Chapter 1

Renia's POV.

Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I had done things a bit differently that night then maybe I wouldn't be here... miserably married to a man that hates me so much. I am not even sure if he hates me because he doesn't even talk to me, he ignores me every fucking time and he does everything in his power to make sure our parts never crossed even though we lived under the same roof and sleep in the same bedroom. He always leaves the house as early as five in the morning and he returns around midnight.

His business doesn't require him to go that early and come back late. Raphael is a multi-billionaire. He owns over twenty-four clubs in New York City and he has more outside of New York and yes, he is the owner of the club that we met two years ago. I know his work doesn't require him to leave so early and stay out late because well, he is the CEO and he definitely isn't the one tending to the bar and he most definitely isn't a cleaner. I think, no, I know he leaves early and comes back late to avoid me.

He is completely different from the Raphael Knights I knew and loved or rather love. He became a different person entirely on our wedding night. He became so distant and cold and he wouldn't even look at me. I should have known that something was wrong then but I disregarded it, I mean it was our wedding night and he must have been tired due to all the dances, planning, etc. Even I was tired but I wasn't so tired that I was willing to just go to bed without doing...you know what.

The next day came and I still got the cold shoulder, even the day after that, nothing changed. He just stopped talking to me and ignores me every time I try to talk to him. It was like I wasn't there like he couldn't see me like I don't exist anymore.

He even canceled our honeymoon to Venice without giving me a reason, he just up and said he wasn't interested in any trip and I could leave if I wanted. I couldn't believe my ears when he told me, he expected me to go on our honeymoon alone and spend my time staring off into space? It was our honeymoon for crying out loud, I shouldn't have to go alone but I didn't say a word to him and I had to make up an excuse to my parent for not going.

I thought I did something wrong so I apologized, so I apologized to him for whatever I might have done or said to upset him. I pleaded with him to at least talk to me and stop treating me like I was invisible but I remained just that, invisible

I wake up every morning and he is gone and when I get back from work, he is nowhere to be found. The routine continued for a while and I finally concluded that he was doing that to avoid him so I started setting an alarm and trying to wake up before him so I can at least get a chance to talk to him but he always kept mute after exchanging 'good mornings.'

There were times when he would come home covered in a woman's perfume and I tried to ask him about it but he just sent me a glare and didn't say a word to deny or to even confirm that he was with another woman.

Sometimes he always smells like he has been partying hard but he never comes home drunk at least not until this night...

I turned the doorknob and dropped my bag on the nearest surface, it was probably the small chair in the waiting room, I removed my heels and just dumped it somewhere( I was pretty sure I would have to ransack the whole house to find it again)

I stumbled to my bedroom or should I say my husband's bedroom or 'our' bedroom. It doesn't even feel like my bedroom. I always make sure not to leave my thing lying around in this room. It felt more like Raph's bedroom than mine. The room smelled like him even though he barely lived in it, the paintings, the furniture...everything in this screamed his name.

I used to think that when I finally get married and move to my husband's house then I will redecorate the house and make it as homey as possible. I even created a whole P*******t board of different designs that I loved. Shit happened though, my husband became a different person entirely and I couldn't bring myself to redecorate his house when it felt like I wasn't even accepted in that space in the first place.

The only place I felt comfortable in this whole house is the kitchen and maybe the bathroom too and that is only because my makeup and skincare products live there.

I entered the bathroom and pulled off my dress and underwear and I practically stumbled under the shower. I let out a loud sigh immediately after the cold water sprayed on my head. I spent close to twenty minutes in the shower before leaving. I tied a towel on my head and put on my robe before making my way back to the walk-in closet that I share with Raph. I pulled out a ripped bum short and a pink tank top coupled with my favorite fuzzy pink socks.

I picked up my hand dryer and walked back to the room. I plugged it in and started drying my hair before brushing it out. If there is anything I like about myself then it is my hair, ginger red in color, very long and full and I have never had issues with it before, it doesn't ever tangle. I dropped the hand dryer and hairbrush on the table and unplugged my phone from where it was charging. I walked to the kitchen to get something to eat.

I pulled out all the ingredients that I needed to make pasta. I grabbed my phone from the counter and connected my phone to the speaker in the house. I played my current favorite song 'Own it by Stormzy, Ed Sheeran, and Burna boy.' I started moving my body to the beat of the song and started preparing my food.

This has been a routine. Even though my husband doesn't make me happy, my playlist does and I have formed a habit of playing music and dancing while cooking. It was like my playlist has some kind of therapeutic effect on me. I let out a whoop when my favorite part rolled in.

"Lights down for the one I love, Right now (Right now), we never looked better, Forget our friends, girl, I love it when we chill together And ain't nobody gonna feel how we feel together, She wanna kiss, I, I want another one, You got a sick vibe, I wanted more than one, up to n..."

I let out a startled scream when I felt someone breathe on my neck but I calmed down a bit when I inhaled Raph's familiar smell. He was so close to me that I could feel every single part of him. This was the closest we have been since our wedding. He has never so much had held my hand not to talk of...this.

"Wha..." I started but he interrupted me.

"You smell so good, my dear wife. You feel so good and I just want to..." he trailed off when I turned around in his arm. The smell of alcohol hit me. He reeked of alcohol.

"Are you drunk, Raph?" I asked him and he shook his head before smiling at me. That smile that I love so much, that smile and dimple used to do things to my lower region, heck, it still does if the throbbing between my legs was anything to go by.

"I am not drunk, Ren. Yes, I drank a little but I am not the least bit drunk." He said. I felt my heart clench when he called me Ren. It has been so long since he called me that, I can't even remember the last time he called my name not to talk of the nickname he gave me.

"Raph" I sighed his name and he let out a groan as if it pained him to hear me call his name. He pulled me even closer before burying his head in the crook of my neck. I wrapped my hands around his waist and pulled him even closer to me.

"I missed you so goddamn much, Raph," I whispered.

"I missed you too, Ren." He whispered back and then he started peppering kisses on my neck and he moved to my jaw and moved back to my neck again. I craned my neck to give him more access to my neck. I let out a low moan when he kissed the most sensitive part of my neck and bit down on it making me gasp his name.

"Raphael, What are you doing?" I managed to ask him.

"Is it not obvious, Ren...." he said before pulling my bottom lip between his teeth.

"... I am merely doing what I should have done two years ago. I want to make love to my beautiful wife." He said.

"Listen Raph..."

"Don't say anything, Ren. Just let this happen." He said and he started kissing me before I could even form a reply. He moved my head to a better angle and deepened the kiss. He bit my bottom lip and I let out a gasp. He used that opportunity to plunge his tongue inside my mouth exploring every corner of my mouth. His hands started moving around my body, he cupped my waist and squeezed it a bit before moving his hand lower and he finally cupped my bum in his hand and squeezed again and I felt my nipples harden to a point that it was almost painful and as if on cue his left hand left my bum and grabbed my breast, squeezing it and then he pinched my nipple and pulled it sending a wave of shock through my body and down to my throbbing and extremely wet core.

"Let us move this to the bedroom, shall we?" He whispered in my ear and I couldn't do anything but nod in reply. He took my hand from where it was laying on his waist and wrapped it around his neck and then he moved his hand to my thigh and held on tightly.

"Jump." He commanded and I obeyed immediately automatically wrapping my legs around his waist. He pulled my tank top off and started kissing my chest while walking us to the room. We stumbled a bit but he soon regained his stance and we entered the bedroom.