Page 6 of I see you Beauty

I can see she’s already on her way, and I smile encouragingly.

“It’s all right, dear. You go ahead. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Thanks, Mom. Oh, I’m probably going to be late, so don’t wait up for me,” she says, smiling broadly and disappearing from the kitchen.

“You’re too nice and let her get away with too much,” Thomas reprimands me, putting the newspaper aside and giving me a stern look.

“And you’re too strict. You impose too many restrictions on her and seldom allow her to have her own experiences. How is that supposed to benefit her in life?” I ask him over my shoulder as I put the butter back in the fridge.

“You seem to be speaking from experience,” he counters dryly, causing me to look at him in disbelief.

“I beg your pardon?” I blurt out in disgust, stunned by his suggestion. That was utterly undeserved and unnecessary.

He shakes his head and picks up his newspaper again, signaling that the conversation is likely over for him. I briefly contemplate whether it's worth starting an argument because that's exactly what would happen if I spoke up. Deciding against it, I choose to avoid conflict over trivial matters. I continue tidying up in silence until the kitchen is spotless once more. Meanwhile, Thomas has finished his second coffee and the morning paper.

“I’m going to the club,” he informs me matter-of-factly, gets up, and leaves me standing there.

A stinging feeling spreads through my chest. I hate it when he rejects me like this—being so cold and aloof toward me when I’ve done nothing wrong.

That’s why I can’t keep my composure any longer.

It’s enough.

“Why are you treating me like this?” I call after him and follow him.

“Leave it alone, Cora!” he hisses over his shoulder and grabs his golf gear from the cupboard next to the front door.

Something inside me snaps as he opens the door to leave without a second thought. It's as if a rope, stretched to its breaking point, suddenly snaps within me.

I grab him by the arm and pull him firmly back to me.

I’m beside myself with rage because he shouldn’t be talking to me like this. Not anymore.

“Thomas, I won’t accept you treating me like this!” I yell at him, completely ignoring the open front door.

But his skeptical look at my hand, which is still firmly gripping his arm, makes me realize what’s going on, and I immediately distance myself from him. What has gotten into me?

His blue irises are glowing with rage. His burning gaze holds mine and burns directly into my soul. He won’t tolerate me contradicting him, which I rarely do that because my primary goal is to make him happy. But recently, he’s become even more bossy and cold toward me, and I can’t understand why.

Don’t you even love me anymore?

“I think you should calm down now, and we’ll talk about your current behavior tonight.”

My jaw drops as he dismisses my emotional outburst, which couldn’t be more out of character for me. He treats it almost like I’m having a toddler’s tantrum, and there is no reason to be upset.

“And I think you should sleep in the guest room for the next couple of nights,” I counter dryly, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

His right eyebrow rises disparagingly, and he looks at me as if he doesn’t know whether to laugh or continue to fly off the handle.

“Excuse me?” he asks in a dangerously velvety voice and slowly approaches me.

I almost feel like a rabbit that has fallen into the sly fox’s trap and has no chance of escaping.

Intimidated, I try to swallow the thick lump in my throat and look up at him as he steps very close to me.

“And why do you think you have the right to banish your loving husband from our marriage bed?” he demands in that dangerously calm voice of his.

The intense gaze of his blue eyes devours me. It corrodes my body like acid and burns me from the inside. Still, I don’t want to give in.

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