moment, she decided to join him.