The sound of knocking wakes me, and I squint, confused, my look dropping to Ariel next to me. I didn't think we'd ever found ourselves in this position… waking up together as husband and wife. Another soft wrap on the entrance, and I sit up, letting the sheets bunch around my midsection. "Ariel," I mumble. "Hmm?" He squints sluggishly and turns toward me, murmuring as his eyes ripple open. "Arielle," he whispers groggily. His eyes relaxed and wandered over the dark bind nightie I'm wearing, resting on my breasts for a minute. He didn't come to bed until I slept, and I wasn't beyond any doubt he'd be sleeping beside me this morning at all. It wouldn't have shocked me if he slept on the couch. It wouldn't have been simple for him to have me in his bed when it's my sister he needs. "Ariel, sweetheart," Mrs Bedwin calls. "There's… there's somebody at the entrance." I tense and let my eyes drop closed. "Loretta," I whisper. Blame hits me big time, taken after by strong disgrace. "What are you going to tell her?" I inquire, my voice trembling.Ariel sits up and turns toward me, uncovering the blue checkered nightwear he's wearing. Loretta has matching ones. The thought of it makes me feel debilitated in my stomach. Did he wear them because he misses her, or is she so profoundly dug in his life that he can't detangle everything they were? Ariel gazes at me for a minute, no doubt noticing my uneasiness. "What do you need me to say to her?" I look down at my hands and breathe in profoundly before talking. "I need you to tell her exactly what you told me at the altar. You told me you'd give me your all, Ariel. I'm asking you to hold on to your words and fulfil your promise. I know how much you cherish her, but I won't let you deceive me — nor will I let you humiliate me. I request the respect that is due to me as your spouse, the respect you would've had for Loretta if she hadn't been reluctant to wed you yesterday." He looks away and gestures strongly. "Understood," he finally says. I look up in shock to find him grinning at me reassuringly, as if he can see the fears I attempt so much to cover up. "Let's get ready," he says to me. "She'll need to talk to both of us. I know about it. I'll allow you to use our ensuite washroom, and I'll head over to the washroom in our gym."l gesture and slip out of bed, a thousand different thoughts running through my mind. I do not need to see them together. For as long as l can remember, I've been existing in this anecdotal world that Loretta isn't a part of. I've been persuading myself that I may beat her, which I'd get away with taking her place. I knew I couldn't run until the end of time. I'm astounded to discover Ariel sitting on his bed when I walk out of the dressing room, a towel squeezed to his damp hair. I thought he'd have gone to talk to Loretta in private, however here he is, holding up for me. "Ready?" he asks as he stands up. I shake my head. "No," I concede. I know what my sister is like. She's continuously been a skilled actress and not that I can't withstand her abilities. I'm frightened that my strength will disintegrate once I come eye to eye with her. Ariel grins at me, but it doesn't reach his eyes. "It'll be alright. Let's go.I signed and follow him into the living room, where Loretta is waiting for us. She bounced up from her chair and surges up to Ariel, tossing herself into his arms.He embraces her firmly, his eyes falling closed as pure torment takes over his expression. It's self-evident how much he's missed her, and I've never felt more like an interloper than I do at this minute. "Tell me it isn't true," she asks, her voice shaking. "I'm so sorry, Loretta." He sounds as hurt as she does, and it murders me to know I'm all that's standing between them presently. She pushes gently away from him as a tear drops down her cheek and looks at me. "Arielle, is this some kinds of wiped out jokes, right? It would be ideal if you tell me it is.She snickers humorlessly, the sound carrying an indication of franticness. I shake my head, regret washing over me. She loves him. Loretta may be childish, but her love for Ariel has been one of the foremost lovely things about her. "How could you wed my fiancé?" she asks in doubt. "How can you conceivably wed somebody who will never love you? Why would you do this to me, Arielle? Had it been you'd stood your ground and refused, they'd have delayed the wedding and they wouldn't have been able to fault Ariel for it."Loretta," I say, my tone protective. "I called you over a hundred times. I sent you numerous text messages, a lot of voice notes, seriously I messaged you. I try my best to contact you in each single way I can think of, but you chose to disregard my messages. I told you that Father is determined to remove all subsidising for my company if I didn't walk down that aisle, and you still didn't show up. You were willing to forfeit your future, but that doesn't mean I was willing to forfeit mine." She looks between us, her eyes filled with tears. "Ariel," she says, her voice unstable. "How could you?
