Inheritance

Chapter 47

Thankfully, Kendall had respected my civil demand for space, allowing me to rise from my seat without any contests on his end. Yet, my best friend, who'd remained silently sat beside me, wondrously observed the tense interaction and seemed to harbor onto her own reservations. To which, she didn't shy away from vocalizing.

"Wait. Sasha, where are you going?" Coco asked, her hand suddenly gripping onto my wrist. The force of the momentum caused me to shuffle a few steps back.

"To bed. I'm...tired." I oversimplified, not wanting to pour out all my frustrations on her while she was clearly having fun.

"Are you sure?" She inquired, her face holding a look of uncertainty that implied she didn't quite buy my sparse words. Again, attempting to avoid causing a scene, I quelled my lips upward into a forced smile.

"Positive. See?" I affirmed, while pointing at the mockery of a grin that was now artificially etched onto my face. When she seemed to accept my coerced rhetoric, she reluctantly loosened her grip. Seizing that as my opportunity to escape, I briskly slipped away from her hold.

As I walked away from the large group of drunken individuals and further up the beach path leading towards the house, I could hear the faint, boisterous sounds of their laughter and drinking as the game unceasingly went on. Although I'd yearned to take one last daring peak at Kendall in hopes he'd tritely chase after me, I knew all too well that it would only lead to further disappointment. 

So, instead, I willed my body to keep moving forward.

Truth be told, I needed this. I needed a moment to sit alone and just be mad at his actions because being around him was too dangerous. Kendall had this stealthy way about him that was so easily capable of dissolving my anger from the mere sway of his presence. 

But, I didn't want that right now. I couldn't afford to let my anger slip away, only to become a distant memory by the following day. Admittedly, I had to learn to protect my peace in this relationship. If I didn't, I would lose myself. 

Sometimes, being with him felt like a constant uphill battle of insecurity and jealously, with no foreseeable breaks. For weeks, I'd been contemplating whether the unending headaches were truly worth it. Sure, there'd been good moments mixed in with our dumb arguments, but I was tired of the mixed signals.

It had been rather unfortunate how I had been looking forward to this vacation all week, just for my happiness to be squelched out within the first six hours of the trip. Even so, I had to remind myself that I wasn't the one to blame in this situation. Rather, my frustrations were, once again, a direct result of further provoked irritation stemming from yet another reminder of Kendall's former promiscuous history. 

When I eventually reached the villa, I eagerly entered the enclosure through the back entrance. Once inside, I trailed up the stairs and headed straight for the room I'd decided on prior to dinner. Unlike before, Kendall's belongings were now neatly placed inside the room, presumably owing to the work of the house helpers.

Groaning, I began the arduous task of undressing. Though I'd been rightfully exhausted from the long walk, I'd somehow  managed to dauntingly remove my dress and wipe my makeup off clean. Dispelling out the rest of my energy, I lazily discarded my heavy jewelry onto the nightstand then tucked myself into the plush bed. It didn't take much time for sleep to find me, as I planned to be deep asleep long before Kendall made it back to the bedroom. 

Much to my dismay, I woke up a few hours later to the soft chime of the bedroom door opening. 

Because my head had been purposefully turned away from the door and towards the balcony window, I couldn't make out the exact definition of the intruder. But, from the accompanying aroma of cherry and pinewood, I could take a very probable guess as to who it was.