4 | "Answer me first!”

“I don’t need a shopping spree to cheer my mood, Molly, I need sleep.” Carmen groaned as she was dragged by her best friend to one of the most expensive clothing stores in the mall.

“That’s precisely what you’ve been doing for the previous two weeks, and seeing you and your miserable state of mind and body, I don’t think it’s working.” Molly harped, thanking the guard who’d already opened the glass door for them before closing it behind their backs.

Carmen tried one more time to pull herself away, but Molly had linked her arm around hers, making it nearly impossible to detach from her bothersome friend.

“Come on!” Eventually, standing in front of the racks, Molly let go of Carmen and started chucking any dress she deemed cute, sexy, or just suited for the workplace, the one Carmen still needed to start attending.

“Ugh!” Carmen sighed, hardly keeping up with Molly’s rapid swings. “You’re so annoying. Hope you are aware of that.”

Molly gave her a sideway glance, smirking. “Of course, I am aware of that. That’s why we get along so well. You’re as exciting as watching paint dry, and I’m as mundane as the next binge-worthy show on N*****x.”

Carmen rolled her eyes at the sarcasm, trying to balance all of the garments that had been hurled at her. “OK, OK, OK, this is enough.” Was she expected to try all of these? If it were to happen, it would take the entire day.

Shit. This was not what she signed up for.

Wait. Come to think of it, she hadn’t signed up for any of this.

Just fucking great.

Carmen sighed as one of the staff arrived just in time, taking pity on her, to spare her from the atrocities of her best friend, who could be just as ruthless as the devil right out of hell.

“Please let me help you with those, ma’am.” The pleasant attendant said before leading them to the trying room.

However, Carmen was about to take another step when her gaze was drawn to a familiar figure.

Jenna Rivers stood on the high platform in the trying section of the showroom, her back to Carmen, and seemed to be trying on a dress. Jenna’s joy, however, was short-lived as she caught a glimpse of Ronin’s ex-wife in the mirror.

“Well, speak of the devil,” Carmen overheard Molly grumble.

Internally, Carmen had the strongest urge to cringe.

Given their previous encounter, Carmen feared Jenna wouldn’t pass up this opportunity—that woman just loved toying with people, proud of the fact that she had someone to clean up her mess—to ridicule her. Besides, now that she had gotten back with Ronin, no doubt she would try to rub it on Carmen’s face.

Not to mention the fact that Carmen was not meant to be in the same city as Jenna. Assuming Ronin himself had booked a flight to ensure they never crashed into each other. Why else would he do that? Carmen couldn’t come up with another lame excuse for the acts of her ex-husband.

“This is a bad idea,” Carmen muttered to herself before turning to face Molly, who was standing next to her. “Let’s go somewhere else. This one has just lost its charm.”

Molly wished to agree with Carmen. After all, she had intended to lift her closest friend’s spirits rather than worsen them. But when she saw Jenna up there, she couldn’t stop the frustration from consuming her. She clenched her fists and faced Carmen.

“No. Let’s stay. I saw a really cute dress on that mannequin; you should try it on.” Molly offered, rejecting Carmen’s request to leave Jenna alone.

Before Carmen could say anything to convince her friend, Jenna spoke, making the two friends turn their heads in her direction.

“Your friend is right, Carmen. Please stay. Don’t mind me being here. I was just leaving anyway.” She remarked with a smile so lovely, for a second even Carmen thought Jenna was redeemable. But then the same lovely smile turned into disgust, and Jenna threw the dress at the staff who was assisting her. “Everything here is cheap and pathetic. Nothing here appeals to my tastes. But I’m sure you’ll find something that you like. This place oozes poor standards.”

And there you have it, Carmen groaned mentally.

Carmen had no intention of engaging in an argument with Jenna, so she just turned to Molly and asked her one more time. “Let’s just go. There are plenty of showrooms in the mall. We’ll find something else.”

Molly, on the other hand, never learned to give up. Rather than allowing Carmen to walk away from this, Molly led her friend into a smaller room meant for private fittings. There was a massive rack to hold whatever anyone was interested in trying all at once.

