Chapter 29
(ARIELLE’S POV)
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A bile rose in the pit of my stomach after Jared left, making me lose appetite. What notification could have arrived in his phone that made his countenance change in seconds? I wondered.
I turned around and craned my neck in the direction he took, hoping to get a glimpse of him, but I saw nothing. For a moment, I thought of going after him to spy, but thought against it.
I would rather wait for him to return and inquire what the notification he received was about.
And so I waited.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go away for that long,” Jared’s voice sounded as he rejoined me. And then he glanced at my food, and up at me.
“You stopped eating?”
“You didn’t expect me to keep eating when I saw how upset you looked by the notification you got on your phone, did you?” I asked, displeased.
“It was nothing serious. Come on, let’s resume eating,” he said in a dismissive tone.
“What was the notification about?” I blurted, my eyes trained on him.
Jared looked surprised, like he didn’t expect me to pry. His reaction was justified, because I wasn’t exactly one to be concerned about his private affairs, but I had a bad gut feeling about this one.
“It’s work,” he responded plainly.
“Is it Sofia?” I persisted.
This time, the surprise on Jared’s face was palpable. You can’t blame me, I have grown a sixth sense since Sofia’s arrival.
And with everything that has been going on, I wouldn’t be surprised that she had sent Jared some cryptic message, especially after we left her by herself.
Don’t get me wrong, there are several things that could get Jared upset, but work was scarcely one of them.
He was always in control, and rarely let news from his workplace sway him, not even when the company was having issues. The only time I had seen Jared react to his phone notification noticeably, was the night Sofia sent him tons of messages.
Chapter 29
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With his reaction a few minutes ago, it was no different from his reaction that night.
“So tell me, was it from her?” I probed further when he gave no response.
“No, it’s not from her. Can we continue eating now?” Jared asked, and there was an edginess to his tone now.
I nodded. “Sure.”
We resumed eating, but a major part of my appetite was lost as my thought dwelled on the message Jared must have received, and its content.
“You’re picking your food, Arielle. Do you need something else?
You could place an order for another food if you’ve lost appetite. You’ve never been a fan of Salmon, and it’s understandable if you’ve gotten tired,” Jared broke into my thoughts with his barrage of questions.
“I’m fine,” I said and flashed him a smile.
He nodded, even though he didn’t look convinced, we continued to eat.
“Have you called Sofia? You promised to call her at noon, remember?” I started again, breaking the silence that had descended.
“I called her already,” Jared responded, and I stopped to stare at him.
We’ve been together all the time, and I never saw him make a call. Unless of course he made it when we were separated at the spa, but there was a nagging feeling in my gut that that was
not the case. (1)
“We’ve been together the whole time.
When did you make the call?” I asked, unable to withhold my curiosity.
“When I stepped out a few minutes ago,” Jared responded, confirming my suspicion.
At that point, I lost interest in asking any more questions, as I had already formed a theory in my head.
Jared received a message from Sofia. I might not know its content, but it clearly made him upset. He went out to call her, and they probably spoke on whatever reason she texted him.
Jared had sensed my mood shift even before I did. He tried to start a conversation over dinner, his gaze searching mine for an opening, but I barely gave him one. As much as I wanted to play it cool, I couldn’t ignore the sting of his lies, the weight of secrets pressing between us.
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Chapter 29
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Having your own husband deceive you–pretend, manipulate–was a wound that didn’t just heal overnight.
But tonight wasn’t about that. I had promised myself I wouldn’t ruin our getaway with confrontations. If everything went well, I would tell Jared about the pregnancy. Maybe Ashley was right. Maybe this was exactly what I needed to pry him out of Sofia’s grip for good.
We made it back to the suite, and I barely shut the door behind us before exhaling, “Jared, I need to talk to you about-”
I never got the chance to finish.
Jared was on me in a heartbeat, his hands cupping my face as his mouth crashed onto mine, hungry, searing, possessive.
“You are gorgeous tonight, Arielle…” he breathed against my lips, his voice thick with desire.” You don’t know how hard I had to pretend-”
“Wait, Jared, I need to-”
“Don’t.” His eyes darkened, pupils blown with lust. “Don’t talk about anyone else.”
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