Page 25 of Ashes
My shoulders relaxed. Being married to Jamal was one thing, but sharing a bed with him wasn’t something I was ready for. Especially since I’d never shared a bed with anyone before.
“This way.” He led us up the steps and once we reachedthe upper floor, he veered to the left and headed down the long hall. He opened a door on the left and I trailed inside after him. “This will be your room.”
Unlike the darkness that the rest of the house seemed to bask in, this space was anything but. Cream-colored walls, matching lush silk bedding, and white oak floors. But despite the lightness in the colors, the room also felt devoid of life.
It was clear no one had ever stayed in here.
My gaze roamed over the room as I drifted farther inside. A massive bed sat in the middle of the room with a large bookcase along the opposite wall, a sliding ladder attached to it.
Putting a hand in his pocket, Kai said, “There should be everything you need here, but we can also have your things delivered if you’d like.”
“Thank you,” I said solemnly, offering him a smile.
“If you need anything, you just have to ask. We work most of the day, but we’ll be around.”
“I’ll need to drive to the hospital,” I said, hoping to segue into being able to have my car back.
“You can use one of o?—”
“I’d prefer my car if that’s okay,” I cut him off. It might not be the luxurious kind they drove, but my car was my little safe haven and I’d worked hard to get it.
He dipped his head in understanding. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you,” I said, appreciative.
Kai turned around to leave, but he halted when his hand rounded over the doorknob. He was quiet for a moment, his brown eyes working over my face. It wasn’t until our gazes met that he pleaded, “Just give him a chance, will you?”
The door clicked shut behind him before I could ask him to elaborate, leaving me alone for the first time since this morning. His words didn’t come as a shock because they were friends, but I couldn’t imagine Jamal and me ever getting along.
Besides, it’d be easier to hate him. At least, that’s what I chose to believe.
I counted to ten before finally letting out the breath I’d been holding since I’d said “I do.” I looked up at the ceiling, blinking as I rubbed the knot in my chest. “Qué carajo?” I cursed out loud as the adrenaline running through me slowly faded and reality hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest.
I dropped my heels next to the door and fell onto the bed. Ontomybed.
In my new room. In my newhome.
I breathed in and out to get my heart rate down. I was surprised I hadn’t had a fucking heart attack after what just happened.
We can’t lose it. Distract yourself.
My eyes floated over to the bookshelves, noticing they were filled with various genres of books and even medical textbooks. Two doors were on either side of it, so I slid offthe bed and ventured to the one on the right, the one closest to the entry door.
Holy shit.
This was by far the biggest walk-in closet I had ever seen. Even Esra’s massive closet was nothing compared to this.
Who needed this much space for clothes?
The room was plastered with large floor-to-ceiling glass doors and a mirror decorated the far wall, making the room look even bigger. A plush white carpet lay in the center of the closet with a cream bench with golden legs atop it.
I glanced inside through one of the glass doors and surprisingly found it was filled with clothing. Dresses. Shirts. Pants. Everything was color-coordinated and organized to perfection. I explored further until my eyes landed on clothes that I hadn’t expected here. My eyebrows lifted.
Are those scrubs?
I opened the glass doors and sifted through the clothes, wondering who they belonged to, only to realize they were allmysize.
A reminder of what he’d said at the wedding resurfaced.
