Chapter 34: Bitter Departure

ALICE

“Gideon, stop. Please, sit down and think for a moment. You can’t just leave your father like this,” I said anxiously.

“There is nothing to think about, little dove. We’re leaving. Go get Nico,” he stated, throwing his clothes into the suitcase.

“Gideon, he is your family.” I tried once again.

Gideon let out a bitter laugh. “First of all, family doesn’t do what he did. Second, after what he said, I am not going to stay with him even if he fucking begs me.”

“But—”

“No! I am not going to stay with him, and that’s final, Alice! You know, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. He was the reason my sister had to run away, and he thinks that it is perfectly okay to treat people like shit. Well, he is wrong.

“My sister was one thing, but he has no right to stand in front of me and insult the woman I love and expect me to be okay with it!” he shouted, breathing heavily.

In response, I took Gideon’s hands in mine before forcing him to sit down. He sat down with a huff and pulled me onto his lap. I wanted to place my head on his shoulder, but Gideon captured my lips in a heated kiss before I got the chance.

The kiss was tender, yet full of uncovered emotions. Gideon poured his love, his guilt, and his strength into that kiss, giving me no choice but to accept whatever he gave me. After a few seconds, I felt the familiar lack of air.

I tried to push Gideon away, but he had no intention of releasing my lips and continued the dance with my tongue.

It was only when I was starting to get lightheaded that Gideon broke away, only to place his forehead against mine, breathing deeply.

“I love you.” He kissed me. “I love you so much.” Another kiss. “I won’t ever leave you.”

“I love you too. Calm down, Gideon.” I ran my fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him the best way I could.

“Little peach, I am going to ask you a question, and I want you to answer honestly, okay?”

I gave Gideon a puzzled look before nodding. “Of course. Ask me anything.”

“Did you marry me for my money?” he asked, looking me dead in the eyes.

I swallowed hard. How was I going to answer that? It was true that I’d married Gideon for money, but now that I loved him, how could I tell him that when he wanted an honest answer from me?

“Wh-why are you asking me that?” I queried.

“Answer my question, Alice,” he commanded.

I blinked, trying to tell Gideon through my eyes not to ask me that. “Gideon…”

He cupped my cheek. “Answer me,” he ordered softly.

“You’ll hate me.” I bit my lip as guilt weighed on my heart.

“Answer my question,” he repeated.

Taking a deep breath, I gave him the honest truth. “All right, yes. I did marry you for money, because I needed money for my brother’s surgery. You know that,” I answered.

Gideon didn’t say anything for a few seconds, causing my heart to sink. Great, the moment he told me he loved me, I’d just given him a reason to hate me. But I couldn’t lie to him. He’d asked for the truth, and I told him that.

“Do you love me now?” he asked.

I nodded my head rapidly. “Yes. I do love you…so much,” I stated, trying my best to convey my feelings in those words.

“So if I take you to a small house, which only has two bedrooms and a bathroom, will you still love me?” he asked.

“Did you not hear me? I said I love you. You. Not your money. I might’ve married you for money, but I fell in love with you. Even if you make me live on the streets, it won’t change my feelings for you. My love for you will never waver,” I said with conviction.

Gideon kissed me sweetly. “That is all I want to hear. Now be a good girl and go pack Nico’s things. I’ll finish packing, and then we’ll leave.”

“Gideon, are you sure about this?” I asked again. I didn’t want Gideon to resent me later, to blame me for separating him from his family.

“I am a hundred and fifty percent sure, and nothing you can do or say is going to change my mind. So go and pack Nico’s things; otherwise, Nico will have no choice but to survive the next few days with no clothes. The choice is yours.”

Sighing audibly, I removed myself from Gideon’s lap. “Okay, but if at any time you want to leave me and go back to your family, to your father…just tell me, okay? I won’t stop you, all right?”

I wanted him to know that I wouldn’t force him to stay with me if he didn’t want to.

“Go and pack Nico’s things.” With that, Gideon went back to his suitcase and quickly threw his clothes in.

Clearly dismissed, I left the room and headed straight for Nico’s room. I entered without knocking and found Nico sitting on the bed with a thick book in his hands.

