An annoying femenine voice reached our ear. "Eve!"

Everyone turned to the dining room's entrance, there stood a tall, blonde hair woman. Long legs, perfect figure, she looked like a model wearing a tight champagne colour dress that hugged her figure like second skin reaching till her thigh.

She had a wide smile plastered on her face and her attention only on Everette.

"Oh, Everette", she dramatically while walking towards him. "I missed you! It has been such a long time since we met."

I watched with wide eyes as she wrapped her arms around Everette's neck hugging him tightly.

And then she kissed his cheek.

My lips pressed into a thin line.

Who the fuck she is?!

How dare she kissed him while I, his wife is sitting right beside him.

Everyone was looking at them and to be honest they both looked good together, like they are made for each other.

My heart clenched. I felt self-conscious.

When she pulled away, she still had her hand on his shoulder in an intimate manner.

"I'll see you after the breakfast", she said in a saccharine tone and then...she pecked his lips before walking away from the dining room.

Everette's body froze. My jaw dropped so did everyone else's.

Everette had a poker face on, Gareth and Zack looked at me worriedly.

It doesn't effect me. It doesn't effect me. I kept chanting in my mind. I closed my eyes taking deep breaths to calm myself.

Hell it effects me!

I dropped the fork and the knife on my plate and pushing back the chair, I got up.

Before anyone could stop me, I was walking back to our room.

Tears welled up in my eyes. She kissed him. He never kissed my lips but she, whoever the fuck she was, kissed his lips and he said nothing.

It's not I am dying to kiss him but...I am his wife. She can't do that.

Instead of going to our room, I went inside Carmel's and sat down on the edge of the bed.

I wiped away the tears with the back of my palm. I won't cry for that jerk.

Minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Go away, jerk!", I shouted.

The door opened slowly. "Mama?"

My tone softened. "Carmel?"

She came inside, a gloomy look on her face and she sat beside me.

She scrutinized my face. "You were crying?"

"No, Carmel. I would never cry for that jerk."

"It's not his mistake, mama", she defended him.

"Seriously? You now love him more than me?"

"I love you both equally but it's that girl's mistake. She kissed him. Eww."

I slowly nodded. "Yeah...eww..."

She chuckled making me chuckle too.

"How can she kiss him?!", I muttered to myself angrily.

"You are jealous", Carmel remarked.

"I am not!", I snapped.

She smiled mischievously. "You like him."

"No!"

She got up and twirled around happily. "You like dad", she drawled and my cheeks burnt red. "I don't!"

"Then why are you jealous?"

"I didn't say I am jealous."

"Then why are you so bothered if she kissed him?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"Because he is my husband."

Someone knocked. "Aeryn?"

"Tell him to go away", I said to Carmel and she nodded before opening the door and without saying anything to him, she left leaving me alone with Everette.

Traitor!

Everette had a plate in his hand and coming inside he closed the door behind him and set the plate on the nightstand adjacent to the bed.

Huffing angrily, I folded my arms and turned my head sideways so that I don't see his face.

Instead of sitting beside me, he kneeled down in front of me. And took both of my palms in his hands. I tried yanking it out of his grip but he held them tightly.

"Aeryn", he said softly. "Look at me."

When I didn't turn my head he said in a sincere tone. "I am sorry, Aeryn."

My head snapped to him. "What?"

"Sorry. She kissed me all of a sudden, I didn't have the time to react."

"Who's she?", I questioned coldly. "Your girlfriend?"

"I am married to you. How can she be my girlfriend?"

"Who knows?"

"She is not my girlfriend", he stated.

"Then? Ex-girlfriend?"

"No."

I was losing my patience. "Then who is she?!"

"She is uncle's friend's daughter, Kathryn."

I gritted my teeth. "I am asking what relation she has with you."

He sighed. "I was drunk. I slept with her. End of the story."

My nose scrunched up in disgust. "You like her, huh?"

He scoffed. "No. She has been trying to cling to me ever since. I don't like her."

I rolled my eyes. "You know what, you should have married her only. You both look good together."

He cupped my cheek and gently caressed it with his thumb and stared intensely in my eyes. "I would rather tolerate you for the rest of my life than marrying her."

My cheeks slightly warmed up. "Is that a compliment?"

A small smile touched his lips. "Maybe."

I slapped his hand away. "It's not about tolerating. You must find her beautiful, don't you? After all she has a model like figure."

"Is it jealousy in your tone, wifey?"

"Not a chance."

He got up and sat beside me. "Aeryn...you don't have to feel self-conscious about yourself. You are my wife, no other woman can catch my attention other than you. You are beautiful in your own way."

