What Do You Gain After Breaking My Heart?
She sensed a presence behind her, but when she turned around, there was no one there. Still, she could smell the familiar scent of Asher's cologne lingering in the air. The thought of him being nearby, seeing her like this, filled her with embarrassment. He was the reason for her pain, after all.
“Why am I thinking about him?” she scolded herself. “I have more important things to take care of.”
She took a deep breath and set her focus. “First, I’m going to meet Eric and Erie tomorrow to ask them about the relationship between Asher’s mom and my mother,” she planned. After that, she would decide how to proceed. Janette wiped away her tears and promised herself not to cry again. But, as they say, promises are meant to be broken.
After dinner and a shower, she went to bed, but sleep eluded her. Her mind kept wandering to the person she had shared a bed with for at least a week. “Where could he be at this hour?” she wondered aloud. Frustrated, she got up from the bed, thinking he might be in another room. She walked out, muttering, “How can I sleep when the owner of the house isn’t even home yet?”
The house was dark, and as she headed to the kitchen for a glass of water—having forgotten to bring one to her room—she heard a soft moan. Reigna is with your husband, a cruel voice in her head suggested. A sharp pain stabbed at her chest, and she clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. She was about to turn back to her room when the voice in her head spoke again.
“Are you jealous or hurt?”
“Obviously jealous,” another voice chimed in.
“Why would I be jealous? I don’t love him, and I don’t even consider him my husband,” she insisted, feeling the need to explain herself. “I have self-respect. Besides, that man shares his bed with me.” She was furious, but she reminded herself not to make any decisions when feeling jealous or emotional. Trying to drown out the voices, she continued to the kitchen, drank some water, and went back to her room. But sleep was hard to come by, her mind swirling with thoughts of Asher and Reigna.
“Why did you marry me, Asher?” she whispered to herself, a tear slipping down her cheek.
“Don’t cry, darling. You’re my only strength,” the voice in her head said, and she let out a small chuckle.
She didn’t know when sleep finally overtook her, but when she opened her eyes, sunlight was already dancing across her face. She sat up, feeling the familiar throb of a headache—the kind that always followed crying herself to sleep. She wasn’t in the mood for breakfast, nor for facing her husband. So, she decided to get dressed in a pink crop top and blue jeans, letting her hair fall loosely around her shoulders. She wanted to spend her Sunday with Erie, who she was sure would be home. She had gotten to know a lot about her in the weeks leading up to her wedding.
“You should tell someone where you’re going,” a sensible voice in her head suggested. She realized this was the first time she’d be stepping out of the house since her marriage. If things continued like this, she feared she might become homesick.
“Nobody cares about me in this house. I’ll be back before anyone even notices I’m gone,” she muttered to herself.
---
Eric’s mansion was only thirty minutes away from Asher’s, and by the time she arrived, she felt a wave of hunger. The guard recognized her immediately, remembering the three days she had spent there before her wedding. Before she could ring the bell, Erie opened the door and hugged her tightly. Janette, stunned, hugged her back.
“H-How—?” she started, but Erie cut her off.
“What a surprise, Jane! Come in,” she said, dragging her inside. “We were having breakfast on the balcony when you arrived.”
Eric and Erie insisted she join them for breakfast, and soon Janette was eating a full plate of cheese pasta and two sandwiches. They laughed and chatted like family. After the Cameron family, Eric and Erie were the only ones she truly considered her family, the ones she could share everything with.
“So, what brings you here at this hour?” Erie asked, but Eric seemed upset by the question.
“Erie, what kind of question is that? She’s my sister, and the doors of this house are always open to her, even when we’re not here,” he said, slightly irritated. Instead of feeling bad, Erie smiled, and Janette admired how well they understood each other—unlike her and Asher.
“No, you misunderstood me!” Erie defended herself quickly. “I was just asking if everything is okay between her and Asher because she’s here after almost a week.”
“I didn’t have your number, Janette. I was worried about you, but I trust Asher; he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to you,” Eric added, and Janette resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Why does he trust him so much? she thought. Even knowing that Asher had forced his sister into a marriage of convenience, Eric still believed in him.
Janette explained the reason for her visit, and Eric told her that Asher’s mother, Rosalie Norman, was his mother, Katherine Stark's, best friend. Both women had died together in a car accident, and Eric suspected that Robert Stark was responsible. He didn’t share why he thought so, and Janette didn’t press him for more details, sensing the tension that filled the room at the mention of their mothers.
Still, she trusted Eric, and before leaving, she promised him to keep her distance from Robert and his family. He even asked for her phone number, but she felt embarrassed and admitted that Robert Stark hadn’t allowed her to have a phone. Eric was furious and gifted her a brand-new one, not before saving his and Erie’s numbers in it. She spent her entire Sunday with them, and when it was time to leave, they asked their driver to drop her back at Norman's Mansion.
“Ma’am, we’re here,” the driver said, breaking her thoughts. She wasn’t in the mood to go inside and face her annoyingly handsome husband. She even considered telling the driver to take her back to Eric’s house. But she knew she would have to face Asher sooner or later, so why not today?
She sighed, mumbled a “Thank you” to the driver, and made her way into the mansion, but not before changing her clothes and following the same routine as she had on her wedding day.
“Where is she, Mart?” she heard Asher’s angry voice demanding.
“S-Sir, I haven’t seen her since morning,” Mart replied nervously. Janette watched Asher run his hand furiously through his hair, and she found the gesture oddly cute.
“He’s so attractive, but he seriously needs anger management classes,” Janette muttered under her breath.
“When were you planning to inform me of her absence?” Asher asked, his voice rising, making both Mart and Janette flinch.
“What’s going on, Mart?” Janette asked, stepping forward and drawing their attention.
“Well, look who decided to speak,” Asher growled through gritted teeth. “You can leave, Mart; our culprit is here,” he dismissed the butler. Mart was about to leave but leaned in and whispered to Janette, “You’re doomed, Jane!”
Janette stood there, confused and wondering, What did I do now?

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