He stood in front of her door as though that wasn’t the first time he passed the entrance door of their house. Anna stared at him with her mouth slightly agape from the bed as she couldn’t believe what her eyes were showing to her. Was this really Jack. She watched as he walked further into the room, with each step he took, her heartbeat intensified until he stood in front of her wardrobe. She couldn’t speak, she was tongue tied to the point that all she could do was stare at him as he did whatever he felt was right for him. He brought out a few of her clothes and brought out her luggage. She watched him, tongue tied as he packed a few of her things and he was even thoughtful enough to add with her lingerie.
He zipped the luggage and brought it to the bed with one outfit in his hand, “Get dressed, we’re going home.” He said as a matter of factly and she hissed loudly before she covered her whole face with the duvet. Even though her heart was beating rapidly, she didn’t let that show. She was aware of his intense gaze on her and she knew in any minute from now, Jack will have to act as wildly as she had always known him to be. “Anna, I should you should get changed so we can leave.”
She didn't move and he nearly chuckled, but he knew if he did that, nothing could stop her from thinking everything he did was a joke, or worse, a threat. “Anna,” he sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. He had gotten changed into a jean with a shirt and a blazer on top. It didn't feel as though he was married if not for the ring on his finger and the woman that laid on a bed in front of him. “I think I should help you do that then.” He lifted the duvet off her body, and she turned with anger blaring in her eyes when he sat down beside her on the bed and yanked off the nightie she had on her body. How he did that would forever remain a mystery to Anna Brayden!
“What the hell?!” She yelled and roughly used the duvet to cover up her body. She had never thought that Jack could do this. Had he gone crazy? What the hell was wrong with him? What if she didn’t have any of her underwear on? “What the hell is wrong with you, Jack? How could...” She let her words trailed of as he was trying to pull the duvet away from her body to reveal her half naked body. She hissed and glared at him, “You can’t play this game with me, Jack. Don’t even dare.” They were now fighting for the duvet and she knew it was only because he was having fun as she kept on panicking, if not, one pull would’ve left her naked right before his eyes.
“I've asked you to get into this outfit so we can go home, it seems like you want me to help you into the outfit, right? That’s what I’m doing.” She wanted to scream, but if she did, that will catch the attention of first, Maya that was peacefully sleeping in the room opposite hers or worse, one of the maids might come in thinking that she wasn't safe only to see her half naked with a man everyone called her husband.
To avoid that, because she knew Jack was more stubborn than she could ever dream of being, Anna let go of her hold on the duvet and with a hard look in her eyes, she spoke. “I’ll get ready now. Turn away from me.” That was the only way out, for the last thing she wanted was to draw other people’s attention on them.
He smirked at her and released his hold on the duvet while he placed down the outfit on the bed as he turned, giving her the privacy she requested for. Al though, if he wanted, no, he wanted to see how she was getting ready. He turned to stare at her just when she had put on er jeans and was about to put on the shirt and immediately stood up, “I'll help you with that.” He collected the shirt from her, and Anna stared at him with all the anger in this world.
“What do you think you’re doing, Jack?” She was no more concerned about the fact that she was only in her bra and a jean while his hungry eyes unashamedly stared at her. She wanted to punch him right on the face or better, give him a perfect reset of his balls. “Give me back the shirt, Jack! Don’t think that I'm going to succumb to whatever you want just because I've agreed to change into these clothes in the middle of night.”
“I just don’t want you to work yourself out,” he slightly pulled her toward him with a single jerk of her wrist and she yanked her body away from him. “Stay put, or we might have to use this bed.” He turned to look at her bed and she gulped down a lump in her throat. She wanted to ask him what for, but she had never dreaded being together with a man like she was, with Jack. He put on the shirt for her, but as he buttoned, she knew that was more than just buttoning a shirt, he was using that excuse to touch what he had never seen of her. She had to jerk her body away from him and she finished buttoning her shirt herself.
“What again?” She asked through gritted teeth, she didn't even know what she going to do and from all indications, Jack was ready to carry her to the car himself so long as she was going to keep on being stubborn. She had no other way but to do what he wanted of her, at least for tonight.
“Let’s go home, dearest wife.” He held her wrist and she pulled away from his hold. She was angry, she was clueless and hopeless. She knew she had walked to her doom when she agreed to marry him, but she had never thought that it would be coming this fast. Aren’t a few hours early for one to start regretting his decision?
