The Price of Return

Noah doesn’t come domestic till 2 A.M. In the direction, he did it on purpose.

"Oh, you waited," he says, his tone casual, almost amused.

"Is this part of your tiny punishment?" I shoot lower back, my voice sharp. "Try more difficult, Noah."

His eyebrow arches and a faint smirk play on his lips. "The least you can do is be grateful. I saved you from jail, Jenny. Self-protection wouldn’t have worked. She didn’t even have a weapon."

Then it hits me like a freight teacher.

"You employed them, didn’t you?" I accuse, my voice of growing.

His smirk deepens, and I sense my stomach twist.

"Was the entire twist of fate scripted too? Is she even inside the medical institution, or is she sunbathing in Ibiza proper now?"

He leans back, his demeanor relaxed, almost bored. "I thought you knew me better than that, Jenny. Why would I waste time and money just to make you cry? Luck was genuinely on my side."

My fingers ball into fists at my sides, shaking with barely contained rage. He notices and frowns.

"You’ve been kneeling for seven hours, haven’t you?" he asks, his voice tinged with disapproval.

I glare at him, refusing to answer.

"Who informed you to kneel, Jenny? I thought you had performed all the matters I taught you."

He pulls a chair from the nook and motions for me to take a seat. I hesitate however to obey, my knees screaming in alleviation. He crouches in front of me, his eyes scanning my face, his proximity suffocating.

His hand brushes towards my collarbone, making me draw back. "You’ve lost weight. These bones are too apparent. Haven’t you been consuming nicely?"

Why is he pretending to care?

His hands circulate down to inspect each inch of me, tracing scars like they’re secrets and techniques he’s rediscovering.

"You shouldn’t contact me like that," I mutter, my voice trembling. "I’m no longer your spouse anymore."

He ignores me completely. "You said you were late for work. Which corporation is it?"

Panic seizes my chest. Work. I’d forgotten.

"It’s mine," I reply, proud yet defiant. "I commenced it with my cash."

His gaze darkens for a second, his hand pausing simply above the hem of my get dressed.

"Who is Bird Claw to you now?" he asks. His nickname for Lewis looks like a dagger.

"He’s my friend, and you understand that thoroughly," I say firmly.

He doesn’t respond. Instead, he straightens and stares down at me, his expression unreadable.

"You’ll live right here with me," he declares.

"And what precisely do I benefit from that?" I snapped, crossing my palms.

"My safety," he replies without hesitation. "And my coverage. We each realize you’re drowning inside the muddy waters of the global business."

He’s proper, and he knows it. My fledgling company is on the brink of crumbling, and the demise threats I’ve been receiving haven’t helped.

"How do you already know all this?" I ask warily.

"I still have Brad," he says honestly.

Brad. Noah’s all-seeing informant. I’ve constantly hated him.

"Are you still wondering about it?"

"If I stay with you," I say slowly, "I won’t pay off the two million greenbacks."

"You know that changed in the settlement from the start. Stay married, and you owe me nothing." He clicks his tongue, his gaze narrowing. "But you chose disobedience, didn’t you?"

I pressure a bitter smile. "Permanently this time."

He researched me for a second earlier than sighing. "Fine. But we’ll tell the clicking what I want them to realize. We have an interview in a few hours, so do anything you want to, but quickly."

For a second, I marvel if he’s modified. But I shove the idea aside. I’m not silly enough to trust him again.

I nearly ask if I’m expected to sleep in his bed but assume better of it. He heads to the restroom without another word, and I take that as my cue to depart.

"You haven’t eaten something," Mary Anne says softly as I wander into the kitchen.

I sigh closely, the load of the whole lot urgent down on me. "I’m sorry for the manner I spoke to you in advance."

She gives me a small smile. "You wanted to reduce ties with the entirety right here. I recognize. I’m simply amazed you got here again."

"It's the most effective transient," I assure her. "I’ll be long past it again quickly."

"I desire so, ma’am. I don’t need you to undergo all this again."

I nod and ship her away. I can’t bring myself to eat. Instead, I step outdoors for clean air, letting the cool nighttime breeze brush against my skin.

As I walk around the mansion, my hands path the partitions, the nice coat of paint and golden streaks unchanged. The high-priced paintings nonetheless grasp what they always did. It’s as if time stopped the instant I left.

This turned into the existence I once lived. Luxury. Opulence. But it came at a f*e.

I can feel Noah watching me, probably planning his subsequent flow. He continually loved to manage, and I’d exceeded it to him on a silver platter.

For six years, I endured this marriage. No one dared ask why we didn’t have youngsters. People assumed it turned into mutual. If it's best they know the reality. Noah cherished youngsters. He’d stop in the road just to pinch an infant’s cheeks.

In the arena, he was the right husband. To me, he is the biggest mistake of my life.

Borrowing that two million bucks to shop for my father had been my downfall. Marrying Noah to erase the debt was regarded as the first-class choice at the time. He drew up the agreement, entirely with an IOU, and I signed without hesitation.

I must’ve known better.

And now, with a twist of fate striking over my head and the media portraying me as the villain, I’m left and not using a choice.

My parents still adore him. They almost disowned me after the divorce, yet he keeps taking care of them.

But they don’t recognize the value.

What about the price I have to pay?