Page 87 of Gilded Shackles
Now all I can think is that he ruined everything. Ruined my moment. Ruined our night. Ruined what could've been a memory we'd cherish for years.
I spent goddamn hours pulling together the perfect surprise that never came to be. I'd rehearsed how I'd say it.We're having a baby, you terrifying, impossible man, and you're going to be a father again.But of course that didn't happen.
And the fact that it didn't makes me seethe.
I'm done. Done being sweet, good-natured Elle who never gives her man a hard time. If I come second to everything else in Nikolai's life, then screw it.
It's about time I put myself first.
I get dressed with an agenda and a vendetta. Beige tailored trousers. A satin button-down, loose enough to whisper sexyand free. I braid my hair, long, polished, just messy enough to look effortless, and add jewelry and makeup until the mirror finally nods back at me likethere she is.Then the boots: sleek, a little dangerous, practical enough to survive whatever kind of day this turns into.
By the time I'm done, I look like the kind of woman who doesn't get ignored twice.
I grab my bag and head downstairs, the click of my boots sharp enough to sound like a warning.
He's in the living room, leaning against the couch with coffee in hand, reading his phone. Working, even at home. Of course.
When he looks up and sees me, he freezes. Just for a second. Then that composure cracks, like he wasn't expecting this version of me.
His eyes sweep over me. Head to toe. Slow. "Going somewhere?"
I sling my purse across my body. "Shopping."
"Shopping?"
"Yes. That thing normal people do when they need to buy stuff."
A flash of hurt crosses his face. "You don't have to be quite so sarcastic."
"Then stop asking stupid questions."
He sets his cup down. "Elle..."
"No." I cut him off. "I'm not doing this today. I'm done sittingin this house like some well-kept secret. I'm done waiting for you to remember I exist."
His jaw tightens. "That's not fair."
"Neither is being married to a man who keeps disappearing. So if you're planning on telling me no, save your breath."
The silence crackles. He looks at me like he's choosing between fighting and surrendering.
"Fine," he exhales. "You can go."
I arch a brow.
"With the guards," he adds.
I figured I'd have to give somewhere. I sigh like it's an inconvenience, but I don't really mind. It's not freedom, but it's a win.
"Good." I slide on my sunglasses. "I was going anyway."
As I walk past, I catch the look on his face. Regret. Like he realizes what he's turned me into. A small part of me wants to stop and explain why I'm really angry, but something tells me to hold. The ball's in his court.
Let him stew. It's about time he knows what silence feels like from the other side.
Natalia's sprawledon the guesthouse bed, flipping through a magazine, legs in the air behind her. She grins when she sees me.
"Morning. You look like money."
