Inferno

~70~ Bomb

Taylor's POV

It's been a week. A really horrible week. She is home, but it's like she's not even here. She reminds me of when we broke up. She won't even look at me. She flinches the moment I come into the room. I think that besides cheating, this is the worst I've ever messed up. I thought our marriage was strong enough to withstand anything. Maybe I'm wrong.

She hasn't even been sleeping in bed with me. The first night back she headed straight for the couch downstairs.

"What are you doing?" I ask her, shocked.

"What does it look like?" She snaps.

I sigh. "Take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch" I say, heartbroken.

She shakes her head. "You made it perfectly clear that I'm a tyrant. I'm good, Your Majesty" she says as she goes to the closet to get a pillow and blanket.

"Ellie, please. I'm not going to sleep at all knowing you're on the couch. Take the bed" I beg.

"Go away, Taylor" she says quietly.

I sigh and go to bed. I was right. I don't sleep at all. I probably got up twenty times to check on her. I even brought her an extra blanket when I felt her cheek and it was cold. She hates being cold.

She slept deeply. She doesn't need me. She's perfectly fine on the couch. Unfortunately for me, I need her. I need her so desperately that I don't even know who I am without her.

It's been a week, and tonight is a big dinner for all
of the firehouses around. It's a banquet we have every year. It's a huge deal. The men have to wear their dress uniforms and the woman dress up in fancy dresses. I don't even know if Ellie is going anymore. How is that going to look? The fire chief doesn't even have his wife there?

I get up and head to our room to get ready. I have no idea where Ellie is. I haven't seen her all day. She's never in the same room that I am. I open the door, and I see her sitting at the vanity curling her hair.

"You're going?" I ask with a lump in my throat.

She won't even look at me. "Of course I'm going. Wouldn't want you soiling your perfect reputation, Chief" she spits out.

For half a second I was hopeful. Hopeful that she was starting to forgive me. Instead, she's just keeping up pretenses. The reality of that was like a punch to the stomach.

After I get out of the shower and great dressed, she's putting on her jewelry and her shoes.

"You look beautiful" I say with a smile. Beautiful is too stale of a word. Radiant, exquisite, insanely bewitching, would have worked better. But right now I can't say any of those things to her.

"Let's just get this over with" she says over her shoulder as she goes down the stairs.

The drive to the banquet is awkward. Really awkward.

We walk in and out of habit, I touch the small of her back. She immediately stiffens. "Touch me again and you're losing your hand" she says under her breath.

I have to ignore the tears stinging the back of my eyes. I'm the chief. I can't be caught crying because my wife just yelled at me.

We get there and Ellie sits by Megan. They talk with Nora like nothing is wrong. Liam, Greene, and I know and can feel the tension. We all know Ellie too well. Even though her wrist is healing, the bruise is still there. It's still obvious. Wes has stared at it a couple of times tonight.

When he found out what I did to her, he slammed me against the wall. I let him. I don't think he's ever been so mad at me before.

If I wasn't so upset, I'd be excited that Liam brought Nora as his date. The two go together perfectly;
Nora is beautiful.