He brushed away a strand of hair from my face. "And I don't care about how you look because you are one of the kindest person I ever met. Your heart shines, it makes you sparkle. It makes you unique."

My face was as red as a tomato, my eyes welled up with tears. His words touched my heart and soul.

Yet I said, "Stop buttering me!"

He sighed shaking his head. "It took me a lot of time to mug up those lines from Google and not even a single thank you."

I smacked his arm in frustration. "Jerk! Go away!"

And here I was thinking he said all those things from his heart.

I continued smacking him and he started laughing. "Sorry, sorry! I was just kidding! I didn't mug up those lines from Google!"

"I don't believe you!"

"I swear, Aeryn. I said it from my heart. I was just messing with you."

I stopped smacking him and huffed.

He picked up the plate and cut a piece of the omelette and extended the fork towards my mouth. "You didn't even have breakfast."

I puffed up my cheeks. "I am not hungry."

He didn't listen to me and brought the fork to my lips. "Please?", he requested sweetly.

Giving him a glare I opened my mouth and ate it making him smile.

He cut another piece and fed me and my heart fluttered at his actions.

The boyish grin on his face made him look younger and my heart beated wildly in my chest.

.

.

.

Everette asked me whether I need any makeup artist or someone to help me dress up but I refused.

But now standing infront of the mirror, I feel nervous. The dress is beautiful but thinking about Kathryn and how beautiful she is I feel anxious about how I am looking.

Whether I like to accept it or not, I want Everette to notice me. I want him to find me beautiful. I want him to find me attractive. Just him. Only him. Because he matters alone to me.

I styled my hair in a rough bun and wore a small diamond pendant when there was a knock at the door.

He is here.

Taking in a deep breath, I opened the door and my breath hitched on seeing him dressed in a black tuxedo looking handsome as always.

He took his own sweet time in running his eyes all over my body sensually making it linger on my legs visible due to the slit.

He stepped forward and taking my hand he pulled me back inside the room.

He grabbed my waist, pulling me closer and rested his head on my shoulder. He placed a small kiss there and continued showering kisses all over my neck making my knees weak.

"Damn it, Aeryn", he whispered huskily against the base of my neck. "You are looking stunning."

I felt happy knowing he approved of how I am looking.

"Am I?", I whispered.

He removed his head from my neck and cupped both my cheeks and kissed my forehead. "Yes."

I smiled. "You would be glad to know you are looking good too."

He smirked. "Oh, really? I didn't know it."

I scowled shoving him but he wrapped his arm around my waist possessively.

"Let's go", he said as we walked out of our room.

"Where's Carmel?", I inquired.

"She already went with Gareth."

"Oh."

The wedding ceremony was at night in the garden only and it was beautifully decorated with white and pink roses.

"By the way", Everette said. "Mother already knows about our marriage. She found out."

I gasped. "Are we in trouble?"

He looked at me. "Thankfully, no. But she says we are terrible at acting like real couples."

I folded my arms. "Are you blaming me?"

"You literally kept ignoring me in front of everybody when we arrived here", he accused.

"Can you blame me? It was your mistake. You deserved it."

By now we both were glaring at each other when all of a sudden Gareth came and wrapped his one arm around Everette's shoulder while the other around mine.

He acted as if he was normally talking to us while giving a fake smile to everyone who walked past us.

"Stop arguing for God's sake!", he whispered shouted. "Everyone will start suspecting."

"He started it", I said pointing towards Everette.

Everette hissed. "It was your mistake!"

"Oh my goodness! Shut up!", Gareth interrupted. "Both of you are looking as if you can't wait to kill each other. Smile!"

Still glaring at Everette, I smiled tightly. And he did the same thing.

"Stop glaring!", Gareth scolded.

I took a deep breath and softened my features but Everette refused to stop giving me a glare.

When Gareth realised that Everette won't calm down easily, he pointed to a random direction. "Oh, look, Eve! Mr Grapes is there. Let's meet him."

Gareth grabbed his bicep firmly and started dragging him and Everette yanked himself out of his grip and scowled. "I don't know any Mr Grapes."

Gareth didn't give up and grabbed his bicep even more firmly and finally dragged him away. "Oh, come on...you will get to know him. Nice, tangy, juicy-juicy Mr Grapes."

I rolled my eyes at him and saw Carmel walking towards me in her dark red, plain gown.

"I thought you guys already resolved your fight", she said.

I huffed. "We did but that jerk blamed me saying because of me his mother now knows that are marriage was arranged."

"Grandma knows?", she asked in a surprised tone.

"Yes."

"Oh..."

We heard the music playing and we all focused our attention to Elora and her father who had their arms hooked and walked down the aisle.

She glanced at Carmel and me and smiled softly and we mirrored her smile.

