Page 51 of Eternal

We make our way to the kitchen, Luci opting to seat us together this time; she pours our waters before excusing herself.

“It’s preprogrammed with all your contacts from your previous phone and the photos. I also had the security cameras set up as well, so you can view the entry points of our property and house.” He stands briefly, pulling his wallet out. A wince flashes over his face, but it disappears just as quickly as it appears. “Here are your new credit cards and driver’s license with your new last name.” He places them in front of me before fully turning his attention to the dinner in front of him.

He struggles to grip the fork with his left and cut through the steak with his right. I watch for a moment before putting my utensils down. “Let me, Soren,” I whisper while taking his plate.

“Freya. I’m fine. Leave it,” He hisses at me, urging me to stop.

I shoot him a glare. He quiets, letting me continue knowing it’s too much pain for him. I cut his steak like a child would need and returned the plate to him.

I casually cut into my steak, asking, “When will you tell me what happened last night?” I take a bite looking at him.

“I’m not going to tell you, Freya. For your protection, please don’t ask me again.”

"Why do you always feel the need to hide things from me?" I snap. "I'm not a child, you know. I'm your wife, and believe it or not, I do care about your well-being."

Soren scowls at his dinner. "I hide things from you for your protection. I don't want to let you in on some things quite yet."

"Meaning you'll tell me one day?"

"Yes. Meaning I'll tell you everything one day. We are still trying to build that trust, right?" Soren glances over at me, his expression softening when I nod.

We eat the rest of our dinner in silence. Soren and I wash the dishes in the kitchen in silence after we finish eating. He kisses the top of my head, then makes his way to his office.

My body stiffens, and my eyes go wide at his kiss. He hasn’t bothered to touch me or kiss me since the honeymoon.Why the sudden change?It stirs alive a desire for him. I’ve missed him dearly. More than I care to acknowledge, my heart palpitates as his lips connect to my body. Perhaps he’s starting to feel the same way.I fucking hope so.

I retreat to the library, trying to dredge up some inspiration. The blinking cursor still continues to taunt me. Living in isolation like this is starting to get to me. I have no idea what's been going on with my family since our wedding day. Granted, Serena just visited, but it wasn’t like we could talk with the other two in the other room. I doubt Soren would appreciate me telling my sister about our wild honeymoon. But I’m not interested in keeping him happy, considering he hasn’t been here for me.

I open my phone and look for Serena’s number. It’s there like Soren said it’d be. I start to type out my message to her, asking her to call me when she has a moment. It’s nearly midnight, so I highly doubt she’ll call this late. Much to my surprise, my phone starts to buzz within moments of hitting send.

“Serena?”

“Yeah, it’s me. What the fuck is going on with you and Soren? He’s… different,” Serena whispers the last word.

I let out a breathy chuckle. “He is a little much now, isn’t he?”

“Is he hurting you?” She asks after a pause.

“No!” I sat up all the way. “No, actually, he seems a lot more protective of me. Just has a weird way of showing it.” I rub my forehead, recalling the shit he’s pulled since we moved here.

“I noticed that. He threatened Abe’s life because he just wanted to hug you. Does Soren realize he’s been in our lives for a while?”

“I don’t think he knows. He just is overly paranoid because…. I have no idea why.”

“What do you mean you have no idea? He’s your husband.” Serena cries out, making me flinch. She won’t ever understand our relationship because I barely understand it myself.

“I just don’t. Can we talk about something else?” I huff out, displacing irritation onto her when it should be on Soren.

“Anyway, how is married life treating you?”

I suck in a breath, not wanting to answer this question either. It’s incredibly complicated, and I don’t think I want to go into all the details over the phone. “Um, it’s fine, I suppose.”

“What? Does he have a tiny dick?” I can practically hear her Cheshire grin over the phone.The little shit.

I gasp. “No, I mean, no! We just haven’t seen each other since the honeymoon. He’s been hiding out in his office or gone.”

“I knew you were fucking lying to me when you said you were getting to know each other,” She says in a mocking tone, “Why has he been avoiding you?”

Anxiety crashes through me in waves. Perhaps I’m not to his liking? Maybe I’m too stiff, too big, or not pretty enough? I try to wrestle down the perturbing thoughts.One thing at a time.

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