Bound by Shadows

21

As we stepped into Stella's apartment, she flicked on the lights, revealing the chaos within. Papers and documents littered every surface, with sticky notes covering the table and obstructing the view of the city from her living room window. It was clear she hadn't tidied up in a while, or ever.

"I bought this apartment for you to live in, not to turn it into an office," Zavian lamented, shaking his head.

While Caelus remained unbothered, seemingly indifferent, Tadashi and Zavian were already deciphering the illegible handwriting on the scattered papers, indicating their concern for Stella work ethics.

"You are giving her too much work," Tadashi said, crossing his arms.

"Do not even start," Zavian warned.

"Mr Bianci has nothing to do with how I've..." she tried to find the right words. "How I decorate my apartment," she emphasized. "If you are uncomfortable, I will find a suitable hotel for you to check into," she suggested, already readying her phone in her hand but Zavian put it down gently.

"Forget it. It's cozier here," he answers as he made his way to a room as if he had been here before. I turned to Stella seeing her face unreadable as she bore her stare into my brother's back.

Tadashi on the other hand had an arm around Stella as she showed him around the place and the room he was going to sleep in. They've become much closer after only knowing each other for a few days.

I approached the window, studying the blueprints stuck to it, when I sensed a presence behind me. It was Caelus. His distinctive scent confirmed it before I even turned around.

"We need to talk," I said, hands crossed, but he was uncomfortably close, towering over me with his imposing height. I took a deep breath in. He smelled amazing. "Someone told me something rather interesting tonight," I started as I took a glance at the sling on his arm and then clicked my tongue. This wasn't the right time to talk about this.

It was barely anything anyway. I had told him I decided to move on and forgive him. I couldn't go back on my own word even if I found out, god forbid, cheated. What was I? A jealous wife trying to get answers out of her husband? "Nevermind, forget about it," I murmured, sidestepping him, but I felt his hand grip my wrist.

"You tell me, I answer," he said. "If we were to start over, I don't want anything left unsaid. So, tell me. What's on your pretty little mind?" Again, Caelus gave me a smile that only he allowed me to see. I don't think he ever smiled this beautifully to anyone else.

"Sumin—was she anyone to you?"

"She doesn't mean anything to me, if that's what you're asking."

"She told me she was your first and... you called her even after we got married."

A sly grin played on his lips, "Are you jealous?"

Damn it, this was precisely why I hesitated to confront him. I averted my gaze once more, hoping to distance myself from the situation, but his grip on my wrist tightened, pulling me back towards him.

"She was my first. It meant nothing. There's nothing remarkable about it. And the phone call was purely business," he clarified, releasing my hand. "If she told you anything different, she's lying."

The sting was real. She'd at least revealed one truth about their past, and he hadn't even bothered to deny it. Did that mean everything he shared with her, he had done it with me? It embarrassed me that I allowed her to infiltrate my thoughts.

"Here's a real fact," he interjected suddenly.

"What?"

He gently tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, locking his gaze with mine. "To me, you were the first in everything. You've effortlessly found your way into me, and everything we've shared is genuine. Nothing and no one can ever alter that truth."

"Really?"

He arches an eyebrow. "Already doubting me?" he teases, planting a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Just say the word, and I'll handle it."

I recoiled slightly. "Handle what?"

"Make her disappear," he said with genuine seriousness. I couldn't help but snort, unsurprised by his words.

"No, please don't. But I appreciate the sentiment," earning a rich laugh from him as we went into a room where Stella had specifically provided us with.

"Think my brother and Stella are getting cozy?" I assisted him in removing his clothes, mindful of his injured shoulder.

"You're worried about them, not Tadashi?" he asked, attempting to open his watch before I did it for him.

"Tadashi? Nah, he's just a flirt. No way," I assured him.

As I continued unbuttoning his shirt, he cleared his throat, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. "Tadashi may give off a flirtatious vibe, but he's actually quite genuine," he admitted.

When I reached to remove the sling from his hand, he let out a grunt of discomfort. Shifting to his back, I carefully slipped off his dress shirt. "I never realized you held Tadashi in such high regard," I remarked.

He shakes his head. "Let's not get into the details," he says, turning to take his dress shirt from my hand and hanging it neatly on the dresser. "Tadashi and I go way back, and I might be a bit biased in my judgment. But let them sort out their own issues. Right now, you and I have more pressing matters to address," he adds with a smirk, striding toward me, his well-defined physique causing my knees to weaken once again.

The mere thought of him ravishing me like before sent shivers down my spine, igniting a fiery craving within me. Yet, I forcefully snapped myself out of those lustful fantasies.

"I told you we need to make sure you're fully rested—"

Instead, Caelus made his way to the bed, lying down with perfect posture leaving me dumbfounded. "I never mentioned anything about that," he turned to me, a playful tone in his voice, causing my cheeks to heat up as I joined him, lying flat beside him.

"Try to get some sleep," I murmured softly, closing my eyes.

"I heard you caught up with an old friend," he remarked.

I opened my eyes and turned toward him.

"Yeah, Phoebe Maxwell," I replied.

His expression tightened. "You should have informed me."

Raising an eyebrow, I responded, "I don't appreciate your tone. I'm capable of handling things myself, you know."

Why does everyone treat me like a child?

"And she mentioned Quinn. Is she the friend we discussed?"

Caelus shook his head, trying to avoid the subject. "No, Quinn wasn't at our wedding. It was Hailey."