I tried to give him a reassuring smile but failed. I was too worried to give my brother any assurance.

“Nico. Come on, pack up all your things. We are leaving,” I told him.

Nico frowned before closing the book. “Leaving? Where? Why? What happened? Did you and Gideon have a fight?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. Gideon and I did not have a fight. We just have to leave, now. So please pack your things,” I replied.

“Is Gideon coming?” Nico inquired, getting up from his bed and heading for his closet.

“Yes, he’s coming with us as well. Please hurry, Nico. Would you like me to help you?” I asked, eyeing Nico as he took out a duffel bag and the rest of his clothes from the closet.

“No, no, it’s fine. I can manage. Have you packed your clothes?” Nico asked.

“I am just going to. Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

“Positive. Go pack your things,” Nico told me.

Nodding my head, I left Nico’s room and went back to my own. As soon as I entered, my eyes widened when I saw my clothes in Gideon’s hands.

“What are you doing?!” I tried my best not to shriek in bewilderment.

“I’m packing your clothes. What does it look like I’m doing?” Gideon neatly folded the dress and placed it inside the suitcase.

“Yes, but why? I can pack my clothes by myself. You didn’t have to do it,” I said.

“So? You’re my wife, not some stranger. I can pack your clothes if I want to,” Gideon argued, picking up another dress.

“Yes, but you didn’t have to.” I just couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that Gideon was packing my clothes.

“I didn’t have to. I wanted to, little fairy. I like taking care of you.” And then he winked, and that wink did something funny to my insides. “Can you please get the toiletries out? I’ve packed everything else. Has Nico finished packing?”

“I saw him packing. I’ll check on him in a while.” I headed for the bathroom and grabbed Gideon’s things, putting them into a small black bag, while I put my things in an even smaller green bag.

When I emerged from the bathroom, I saw Kieran standing in the room.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Gideon asked his brother.

“Are you?” Kieran shot back.

“Yeah,” answered Gideon.

“So am I,” replied Kieran.

Gideon noticed me standing there and nodded for me to come to him. I gave Kieran a small smile, which he returned, before striding over to my husband, who took the bags containing our toiletries and placed them inside the suitcase.

Then, Gideon shut the suitcase and zipped it shut, making sure to lock it.

“Are you ready?” Gideon asked Kieran, who nodded.

“Yes. Why don’t you go and start the car? I’ll bring the bags down,” Kieran said.

Gideon nodded before turning to me. “Go and see if Nico finished packing then come down to the garage,” he instructed before exiting the bedroom.

Kieran picked up the suitcase on the bed and followed after Gideon, leaving me alone.

Not wanting to waste time, I went over to Nico’s room. I sighed in relief when I saw him zipping his bags. When he saw me, Nico held up his thumb.

“I’m done, Alice. Ready to go?”

Nodding my head, I went over to pick one of Nico’s bags, but he stopped me. “No. You can’t carry my bags for me. Not when you’re pregnant.” I blushed at hearing Nico say that I was pregnant.

“And besides, you’ve carried my bags for me all my life. Let me carry my own bags now. I can do it.”

Giving my brother a small smile, I ushered him out of his bedroom, and both of us made our way to the garage, my heart picking up speed as I wondered where Gideon planned to take us. Were we going to spend the night in a hotel?

Or in Gideon’s car? How long would it take for Gideon to find a job now that his father had cut him off?

Before my mind could come up with more impossible, anxiety-triggering questions, we entered the garage. Gideon was sitting in the driver’s seat while Kieran was sitting in the back.

Nico jogged over to the car and threw his bags in the trunk before slamming it shut and getting in the back with Kieran. I quickly followed and sat in the front passenger seat.

Gideon grabbed my hand as soon as I closed the door. I looked at him to see his eyes shining with affection. “Do you trust me, little dove?” he asked.

I nodded without thinking. “Always.” I smiled at him.

“Good.” Placing my hand on his thigh, Gideon turned the ignition and drove out of the garage and away from the Maslow castle.

For a while, none of us said anything, too lost in our own thoughts. I was not worried about me; I was worried about Gideon. Would he be able to live without his family? He was so used to the rich life.

