His Butterfly

Chapter 40: Hormonal and Miserable

Avery's POV

I stood there, gazing down at my colossal, five-month-pregnant belly, engulfed in a wave of misery. My feet, swollen to the size of water balloons, were hidden from view, and my breasts throbbed with an unbearable ache. What infuriated me even more was witnessing Reese effortlessly glide through the house, his flawless figure untouched by the havoc he had wreaked upon me. While my body expanded with each passing minute, his remained unscathed, a constant reminder of the unfairness of it all.

Damn it, a surge of fury and hormones coursed through me simultaneously. There were moments when I yearned for intimacy with him, and yet, there were others when his mere presence repulsed me.

Glancing across the room, I caught sight of the root cause of my predicament descending the staircase. His damp hair indicated a recent shower, and his beaming smile suggested a world of perfection, oblivious to the fact that he was driving me to the brink of madness. I couldn't even indulge in a soothing soak in the tub anymore, while he pranced around, fresh and immaculate.

I approached August and Matthew, deliberately positioning myself close to both of them. Engaging in a hushed conversation about trivial matters, I knew it would irk him. If I was destined to endure misery, I intended to share it with him.

"Avery..." his voice sliced through the air, laced with a menacing undertone. Ignoring his call, I feigned obliviousness, despite sensing his intense gaze piercing into the back of my skull.

"Avery..." he bellowed once more, his tone now resonating with authority, causing a slight jolt of surprise to course through me.

Once again, I feigned ignorance, causing Matthew and August to struggle to stifle their amusement. I could sense his boiling rage, evident in the profanities that escaped his lips. Reese was on the verge of losing his temper as I deliberately committed the two acts he despised. Yet, I remained indifferent, engrossed in conversation with the two most alluring bodyguards he had enlisted to ensure my safety. The atmosphere in the room underwent a dramatic shift the moment he approached me from behind.

"Can't you hear me, woman?" he practically snarled, his voice laced with frustration.

I found myself being effortlessly lifted into the air by a pair of strong arms after my lack of response. With remarkable speed, he carried me up the stairs, muttering something quietly. Despite being five months pregnant, I felt weightless in his grasp. A wave of pleasure surged through my body as we made close contact, but it abruptly ceased when he gently placed me on his expansive bed and glared down at me with anger etched on his face.

"What on earth were you thinking, parading around downstairs in those revealing shorts in front of August and Mathew?" Reese's voice thundered as he paced back and forth in his room, his frustration threatening to wear a hole in the floor.

"Is it really such a crime for me to wear shorts around anyone other than you?" I challenged, my voice laced with curiosity.

"Only if you intend to deliberately infuriate me!" he snapped back, his frustration palpable. "And why on earth were you even talking to them in the first place?"

"Perhaps it's because I've been trapped in this house for an excruciating two months, with nothing to occupy my mind," I fired back, my words tinged with frustration. "You and my father refused to let me work, and I'm forbidden from stepping outside to enjoy your breathtaking garden without constant surveillance. You haven't even bothered to ask if I need anything, too preoccupied to even notice my existence."

"I apologize, Avery, but I cannot ensure your safety and that of your baby if I am unable to maintain my focus on what truly matters," he utters, his fingers gently pressing against the bridge of his nose.