Betrayed To Be Loved

Chapter-18 The Unthinkable

A/N: I do not support any kind of domestic violence, this is just fiction.

Third person POV

"Have you lost your mind Bella?? Just because someone is having a baby you want us to start thinking about extending our family?"

Victor's words were repeating in Arabella's mind like a broken record. It has been two days since the dinner at Daisy and Jonathan's place, two days since Arabella asked Victor about his thoughts of having their own kids someday. Two days since she has not been able to genuinely smile, two days of Ethan's restlessness due to his Ari's sad eyes.

Arabella had never expected such a harsh response from Victor...I just wanted to imagine having our own baby someday...what is so wrong in that...thought Arabella...it's not like I pressured him to start a family with me ASAP...why did he have to be so angry about this...
Arabella kept on asking questions to herself, questions for which she can't find any answer...yet. Anyhow Victor's behavior is something she has not been able to understand from the past two months. He is usually frustrated, snaps at her for little things. Once again his words from the night when he was drunk haunted her. What did he mean that she is of no use? Was she wrong at ignoring his words thinking that he was drunk? After all people say that a person never lies when drunk....Arabella almost pulled her hair, sad and angry at everything going on in her life. She wondered where did she go wrong.

Ethan on the other hand didn't know what to do and how to find out the reason behind Arabella's grief from the past two days. To his misfortune his assistant Lillian is not coming from the past few days, she has been unwell and he wondered what's wrong with her. Lillian has been falling ill quite often...that's something to be inquired about later...he scolds himself. All in all there was no chance of him eve dropping on both friends conversation. Now the only option left was to directly ask Ari, which was not an option actually. Was he even making sense Ethan thought to himself.

By the afternoon Ethan could not take it anymore so when Arabella accompanied him to one meeting he asked her...
"Is everything alright Miss Arabella? You seem a little lost from a couple of days" as expected Arabella just dodged his question saying that everything is perfect. Which of course Ethan knew was a lie. It was strange that he calls her Miss Arabella since her marriage. Before her marriage he used to address her as Miss Grace but after her marriage to Victor he started calling her with her first name. He could never bring himself to call her with her new surname. May be he didn't want to remind himself each n every moment that she belongs to another man...but who was he kidding with. Whether he accepts or not the truth is that she is Victor's wife.

***

Victor has been pacing in their living room from the past half an hour. He has arranged another meeting with Mr. Mathew. And this time he wants to make sure that Arabella agrees to go with him, not just that he also wants to tell her that she has to let the man have his way with her. Yes he was beyond frustrated now, the man has been giving him a tough time. The man has offered Victor an impressive amount of money, all Victor has to do is leak the details of the new products of Garcia and Sons. In fact Mr. Mathew has proposed that if everything goes as planned then after leaking information for a couple of months Victor can resign at Garcia and Sons, and join his QZ Software and Security as the head of marketing department with a way better salary than what Garcia and Sons is paying him. The whole offer seemed perfect to Victor but then Mathew said something which first made Victor very angry. He asked Victor to let his wife spend a few nights with himself. At listening to this part of the deal Victor grabbed Mathew by his collar, Mathew on the other hand did not lose his cool. He was an experienced ba*ta*d and recognized the kind of person Victor was. He was sure by now that this man can go to any extent in order to gain money and success...

"Think about it, there is nothing wrong in a little bit sharing. And I am not asking you to leave her, just a few times may be...I will give you time to think Victor. You will anyhow gain more than you deserve if you accept my proposal." Victor's hold on Mathew's collar loosened and the old man got up smirking, sure that the young man will accept his offer.

So now Victor was, pacing around finally sure that he will accept the offer. The only problem was that he knew Arabella will not be easy to convince.

Arabella came out of the kitchen and set the dinner on the dining table. She walked in the living room and found Victor sitting on the sofa with his head in his hands. She was sure something is bothering him and immediately went and sat beside him asking him what's wrong. Victor turned to her with tears in his eyes, he was sure that he can win an Oscar for the performance he was about to do.

Looking at tears in her husband's eyes was enough for Arabella to forget all the anger she felt for Victor from the past two days. She took his hands in her small ones and urged him to share his worries with her....
"Bella, you know how ambitious I am and how important my career is to me..." she nodded her head and waited for him to continue...
"I have received an offer from QZ Software and Security...they are offering me the position of marketing head and a salary way better than what I am getting now." Arabella thinks she understood the issue and said...
"Then what's wrong in it Victor? Why are you so worked up? It seems to be a nice offer..." she was cut by Victor when he dramatically shook his head and said...
"It's not the whole thing...Mr. Mathew has asked me for something and I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave the offer, it will be a big step in my career graph but his condition is something which is making me think about the whole proposal." Arabella frowned and wondered what could the old man probably be asking for and just to make her husband feel better she said...
"I am sure it won't be anything you can't do..." Victor looked at her with eyes full of crocodile tears and exploded the bomb right on her head...
"He said he wants to be with you a couple of time..." Arabella narrowed her eyes at Victor and asked...
"What does he mean by that?" By now her heart was beating so fast that she could literally hear her own heart beats. Somewhere deep down she knew the meaning but she did not utter it out of her mouth...but when Victor spoke the truth she felt like the land underneath her feet was not there anymore...
"He needs favors from you...you getting what I am trying to say..." Arabella was speechless, her eyes were staring deep into her husband's eyes. To say she was shocked would be an understatement. She couldn't believe that he was actually thinking about the offer after that filthy man asked for such a favor. She couldn't control her emotions anymore and said...
"Do I look like a w*or* Victor? And how can you fall so low? For a damn position and some extra money you are actually thinking about letting another man touch your wife?" She started in a whisper but was screaming by the end. She was pacing by now and told him that he should have thrown the offer on Mathew's face once the old man proposed such a vulgar thing.

Victor was losing his patience by now, to hell with the Oscar award he had to make her agree by hook or by crook. First he tried to emotionally blackmail her by saying that his future is in her hands and all. But Arabella got furious at listening to his nonsense. The argument turned into a heated one and losing all control Victor slapped Arabella. Arabella couldn't believe that Victor slapped her, she stood there holding her cheek which stung very painfully. Victor grabbed her by arms and told her that she has to prove her love for him and agree to this proposal no matter how much she loathe it. He pushed her hard against a nearby wall and walked away to their bedroom.

Arabella was feeling numb, with tears streaming down her cheeks she just sat there staring at the wall in front of her.