Chapter 27 - Apart.

"Yes?"

Cara asked as she picked up her phone and walked away from Malory.

Her heart was beating loudly in her chest.

"Where were you last night?"

Alexander barked into the phone. Cara swallowed hard.

"I was at Malory's. Why?"

"Why were you there?"

He asked and Cara scoffed.

"Because I didn't want to be around you. And I won't for much longer if you keep reminding me that this is only an arranged marriage."

"Cara... I'm sorry..."

Sorry again? Away with that crap! Cara thought as she rolled her eyes.

"No! No. Sorry won't cut it this time. This isn't the first time you're saying this."

"And frankly I don't really care what you have to say. So you might as well just fuck off!"

She snapped and ended the call.

She sighed and composed herself and the turned and walked back to Malory.

She tried to plaster on a sweet smile. An illusion that everything was fine.

"I have to go. I'm meeting up with Alexander and we're going to talk out our issues."

She was getting way too good at lying, it scared her. Scared her that she was going to have to do a lot of things she didn't like just to protect her friend and people around her from the truth.

Malory raised her eyebrows.

"We're not done here."

She said as she looked around and Cara shrugged it off.
The attendants were standing in the background weirdly with clothes in their hands.

"It's fine. I don't think I really need a dress for the rehearsal dinner. I'd just find something to wear in my closet."

"Not sure I really care."

She mumbled as she picked up her purse.

"We're also not done with our conversation."

Malory said as she stood up and Cara sighed.

"I don't know what to tell you Mal. But it's certainly not what you want to hear."

She said and walked away.

She couldn't bear to stand in front of her and lie again. Malory would not understand the truth, no matter what Cara told her.





"She's been acting up lately. Way too much. I don't know what to do with her."

Alexander said as he sat in front of Cara's mum and sighed. He had paid her a visit in their home and she had invited him for a cup of coffee. He accepted out of courtesy and went straight to the point.

He only went to see her because of Cara.

Mrs Devine looked horrified. The things Alexander was telling her, late night outs, lashing out, Cara was really determined to ruin their chances at starting over.

But why?

What happened to her perfectly and well behaved daughter who never batted an eyelid at the thought of marrying Alexander.

They were fine! At least that much she knew.

"Where did it all go wrong? When did this happen?"

She asked and Alexander shrugged.

"It's been going on for so long... I can't really tell. I was hoping you'd talk to her. We'd be getting married in a matter of weeks and I really don't want things to escalate."

"Oh no! Trust me it won't. I'd call her right away."

"Oh no.. Don't let her know that I'm here. I don't want things to get worse."

He pleaded and Mrs Devine nodded.

Alexander checked his watch. He had an appointment. He was going for his fitting for his wedding suit with his groomsmen and his brother.

He just thought to stop by and talk to Cara's mother before he left for his dress fitting.

"Okay okay."

He stood up and straightened his pants.

"I have to leave now. I hope I didn't bother you too much."

He said and Mrs Devine shook her head.

"Oh no! Not at all. You're going to be my son in law. You didn't do anything to bother me."

She walked him out and Alexander went to his car.

He had called Cara earlier but from the looks of things she was still angry about last night. Maybe he shouldn't have taken his mother's advice. It had brought him noting but pain with her.

And that was what he was trying to avoid.

Despite the fact that their marriage was arranged, he loved Cara, in his own way. He thought she knew, he wished she had seen it or maybe he didn't show her enough.

Alexander, unlike his younger brother Nicholas didn't have that much experience with women. He was too busy trying to please his parents.

And look at where that had got him.

Nicholas on the other hand knew his way around women, he knew how to please them. How to love them and how to treat them. Although he never lasted in relationships, women were always flocking towards him.

And somehow they always came back for more, he didn't think his brother had ever gotten attached to any woman before.

Although that might be because they weren't too close. So he didn't know enough about Nicholas to know that much about his love life.


When he finally pulled up at the shop where he was having his final fitting, surprisingly, Nicholas was already waiting for him. His other groomsmen were yet to arrive. That was understandable, they already texted him that they'd be running a bit late.

He was led to the waiting room where Nicholas was.

"You're here?"

Alexander said in surprise and Nicholas shrugged. His brother was dressed casually in lightly coloured pants and a T-shirt. He was reading a men's magazine.

"I have other appointments. So I'd like to get this over with as soon as possible."

He said as he glanced at his brother Alexander who looked stressed out, there were large purple bags under his eyes and his shirt looked a bit rumpled, far from the well put together look he was used to.

Even the way he sat down suggested that he was exhausted.

"You look like hell..."

He commented and Alexander sighed as he sat next to his brother.

"Yea. You can blame that on Cara."

Nicholas's ears perked up and he dropped the magazine.

"What happened?"

He said and Alexander shrugged.

"What? You're suddenly interested in my problems?"

He retorted and Nicholas shrugged.

"Well, I'm your best man. You might as well tell me."

Alexander sighed. There was a moment of brief silence between the two of them before he ran his hands through his hair and sighed.


"For some reason, Cara's been getting more and more difficult to manage. We've been arguing a lot."

"Why?"

Nicholas asked quietly.

Alexander groaned.

"How would I know? Things aren't just really going well between us."

Nicholas sighed and pretended to be more interested in his magazine.

"Well. That's understandable. I mean."

He chuckled and Alexander raised his eyebrow.

"What?"

Nicholas kept quiet, adding to the suspense and tension.

Alexander tugged at his arm.

"What do you mean?"

He asked again. The anger evident in his voice.

"It's obvious this whole thing is forced. I don't think it's necessary to have helped the Devine family with such a stupid condition."

"I mean. Do you really want to get married?"

"Are you ready for such a commitment?"

He asked and Alexander hesitated.

Nicholas took his hesitation as a no.

"See! You don't. You're just going along with all this shenanigans when you know you guys wouldn't last this long. End this while you still have a fighting chance at true happiness."

Alexander shook his head.

"No. No. You don't understand. Apart from the arrangement and all I love Cara. We used to get along."

Love. The sound of the word alone coming from his brother seemed to tug at Nicholas's mind but he ignored it.

He sighed and turned to his brother.

"Does she feel the same way? Or you don't care how she feels?"

Alexander chuckled nervously.

"Of course I care. Why are you even so interested in this Nick."

"I'm only stating the obvious. And something tells me you already know this."

"She doesn't love you."