Apologies
OPAL
By the goddess, what a disaster.
Never in my life would I have guessed that giving some water to an old man would lead to this. It wasn't my intention to hurt him, yet everyone is treating me like a murderer or something.
It's unnerving, to say the least.
I skipped dinner because during lunch, nobody was seated at the table and I knew deep in my heart that it was because of me.
If I didn't think before that this marriage was the worst thing that ever happened to me, I'm sure of that fact now.
I twist and turn in bed, alternating between staring at the ceiling and closing my eyes, hoping sleep will magically come to me.
It doesn't.
The room feels too hot, and I can't stop moving around. The duvet gets caught between my legs, and I have to kick at the material to free myself. It all becomes too much too quickly, and I sit up, cursing as I glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand.
It's one in the morning.
The house is silent, so I take it everyone has gone to bed. I know heading outside is the worst thing I could do because I don't want to come across anyone, but at the same time, I feel like I'll lose my mind if I don't step out of this room.
Once I'm out in the hallway, I tiptoe all the way to the top of the stairs. I'm pleased to see that the lights are all off—that means everyone's truly asleep and I'm the only one down here.
I head to the front door and open it. A blast of cool air hits me right away, and I venture closer to the stairs, leaving the door open behind me. I sit on the ground and rest my arms on my legs. For the next few minutes, I just focus on breathing and clearing my head.
It's easier said than done, but this is better than lying in bed with a mind that refuses to quiet down.
I start feeling a lot better—the cool air against my skin and the total peace and quiet are almost therapeutic. Goddess, a few days ago, I was at home, bored out of my mind. I had no idea that I would be married to someone days later.
It's actually insane.
I haven't really stopped to give much of a thought to the Alpha Prince and how he's the first person I've ever had sex with. That night was...I can say it was the best night of my life but the memory of it was ruined by this entire situation.
I still don't know why he would do that—what's his deal? Is this a game to him? The funny thing is that he doesn't seem like someone who'd do something so cruel for fun.
My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of someone approaching. I throw a quick look over my shoulder and my heart skips a beat at the sight of him standing right behind me.
He's wearing only pajama pants with no shirt on, and his feet are bare.
To think I ran my hands along his abdomen...No, I can't think about that.
"Opal?" he says, stepping closer to me. "What are you doing here?"
I contemplate ignoring him, but that would be too immature. "I just wanted some fresh air." I rise. "I didn't think this would be a problem, too."
"I never said it was a problem," he claims, searching my eyes. "I only wondered what you were doing here at this time of the night. It's one in the morning."
"I was just heading inside," I say as I start to walk past him. Bruce surprises me by grabbing my arm. I stop, whirl around, and come face to face with him. He's standing closer than I expected him to, to the point where I feel the warmth of his body.
My throat dries up, and I avert my gaze.
"I wanted to apologize to you for the way we treated you earlier," he states. "The thing with my father...I know it was an accident. It was just an unfortunate thing."
I don't say a word—I don't know what I could say.
"I know this is all going to take some getting used to for everyone," he adds. For some reason, he still hasn't released my arm. "It's new for me, too. For us."
"That's no excuse for your family to hate me," I argue, meeting his gaze. "Face it, they don't like me. The truth is that I don't know what I did to them. I didn't ask to be here."
"I know that."
I stare into his eyes for a few more beats before forcibly freeing myself from his grip. "Apology accepted."
The entire walk back, I'm practically vibrating with anger. I was doing well before he showed up. I've come to realize that I don't like him, either, so maybe the way we're treating each other makes all the sense in the world.
I liked him better when I didn't know who he was. Things were so much simpler.
But we don't always get what we want, and for some reason, this is my life now. I'll just try to keep my head low and not come into contact with any of the Danforths.
I sleep fairly well, and in the morning, I get dressed for breakfast but I'm dreading it. How I miss the quiet of my home and peaceful, unproblematic breakfasts.
Still, I don't want to hide in my room to show them that I'm afraid of them—I have to impose myself or they'll lose respect for me.
When I get downstairs, I find only one person seated at the table and that's Quinton. He immediately flashes me a smile and raises his cup of coffee or tea in greeting. "Good morning, sister-in-law. How'd you sleep?"
"Fine, thanks," I say as I take my seat across from him. I'm on time, so where is everyone?
"Don't mind them," Quinton says like he can hear my thoughts. "They just had some things to do very early in the morning. You'll soon realize that we're all busy bees around here."
"Really?" I ask as I pour myself some coffee. "Then why are you here?"
Quinton chuckles. "Touché."
I can't help but smile, too. "I didn't mean to be rude about it, I just—"
"I know. I can take a joke, you know?" A beat of silence passes before he adds, "I apologize about yesterday. I heard what happened."
"I guess I should be the one to apologize. You almost lost your father because of me."
"That's a huge exaggeration." He sets his cup down on the saucer and it makes a soft clinking sound. "Dad's been choking on shit for a while now. Trust me, you had nothing to do with that."
For some reason, his words make me laugh out loud. I have to cover my mouth because of how loud my laughter is. "That was so...that makes no sense. What do you mean, he's been choking on everything?"
Quinton shrugs. "I don't know. He'd always cough up something. You're good, Opal. If he ended up dying, it's because he's more there than he is here, you know?"
My laughter dies down. "What does he have, if I may ask?"
"That's a story for another day. Right now, I don't have the permission to tell you. Let's just say it's not looking good for him."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be," he says. When I look up, I see a brief flash of ruthlessness in his eyes. "Neither of us is. Go on, eat your breakfast. You'll need all your strength around here. Trust me."