Page 110 of Bride By Initiation

and after we deplane, we get into the vehicle. I stare out the window, watching the passing buildings and the Chicago skyline, wondering what's next.

The driver pulls up to Sean's place.

I turn toward him. "I guess I'll see you later."

His eyes turn to slits. "What are you talking about?"

I point out, "The driver's dropping you off first."

"Zara, we're married."

"Right. Well, let's go to my place," I say.

The driver puts the divider window down, as if he's been listening to us. He interjects, "You'll both go up to Sean's."

"I'm tired. I want to go home and get some rest," I object.

He locks eyes with me in the rearview mirror, sternly asserting, "As I stated, you'll both go up to Sean's apartment."

Sean says, "Zara, let's go." He opens the door and gets out. He reaches in for me, and I don't fight him. I take his hand, and he leads me into his building, up in the elevator, and down the hall to his door.

When we enter his apartment, we freeze. The table next to the door has a lit candle, pink roses petals scattered all over the wood, and our blood marriage pact sits next to it.

Sean picks it up, reads it, and mutters, "I can't believe you kept this all these years."

"Thank God, or I would've had to marry that other guy," I declare.

"Is he the one you wanted from the binder?"

My chest tightens. I lie, "No, I didn't want any of them."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Are we going to fight about this?"

He sighs and puts the blood pact down. "No, there's no point. Come on." We step into the family room, where I freeze again.

There are boxes everywhere. I question, "Why do you have boxes all over?"

"How would I know?" He walks into the kitchen, grabs a knife off the counter, returns, and rips a box open. He pulls out one of my sweaters. "I think this is all your stuff."

"What? How the hell would they get all my property here?"

He meets my eye. "How do they do anything, Zara?"

It's a good question. One I don't know how to answer. But I love my place. I'm not moving into Sean's man cave.

I walk over to another box and hold my hand out. "Give me the knife."

He obeys.

I rip open a box, and my gut dives. More of my clothes are in it. I close the box and put the knife down. I spin, declaring, "I'm not moving out of my place."

"You are. We're married," he grumbles.

"So? What does that have to do with anything? My place is way better. I put a lot of time and energy into it, and it's beautiful."

He declares, "I'm not living under your father's thumb."

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