Chapter 9 - My foolish husband.

Daphne woke up alone in bed, she felt for Xavier next to her but only came up with a handful of cold silk sheets. She remembered rousing in her sleep quite a few times and she had felt Xavier was not in bed with her. She assumed that he had gone to the bathroom and she continued to sleep.

Waking up to an empty bed wasn't unusual but Xavier made it an habit to give Amelia a kiss or leave a note before he leaves for work. And besides, he never mentioned anything about going to work early. He planned to leave for work late in the afternoon for his meetings.

Maybe he's making me breakfast. Amelia thought to herself as she swung her tired legs out of bed and slipped into her fluffy green bunny slippers.
While running her hand through her unruly hair, she walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth.

Few minutes later, Amelia emerged from the master's bedroom in her comfy pajama bottoms and sweatshirt. She rubbed her sleep filled eyes as she walked down the stairs and wondered what she would like for breakfast. There were a lot of options but lately she had been really into smoothie bowls a lot lately.

"Xavier?" She called out as she spotted him sitting at the end of the stairs and staring vaguely at a painting on the other end of the room.

"What are you doing here?"

She asked and he slowly raised his head as he gave her a weak smile. His eyes looked tired and he had bags under his eyes and besides he was wearing sweatshirt and sweatpants. Amelia wasn't sure what was happening but she knew from the look on his face something must have been wrong. She sat next to him at the end of the stairs and gave him a hug.

All the times she was searching for him on the bed, all she ever wanted to do was to cuddle him but she couldn't find him and she was too sleepy to have woken up to do search for him.

"Good morning sweetheart." Amelia murmured as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here? I woke up so many times at night and you weren't by my side."

She added and Xavier shrugged as he finally struggled to look at Amelia. He had got home in the early hours of the morning with Daphne and when he tried to go back to sleep, he was so conflicted and confused that he couldn't bear to sleep next to Amelia. He didn't sleep a wink until sunrise and he had only sat at the bottom of the stairs because he was trying to avoid any inevitable clash between Daphne and Amelia.

He had to explain to Amelia what he did, he only hoped that she would understand his reason for doing so.

"I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

Amelia asked with a little bit of worry evident in her voice, she really hoped that it wasn't work related or Daphne related because she couldn't deal with the stress that came with her worrying and over thinking the situation.

Xavier ran a frustrated hand through his hair again and Amelia noted that he needed an haircut again as she massaged his silky dark hair.

"You look worried. Is something bothering you?"

Xavier was about to reply when Daphne walked out of an hallway towards them in nothing but a flimsy nightrobe. Xavier saw her first before Amelia looked at the direction he was looking and her jaw dropped.

She was sitting down, one hand on her lap and another still in Xavier's head as she was transfixed to the spot and wondering if she was having a sort of weird dream. She blinked once. Blinked twice again. Daphne was still there.

Then she turned to Xavier to confirm if he was seeing what she was seeing.

He was, in fact, he had looked away.

Amelia stood up slowly as she watched Daphne tie and untie the sashes on her flimsy robe that was leaving little to nothing to the imagination.

"What are you doing here?"

She asked calmly as she briefly glanced at Xavier for answers.

"Xavier? What is she doing here?"

She asked as she turned back to Amelia.

"Good morning Amelia. It's lovely to see you today. How did you sleep?"

Daphne asked and Amelia squeezed her face instantly. What the hell was going on? She thought as she glared at Xavier.

"Xavier, you better start explaining. What is this woman doing in our home?"

"Amelia why don't you calm down a bit."

Daphne said and Amelia shot her a look.

"I'm not talking to you."

Xavier sighed and an uncomfortable silence ensued. The tension was thick in the air and Amelia was seething.

"That's what I wanted to tell you. Daphne was kicked out of her apartment and I decided to let her stay here for a while before she found a new place to settle in."

Was she hearing correctly? Amelia wasn't sure. She remembered when she and Xavier had laughed at the idea of Daphne staying with them. It was shocking that barely three days after the conversation, Daphne was suddenly going to be a guest at their home without her permission.

She turned to Daphne who had folded her arms and seemed to be enjoying the little display between Xavier and Amelia. Amelia was determined not to give her the satisfaction that she wanted.

Xavier let's go upstairs."

She said and Xavier started heading up the stairs. She turned back to look at Daphne who started smiling mischievously and Amelia gritted her teeth in anger. The only thing preventing her from shredding Daphne to pieces or throwing something at her was the fact that she was pregnant...

If not, Amelia was convinced that she would have dragged Daphne by her blonde hair extensions and dragged her out of her house.

