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.

Feeling a little better, I walked back to the main crowd and by now I couldn't spot anyone familiar.

A waiter passed by me with a tray having red wine, I took a glass from him and drank it in one go.

I took another glass of red wine from another waiter. And in one corner, I spotted Everette along with Kathryn who was clinging onto his arm.

My grip tightened on the glass and in anger I gulped it down quickly.

I replaced the empty glass with another glass of red wine, my eyes shooting dagger at both of them as Kathryn seductively ran her fingers up and down his arm.

Before I knew it, I already had four glasses of wine. I should have thought about that before cause I am lightweight.

I took a step towards them and my feet wobbled. I closed my eyes and tried to prevent myself from falling.

Thinking I was okay now, I took another step towards them and my knees buckled. I was about to fall but Carmel was quick to hold my hand and prevent me from falling.

"Mama, are you okay?"

My whole attention was on them, my eyes welled up with tears. Carmel followed my gaze and looked at them.

"Oh", she whispered.

A tear fell down my cheek. "I hate him!"

"Mama, don't cry, please..."

"No woman can catch my attention other than you", I said bitterly. "That's what he told me."

I couldn't stop the tears from falling and Carmel said, "Can you walk back to your room?"

I tried walking and my knees buckled again, if not for Carmel, I would have definitely fallen down this time.

"You wait here, I will call someone."

"Anyone but him", I gritted looking at him.

"Okay...just stay here..." Saying that she ran somewhere and I stayed there, tears falling from my eyes watching them both together.

They both were talking, and Everette was laughing at something she said.

A minute passed by and I saw Gareth and Carmel running to me.

Gareth wrapped his arm around my shoulder. "Let's get you to your room."

He helped me walk back to my room and Carmel walked beside us looking worried.

Once inside the room, he made me sit on the edge of the bed and I buried my face on his shoulder and burst into tears.

He slowly rubbed circles on my back trying to soothe me.

"Am I not worth him?", I cried.

"No, Aeryn", he said softly. "He is not worth you."

"He told me he doesn't like her yet he was talking with her", I sobbed.

"I feel jealous", I said. "She is so beautiful and then there is me. He would never give me that attention."

Never in his life Gareth felt so much anger for his brother. Seeing Aeryn crying kept fueling it.

Their mother always taught them to never ever disrespect a woman. And he made her cry, that too she is his wife. Not some random woman.

"Aeryn, there is no comparison between you and Kathryn. She might be beautiful but she doesn't have a heart as beautiful as yours. And believe me when I saw you today in this gown, I swear I drooled but then I realised you are already married...well... that's a different story."

Aeryn chuckled softly through her tears and Gareth placed a small kiss on the top of her head and got up.

"Look after her", he told Carmel.

"Where are you going?", Aeryn questioned.

He removed his coat and placed it on the chair in the corner of the room and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. "To deal with someone."

He left her room and walked downstairs. The lobby was empty since everyone was outside and he saw Everette walking towards him from the other end.

They both stopped in front of each other.

"Have you seen Aeryn?" Everette's question made him even more angrier.

In a moment, Gareth's fist connected with Everette's jaw, the impact causing him to stumble a few steps back.

When he recovered from the shock, he growled. "What the fuck, Gareth?!"

He marched to Gareth and gripped his collar. "Why the fuck did you punch me?!"

"For being an asshole", he replied clearly not effected by how firmly Everette held him by his collar.

He removed his hand from his collar. "I didn't do anything!"

Gareth folded his hands. "Really? Care to tell what you were doing with Kathryn?"

"That was nothing."

"Nothing? But it seemed you suddenly started liking her", he mocked.

"I don't like her! It was just to make Aeryn jealous. I wanted to irritate her."

Gareth stepped closer and patted his chest a little too harshly with a tight, fake smile on his face. "Congratulations, brother. Your plan worked; you made your wife cry."

Everette's face puzzled. "Cry?"

"Yes, cry. I hope you have to beg for her forgiveness", he cursed and turning around, left leaving Everette who felt the guilt consuming him.

.

.

.

After changing my clothes to a t-shirt and shorts, I layed down on the bed keeping my head on Carmel's chest and wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"Mama?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure you don't have any feelings for him?"

"I hate him, Carmel. Is that enough for a feeling?"

"No...I mean...I think you like him. That's why you were so jealous--"

"Carmel, shut your mouth", I scolded.

"Okay...sorry...", she whispered.

A knock on the door sounded through the room. Thinking it to be Gareth I said, "Come in."

The door opened cautiously and Everette's head popped in and my jaw clenched. Carmel and I got up and sat up straight.

He nervously scratched the back of his neck while walking further into the room.

Carmel got down the bed and moved past him.

