Chapter Fourteen

The audience was still applauding as we were behind stage. Inanis dropped my hand, and a few medical professionals ran up with some bandages to clean our wounds. I watched as Inanis waved away the medics and walked back to his dressing room. He didn't say a word.

Somehow, that infuriated me. He really can't still be mad about what I said two nights ago, can he?

I followed him.

He took off the suit jacket he was wearing and dropped it on the floor. I watched him grab a roll of gauze and wrap his cut hand with it. If he was angry at me for following him, he didn't say so. Instead, he took a seat on the white leather couch that sat against the wall and leaned his head back.

I stared at him for a long time, my first thought was how weird it was to see him sit, let alone sit so still. His foot wasn't tapping the floor, his body was moving every second because of his endless energy.

He was still.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, before I could even think about the words. I didn't care if he was okay, but yet, I asked anyway.

I refused to ponder on that.

He sighed, like he was actually annoyed with me. "Why are you in my dressing room?"

I was not going to fall for his poor attempt to piss me off, "Why are you treating me like I'm the disgusting one? Are you regretting this whole ceremony already? I hope you still remember that this is all your fault." I don't know why I was pushing him again. I didn't want to argue with him, but I also didn't know how else to just talk to him.

I wanted him to be angry because he has hurt me so much, and yet, I sometimes found myself wanting to just talk to him, but unable to do so without insulting him, or apparently making him furious.

Nothing gets under his skin, at least I thought nothing did. He never seemed to care about anything. My insults didn't even make a dent in his ego.

And yet, I call him childish, and he seems to act like I physically assaulted him -which I have done before, and he laughed.

He stared at me, his large brown eyes bore into mine. "Get out."

"This isn't like you." I tell him, "You're acting differently today." He must regret it. He regrets marrying me.

Good.

"I have no patience for you right now." He says, despite his voice being calm, emotionless. Maybe it was just my head, but it was like everything that made Inanis himself was gone.

Was this him being angry? I never really seen him angry before, so maybe this is it.

I don't like it.

I huffed and sat myself on the other end of the couch, as far from him as I could get. "I'm not moving until you tell me what the hell is wrong."

He leaned back again, closed his eyes, and began to massage his temples, "I'm really not in the mood to argue right now."

"Then get to the point and I'll leave."

"I've nothing to say to you."

"That's funny," I tell him, "normally you can't shut up."

"Normally I don't have to tell you to go away."

I shot him a glare, despite his eyes being closed and he wouldn't even see it, "In case you forgot, I'm your wife now, you can't tell me what to do."

"Wife or not, I am still The Bone Cutter, and I have no problem with hurting you to get what I want." He finally opened his eyes, and stared straight at me, "Do well to remember that." He stood up, before I could respond.

He began to walk out of the room, and I decided to follow him.

Today, I was his leech, and I will not let our entire marriage consist of him pushing me away because he's used to getting what he wants.

I studied him, finding it weird that he was walking slowly that he usually would. He looked like he was in a daze, like he wasn't necessarily awake completely. He payed no attention to anyone around him. He kept his eyes on the floor as he walked, like he was in his own little world.

Oh, how badly I wanted to know what was wrong with him. If I was lucky, it could be something I could use against him later.

I racked my brain for ideas. He wasn't drunk, that I knew. I kissed him after all, his breath didn't taste like alcohol. Besides, he seemed to be able to stand up without struggling.

Drugged? Maybe. I didn't think Inanis was one to do drugs, he's never mentioned it, not that he would.

I supposed I've just never thought about it.

I watched as his mother ran up to him and hugged him like he hasn't killed hundreds of people in short lifetime. I took multiple steps back, hoping she wouldn't notice me. She said something to him I couldn't make out, and he whispered something in her ear, only to make the smile on her face drop.

That was weird.

"Miss, are you alright?" I turned realizing someone was talking to me. My eyes met a young girl, not too much older than myself. She held a clipboard in her arm, and the jacket Inanis had been wearing only moments ago.

I nodded to her, "Yeah." I tell her, "I'm alright."

"You did great out there." She continues, "You both did."

I faked a laugh, "Sure, the whole time I felt like I was going to throw up."

"Oh, trust me," She said, "We all felt that way. We thought for sure Inanis would get distracted on stage. Thank God he took his meds, right?" She was grinning, as if she expected me to agree.

"Meds?" This perked my interest, "What meds?"

She blinked, the grin fading from her face, "You know, his ADHD medication." Her eyebrows furrowed, as she realized, "Wait, you don't know?"

I shook my head, and horror painted her expression, "Oh my god he hasn't told you? Of course he hasn't told you, why would he?" It was like she was only talking to herself now, "Shit, I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's okay." I quickly reassured her, "I won't tell him you told me."

Relief flooded her face, "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." It was alright, in fact, it was very, very alright.

Everything made so much more sense. His constant need to be moving. His unbearable boredom. The fact that he can't keep his attention on one subject more than a few moments.

Why didn't figure it out sooner? I scolded myself for being such an idiot.

ADHD medication has the tendency to make people feel numb, that's probably why he was acting so solemn today.

And just like that, everything connected, everything made sense. I felt like I knew Inanis, I knew his little secret, and I relished with that thought.

This was too good.

I approached Inanis, as his mother walked away. He didn't bother to even look at me as he spoke, "We're leaving."

I had no energy to be angry at him anymore, in fact, I was happy. No, I was thrilled to know I found out something about him that I could use against him in the future. He clearly didn't tell me for a reason. Whether he was too embarrassed to tell me he had a mental disorder or because he didn't think I deserved to know, either way, it was clearly not something he told many people.

And that fact itself, might just be my ticket to an easier marriage.

"Where are we going?" I ask him, with no hint that I know what I know.

"My house."

"No," I correct him, "It's our house now."

At that, he glanced at me, "Right." He said, "Ours. Let's go home."