Chapter 42 Soups and Threats
Vivienne's POV
"We don't want your soup," Raphael said firmly. "And you need to leave. Now."
For just a second, Margot's mask slipped. I saw anger flash in her eyes, cold and dangerous. But then it was gone, replaced by that fake smile again.
"Alright," she said sweetly. "I can see I'm not wanted here. But Vivienne, do think about what I said before. About how temporary all of this is. Because it is temporary, sweetheart. Everything ends eventually."
"Everything ends when I say so," I responded, forming a tough exterior. I made sure I said the last words.
She looked at me for a long moment, like she was trying to see if I really meant it. Then she laughed, but it wasn't a real laugh. It was the kind of laugh that made my skin crawl.
"We'll see about that," she said quietly, so quietly that I almost didn't hear her.
With that, she got back in her car and drove away. But her words hung in the air like a threat. I watched her car disappear down the road, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
Because I knew exactly what she meant. She was telling me that my time with Raphael was running out. That one way or another, she was going to make sure I left. And now I had to figure out how to stop her before it was too late.
I stood there shaking from her threats. She doesn't hide them anymore. Normally, she would hide her wickedness and manipulations behind marriage and wanting the best for me, but now it's obvious she's been pretending.
All those years of acting like she cared, like she wanted me to be happy. It was all a lie.
My whole body felt cold despite the warm afternoon sun. I couldn't stop thinking about the way she looked at me, like I was nothing. Like I was just something in her way that needed to be removed.
"Vivienne, let's go inside," Raphael said, interrupting my thoughts. His hand touched my shoulder gently, and I jumped a little.
I turned to look at him. His face was full of worry, his eyebrows drawn together. He was looking at me like he was scared I might break into pieces right there on the driveway.
"I think we have to go ahead with the wedding and we have to be fast about it," I said as I made my way to the house. My voice came out stronger than I felt inside.
Raphael followed me through the front door. I could feel him watching me, trying to figure out what was going on in my head.
I knew he was surprised with how urgent I sounded. I had wanted to wait for a few months or weeks, maybe even until the fall when the weather was cooler. I had talked about wanting a small ceremony in the garden, with just a few people. I had said I wanted time to plan it properly, to make it special even though it's just for a year or two because of the contract.
But that was before Margot showed up today. Before I realized just how serious she was about tearing us apart.
I walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. My legs felt weak, like they might give out if I stayed standing. Raphael sat down next to me, close but not too close. He was giving me space, waiting for me to explain.
"Did you see the way she looked at me?" I asked, my voice shaking now. "She's not going to stop, Raphael. She's going to keep coming back, keep pushing, keep threatening until she gets what she wants."
"I know," he said quietly. "I saw it too."
"She's never been this open about it before," I continued. The words were pouring out of me now, like a dam had broken. "She always pretended. Always acted like she was doing everything for my own good.
But today, she didn't even try to hide it. She just came right out and told me that this is all temporary. That I'm going to lose everything."
Raphael reached over and took my hand. His was warm and steady, and mine was cold and trembling.
"You're not going to lose anything," he said firmly. "I won't let that happen."
"But what if she finds a way?" I asked, looking at him. "What if she does something we don't expect? She might not have connections but she's very scheming. “
"I have both the money and the connections," he said simply.
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But I had seen what Margot was capable of. I had watched her destroy people who got in her way. And now I was in her way.
"I know but I don't want to be an object of war. We just need to get married soon," I said, squeezing his hand. "Right away. As soon as we can. Because once we're married, it's going to be harder for her to separate us.
She won't be able to claim I'm being influenced or manipulated or whatever story she's planning to tell."
Raphael was quiet for a moment. He looked down at our joined hands, then backed up at me.
"I will leave you to think about it carefully before making a decision that you're not ready for," he finally responded.
His words surprised me. I had expected him to agree right away, to say yes, to want to protect me from Margot just as badly as I wanted to be protected.
"What do you mean?" I asked, pulling my hand away. "I am ready. I've been ready since you asked me."
"Vivienne," he said gently, "I don't want you to marry me because you're scared. I want you to marry me because you want to be with me and then there's the contract too. And not because Margot showed up with soup and threats."
"That's not fair," I said, feeling tears starting to build up behind my eyes. "I do want to spend time with you. That hasn't changed. All that's changed is the timeline."
"Are you sure about that?" he asked, searching my face. "Because right now, you look terrified. And I don't want our wedding to be something that happens because we're running away from your stepmother. I want it to be something we choose because we need each other."
"Yes, I'm," I said, and now the tears were falling. "That's exactly why I want to do this now. Because I can't stand the thought of her going out of her way to prove a point. I can't stand the thought of her winning."
Raphael pulled me close, wrapping his arms around me. I buried my face in his chest and let myself cry. All the fear and anger and frustration that had been building up inside me came pouring out.
"She's not going to win," he whispered into my hair. "I promise you, she's not going to win. But we're going to do this the right way, okay?
We're going to make sure that when we get married, it's for all the right reasons and not her threats as the major reason.”
I nodded against his chest, even though part of me still felt like we were running out of time.