The Duke's Bride <3

Chapter 16

I have no idea who's still with me.. I hope you aren't too upset. I tried to make this one long! <3///**

**[[Caitlin]]**

As she looked deeply into Alexi's eyes Caitlin saw the truth before he told her the truth. It was clear as day. How could she have fallen so easilly for his manipulative ways? And where in the world did that leave her now?

The pirate was about as trustworthy as Alexi but his story was appearing to be more accurate than most anything that Alexi had said to her thus far.

She felt disgusting. Was she even his wife? She couldn't remember their marriage. That must be a lie too. It was so confusing. She couldn't remember. Maybe Devlin wasn’t her brother!

Alexi had yet to actually answer him, and she asked him again slowly, “Alexi, did you leave me?”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Caitlin, do we have to do this now?”

“It is a simple question is it not? A  ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ will do.”

“It is not that simple.”

“It is! Your answer, sir?”

“Yes Caitlin. I left you.”

She literally felt her heart break. All at once it shattered like ice and fell into a million tiny sparkly broken pieces.  She wanted to get away from him as soon as possible.  He disgusted her. The lies and the betrayal since she’d met the man were hard to bare. The fact that she’d fallen in love with him somewhere along the line didn’t help anyone.

“Get out.” She said softly.

“I’m sorry?” He asked.

“Get. Out.” She hissed the words angrily at him as she rolled over and faced away from him.

He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder, and she instantly flinched away from his touch.

“Cait, please! Listen to me Love. We were young!”

Caitlin snorted at this comment. As if they were so much older now? “Do NOT touch me, sir. Please remove yourself from my bed or I will be forced to seek another place to sleep for the duration of our voyage home. I do not wish to be in your presence. You make me sick. Have I made myself clear Alexander or is there something that your small and inferior brain did not comprehend? I want nothing to do with you for the rest of my life in fact I want an annulment as soon as we get to town and can have on arranged. Assuming you didn’t lie to me about being your wife. If there is any chance that I am not your wife, do tell me now. It would make my life that much easier.”

She felt him get up and being the coward that he was, he didn’t even bother to answer her. He just left her, Again. Apparently that was a specialty of his.  When the door shut behind him she ran to it and turned the tumbler from the inside.

She crawled back into the big cold bed and snuggled as deeply into the mattress as she could and soon fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

**[[Alexi]]**

“Man you look like hell!”  Devlin greeted Alexi the next morning.

“You are still uglier than I am.” He replied quickly to his best friend.

“What’s got you down now? Trouble with my sister?”