Cheating By The Rules | Harry Styles AU (ongoing)

chapter 11

My mother's arms were tightly wrapped around me. "Are you sure you don't want to join us for breakfast?" I could hear that she was begging me to stay, but I had no intention of being at the cabin any longer.

"I wish we could, but we have quite a ride ahead of us, Mom," I said when I let her go.

"And what if I make French toast? That's your favorite," she wasn't going to give up easily.

"Even if you decide to make my favorite breakfast, we are still leaving," I told her nicely, not trying to hurt her feelings for not staying.

"Then promise us you are coming over soon, dear?" my father joined the conversation. He knew my mother wasn't going to stop begging me to stay, so he decided to meet us halfway.

"Yeah, Dad, I will," I told him before giving him a hug as well.

When I let go of my father, Jace had just finished putting our bags in the trunk of the car. He walked toward us, and I could feel my throat closing up. I wish I could've had Elijah close to me as I watched this encounter between my parents and Jace unfold. Unfortunately, he and Katie had left an hour and a half ago.

"Oh, Jace, I'm going to miss you so much!" my mother exclaimed as she hugged him goodbye. "Your cooking skills never disappoint," she added cheerfully.

"Thank you, Claire. We had an amazing time," he said politely.

"You're welcome, Jace. We're always so happy to see you guys," my mother responded.

Jace then moved on to my father and shook his hand. "Can't wait to see you again, son," my father said. "Drive safely."

"Will do, Peter," Jace replied with confidence. For a second, I stiffened as Jace took my hand in his and started talking to me. "Are you ready, babe?" he asked lovingly, but it made my stomach turn.

"Totally," I managed to say.

Our hands were intertwined, but I wanted to escape his grip. He knew that I wouldn't do that seeing my parents were close to us. So we walked to the car, and he opened the door for me, pretending to be a gentleman.

Once I was seated, I looked at my parents. My father had his arm wrapped around my mother while she was already busy waving and smiling at us. I plastered this fake smile on my face, certain not to be suspicious. It didn't take long for Jace to sit down and start the engine. The doors and windows were closed, making it impossible for them to hear us.

"Don't forget to keep that smile on your face until we're out of sight," Jace told me with a strict voice as he smiled back at my parents.

A shiver went down my spine, not in a good way. I hated it when he was giving me orders, and there was no one around who could hear this. But I did what he wanted me to, for the greater good.

The ride back wasn't much different compared to the ride to the cabin. We didn't say a word. My fingers fiddled with my seatbelt as I didn't want it to be tightly wrapped around my body. I already felt trapped inside this car, let alone the moment the seatbelt would be touching me.

Now and then, I checked the time. It was passing by quicker than I expected, but obviously not fast enough. But I knew these long drives to see family were rare, so we wouldn't have to do this again next week.. thankfully

The moment we drove into our neighborhood, I began to sense a hint of relief. It was abundantly clear that the weight of the past few days spent with my insufferable husband had lifted off my shoulders. I could almost breathe freely, free from the facade I had been forced to wear.

After Jace parked his car in the driveway, I was on my own again. Of course, he wasn't going to take my luggage out of the trunk. There was no one around to watch us, so why help your wife?