“I understand. But you still have to get me pregnant, don’t you? A child will only further solidify your position, wouldn’t it?”“That’s not going to happen, so you don’t have to worry about it. This marriage is preposterous enough. I’m not going to put you through all of that.”“But what if that’s what I want?” Mia asked.Lucien narrowed his eyes in confusion. This was getting weirder and weirder.“How could you want that? Mia, I may have loved you once, but I don’t anymore. You saw to that.”“Is it Audrey? Is that why you don’t want to have children with me?”“I can’t do this with you, right now.”He turned to leave and Mia grabbed his arm.“She is gone! She left you!”“So did you,” Will seethed.“But I’m back now, and I want to be with you. I want to be your wife and have your babies!”“You should have said that years ago.”“I did! And you said no.”“I said, not yet. For the last damn time, Mia. We were young as hell. There was no reason for us to get married at that age. But I was
Mark came to see him, a disappointed look in his eyes.“What are you doing?” He asked.“I don’t know. Saving my company, I guess.”“Tracy didn’t come with me.”“No, I didn’t think she would. How is she?”“She’s fine. The baby is getting big.”“Good.”“Dude, really. You don’t have to do this.”“I do, though. But thanks. I’ll see you out there.”Mark shook his head and left. His best friend was fading away before his eyes. There was no fire in him anymore. It was only a matter of time until he was completely extinguished.Lucien took his place at the altar. He turned on a false, but bright smile. Camera lights flashed in his eyes. Mia came down the aisle, but he didn’t see her.“Dearly beloved,” the officiant began. “We are gathered here today, the presence of beloved family and friends to celebrate the union of these two people in love.” The officiant’s words were white noise to Lucien. Everything was a haze. He said the right words when he needed to say them, smiled when he needed to
“Listen, I know this has been difficult, and I haven’t made it any easier with my expectations. And I’m sorry about that. I figured we could pick up right where we left off, but we’re different people.”“Mia…”“Please let me finish. If I don’t say this now, I’ll never be able to say it.” Lucien nodded for her to continue. “I hurt you. And I will never forgive myself for that. We may not be everything we were, but I hope we can rebuild something between us again. Remember…” she laughed. “Remember that one time we got lost in the woods during that one camping trip?”“Yeah,” Lucien smiled without wanting to. “You were crying the whole time.”“Excuse me,” she feigned offense. “I remember that quite differently. You were such a scaredy cat back then.”“I was not,” He laughed. “Okay, maybe a little. But still, that time you were the one that was scared. You were convinced that a witch was going to come and eat us.”“I was eight,” Mia defended herself. “How about that time I had to save you
Lucien realized what she was doing. He was still mad at her, but he was grateful for this interaction between her and his cousin. Mia’s visits to the office became a regular thing. Over the next few weeks, the staff grew to like her and were enthusiastic for her visits. She was charming, kind, and polite. He was happy to see this change in her. It made living with her easier. She had recovered from her miserable marriage with Philip, and some of the old Mia had begun to shine through.She seemed ready to move into the next chapter of her life but was trapped in this arranged marriage. It was unfair for both of them. He thought they should have a conversation about that soon. The more time that passed, he knew that he would never love her. Because it had become abundantly clear to him. He loved Audrey now.********Along with Mia’s regular visits to the office,Stella and Julius started visiting his home.Mia was the happy, courteous, and elegant wife society dictated she should be. Luc
Lucien stared at them, his eyes blank and empty.“Your position in the company is in better standing since you got married. Mia’s family is powerful and influential in high society,” Julius stated. “The board is pleased by this union.”“And it was me that arranged the marriage. We should be compensated for securing your standing in the company. My brilliant idea and quick thinking saved you.”Lucien laughed, but the sound was cynical and sour.“Of course. I should have known,” he shook his head, and a sad smile stretched across his face. “For a moment, just a moment I let myself believe that I meant more than dollar signs to you. But I should have known better. And now I see that you trapped me in a marriage I didn’t want so you two could secure your fucking pay day.”“Your father left you everything, and only gave us some stupid cottage that no one wants,” Stella screeched.“You have to take care of us now,” Julius added.“Why should I?Why have you two always been so lazy to work for
After the visit with Stella and Julius,Lucien was surlier and withdrawn. His security team was unable to find Audrey at all. It was though she had disappeared from the face of the earth.The only lead he had was Damian. He was sure that she got a job with his company. But every attempt to search Damian’s employee roster was like hitting a brick wall.Lucien was certain that Audrey was working for him, but no one could find anything or confirm his suspicion. It was maddening. Part of him didn’t even know why he was looking for her anymore. He was sure she had moved on. Telling her that he knew how he felt about her now wouldn’t change anything, but something in him knew he needed to find her.Immersion into work was the only solace he had in life.Mia had once been that comfort. She was the safe place he ran to when he wanted to escape his life. Now there was nowhere to go.“Sir,” the security captain announced himself as he walked into Lucien’s office. “I have something to report.”“H
The fear that he would leave her the way she left him always lingered in her mind. He had made it crystal clear that he didn’t love her. She was getting tired of hearing it. His declarations of “un-love” were getting to be too much. This plan was all she had to keep him by her side.A couple of weeks later, Mia got the confirmation she was waiting for. The investigator sent her photos of Audrey and her new boyfriend shopping for new baby necessities. Clothes, bottles, diapers, baby furniture, they were all the smoking gun she needed. The cherry on top was a photo of Audrey from the side. It was small, but there was an unmistakable baby bump visible.“These are great!” Mia commended the investigator on their weekly phone call.“Are you satisfied with the information that was obtained?”“I am. I won’t need any more photos, but what I need now is for you to continue to impede my husband’s efforts into finding her. Do whatever it takes.”“How interesting. The wife uses her husband’s money
Damian was true to his word. The very next day went by as though he hadn’t said anything. Nothing had changed at all. It was a well-known fact at the office thatAudrey and Damian were friends. But it was also clear that he didn’t show her any favoritism. She was held to the same standard as everyone else, and that did not change after he bared his soul to her.Her baby bump continued to grow, and Damian continued to care for her whenever he was available. They spent just as much time together, preparing for the arrival of Audrey’s baby.But they were unaware of the eyes that were following them. At every turn, a camera snapped photos of them. Their movements were monitored, and at the other end, Mia was watching. She was always watching.**********It was slower than she would have liked, but Mia was improving her image with Lucien. Her frequent visits to the office had garnered favor with his staff. In her interactions with them, he was able to see small glimpses of the old Mia. She