Forever After All: Chapter 24

I wake up with my head on Alexander’s bare chest and snuggle closer. He’s got one arm wrapped around me, and I bury my nose against his neck.

I smile at the memory of last night. He came to bed late last night, waking me up with countless kisses on my skin. The way he touched me… he’s both rough and tender with me at the same time.

Most days he’s gone by the time I wake up, but every once in a while, I wake up in his arms. I love those moments right before he wakes up, those moments when he’ll hold me close, when he makes me feel cherished. Those moments make our marriage more bearable—they help me forget that what we have isn’t real.

“Your hair tickles.”

I freeze in his arms, my entire body tense. I push away from him, but he won’t let me go. Instead, he pulls me closer. I blink, turning my head just a little. He’s got his phone in his hand, scrolling through his emails leisurely, his other hand on my waist.

“Let’s go on a dinner date tonight. I think it’s time we start making front page news.”

I nod, slightly nervous at the thought. Alexander and I don’t see each other much outside of our bed, and we barely talk during the day. Going on a date with him, no matter how well orchestrated, makes me nervous.

“You need a ring too. Meet me at the Kennedy Mall later. It’s where our family jeweler is located, and we can go try the new Michelin starred restaurant on the top floor too. Perfect location to stage a date.”

I blink, feeling somewhat out of place. The Kennedy Mall houses some of the world’s most expensive brands, and I haven’t even set foot in there for years now. It’s silly, but I feel somewhat intimidated. I feel like a fraud. Like everything might come crashing down on me soon.

“All right,” I say, pushing away my doubts. I lift my face, my lips brushing against his throat. “You also need a ring.”

He tightens his grip on me when I kiss his neck. “Then you’d better bring that black card I gave you.”

I pause, remembering the black card that Alexander gave me along with a new phone and other electronics. I recognized it straight away. Only ten are issued globally, and I distinctly remember my father applying for it every year throughout my childhood, and every year his application was rejected. I haven’t dared to use the card. I’ve barely even dared to look at it.

Part of me finds it exhilarating to have access to something so exclusive, but a bigger part of me resents that I’m unable to provide for myself and my loved ones the way I used to. I never wanted to be the type of woman that depends on a man, and look at me now. Not only do I depend on Alexander, but my mother’s life is in his hands too.

Alexander lets go of me and slips out of bed, getting ready for his day. It’s rare for us to spend any time together in the mornings, and I shamelessly watch him get dressed. He smirks at me knowingly as he walks out, and I’m still smiling as I get ready myself.

My smile is wiped off my face the second I look in the mirror and see the kiss mark Alexander must have left on my neck last night. I blush scarlet, my mind drifting back to the way he held me, the way he touched me.

I grab a scarf that could easily pay for at least a day’s worth of hospital bills and sigh as I cover up the mark on my neck, transforming myself into the prim and proper wife Alexander asked for. I stare at my reflection, surprised at what I’m seeing. For the first time in years, I don’t look overworked and stressed out. I don’t look exhausted and sad. I look a lot more like I used to.

I grab the bag my mother got me shortly before her accident and frown at it. The edges are worn, and it’s discolored from the lack of maintenance, but it’s the last thing she ever gave me, and I never had the heart to sell it. Not that I’d get much for it—my mother had my name embossed inside it, so I doubt I’d ever be able to sell it anyway. Now that I can finally afford it, I’ll need to get it restored. I should be able to do that after visiting my mother.

My day flies by, and I check my watch as I walk into the Kennedy Mall. I ended up spending more time with my mother than I planned to, but I still ended up getting here early, with enough time to enquire about my bag. I hesitate just slightly in front of the store, feeling entirely out of place. I no longer feel like I belong here. After struggling with bills for so many years, spending an outrageous amount of money on material things doesn’t make any sense anymore. I glance down at my bag, and my heart wrenches. I still remember the smile on my mother’s face when she gave it to me. Usually there’s a waiting list of several years for this particular bag, but not for my mother. No, she had this one custom made for my birthday, and I’d been so ecstatic.

I inhale deeply before walking into the store. The store assistants smile at me, and I nod politely, feeling oddly nervous. “Hi,” I murmur, placing my bag on the counter awkwardly. “I’d like to enquire about getting this bag serviced. Do you think that’d be possible?”

Sharp laughter rings out behind me, and I tense, recognizing my stepsister before I even turn around. “How embarrassing. You can’t even afford to just buy a new bag?” Elise says.

I turn to look at her, a forced smile on my face. I should’ve known there’d be a chance she’d be here. This is her favorite brand, and this is their flagship store. It’s the only place to get their newest products, and Elise has been buying at least one thing from this brand weekly for as long as I can remember.

“Elise.”

She looks me over and then bursts out laughing. “Look at you. The last time I saw you, you looked like a beggar. Now you’re wearing clothes you can’t possibly afford. Is this fake?” she asks as she pulls on my scarf, unraveling it.

I clutch it, panicked, but it’s too late. She gasps when she sees the kiss mark on my skin, and then she bursts out laughing.

“I see. A sugar daddy, huh? I guess you had no other choice after Dad cut you off. Where’d you go, a gentlemen’s club?”

I turn away from her and fix my scarf, my cheeks burning with shame. Her words grate on me, and it hurts to have her confirm my suspicions—she’s the one that sent me to Vaughn’s. It’s my biggest fear come true. If she could get nurse June to hand me that card, then there’s much worse she can do, much more she has access to.

Even the sales assistants look embarrassed on my behalf, and I wish I could just sink straight through the floor. “So, the bag,” I say, trying my best to remain unaffected. “Can it be fixed?”

Elise laughs. “I can’t believe your sugar daddy can’t even buy you a new bag. But then again, these are so expensive they’re the equivalent of a couple of hospital bills, aren’t they? Man, you must be sucking some old wrinkly dick to be able to pay all that.”

The sales assistant looks as flustered as I feel and shakes her head. “Damage like this we just can’t undo,” she says, sounding apologetic. “It’s the leather that’s damaged beyond repair,” she adds, trailing a gloved finger over the tears.

“I see,” I murmur. “I… would it be possible to get an identical bag?”

Elise laughs again, the sound grating. “Are you stupid?” she says. “You could never afford a new one. Stop wasting everyone’s time.”

I turn back towards her, annoyed. “Why are you so concerned about me, anyway? Mind your own damn business.”

Elise grins. “Oh, I’m just bored waiting for the staff to bring out the new bags Dad ordered for me. Besides, how could I not be concerned after the way you came to our house the other day, begging for money?”

My heart twists painfully. It’s not even the humiliation or everything I’ve lost—what hurts the most is that my father clearly has the money to buy a bag Elise doesn’t need, but he wouldn’t spend that same money to save my mother’s life.

I’m shaking so hard, and even though I want to come up with a retort, I can’t. My throat is closing up, and words escape me.

I’m close to bursting into tears when a strong arm wraps around me. “I’m late, Buttercup, but I’m here now.”