Chapter 7
Matheo's voice was a low hiss, brimming with barely contained fury. "What do you think you're doing by wearing THAT in public?" His words were sharp, but Colette kept her composure.
"How was Brisbane?" she asked calmly, her eyes meeting his. "You didn’t tell me."
Matheo flinched, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. Colette saw it and took a grim satisfaction in knowing he still had some conscience left. "I was going to come home tonight," he muttered defensively.
"Oh, really?" Colette's voice was almost sweet, dripping with sarcasm. "Would that have been before or after you fucked your secretary?"
Matheo's face darkened, his hands clenching into tight fists. He looked like he might hit her, but he restrained himself, his eyes blazing with anger. "That’s enough, Colette!" he snapped, his voice a dangerous warning.
Colette knew what he was capable of, but tonight she was beyond caring. "Iris was right," Matheo continued, his voice like a whip. "You're acting like an attention-seeking bitch right now. Just because I refuse to stay home with you, you decided to parade yourself half-naked in front of Sydney's elite. To what end? To punish me? To humiliate me? Or have you suddenly developed a new voyeurism kink?"
His words cut through her like a knife, but she refused to back down. Not this time. "You know why I did it, Matheo?" she asked softly, looking down at her dress. "It was because when I realized that you had lied to me about coming to this gala, I wondered... wondered what other lies there were that I was too stupid to see. And God, there were plenty. I was sick of it! Sick of all the lies. So for once in my life, I decided to be truthful. This is the truth, isn't it? My body was the only thing you ever desired from me. Not a partner, not a wife, not even a friend. I am just your f—"
"Colette, I am warning you, don't use that word." Matheo's grip tightened on her shoulders, shaking her hard as if trying to wake her from a delusion. "What the hell has happened to you?" He meant the meek, naïve woman he was so used to.
"I have had enough!" she muttered, the finality in her voice even surprising her. She looked up and saw Matheo blanch, as if someone had wiped the color from his face.
"Look, if this is about Iris again—" Matheo started, but Colette cut him off.
"Oh, it’s no longer only about her anymore," she said sadly, noting how he was still ready to defend his secretary. Whether he was sleeping with that blonde woman or not, it was clear he cared a great deal about her. It was becoming glaringly evident with each passing day, and maybe it was time Colette accepted it too.
"Then what is this about?" Matheo asked, still looking pale as he stared at her.
"You won’t let me have a baby, your baby. You don’t talk to me. You don’t tell me what’s happening in your life outside of the bedroom. You cut me off as soon as you cross that threshold. If someone asks me during the day where you are, I have to smile and say you are busy working. When in truth – I have no idea. I have absolutely no idea if you are in your office, or meeting the president, because you don’t tell me!" Her voice cracked, the pain and frustration she had held back for so long finally spilling out.
"Is that what you want, Colette?" Matheo's voice was tinged with frustration, his eyes boring into hers. "For me to share every little detail with you? To tell you how many minutes I stared at the computer screen, how many minutes were wasted in the afternoon meeting, and how many minutes I spent in the bathroom? Will that satisfy you? I thought you understood that I didn’t want to bring work home. I wanted that time to be solely for us. I thought you understood me."
Colette noticed he had completely avoided addressing the baby issue. No surprise there. She stared grimly at her husband. "But Iris knows where you are every minute, every second."
"Because that’s her job! Damn it!" Matheo's voice rose in exasperation. "I pay her to take care of my schedule." He looked out of breath and frustrated, yet so strikingly handsome that it brought tears to Colette’s eyes. "She is a good employee, she works very hard, and I will be damned before I fire her solely because of some stupid jealousy you’ve got in your head."
"Stupid," Colette repeated softly. It stung, but it wasn’t very different from the 'attention seeker' label he had slapped on her just moments ago. She shook her head, feeling the futility of their conversation. "Maybe you’re right," she sighed, letting out a self-derisive laugh. "Maybe I should get a job too. It would take my mind off you, and I won’t be the attention-seeking bitch that you so abhor. You’ll be left alone to spend your time as you please, and maybe I’ll get a lesson in working hard as well. If I have a life of my own, going on business trips with my boss, burning the midnight oil with him, maybe I’ll finally understand what this is all about and stop nagging you."
"Colette!" Matheo's eyes burned with intensity as he suddenly closed the distance between them. His hands, which had been gripping her shoulders, tightened further, stealing the breath from her lungs. Without warning, his lips descended on hers with a fierce force that almost staggered her. He kissed her with a passion she had never felt before, and Colette rejoiced in it. She felt her husband shaking in her arms, knowing she was affecting him on a visceral level. This was no longer just physical; it was deeper, more profound. Maybe his possessiveness, or something she had said, had finally penetrated his defenses. Maybe he had truly listened to her this time.
As their lips moved together in a heated dance, Colette could feel the raw emotion pouring out of him. It was a kiss filled with anger, frustration, but also an undeniable need. Matheo’s hands moved to cradle her face, his grip gentling but his kiss remaining fervent. Colette responded with equal fervor, her hands slipping into his hair, pulling him closer.
"Come here!" Matheo's voice was a mixture of frustration and desperation as he dragged Colette away from the balcony and closer to his own warm body. Before she could fully process what was happening, he pulled her into another dark corner, shielding them from view.
Colette put her arms around his neck, kissing him back with all the power of her love. The kiss was intense, filled with the raw emotions that had been building up between them. Suddenly, the sound of someone clearing their throat interrupted the moment. “Matt, I’m sorry if I came at the wrong time, but the Alters are leaving,” came Iris’s voice, cutting through the darkness like a sharp blade.
It was as if a bolt of electricity had hit him. Matheo pulled away from Colette abruptly, setting her aside as though he had been caught doing something utterly foolish. “Go and stop them, I’ll be there in just a moment,” he replied to Iris with the coolness of the Arctic Ocean.
Hope is a terrible thing, Colette thought, because when it breaks, it brings much more pain than the numbness of hopelessness. She watched as Matheo avoided looking at her, a familiar ache settling deep in her chest. Was he really so ashamed of her? It felt like a time bomb had just exploded inside her, the pain unbearable.
Matheo avoided meeting her eyes as he took off his coat and draped it around her shoulders like a protective wrap. “Go home, Colette. I’ll come home as soon as I can, and then we’ll talk,” he told her with a sigh before turning away.
“Do you love me, Matheo?” Colette's voice trembled, but she hoped he wouldn’t hear the break in her voice.
“Now, where is this coming from?” Matheo turned back to face her, looking utterly exhausted. His weariness only broke her heart further. He didn’t say he loved her. How hard was it to say those three words?
“I’ve traveled all day, Colette, and had to come here tonight just to catch another elusive CEO. Can we not do this now, please?” His voice was tired, pleading.
Colette looked away, feeling the finality of his words. This was the end. “Of course,” she said softly, doing her best to hide her tears in the darkness. “I hope you achieve whatever you came to achieve tonight, Matheo.” ‘And in your life,’ she added silently, the words echoing painfully in her mind.