"Who said that?" She snapped at him. "Who said I don't have feelings for you anymore? Because I do!"
As soon as the words escaped her lips, shock took over her senses. Biting down on her lower lip—hard, Ayla buried her face into her palms. She didn't have the strength to look in his direction let alone meet his intense gaze. Though she did not see the look on his face, she could feel the man's eyes boring into the top of her head as the car slowed down further until it came to a stop.
"Ayla?" He called out her name in a low whisper but she refused to look up.
It was no secret that she still had feelings for him, but saying it out loud made it all too real. And it scared her.
"Ayla?"
Claude spoke up again, this time he wasn't whispering. Something else laced his voice, something she could not put a finger on.
"Will you
"What is this place?" Ayla couldn't hold her curiosity back for another minute as she allowed Claude to guide her down the dark path. Though there were a couple of street lamps located down the cobbled stone pathway, the light only helped her vision to a certain extent."You will find out soon." Claude refused to disclose anything about the site but he was sure of one thing. Ayla was going to like it."Why won't you tell me anything?" Ayla groaned out in frustration though she continued to follow in his steps."Because that would ruin the surprise." He replied in a duh tone."Or, maybe, you are kidnapping me. That is why you won't tell me where exactly we are." She speculated."It could be it. I don't want you knowing the location just in case you are able to escape from here. How are you going to find your way back to the city without knowing where
"What?" Her eyes wandered around as Ayla took her surroundings in. It wouldn't be wrong to say that the breath was knocked out of her lungs right away. Everything looked so beautiful, almost serene. They were sitting by the bank of a small lake with nothing but greenery surrounding them. Golden fairy lights hung from the branches of trees, engulfing the couple in a glow so warm that she was finding it hard to tear her gaze away from the sight. The cold wind played with the locks of her hair as Ayla took her time in admiring the arrangement. It wasn't until minutes later that she found her voice. "So, this is what you have been up to." It wasn't a question. She didn't need any confirmation from the man to know that he was the one behind it all. And that it was all for her. "You have been working too much these past few days. A small break from everything wouldn't harm you." Claude muttered next to
The scream shook the man to its core, making him almost drop whatever it was he had his fingers wrapped around."What?"Claude looked up in her direction the very instant. His brows were drawn together as his worry filled eyes searched for any kind of injury on her. It took the man a couple of seconds to realize that it was nothing. Ayla wasn't screaming because she was hurt, but because her eyes were glued to a dish covered with some saran wrap."Seriously?" He gave her a deadpanned look."What?" She barely glanced in his direction as her eyes kept staring at the glass bowl. If it was to continue any longer, he was sure that there were going to be two holes in the transparent sheet."I thought something hurt you." He shook his head as he went back to unpacking the rest of their dinner."That mac and cheese is more than enough fo
[The next day…]"What do you think?"Ayla was pulled out of her mind with a slight tap on the shoulder."Huh?" She glanced at the intruder as she drew her brows together."Where are you lost?" Claude squinted his eyes down at her as he leaned forward to have a better look at her face. "Are you tired already? We can come back another day." He proposed. The idea of her being unwell didn't settle well with the man. He was already planning on giving his doctor a call to come and check on her as soon as they arrived back at his penthouse."What? No!" Ayla shook her head. "Why would we need to come back here? We are already here and have seen half of the place."The duo decided to come and check out the old, abandoned mansion for themselves the very next day. More precisely, it was Claude who came up with the idea. According to
"That's because I was not sick, Claude." Her voice was no longer meek as she responded to his questions. "I was feeling a bit down because it's that time of the month…"It took Claude some time to process her words. But in the end, he came up with nothing. The frown nestled in between his brows only grew deeper as he found himself to be at a loss."What are you trying to say?" He finally found his voice after a good couple of seconds. "What time of the month?" Claude failed to decode her riddle, if that it was to begin with."Are you kidding me?" It was Ayla's turn to be confused. She knew that she wasn't really forthcoming with her answer, but she was sure that it wasn't that hard for anyone to guess what she was talking about."No." Claude gave his head a firm shake. "I really don't know what it is that you are talking about."Ayla stared ba
Several minutes later, Claude walked in with a tray in his hands and a hot water bottle tucked under his arm. Ayla watched him make his way further into the room with squinted eyes. The frown from earlier was no longer there and his brows seemed to have relaxed in the time he was gone. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she eyed the man. She hated it when she was the one causing him pain."Where are you lost?" Claude settled down next to her on the bed, placing the tray in between the two of them."Just thinking…""About?" Claude probed. He was eager to know what could be so important that she barely acknowledged his presence. But he wasn't expecting the reply he got in return."You." Ayla shrugged as if it was only normal for her to be thinking of him."I hope it's all good." He glanced up at her with hopeful eyes."It
Feeling a little more than groggy, Claude stretched his arms out in the air to help ease the stiffness embedded in his shoulders. He turned around to his other side, wanting to go back to sleep. But something made him snap his eyes open. His legs were almost dangling off the edge of the bed. Since when did he grow out of his bed, or did it shrink. Neither did he have a habit of rolling around the bed in his sleep.A groan of protest resonated deep within his throat as he pushed the upper half of his body up using his hands. It took his mind a good minute to get rid of the fogginess which his nap had left behind in its wake. Once he was in his senses, he took his time in taking in his surroundings. But what caught his attention was the ruffled sheets behind him. He looked over his shoulder, only to be left gaping as air left his lungs.Ayla was sleeping… in his bed… next to him.It was then
"No, you don't, Claude." Ayla shook her head. "You can not go around taking my decisions for me all because it will make you feel better. You lost that right a long, long time ago. You lost that right when you chose to ruin our marriage!"It was too late when realization dawned on her."I-I… I didn't mean it like that."Claude scoffed as he looked down at his own slippers clad feet. With a shake of his head, he smiled at her, a smile which was a reflection on his emotional turmoil. "No, Ayla. What you said is true. I lost that right a long, long time. But you know what?" He paused but didn't wait for her reply. "I may have ruined our relationship, but it wasn't me who ruined our marriage. It was you.""Claude, don't, please." Her voice quivered as she took a step back."Why?" He scoffed. "Since we are setting the scores correctly, why should I