The Marriage Deal.

Take Twenty-Two.

"Why you make it so complicated?"

22|

Thankfully, it didn't take very long for me to find Derick. When I did, he was standing out on one of the balconies, just staring out into the  open, clutching the bannister so tight, his knuckles were milk white. I had silently approached him, touched his back so he was aware of my presence and I said, "let's go home". He didn't put up a fight and he remained mute the entire time. Even when we argued, he was never that tense before. I've also never seen him get violent. And judging by the looks that were on Jacob those faces, it was rare.

I was grateful to be home. The second we walked through the doors, I whipped out my phone and started typing a message to Lydia and then Ian to let them know we were home safely, as they requested. Just as I was about to rest my phone onto the table that was right below the key rack, a loud banging sound echoed in the television room, making me jump and loosen my grip on the device. It dropped onto the table with a heavy thud.

Wasting no time, I rushed to see what was going on and was beyond shocked to see a broken picture that was originally situated on the coffee table, now shattered on the floor.

Derick whipped around and the anger in his face was wild, hot and terrifying. "How dare he, London?! How fucking dare he show up to your party tonight?! And, to make matters worse, he put his hands on you!" His hand gestures helped express his point a lot more. "And refusing to leave without you? What in the actual fuck?!"

"Derick, calm down. He was drunk." I gestured for him to remain calm.

"Don't make excuses for that asshole, London." Derick sounded disgusted. He even looked it.

I bit my lip, because if you thought about it, that was exactly what I was doing. Then, I sighed, because he was still angry. "I just-I don't even know what got into him tonight.."

"Why didn't you send him away sooner?" He looked me deep in the eyes as he asked me this. My mouth flopped open.

"You do realize that you were only present for a quarter of the conversation?" I reminded him, trying not to get annoyed.

His stare was impenetrable. "Okay, even if you did send him away. You noticed he refused to listen, why didn't you call for security?"

I pointed at myself, still keeping our gazes locked. "Are you seriously twisting this around on me right now?"

He shrugged his left shoulder. "Twisting? I'm simply asking questions, London."

"In an accusing tone as if you're suggesting something." I shot back, trying to hold back the annoyance that was starting to build up.

"You still have feelings for him, don't you? So maybe you like when he comes and gives you a little attention, but you play it off for the media."

My eyes widened, because I could not believe what I was hearing. "I don't know what the fuck you were drinking at that party, but you're out of your mind. You have got it all twisted. I wanted him there just as much as you did!" I pointed at him. "And like you could talk about playing it off for the media. I've never seen such a perfect fake like you! Yes, I know that we're supposed to play the happy, real couple. But you do it so well, only to come back here and act like a huge asshole. It's frustrating."

Derick's mouth fell open and then he shut it and then it fell open again. "Isn't that wha-" He cut himself off, running his hands roughly over his face. "What do want from me?!" He literally exploded and I pitched, stepping back. "Is that not what you wanted?! You told the media we're actually together, so I play the happy husband role in public. You say it's best if we steer clear of one another, that's what I do when we're here.. yet somehow, you're still not pleased?! What the fuck do you want from me, London?! Blood?!"