Chapter 13

Arabellas P.O.V

I closed my eyes as I screamed

“ Enough!!!” I tried forcing the tears not to come out, the scene was all too shocking but I was interrupted by devon.

“How dare you?” Devon asked Asher

“You know I was a fool expecting the Blackhood boys to be on their best behavior, do you always have to come to an occasion just to ruin my day, I have tolerated all your excess and I am done tolerating it” Devon said.

Asher delivered a punch to Devon asking him “How dare you”

I felt a scream building up in my throat,

“Asher!!!...” I screamed as I wanted him to stop all this Asher but the brightness of the camera light interrupted me. As I looked around I could see a swarm of reporters taking shots of everyone. I tried to hide my face, but it was too late, that had already taken a handful of my pictures.

Asher's suit jacket came up, hiding Scarlet's face, as he tried getting her away from the scene and something inside me broke. The tears I had been holding back along, flowed freely, streaming down my face like water, which I couldn't stop, the pain felt suffocating . I felt a gentle tug on my arm, and someone whispered, "Let's get out of here." It was Arlo. I followed him without hesitation, grateful for his care and the shield from the reporters.

As we walked away, I couldn't help but look back at the scene. Asher had made a fool of our marriage, and yet he still had the nerve to shield her instead of me. He barely acknowledged my presence, showing more love to her than he ever did to me. Our marriage was a sham, a joke.

“ Why did I even bother trying to make a marriage work, when it was already dead on arrival.” I muttered to myself.I didn't know when I started sobbing loudly.

Arlo's arms came around me, holding me close as I collapsed against him.

"Shh, it's okay," he whispered, his baritone voice a gentle "Let it out, Arabella. Let it all out."

I clung to him tightly, with my fingers digging into his suit jacket as I sobbed, for the hurt was too much, it felt as if my heart was breaking in a million pieces. The pain was too much, the hurt too real, the memories of Asher's maltreatment and harsh words towards me runned through my mind.

We finally reached the car which was away from the reporters he opened the door for me, I quickly took a sit, trying to calm myself down

“On behalf of my family, I am truly very sorry for everything that happened this night. I am so disappointed in Asher, I never really expected such behavior from him…” he went on and on but I barely listened to a word he said,I just sobbed and let the breeze from the car calm my nerve down

As we approached the house, I choked out the words, "I don't want to go home." My voice was barely audible, but Arlo understood. He looked at me with kind eyes and said, "Okay, we'll go somewhere else. Maybe a drink or two can help you calm down a bit?"

I didn't care where we went, as long as it wasn't in Asher's house. I just wanted to escape the pain or worse still seeing Asher home . We drove to a nearby pub in silence, the only sound being my occasional sob.

As we entered the pub, I could feel the eyes of the other patrons on me, as they wondered, who goes to a pub dressed in a ball gown? But I didn't care about the stares. I just wanted to sit down, have a drink, and forget about the evening's events.

Arlo ordered me a cocktail and we sat down at a table, waiting for the drink. I could sense Arlo's discomfort as he struggled to find the right words, his occasional attempts at conversation faltering. I took a sip of my drink, hoping to calm my nerves.

Arlo looked at me as he asked me,

"How are you okay?" his voice filled with concern.

His question made me realize that I wasn't okay. I turned my face away, unable to meet his stare, as it would bring back more tears. For he was the only one who had bothered to ask how I was doing and it made my heart break. I didn't know how to respond. The tears that had momentarily subsided began to flow again, and as much as I tried to hold back the tears, it fell still. How could I be okay when my three-day-old marriage had already turned into a living hell?How was I okay when I couldn't imagine spending my entire life with a man, who gets irritated at the very slightest thing I did?

I needed a drink, to numb this pain, I took another gulp of my drink, and another, until the alcohol numbed my pain and I was drunk. Arlo watched me, his eyes filled with shock as he watched me drink nonstop, he didn't try to stop me. I guessed he didn't know what to do, he was shocked by the whole situation.

My gaze met his eyes, as I looked into his eyes, I couldn't but be mesmerized for it drew me in, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes on, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was the alcohol that was playing tricks on me. I closed my eyes to confirm but as I opened my eyes again, his face was what drew me in more.

“ did he grow more handsome” I thought, for his face made my heart skip a bit, my body was filled with goosebumps.

I needed to look closer, my legs trembling as I stumbled towards him. Our faces were inches apart, and I could feel the heat of his breath on my skin.

"You look handsome," I whispered, my voice barely audible. My eyes locked onto his lips, and I knew I wanted to kiss him more than anything. It was like my body was craving his touch, and I couldn't resist the urge any longer. I leaned in close but he moved his face away from mine.

“ You are drunk, Arabellla” he said, as his moved away, I could see that he wanted it, I could feel how he reacted with I moved closer to him.