“Good girl. After all, you know what they say about curiosity, Gabriella?”
I swallowed hard but somehow mustered up an amused grin. “It killed the cat?”
His jaw clenched as his eyes darkened. A grim expression covered his face as he tilted his head and watched me. “A child’s tale. The punishment for such avid curiosity is far worse,” he informed me, and I waited for a smile to break out on his face, for him to tell me that he was joking, but he never did. It was unsettling, to say the least. “Ensure your curiosity doesn’t get the better of you in the future.”
Without another word or a kiss goodbye, Adrian walked out of the closet, leaving me to wonder what the hell had just happened, what the hell he’d gotten into while he had been gone, and what the hell he’d meant about curiosity.
It’s not that he’d scared me or even made me fearful in any sense of the word. Still, his demeanor had been unnerving, and the fact that he had bloody clothes and no explanation was entirely off-putting. As much as I tried to wipe the memory from my mind, I failed to do so, all sorts of scenarios running through my head. Eventually, I forced them away, rationalizing that, if he wanted to tell me, he would. And as long as he wasn’t hurt, then it didn’t matter.
Wondering if he’d been the one to hurt someone kept creeping into my mind though. It was a thought that’s been niggling at the back of it ever since, no matter how much I don’t want to believe that it could be true.
When he returned that evening, he placed a tiny, blue box in front of me on the counter, his apology without having to say the actual words. At the time, I didn’t want the box, but I also didn’t want to disappoint him, so I opened it and thanked him profusely for the sparkling diamond earrings. So profusely that I soon found myself on my knees, on the cold, hard tile, appropriately showing him just how grateful I was.
Hindsight really is a bitch.
Things continued as if nothing had happened, and I never saw another drop of blood anywhere near the Morningstar estate again. I tried my hardest to push the incident out of my mind as I settled into my new role as Adrian’s personal . . . whatever. If I wasn’t working, I still wanted to make sure I was earning my keep. Adrian always returned to a spotless home, a ready meal, and a completely willing me. He wanted for nothing.
Until he apparently wanted more.
I am no longer enough. But just when did that happen? Where did we go wrong? What had I done and why did he find my lacking?
Thinking back on it, I know exactly when things began to change, and it was well before the blood incident.
Ever since he received a phone call six months ago from his estranged father, he’s been distant. He was summoned home, and I barely heard from him while he was gone. I chalked it up to family strife; they’d been estranged for as long as I’d known him. He hadn’t wanted to leave, yet it seemed as if he’d had no choice. That in itself was unnerving. The Adrian I knew answered to no man.
Except, I was learning, if said man was his father. Estranged or not, he begrudgingly packed a bag and met the private plane within an hour of his summons.
When he returned, it was as if a stranger had taken over his body. His whole demeanor was different. Gone was the suave, sophisticated, highly sexual man who claimed to love me and couldn’t keep his hands off me for a day, let alone an entire weekend. In his place was a cold, aloof stranger who barely noticed I was even around. He was the man who’d warned me about curiosity, only exponentially distant and cold. My Adrian was gone, and I had no idea how to find him again.
He started having to travel more for business. His phone calls home were few and far between. And when he was around, he was on edge, twitchy, and irritable. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought he’d developed a drug habit. But that’s the thing. I did know better. Adrian Morningstar was a control freak, and aside from the occasional drink, he allowed no substance to impair his judgment.
I was at a loss. I wanted my Adrian back, not this stranger I didn’t even recognize. No matter how many times I asked what was bothering him, he wouldn’t give me an answer. Those were the times he noticed me, and he always silenced me the same way—with sex. Even that was different. His heart was no longer in it, and I could tell he was only going through the motions, giving me just enough satisfaction to keep me around. Then again, where would I go?
Now, I guess I know why. Maybe my Adrian wasn’t a liar or a cheat, but that man is gone. This one? He is everything I swore I’d never fall for. A man I’d never stay with. A man I can’t stay with.
IT’S INEVITABLE. IT HAS been for some time, yet I haven’t allowed myself to believe it. But as I recall those incidents, I know that it’s time to go. My heart leaps into my throat as I hear the shower turn off. After jumping to my feet, I rush to the closet, grab my favorite Coach duffel bag, and quickly stuff enough clothes for at least a weekend away. I have no idea where I’m going, but I know that today has to be the day. I can’t live like this any longer, and the sooner I leave, the better off I’ll be. And the less of Adrian’s I take, the better.
As I return to the room, something catches my eye. I look down and see the pair of panties lying there. After scooping them up, I walk downstairs and set my bag on the counter, positioning the tiny scrap of infidelity proof next to it. Taking a seat, I square my shoulders and try to muster up the confidence to tell Adrian that it’s over.
The thought runs through my mind, and I feel hot tears starting to well up in my eyes. All of those times I’ve thought of leaving, I never actually thought I would. I never truly believed that our whirlwind romance had fizzled out as quickly as it had ignited. I push my emotions down, telling myself that I can break down later. I refuse to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.