“No. You can’t let her win. I won’t allow it. She is free to leave if she so chooses. But we’re staying, and that’s the end of the story. Now, just wait for me. I’ll have someone bring that cute dress over to you.”

Molly walked away, but not before glaring bitterly at Jenna.

Carmen sighed in relief when Jenna got a call and stormed out of the showroom as well. It was only then that she realized how stiff her shoulders had grown.

Carmen allowed herself to relax, breathing through her nose and exhaling through her mouth.

She looked in the mirror and saw herself through the eyes of her friend.

Carmen always believed in simple living and high thinking. So, it was obvious that all her life, rather than throwing money away on all kinds of trivial pursuits, she had spent it on books and other academic needs. She never even dyed her hair. But she never ever felt the need either. They were long and dark and naturally straight. A blessing like Molly used to say when they were kids.

Her eyes had a tinge of green to them. Something her father always said reminded him of her mother. Carmen was only seven years old when her parents divorced and she never saw her mother ever again. There were a million moments in her life when Carmen wondered about her. She had questions buried deep in her heart that were sadly never answered.

But Carmen’s father did everything he could to give his daughter the greatest upbringing possible. He worked extra shifts to afford the best education he could ever have. Carmen was the only child so there was no doubt that he loved her and spoiled her with everything he had. They weren’t super rich, but they lived happy lives. Until Carmen was accepted to have an internship at the biggest company in Michigan and she left home to follow her dreams.

Now, come to think of it, she should have boarded the flight and returned home. Her father had grown old and sick and it was time for her to care for him and not the other way around.

The bubble of Carmen’s thoughts burst when the same attendant arrived and arranged all the dresses Molly had picked out for her on the rack so she could try them on.

“I’ll be right outside if you need any help,” the attendant said with a lovely smile before stepping out of the room, leaving Carmen to endure a very long and gruelling day.

By the time Carmen was in her twenty-ninth outfit, she was beyond exhausted. And hungry. To point out the fact that a lunch break was in order after one hell of torture, she walked out of the room, to find Molly who had just rushed out to grab another colour for the dress Carmen was currently wearing.

However, her feet came to a complete halt and her poor heart lurched beneath her chest when she found Ronin waiting outside instead.

Ronin’s dark eyes were quick to settle on Carmen at the same time. However, instead of appearing surprised like Carmen did, he looked her over head to toe and frowned.

Carmen swallowed and brushed her loose curls out of her face, not ready to face him so soon. “Excuse me.”

Carmen was determined to not stay in the same room as Ronin—it just hurt too much. She was yet to heal from his callous attitude towards her. Moreover, having dealt with Jenna not so long ago, she didn’t think she had the endurance to deal with Ronin on the same day.

Hence, she excused herself and walked past him.

Only, he didn’t let her.

Grabbing her by the elbow, he yanked her back until his mouth was inches from her ear.

Carmen squirmed, trying to break free from his tight grip. “What are you doing?”

Ronin cocked his head to the side, his gaze piercing her cheek. “That’s exactly my question. Shouldn’t you have gone back home by now? What exactly are you doing here?” He growled, his hot and searing breath blistering her tender skin.

Carmen tried to wrench her arm away, but she couldn’t. His grip was too firm and unrelenting. “Just let me go!”

“Answer me first.”

Carmen creased her brow and scowled at him. “I have nothing to say to you, Ronin. In case you forgot, we are no longer together. You have no right to tell me where I should and should not be. You don’t own me anymore.” Given that he had literally paid her to be his wife, she thought the phrasing wasn’t exactly out of mark.

Something flashed in Ronin’s dark eyes. His face darkened. “Is that right?”

“Yes!” Carmen clenched her jaw and looked away, not wanting him to see how much he still affected her—hurt her. “Now, do your girlfriend a favour and stay away from me. I don’t want to see your face ever again. We are done. For once and for all.”

Her words might have struck a nerve, for he quickly loosened his grip, letting Carmen free and soon storm out of his face.

Even long after she was gone, Ronin stayed at the same spot she had left him, glaring in the direction she had disappeared.

His eyes were hard, and his jaw was tight as he shook his head and whispered to himself. “Big mistake, Carmen. You should have left when you had the chance. Now as long as you’re here, I can't let you be done with me.”