She's my sister, for God's sake. This…" She looks between us, uncertainty blazing through her eyes. "You two… are you…" "No," Ariel says immediately. "Never. I've never loved anybody but you, Loretta. I never will. How can I conceivably need somebody other than you?" My heart turns horrendous, but l control myself and manage to keep my expression clear. I am scared that it's genuine, and no matter what I do, he will never love me. A bigger portion of me knows that I'll continuously lament it if I do not attempt to win him. "Where does this leave us, Ariel? What about us?" Ariel looks at me, but I'm not beyond any doubt how to reply to her address, either.I'm waiting for his reply as much as she is. "You know how I feel about marriage, Loretta. You chose to walk away from this, from us." She looks at him in disbelief. "l know the rule says you need to stay married for three years, right?" He falters for a minute, but at that point he nods. "I'll wait. I'll wait for you, Ariel." I take in his expression, the atom of trust that lights up his entire face. It hurts. It murders me that he so frantically needs to be with her, honestly. "Before we know it, three years will fly by," she says, her tone frantic. "I'll centre on my career for the three years, and once you two get a divorce ,I'll resign and wed you. I see it now,Ariel. I do not need my career as much as I need you. I'd never would have strolled away from this marriage if I thought they'd make you wed Arielle." She turns to me at that point, her eyes filled with distress. "I'm sorry, Arielle. This… It's all my fault. Having to wed your brother-in-law…can't envision how difficult this must be for you. I know it's as well late for words of regret, but I am really so sorry. I'll set this right, I swear. I know three years is like a long time,but you'll walk away with Mother and Dad's company." Brother-in-law. Part of me needs to snap at her and tell her that he's my spouse now and her brother-in-law, but I do not have it in me to harm her that way. Instead, I gesture, uncertain how to reply. I may well be Ariel's spouse, but I have no rights to him. Standing here before my sister, the lady he adores and needs to spend his life with… I can't harm her any more than she is hurting herself. Loretta breathes in profoundly and looks at Ariel before turning to me. "I believe both of you," she says, her look floating between us. She grins at Ariel, her look filled with yearning. "I know you've been put in a difficult situation, but I won't question the love between us, Ariel. We've been together for five years.From the look of things, three years is nothing compared to the rest of our lives." She turned to me at that point,eyes blazed with intensity as she looked at me "Had it been anybody else, I'd have been unsure and frightened, but I know you'll never harm me. You'd never sell me out in that way, and I know you'll never see Ariel as your spouse, no matter what name the world is driving you two to wear." I gesture, giving in. This isn't a fight worth fighting. Besides, Ariel may be my spouse presently, but he'll end up being hers in the future. I can see it in his eyes. Apparently, it's her he's envisioning a future with. The promises he made to me disintegrated the moment he laid eyes on her. They always have. Loretta falters, her eyes on mine, and for a minute I wonder if she's seeing straight through me, what if she can sense my hesitance, my shock. "Arielle," she says, her voice tense. My heart begins to race as I drive a grin on my face.As she wants to talk once more, her phone rings, sparing me from questions I might not have a reply to. Loretta looks at her phone and frowns. "I have to go," she says reluctantly. "I'm supposed to be on set today." Ariel tenses, hearing the words she is saying. If she's supposed to be on set, that means she must have known long before now that she wouldn't be on her honeymoon today. What kind of game is she playing ? And how long is Ariel aiming to let her get away with it? I watch as Loretta walks up to him. She rises to her tiptoes to kiss him, and I coarse my teeth, unadulterated poison surging through my veins. Ariel deflects his face at the final diminutive, making her lips brush against his cheek instead. She limits her eyes to him, but in the end , she chooses to stay calm. "I'll see you later," she tells him, her voice delicate. Let's have dinner and talk things through, okay?"He gestures and watches her as she strolls away taking off both of our prospects in confusion. The door closes behind her, and Ariel breathes in profoundly as he takes a seat on the couch, his look unfocused. I ought to give him some space, and I ought to respect his boundaries, but I won't. This is a serious war, and I won't go down without a battle. My steps are filled with certainty as I walk toward him and put my knee on the sofa between his spread legs, inclining the way I did recently. The regret with which he looks at me has me wavering, but in the end, trust wins. I put my hands on his shoulders as I incline against him, towering over him. "My words still stand," I tell him, my voice delicate but firm. "I
won't let you cheat on me. In case you need to be with Loretta once our three years are up, at that point, so be it. But until that time, I require you to be loyal to me. You might think that you can just sneak around and won't get caught, but that isn't a problem that's worth taking. If you cheat on me, I stand to lose as much as you. I won't let it happen.He wraps his hands around my midriff, his looks filled with feelings I can't explain. He's never looked at me this way before. "I listening to you," he says, his voice delicate. "I won't break my vows, Arielle. I won't lie to you and tell you that I'm not enticed because I am. It would be so easy to imagine that you and I aren't married at all — that we're just roommates, that you're still my fiancee's small sister. But I won't." I breathe out shakily as l stepped back, reacting to his strong presence over me. Honestly, as much as I'll ask for. So long as he's loyal to me, I've got a chance. One chance is all I need.