Marriage Reunited

Chapter 12

Lilly awoke the next day to find herself alone in the big bed. She stretched and smiled at the faint pull of her muscles. She recalled the pleasure that had led to the soreness and couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth. For the first time in a long time she felt loved and it seemed like everything would be okay.

Then Connor came in to the room and her smile died at the sight of his stormy expression. He certainly didn't look like a man who had just spent a long night of lovemaking with his wife. He looked more like someone had killed his dog. She sent him a hesitant smile that faded when it wasn't returned.

"Get dressed," he said coldly as he threw some clothes on the bed. Lilly hesitated. She wasn't sure what had changed since last night but something had and she wasn't sure how to handle it. Normally she'd give a sultry smile and urge him to come back to bed but he didn't look in the mood for that. He looked furious and she couldn't understand why. How could he have changed so quickly from the man who'd said he loved her only hours ago?

"Where are we going?" she asked in as casual a tone as she could manage. She did a best to hide the fact that her heart was breaking.

"Home," he said and her eyes widened in surprise.

"I thought we didn't have to go home yet," she reminded him and he sighed as he ran a rough hand through his hair.

"I had an urgent call and I have to get home," he said. Lilly's eyes widened at that. Oh god, had something happened to his family?

"What happened? Is your family okay?" she asked as fear gripped her. She loved his family and she hoped that nothing had happened to them. His sudden frown suggested that it hadn't.

"My family's fine. It's just a bit of work I need to take care of," he said. Lilly couldn't help the pain that assailed her at that. He wanted to cut their honeymoon short for work?

"Are we okay?" she asked cautiously as he moved around the room and packed away what little they'd brought with them.

"Of course we are," he said. Lilly's heart sank. He hadn't even glanced at her when he'd said that. She wasn't sure what had happened since last night but somehow the dynamic had changed and she no longer knew where they stood.

Connor finished packing the cases and carried them out of the bedroom without another word and Lilly could feel an awkwardness that hadn't been there the night before. She silently got out of the bed and hurriedly got dressed as she willed herself not to cry. It wasn't long before she was ready and she found Connor easily enough. He barely spoke to her though as they made their way silently back to the airport in the jeep. She could practically taste the tension and it made her want to cry. She'd had one perfect night and now it was like it had never even happened.

The trip home seemed to take twice as long as it had to get to the island and Lilly spent most of it curled up in a chair trying not to look as miserable as she felt. Connor didn't seem too bothered that they were leaving their honeymoon destination and had spent most of the flight absorbed in documents that were laid out before him.

Lilly had thought that Connor would accompany her home and she'd at least get the chance to ask him what she'd done in the relative privacy of their home. She was shocked when he suggested she get a taxi back to his place instead as he had to swing by the office. What could she do but agree? She watched through the back window of the taxi as he disappeared from view and then she let the tears trickle down her cheeks. She didn't understand what she'd done wrong. He was the one who had been pushing for reconciliation and he'd promised her that he didn't feel any different towards her now he knew the truth. Why was he acting like this just hours later then? It made no sense and she was too emotionally exhausted to figure it out. She simply wanted to curl up in a ball and forget the world for a while.

Lilly woke up hours later to the realisation that she'd obviously fallen asleep. She sat up slowly and blinked at the clock as she struggled to orient herself. The lights flashed faintly to let her know that it was after three in the morning. She frowned at the bare side of the bed next to her and struggled to her feet as she went in search of her husband. She searched everywhere but couldn't find him. Where the hell was he?

It was as she was sitting back on the bed that she noticed her phone had a message. She listened to the voicemail and any hope she'd had that she'd been imagining things faded as Connor's cold voice filled the room.

"I'm going to be late home. Something's come up and I can't get away. I'll probably see you tomorrow," he said.

That was it, end of messages.

Lilly sat back on the bed and fought the urge to cry. She knew that she was being ridiculous but she simply didn't understand. Why was he being like this? She thought he'd wanted them to go back to how they were and now he was acting like they were strangers.

She thought that maybe if she stayed up then she would run in to him and be able to sort things once and for all. Instead the hours drifted together and she paced and worried and cried until she fell in to an exhausted slumber. When she woke it was to discover that Connor had been home at some point because his side of the bed had been slept in but he hadn't woken her and was already gone. She felt empty and vulnerable in a way that she hadn't in years. It was the same sort of hurt that she'd felt when she'd been told that he was using her and having an affair.

Lilly stumbled out of bed and tried not to focus on the ache that currently resided in her chest. For just a brief moment of time she had thought that her and Connor had finally fixed what was broken in their relationship and she'd had visions of them going back to the way things were. She'd thought that they would be stronger than ever and that they would start the family they'd always wanted and that everything would work itself out. Instead it was like Connor had changed overnight. He'd gone from being the supportive and understanding husband that he'd always been to an unreasonable guy who wouldn't even listen to her apologies. She could hardly blame him given that he was only giving her a taste of her own medicine but it still hurt. For the first time she realised how much her actions must have hurt him because even though she knew what she'd done to cause this reaction it didn't make it any easier to deal with.

Once showered and dressed she felt more like her old self and she resolved to find Connor and get to the bottom of what was going on. She was sure that once she got him talking to her again that everything would work itself out and they could finally go back to how they should have been from the very start.

That was the intention. Instead the days began to blend together and Lilly barely saw Connor. Every time that she did manage to pin him down for a few minutes he didn't have time to listen to her and simply told her that he was busy. She couldn't believe that after all the promises he'd made her he was acting like she was nobody and he never had time for her any more. The worst part was that he certainly made time for Alexa. Several times she'd seen them together or heard him talking on the phone to her. Once she'd caved and rang his office looking for him only to discover that he was out to lunch with Alexa. Lilly tried her hardest not to read too much in to it but it was hard not to when the picture of them kissing kept flitting back in to her mind. She knew that it was faked and that he hadn't been cheating on her but that didn't matter because all she could see in her head was the possibility that she'd pushed them in to each other's arms. Whatever happened she needed to talk to Connor and get to the bottom of what the hell was going on.