Her dad handed her hand over to her fiance and the ceremony started.

It went on and finally the priest said. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Elora's fiance firstly stared into her eyes before capturing her lips and we all clapped and cheered.

Time passed by and I didn't get to face Everette again, thankfully!

There was a good number of guests and I couldn't locate Everette, not that I was looking for him.

The bride and the groom were having their first dance and we all gathered around to watch them.

Later when they were finished and other couples joined the dance floor, I turned to leave but something caught my attention.

Everette and Kathryn.

Their fingers were intertwined and Kathryn pulled him with her to the dance floor.

I watched as Everette wrapped his arm around her waist pulling her closer making my blood boil.

They both were waltzing to the music and Everette didn't look irritated instead his lips were curled up in a smile while they both stared into each other's eyes.

I am not going to stand here and watch them and do nothing.

I roamed my eyes around the garden and located Zack having a drink at the bar.

I went over to him. "Zack?"

He put down the glass on the counter. "Yes, Aeryn?"

I smiled. "Can you dance with me?"

His eyes widened. "I did drink a bit but I am not drunk enough to dance with you and get myself killed by your husband."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Come on! He won't do anything. Besides he seem to be rather busy himself." I spat the last sentence and his eyes went over to the dance floor where they both were still dancing.

"Oh...", he muttered when he realised what I mean to do. "I understand."

He stepped closer and held my hand. "Let the fun begin."

We both walked over to the dance floor and he wrapped his arm around my waist and I placed my hand over his shoulder and to make it look more intimate I moved my hand upward and lightly wrapped it around his neck.

I was facing them as we both waltz.

At first he didn't notice but then when his gaze fell on us, his eyes narrowed.

He stopped paying attention to whatever Kathryn was saying and kept staring us and I pretended to chuckle at something Zack said.

"Did he see us?", Zack whispered.

"Yes."

Zack twirled me around and caught me back and Everette scowled.

His jaw was clenched and when Kathryn tried seeking his attention he mumbled something to her and started walking towards us.

"He is coming", I told Zack in a whisper.

His face showed fear. "If I die today, tell everyone I died doing a noble cause."

His words this time genuinely made me chuckle. "Okay."

His steps faltered when Everette placed his hand on his shoulder firmly.

Dropping my hand, Zack turned to him.

"Zack", Everette said with a fake smile and a warning in his eyes.

Zack gulped and whispered, "All yours, brother." That was it before he ran for his life.

Everette didn't say anything to me and his hands slipped around my waist roughly pulling me closer to him and I crashed with his chest.

When I looked at him, he was glaring down at me.

He started swaying us slowly, intertwining our fingers, pretending to dance like couples. Real couples.

He still didn't say anything and kept dancing making me forcefully dance too.

And then finally he hissed. "Done flirting with Zack?"

"Done flirting with Kathryn?", I retorted.

If looks could kill, I would have been dead by now. His eyes were burning with anger.

Much to his frustration, I gave him a saccharine smile. His grip firmed on my waist.

He leaned closer and growled in my ear as a warning. "Aeryn!"

I battered my eyelashes. "Yes, Everette?"

His lips pressed into a thin line as his eyes continued to shoot daggers.

All of a sudden, Gareth jumped on the dance floor and ran over to us and again wrapped one of his hand over Everette's should and the other over mine.

"Brother, brother, brother", he spoke while pretending to laugh at something we said. Then he gritted his teeth. "What are you both doing?"

"Someone's a little jealous, that's it", I taunted.

Everette opened his mouth to speak but Gareth quickly cut him off. "Brother! Did you meet Mr...um...Mr Banana over there. Come on, I will introduce you. You will love him, sweet and creamy."

He grabbed both his shoulders and forcefully dragged him away to a random direction.

As I got away from the dance floor, mother grabbed my arm and dragged me to quiet corner. "What's going on between you two?"

I fidgeted with my fingers. "Umm...just a little fight..."

"Little? You both are creating drama. Everyone has started to question us."

I felt guilty and lowered my head. "Sorry, mother."

She gently placed her palm over my cheek. "Look, Aeryn. I know this marriage was arranged. I knew it from the beginning. Everette never dated anyone and it worried me. He never used to take interest in a woman or get jealous over her. But ever since you married him, he changed. He is possessive about you. He smiles secretly while looking at you. You changed him."

She continued, "I want you both to make this marriage work. I don't want my son to lose a gem like you. And I am sure he loves you but he is just afraid to accept it."

He loves me?

As she finished, I was left speechless.

She patted my cheek. "Just try, okay?"

I nodded. "I'll try, mother."

She was about to leave when she said, "Oh, and one more thing. Don't forgive him easily." And then she winked making me chuckle.