"Carmel?", he said in surprise.

She folded her arms angrily. "I am angry with you, dad."

"You also?"

She nodded. "Unless and untill mama doesn't forgive you, I won't talk to you."

She moved to the door and Everette called her,"Carmel, listen."

"Goodnight, dad", she said without even looking at him and left the room.

He sighed and came and sat a little too close to me on the bed. Trying to creat some distance between us, I crawled back on the bed and he moved forward.

This continued untill my back hit the headboard of the bed and he placed both his hands on either side of my head caging me.

None of us spoke and he just continued to stare into my eyes and then lifting his hand, gently brushed away a drop of tear which remained in the corner of my eyes with his thumb.

"I didn't want to make you cry", he whispered, guilt lacing his tone.

"But I did."

"I know and I am..."

"Sorry?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes. I am sorry, Aeryn."

"You apologised this morning for the same thing yet you repeated it."

"I...umm...I promise I won't do it ever again."

I puffed up my cheeks in anger.

"Plus...it was to make you jealous. I don't like her. I hate her actually but I wanted to make you jealous, that's it", he confessed. "And I think I succeeded in it but I didn't mean to make you cry. That's the last thing I would do."

He squeezed my cheeks making them normal again. "Say something."

I jabbed a finger to his chest. "You. Are. A. Fucking. Asshole!"

"I am sorry. I get angry very easily and you have this habit of getting on my nerves and I just lose it."

He leaned closer and rested his forehead against mine closing his eyes and the tip of our noses touched. "Forgive me, please."

I placed both of my hands on his shoulder and with all my strength, pushed him.

He fell on the bed and I got down from the bed and stomped towards the door to leave the room.

As I was going to open the door, he caught my wrist. "Aeryn. I am sorry."

My palm folded into a fist and without thinking twice, I turned around and punched him on his face.

My hand instantly covered my mouth in shock as a drop of blood trickled down his lip. "Oh My God! Oh My God! I am so sorry. I am so sorry."

He had a poker face as he wiped away the blood from his lip. He didn't say anything, he just turned towards the bathroom but I grabbed his arm.

"Let me see", I said cupping his cheeks.

"It's okay", he replied coldly but I know deep down he is burning with rage.

I took his hand in mine and dragging him made him sit in the edge of the bed. "Wait."

Saying that I dashed to the bathroom and came back with the small first aid kit.

I stood in front of him and grabbing his face, cleaned his lip with a wet cotton ball. All the while I was cleaning his lip, his eyes were focused on my face, staring me intensely making it hard for me to focus on what I was doing.

Once I cleaned it, I gently applied some petroleum jelly on his lips with my finger.

Damn his lips!

They felt so soft, I wanted press my lips to his.

The air inside the room suddenly got thick with sexual tension.

I saw his eyes flickering down to my lips and he leaned closer.

Kiss me. I found myself thinking.

You were angry with him just a minute ago. My conscience said.

Fuck off!

I was done applying the petroleum jelly to his lips and my hand dropped down to his shoulder and his eyes closed as he leaned in even further.

I gulped and my eyes roamed his face before they landed on his jaw where a bruise was forming.

"W-what happened to your jaw?" I broke the silence.

His eyes opened and he leaned back. His voice was rough. "H-huh?"

"Your jaw, it's bruised." I pointed.

He rolled his eyes. "Gareth punched me."

A small gasp escaped my lips. "Why?"

One side of his lips curled up in a slight smirk. "For being an asshole to you."

I bit my lips to stop them from stretching into a smile. "Oh."

He tugged at my arm and I fell down on his lap.

"Am I forgiven?", he whispered in my ear. And then he brushed the tip of his nose under my ear.

I lightly shivered. "Maybe..."

"Maybe?" He buried his nose in the crook of my neck.

"I am sorry I punched you", I apologized.

"I think I deserved it", he said against my neck.

"That you did." I chuckled.

I felt his lips curling up in a smile.

He then slowly lifted me off his lap and placed me down on the bed making me lay down and covered my body with the duvet.

Much to my confusion he wiped away the petroleum jelly from his lips with the back of his palm.

"Why did you wipe it?!"

"I'll apply it again later..."

"So, you didn't like the fact that I applied it and now you want to apply it yourself, huh? Fine! I will never--"

I stopped mid sentence when I felt his lips on my forehead, he let them linger there for a few seconds.

"Goodnight", he mumbled pulling back.

"You...wiped it to...do this...", I said pointing to my forehead.

He shrugged smiling.

"You are weird", I muttered.

"Not more than you."

I pouted sadly at his answer and he chuckled softly then he again pecked my forehead. "Sleep, Aeryn."

He got up and moved to the bathroom and I said, "Do apply it again."

He winked. "I will, wifey."