“Don’t call me that.” She walked to her shoe rack, pulled one of her evening sandals and got into them. She walked out of the room without waiting for him and wished she could just run into Maya’s room and tell her to stop him from taking her away. But she now doubted their silence about him because the norm had always been for a wife to live with her husband, wasn’t it? Why would they act as though everything was fine? They must have planned this, she was certain.
She felt her anger slowly diverting toward her family as she took the stairs too at a time, “Be careful with the stairs, Anna.” He called from behind her and she turned with a babyish furor in her eyes. “That should be the least of your worries.” He chuckled, and she got even more angry.
She hopped into the car and when he put the luggage in the trunk and sat on the driver’s seat, Jack turned to stare at how she was fuming. “What are you angry for, Anna? I thought that this was a norm even a small girl knew?” Why was he treating her as though she were a baby? Asking her to be careful of the stairs and now he even got to the point of talking to her in a low voice?
“Stop acting as though I'm a baby.” He was about to speak again when she cut him off, “Don't talk to me again.”
“Are you homesick already?” He chuckled when she hardened her expression even more, “You’re always welcome at your home, but you have to live with your husband from now henceforth, Anna. I wish I could let you stay today, but nah, your husband needs you as well.” This was his new way of torturing her, Anna knew for sure.
She didn’t talk to him until they arrived at an apartment and when she looked up, she became cold. The house he had accommodated Henry in! She turned to look at him, but he has a cool smile, another way of torturing her as well. “Yes, I know this house is small for Anna Brayden, but at least we can manage it before the official wedding celebration. No one will ever think that Anna Brayden could live in this house, right? So, we’re safe from all those paparazzi.” She went cold and began to shake her head. She had a lot of houses that no one knew belonged to her, they could live there.
“Jack, I have a lot of houses that no one knew belonged to me, let’s go there and stay, but not here please.” She dreaded ever setting her feet into this because she was sure if she did, she would have a flood of all those horrible feelings she felt. She didn’t want to be reminded, for deep down she knew she was still hurting over what they had done to her. And staying her will only make it worse for her to forgive and if she didn't, he wouldn’t get the chance to forgive her as well.
He got out of the car without answering to her plea and when he opened the trunk and got out the luggage while she was still seated in the car, Jack opened the door for her and gently pulled her out of the car. She was gob smacked and so shocked that she had no energy left to argue with him. It felt like going back to the area where your both parents had been killed right before your eyes. She felt frightened and dreadful. He entwined their hands as she kept on shaking her head for him, but Jack chose not to see her plea.
He had unlocked the house and was about to walk them into it when she slid her hand away from him as she shook her head. “Jack,” her lips trembled as she whispered but he held her hand firmly now and dragged her not so roughly, “Jack, please.” She was begging now, she didn’t want those memories to be back to her, she wanted to continue living her life like she was now. Even though there was the pain, but it was manageable.
He kept walking until they were in the living room and she closed her eyes, she didn’t want to see anything in this horrible place that will remind her of Henry or the pain she had went through because of him. The pain she still felt because of him. Her body was sightly shaking, and she knew Jack would never act as he should, take her out of this house and take her somewhere. She can live with his parents for the time being, she wished he could just let her stay in her house. With her eyes closed as she shook silently, waiting for what he was going to say to her, Anna felt as he gently pulled her closer to him and hugged her to his chest.
“Anna,” he called her name as softly as she heard never heard her name being called and her heart lost a beat. She knew this voice. Slowly, she wrapped her hands around him and rested her head on his chest, she knew this feeling, she knew what it felt like to be hugged by only one person and feel a sense of comfort and peace. “I want you to face your fears, forget about how you develop the fears, but you have to face them for you to be able to heal yourself.” She was silently shaking her head, this time her lungs were making it so hard for her to breath, she didn’t want to believe the possibility of Jack being that man, he couldn’t be that man.
Then she remembered on the elevator in Frank’s company. She had later asked to see the footage of that day and when she was it was him; she quickly dismissed the idea because she knew it could never be him. But right now, this peace, this comfort, the voice. And when he uttered, “It’s going to hurt for a while, but afterwards, it’ll be fine.” She didn’t know when she pulled her body away from him for it felt as though a fire on hers.