Page 36 of Vintage

“I love you. Don’t be afraid, Ro. I’m your wife, and no matter what the truth is, nothing is more important to me than our marriage. I’ll always be by your side. I forgive you. Just stop being afraid. Let’s just both stop being afraid.”

A tear fell from his eye onto my cheek. He bit his lips hard, and winced as the pain from the bruise surfaced, yet nodded, his shoulders trembling.

Then another tear came, and another, before he buried his face in the crook of my neck and thrust into me.

He was crying, but I finally understood what was holding me back. We were both scared, and it had nothing to do with our love or loyalty or marriage, but everything to do with us as people who loved so intensely that it scared us. The fear of not being accepted or not being enough because we wanted the best for each other.

"I love you, Amery Shen. I fucking love you." He cried, moving slowly inside me.

I held him tight, moving my hips with him. This connection was so raw, tying us together in ways we never knew we needed but now realized was crucial.

"I love you." He whispered in my ear as he thrust again. Each thrust matched his words, until he lost control, filling me up and then pulling out, tiredly flopping beside me, his chest rising and falling heavily after his release.

His eyes were puffy, lips bruised but still that beautiful pink I adored.

Maybe there wasn’t anything about him I hated, and whatever I did, I knew I’d come to terms with it, just like he accepted me.

We lay naked next to each other, him pulling me onto his chest and kissing my head. I wanted to ask him so much, but my resolve faded in the warmth of what we just shared.

With sleepiness taking over, I closed my eyes, forgetting to tell him not to go anywhere now that he was here. After four nights awake, I couldn’t say a word.

Chapter Fifteen

Ifixed my gaze on her, my anger simmering just beneath the surface, yet my expression remained calm, almost indifferent.

She might have tried every trick in the book to win over my Ro, but she wouldn't succeed. I was beginning to see through her lies, and she had made a grave mistake. A monumental one.

I had her figured out.

"What do you want with Amir?" I asked, scrunching my nose as my finger traced the rim of my coffee cup.

The elderly woman behind the counter kept stealing glances at us whenever she had a moment, in between darting inside to check on the freshly baked goods.

When I mentioned that this town thrived on gossip, I didn't mean for anyone to be so brazenly nosy, yet there she was, doing just that without a hint of shame.

Willow took a sip from her cup, a charming smile gracing her lips, and delicately set the china down, dabbing her mouth with a tissue.

I continued to observe her closely, analyzing her every reaction as I pressed her for answers.

Reese and Darius were confident when I suggested we meet her, but they couldn't come up with a better plan than this.

I had to because I have seen Ro, the way, they don’t know, and can never fathom.

"Nothing that isn't mine," she replied, allowing the silence between us to stretch as she carefully chose her words.

I let out a scoff, tired of her theatrics.

"Are you suggesting Amir is yours? Because let me remind you, he is my husband!" I shot back, my tone icy.

How dare she...

Her laughter was sweet, a sound that echoed in my ears like a haunting tune.

I despised her. I truly despised her.

“I appreciate your possessiveness, but let's be real, Amery. You have no control here because, in the end, he chose me and willingly sent you those divorce papers.” She smiled at me as if we were friends, but the truth was far from friendly.

"FYI, we aren't divorced yet. I've decided not to proceed with it." My voice dripped with bitterness.

---