Never Let You Go

Chapter 7

A/N: Sadly, uni starts this week and I'm taking a lot of credits this semester, so I may not update as often as usual. Hope you like this chapter! Vote and comment :)

The blinding light from the window wakes me up in the morning. Blinking my eyes rapidly, I realize that I should have probably closed the curtain last night before I went to sleep. Thinking about last night reminds me of how I fell asleep before Clayton came home. I don't even know at what time he got home. 

My hand moves to the side where Clayton usually sleeps. All trace of sleep instantly gone when I find it empty. Where the hell is he? It's Saturday and the clock on the table shows that it's only 9 A.M. I go out of the bed and check the bathroom to find it empty. Stumbling into the living room and kitchen, I also find there's no any sign of Clayton in there. Did he even go home last night? 

I send him a quick text asking where he is before I start making breakfast. I watch a cartoon and eat my breakfast while waiting for his reply. Maybe he's just running around the neighborhood. It's not the first time that he spends his morning running. One episode later, my phone buzzes when Clayton finally texts me back. 

From: Your Highness 

Working at my office. 

I stare at my phone blankly. So now, not only he's going to ignore me on weekdays, he's also going to leave me on my own on weekend? He's worked for hours from Monday to Friday and it's still not enough? My heart clenches painfully knowing that there must be only one possible explanation: he's avoiding me. Working is just his excuse so that he doesn't have to spend his time at home with me. 

The voices in my head start to speak out. Do you want to be the reason that makes your husband stays away from his own house? Do you want to spend the rest of your life not talking to each other? Is this broken marriage the one that you've always dreamed of?  

The idea of living in hell like this for the rest of my life makes me shudder. I don't want to be trapped in this unhappy marriage, and just like what Dan told me, divorce is not the answer. It will create a huge scandal, moreover it surely will embarrass both my family and Clayton. He may not the best husband in the world, but he doesn't deserve that kind of humiliation. So, it seems that the only thing that I can do not to spend the rest of my life in a failed marriage is to make it work somehow. Clayton can avoid me if he wants to, but I will latch on him like a leech. He can't avoid me forever. If I have to be a clingy wife in order to mend my broken marriage, then I will be. Clayton won't be able to dodge me this time.

***

"Things I'd do for love," I sigh as I scurry across the lobby of Clayton's office. I'm surprised to know that there are quite lot of people in the office although it's Saturday. Do these people know what weekend means? It's like they're robots whose only purpose in the world is to work endlessly. Hmm... Maybe Clayton is actually working and not avoiding me right now. I mean what kind of boss he is if he lets his employees work on Saturday while he's only lazing around in home? Well, it'd make him like any other boss to be honest. 

I can feel people staring at me curiously. Though I'm not wearing a bright yellow parka like the last time I was here, but I still stand out like a sore thumb I don't know why. The other thing that I notice is that even though they stare at me, these people seem to make a wide berth of space around me. It's like I have fleas in my hair and they're afraid they're going to get it from me.  

"I don't have fleas!" I exclaim exasperatedly to a young man who passes me by quickly. He walks even faster after I yell at him. 

Grumbling, I walk towards the receptionist. I don't remember where Clayton's room is, so I need a little help.