Would he be able to live in a two-bedroom apartment? How long until he cracked and left me? What would I do when Gideon finally left me? Would I be able to survive? Was I strong enough without my husband’s love?

“Where are we going?” I jolted back to reality upon hearing Nico’s question.

“We are going somewhere far away, buddy,” Kieran replied.

“Why?” he inquired.

“Because it’s better this way,” Kieran said cryptically.

“Seriously, Kieran, you’ve got to give me a proper answer,” Nico demanded.

Gideon chuckled. “You’ll get your answers soon, Nico.”

“Are we going to a hotel?” Nico changed his approach.

“No, we are not,” Kieran answered him.

“Then where are we going to sleep?” he queried.

“Nico. Keep quiet. Don’t bother them. We’ll sleep in the car if we have to,” I chided.

“Little mushroom, what kind of monsters do you think we are? You really think Gideon is going to let you sleep in the car?” Kieran asked, sounding affronted.

“So where are we going to sleep, then?”

“Nico.” I turned to give him a stern glare, warning him to stop asking questions.

“Sorry,” Nico said sheepishly.

“Little one, calm down. Nico, you can ask as many questions as you want,” Gideon said.

“She needs sleep,” Kieran stated. I rolled my eyes.

“I know; it’s been a long day for her. She’ll sleep the moment we get there,” Gideon responded.

“I think she should sleep now,” Kieran commented.

“I want her to be comfortable,” Gideon stated.

“Hello! I’m right here.” Seriously, why were they talking like I was invisible?

Gideon and Kieran chuckled before Gideon raised my hand, which was sitting on his thigh, and placed a soft, lingering kiss on it.

“I’m so sorry, Alice, but I have to ask. Where are we going?” Nico questioned.

“Gideon has a place where we will live from now on. But that place is far away, so we are going to spend the night somewhere else, and tomorrow we’ll go to Gideon’s place,” Kieran answered.

Wait, what? Gideon had a place he’d never told me about? Was it a secret place, or was it a secret just for me? And why didn’t Gideon tell me about this place of his? I had given him plenty of chances to tell me.

“And where are we going to spend the night?” Nico asked.

“You’ll know soon. We’re almost there. Just ten more minutes,” Kieran said.

Now, even I was curious. Exactly where were we going? Did Gideon have a friend I didn’t know of? Was it a motel where he was taking us? Why were these men so cryptic?

“Is this car yours?” I asked.

“Yes, it is,” Gideon replied.

“I mean, did your—”

“No, little bird, my father didn’t give me this car. I bought it with my own money,” he said.

“You have your own money?!” I slapped a hand over my mouth as soon as the words left my lips. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

Gideon chuckled, shaking his head. “It’s all right, little fairy. And, yes, I have my own money, plenty of it. I don’t know what you think, but Kieran and I have our own separate businesses. We might be running the family business, but we also have our own business. I’m not a mooch, little one.”

“I’m sorry.” My cheeks heated in embarrassment over judging my husband like that.

“Don’t be. You didn’t know.”

“Take the left turn,” Kieran instructed.

“I know where it is,” Gideon snapped before taking a sharp left and coming to a stop a few seconds later.

“Wow, whose place is this?” I asked as I gazed at the gorgeous villa standing proudly before me. It had Victorian architecture, with flowers surrounding it. It was a truly beautiful structure.

“Let’s go.” Kieran opened the door and got out, followed by Gideon, Nico, and me. I wanted to stretch like a cat but refrained.

But I was unable to suppress the yawn that had Gideon coming over to me and wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

“It’s all right; we’re here. You’ll sleep once we get inside,” Gideon said softly, kissing my forehead.

I nodded and allowed Gideon to lead me to the front door. Kieran rang the bell a few times before stepping back. I felt slightly guilty, because someone’s sleep was ruined because of us.

“She must be sleeping,” Gideon stated.

“I know,” Kieran agreed.

“Whose place is this?” I asked.

“Someone you should’ve met a long time ago, little peach,” Gideon told me.

Before I could ask who, the door opened and a woman stepped out. Just one look at the woman told me all I wanted to know.

And I couldn’t believe my eyes. I thought I would never get a chance to meet her. But here she was, standing before me in a silk robe and bedroom slippers.

Elizabeth Maslow.