CHAPTER 5

Rosalind Lightwood★

The room was filled with camera flashes from the reporters and handshakes from the guests, but all I could muster were fake smiles. Jeremy walked with me as we greeted the guests together. Mr Lightwood walked up to me and hugged me. 

"I knew I had chosen the perfect woman for my son, thank you for your cooperation," he whispered to me. "Oh, I heard you are inviting your parents for dinner tomorrow night, will be there," he added. I smiled and bowed in respect.

Who told him I was in cooperation with the marriage?I sighed as I remembered my parents were coming over for tomorrow's dinner.

"You look gorgeous tonight"Jeremy suddenly exclaimed.

"This is the response I receive after sharing with the world that I am your wife," I retorted. "I remember now, my opinion doesn't seem to matter to anyone."I added.

If only I had known this was the true motive behind his invitation. I believed this marriage should have been a private affair between our families.

"What are you implying?" He asked, his expression shifting suddenly. I turned to see Jason Lightwood, his brother, and a woman approaching from a distance.

"Quite a surprise" he greeted me and then turned to Jeremy with a tense expression.

"I never anticipated your arrival," Jeremy responded, his gaze locked on his brother.

As I observed their strained interaction, I couldn't help but wonder about the underlying tension between the two. My attention then shifted to the woman beside Jason, the same lady who had a dress issue in the fashion house.

"This is my wife, Clara," Jason announced.

"We meet again " I greeted her.

"I'm Clara, we never got a chance to exchange names earlier," she said, extending her hand for a handshake but I hesitated.

"Rosalind Lightwood," I replied, feeling restless after heading to the event straight from work, my feet sore and longing for a moment to sit and massage them.

"If you would excuse us and kindly enjoy your evening," Jeremy said, leading me to a seat as if he had read my mind.

"Can I go home now? My feet are sore," I inquired.

"Sure, let's go," he replied.

"Wait, don't you have more guests to attend to?" I asked.

"It's fine, let's just go," he said, helping me up, but I realized I couldn't walk properly. Without hesitation, he scooped me up in a bridal style and swiftly carried me out of the hall. Setting me down gently, he then pulled out his ringing phone.

"Let me take this call, please excuse me," he said before walking away, leaving me to clutch my purse tightly as I bent down.

"Leaving the party already? I heard a voice behind me, I stood up to find Jason Lightwood; 

 "I need to take a rest tonight."I replied, feeling tired and restless.

"Jeremy should have told you a lot about my wife."He remarked.

Confused, I questioned, "Why would he tell me about your wife?" and chuckled.

"I guess he hasn't," Jason replied, rubbing my bare back before leaving. Disgusted, I furrowed my brows as I felt his hand on my back, only to turn around and see Jeremy standing behind us.

"Thank goodness you're..." I started to say, but he cut me off.

"What did he say to you?"He asked referring to his brother.

"Nothing"I lied. I was not in the mood for conversation; all I wanted was to go home, relax with a massage, and then head to bed.

"He should have said something for him to touch your exposed back that way," I retorted.

"I said nothing, can we go now?" I was getting frustrated with the way he was speaking.

"I guess you like the way he touched you, ladies are all the same after all," he added.

"Excuse you?" I asked in anger. I was losing my temper at that moment, furious and disgusted with what he said.

"You heard me," he yelled.

"F**k you," I said, snatching the keys from his hands and opening the door in anger. I drove off without bothering to put on my seatbelt.

★★★

As I heard the faint voices echoing through the silent house in the dead of night, the clock striking midnight, I felt a sense of unease creeping over me. 

Determined to investigate the source of the disturbance, I rose from my bed and made my way downstairs, where I found Grandma Mels and Jeremy engaged in a tense conversation.

 Grandma Mels concerned voice cut through the darkness, her words echoing in the dimly lit room, "What happened to your face, you're bleeding?"

"Shh," Jeremy whispered, trying to hush Grandma Mels' concerned voice, "you'll wake Rosa up with your loud voice, it's nothing serious."

 Unbeknownst to him, I had already descended the stairs and approached him, I took in the sight of his bruised and bloodied face. Ignoring his feeble attempts to brush off my concern, I gently reached out to inspect his injuries, only to have him push my hands away and avert his gaze, his eyes filled with a mixture of shame and pain.

"How did you get this?" I asked, pulling him gently to a nearby couch to sit. "Gran, can I get the first aid kit?" I inquired, my voice filled with concern. 

"I said I'm fine," he replied, wincing in pain as he tried to downplay the severity of his injuries. 

"You don't look fine to me," I insisted, not convinced by his words. Ignoring his protests, I went ahead and fetched an ice pack and a soft cloth. Carefully wrapping the ice pack, I gently placed it on his bruised face, soothing the pain. I then applied a topical arnica gel to the injured area and blew a gentle stream of air to help alleviate the discomfort.

"He's fine, Gran, you should head back to your room and take a rest," I assured her, my voice filled with reassurance and concern.

 "Are you sure?" she asked, and I simply nodded, trying to convey my confidence in my assessment of his condition. 

Awkward silence followed suit as I massaged his face with the ice pack, my mind still reeling from the events of the previous night. I was pissed with how he had talked to me, and if he had been heartbroken before, he shouldn't take it out on me.

But who wouldn't be curious to uncover the details of the conversation that led to his brother touching my exposed back?

"I'm sorry about last night," he said unexpectedly, his voice filled with remorse and regret, as we both sat in the quiet room, the weight of unspoken words hanging in the air. 

I gazed into his eyes, captivated by the sincerity in his ocean eyes as they locked onto mine without a single word spoken between us. 

Breaking the intense eye contact, I nervously cleared my throat before speaking, "It's fine, you were just curious," I reassured him as I stood up and began packing the equipment back into the first aid kit. 

He abruptly pulled me back, causing me to tumble into his lap.A wave of confusion and alarm washed over me as he buried his head in my neck and gave me a bite.