Back in their room, Amelia turned in the lock and locked them both in to prevent distractions and interruptions. For a full minute, she was disoriented as she paced around their plush shag rug and thought about what to do or say. There were so many things going though her mind that she couldn't even to be able to process them properly.

Xavier felt terrible as he watched Amelia worked up about the situation, she was biting her nails and pacing, an habit for he when she was extremely nervous and unsure if her self and he was hoping that she would calm down so he would explain what had transpired.

"Amelia..." He said as she reached out to her and she slapped his hand away.

"What happened Xavier?"

She asked slowly as she stopped pacing, her violet eyes blazing right through him with precision and focus.

She pinned him down with her glare and he had no where to go as he started recounting what happened. Amelia didn't interrupt him for one meeting. She only watched him while he talked, carefully listening to him, what he was saying, analysing every sentence and expression un her head

When Xavier was finally done with his explanation, there was only one word and one sickening feeling that came to her.

It was disappointment.

She didn't think she had ever been so disappointed in her husband before. She was no longer angry, but simply disheartened that he would do such a thing to them.

"You could have done so many other things than bring her here. You could have dropped her off at a hotel. Paid for a few nights."

"I don't think there's a shortage of houses in San Mateo. Is there? And Daphne can't tell me she doesn't have friends and family in San Mateo to spend the night."

"I mean, you can look up a website and get her a new apartment in what? Less than five minutes!"

Amelia almost screamed with the emphasis on her last sentence. She was trying so hard not to lose her cool, but it was hard enough for her. Hard to believe that Xavier could make such a decision without her. Hard to think that he didn't even have the strength to rebuff Daphne with a single no.

Amelia walked up to her vanity mirror and she started to mindlessly rearrange the bottles of perfumes, fragrance and the jars of expensive cream and serums.

Xavier watched her quietly.

"You don't understand Amelia. Daphne... She is scared of being alone and I think she is still a bit traumatised about what happened today. She thought she was going to lose the baby."

"I mean, the least we can do is give her time to heal. She isn't staying here forever."

Amelia sighed as she rubbed at her face. What the hell did Daphne do to make Xavier like this?

She thought as she rolled her eyes. Or has he always been like this? She asked herself as she turned to face him squarely.

"Please understand? What I don't understand is you making this decision without me."

"I thought this was a marriage? And yet you go ahead and bring your ex who raped you to stay in our house because she said she's scared of losing her baby?"

"Xavier, I am so disappointed in you."

She blinked back stray tears as she watched the hurt expression on Xavier's face.

"Okay, I apologise. I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was happening. But what do you want me to do? Even though she has done despicable and horrible things, you know I have to try and make this work. Because it's not about her or me. It's about the baby."

Amelia flinched.

She was so tired of Xavier using the fact that Daphne was having a baby to excuse her excesses and her manipulative behaviour.
She didn't want Xavier to think that she has a problem with Daphne baby. Her problem was Daphne and how she was always manipulating him.

"You also forget, that before the baby, there's you and I. And we promised to always take decisions concerning matters like this together."

Amelia said aloud and Xavier was silent for a while.

He gulped hard.

"If you want me to send her out, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

Amelia's heart almost jumped at the idea, almost. But it hurt her, Xavier was still failing to see the point she was making. He was failing to realise his mistake. She knew he would do it, he would, send Daphne away in a heartbeat if she wanted him to. But he would only do it because Amelia told him to, not because he believed that what he did was wrong.

He still didn't realize his mistakes.

She wasn't going to be the controlling wife who lorded over her husband's every moves and decisions.

Amelia was going to make Daphne pay for daring her to play her own stupid game. Daphne was one enemy she had to keep close.

She was going to pay for every manipulative act and Amelia would finally expose her to Xavier. She wanted to make Xavier know what a scheming and conniving woman she was. And she had to do it soon, before the baby came and Xavier becomes too smitten to even reason properly.

"It's only for a few days right? Let her stay."

She said as she shrugged and Xavier's eyes widened in shock.

"Are you sure?" He stuttered and Amelia nodded.

"Yes, I'm sure."

She replied crisply as she picked up a bottle of perfume in a jade container. She opened it and lightly sprayed it into the air. The flowery and fragrancy smell had a calming effect on her mood and her anger generally.

"Amelia are you okay?"

Xavier asked and Amelia stood up and went up to her husband. She gently caressed his cheeks.

My sweet foolish husband, she thought as she caressed his face.

She was determined to free him of the manipulative clutches of Daphne. The sooner he knew how dangerous she was, the better he would be at dealing with her.

"I'm fine Xavier. In fact, I've never been better."