Chapter 96: Chapter 96

"Go ahead - call them," Ash says bringing something out of his pocket. At first, I think it's a gun, but when he brings out a phone, I'm trying to understand what he's up to. "Here! You can even use my phone."

I look at the phone in his outstretched hand as if it's a snake before looking back at his face and raising my forefinger. "Get out of here now. This is your last warning!"

My hands shake from how much rage is coursing through me. Is this guy bipolar? Why can't he just get the message and leave me the fuck alone?

As if he hears my unspoken words, he stands and shakes his head sorrowfully. "I'm afraid I can't do that."

He's like a panther as he saunters towards me, sleek and handsome, nailing me with his eyes and rooting me to the spot. I can't think. I can't move. I can't focus on anything but his intense liquid brown eyes. I can see his tall lithe frame as he crowds my senses. He moves dangerously close to me and I watch in rising consternation as he bends his face and lifts a tendril of my hair to his-

Hold up!

Is he sniffing it?

I watch as he shakes his head as a pained expression washes over his face before moving back. I take in the rigidity of his jaw as if he's clenching his teeth together as well as his balled fists which are hanging at his sides. It's like he's angry, or excited.

And then it hits me. He's controlling himself. He doesn't want to lose control.

That's it.

Elation surges through me as I watch his struggles. He closes his eyes, breathes in deeply before releasing it, and then opens his eyes and I can't look away even if I tried. The full force of his gaze is poured out to me.

Gulp! I'm doomed.

There's a saying that the eyes are the windows to the soul. As I stand and stare at the man that shattered my heart in pieces, I'm left without a doubt that it's true. Everything. I mean, every damn thing is showcased in his gaze. It's like an outpouring of feelings through sight alone.

He's not holding back, but fuck it, I don't want this.

Where was his love on our engagement day?

Where was his love when he left me lying in a coma in the hospital?

Where. the. fuck. was his love this last year?

No! He doesn't get to show me he loves me. He gets to get the fuck away from me and Lily so we can live our lives free of him.

He shakes his head once more before sighing and moving backward, and just like before, it's like he heard my unspoken words.

"I did it for you - for us, can't you see that?"

I smile but it's devoid of any warmth. "I don't give a rat's ass if you did it for your unborn generation, I want you to get the fuck out of my room before I lose it."

Like the flip of a switch, his countenance changes to one of bored confidence as he slips his hands inside his pockets. He's wearing all black. Black jeans, black tee, and black combat boots with a black leather jacket. This is the man I know, well. . .the man I thought I knew.

"Have you looked at the pictures yet?"

I huff loudly. "So what - you drop a few pictures of a man holding a gun on a roof and then what? What am I supposed to do about that?"

His lips curl into a smirk. "You're a smart girl, hazel eyes, I'm sure you must have figured it out by now."

"You're right." I put a hand under my chin in meditative thought. "I have." I shrug. "You're a piece of shit." The grin I give him is cocky, but he doesn't look impressed as he moves closer.

"I'm not the enemy here, mi amor, the enemy is. . ." A violent expression flits across his features as he struggles to find a word to finish his statement. "A psychotic bitch."

"Ah!" I walk to my wardrobe as I busy myself pulling out my pajamas. I turn around with them in my hand and cock my head at Ash. "Let me guess. One of your scorned women."

He's not able to look at me and my heart sinks from his silence.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're telling me that the hit on me is a result of some jealous woman you scorned?"

Still, he says nothing except to gaze out through the window. He can't even look me in the eyes. I shake my head because I'm so over this, over his disappearing and appearing act, over his bullshit. "Okay, so let's say I believe you. Why not take her out, hmm? Why not just get rid of her once and for all? Surely, the great Ash Thunder can do that. . . or am I missing something else?"

I walk off to the bathroom to change into my pj's, hoping that by the time I come back out, he'll be gone. Turns out my luck hasn't changed in the last year because I see him immediately, sitting on the edge of the bed with his gaze centered on the floor.

"So you mean to tell me you now want to live with me in this house? Why can't you just leave me in peace, you bastard!"

I can't believe my tough luck. All I've ever encountered since I met him is one death after the other. Tanya is dead because of him and my whole life has been shot to hell ever since I met him.

I curse the day I set my eyes on him.

He lifts his head and I can see as clear as day, that damn pained expression sitting pretty on his face. My heartstrings pull in pity, the weak treacherous thing.

"Why, Alicia? Why did you leave the house? There- you could have been better protected by my men, you wouldn't have-"

CRACK!

I look from my hand to his face where a red large welt, the same shape as my hand is boldly imprinted. The nerve of him saying I should have gone back to stay in his house after not showing up. Who the hell does he think he is? This time, he doesn't let the slap I gave him slide as anger flashes in his eyes. Before I'm able to move back, he jumps up and holds my two hands in a vice grip above my head.

"Always so fiery. It's one of the things that drew me to you." His voice is silky soft as he traces my lips with his hand.

I blink back tears of frustration as I try but fail to get out of his grasp. He's close to me, so impossibly close that I can smell his pine scent. Just when I think he's going to kiss me, I feel his mouth against my ear. "I need you to move back into the house so I can properly protect you."

Through the tears of frustration slipping down my cheeks, I ask in a trembling voice. "Who is this scorned woman that has got you so shaken?"

He immediately releases me like he's been stung and walks away to once more sit on the edge of the bed where he releases another heart-rendering sigh. After what seems like a long time in which I'm left staring at him wondering what's running through his mind, he looks up at me.

"The woman in question. . . is my wife."