30 Days Marrying You

chapter 33

Jessica's body jerked up when she saw the door to the bedroom was opened. From there, Xavier came out into the living room.

"Xavier ..." she called out cautiously.

Those black eyes locked on her instantly. He didn't respond, only observed her with the wary look of someone who might tick off even at the smallest touch.

She walked over until she was standing about a yard from him. There was nothing to do with her hands, so she put them at her sides.

"Are you hungry? I prepared breakfast," she tried again, hoping he would be slightly interested to start a conversation with her.

Xavier smirked. "Look at you. Looking good and all."

He spoke at last. It was like his voice, almost his voice, except there was something new in it. An edge of hatred and reproach.

Jessica knew he'd been through hell and back, with his grandma and the company, and yet somehow the observation rubbed her the wrong way. "Well, you've looked better."

Xavier laughed flatly. "Irresponsible, aren't you? To say that to me after what I'm going through right now."

"Yeah. We're all going through a lot. And you're the one who is known for being responsible. Not me."

She was doing everything wrong. She didn't know why she felt so defensive. 'He is in pain! He is tired! What's wrong with me?'

Suddenly, she thought she might start screaming at him. She wasn't even sure about what. So, she decided to step out of there. "The breakfast in on the table. I'm going out now."

She'd just reached the door when his voice stopped her. "Jessica , remember when I asked you to pretend to be my girlfriend?"

The time before they got married. The time before everything started to go wrong.

"I remember," she murmured.

"I wanted to offer you a job at the company. But, I knew you would probably never accept it just like that. That's why I asked you to help me with the pretence so that I can give the job to you in the most natural way possible," Xavier said in a soft tone. "I wanted you to stay by my side although it might sound cruel to you."

"It is cruel." Her voice caught and she pretended to cough.

"I've never intended to get married, not to you, not to anyone else. But, things happened and we got married. I felt guilty, but not because I forced you into the marriage. I was guilty for being happy about marrying you," Xavier said softly. But, his quiet tone was worse than his snapping or his anger.

"Are you regretting it now?" she asked, a little too loudly than she intended to.

"That's the worst part. I don't regret it. Because you are by my side now." He caught her eyes. "I must have loved you a lot."

Jessica tore her eyes away from him and kept them on the tiled floor. She had no idea on how to respond to that. So, she kept her mouth mum.

"So does Daniel ," he continued. Jessica looked up again and shot him a look, confused. "So, did he say he will wait for you until we're divorced?"

If his intention was to make her mad, he'd won. Her anger was returning. She didn't care about his pain, she forgot his situation. "Maybe he'll wait but it is none of your business. And I'm not asking for your permission," she told him.

Xavier laughed again, coldly, dismissively. "You must be happy, huh?"

He didn't protest when she walked out of the door. Took the stairs. Up to the rooftop. Found a space that was perfect for hiding. It took a long time before she got to the bottom of why she was so upset. When she did, it was too mortifying to admit. All those time of taking his love for granted was over. Finally, he could see her for who she really was. Shameless. Wicked. Poisonous. Manipulative.