Chapter 16

Unedited......

THAT MORNING.

Sabrina woke to a knock on the bedroom door. It was Saturday morning. Clarissa and Jacob were going house hunting and wanted to take the kids, who were sleeping with her.

After they've gone, she heads straight to the bathroom. It wasn't steamy from Nathan's shower. Which meant he never came to bed last night.

That's wasn't like him, he, at least, let's her know via text if he wouldn't be home.

She brushes her teeth and moves to the nightstand where she left her phone.

To Nathan's cell. "Are you ok?" Sent.

She then waits until she knows everyone has eaten breakfast to go downstairs. She eats in the dining room alone and still waiting for a reply from Nathan but, he doesn't text back.

She starts to get more worried. He must be busy, and she hoped that's what it was. She goes back upstairs and picks up a novel. She had major anxiety as the minutes pass and needed to distract her mind.

Hours later she finished the entire book and was starting to get hungry again. She goes back downstairs to the kitchen.

Lunch was already made. She sits at the table eating by herself when Wanda comes in to clean up after the chef.

"Have you seen Nathan?"

"Yes, Ma'am he's in his office." Wanda fills the dishwasher.

Why didn't Nathan answer her text? and why didn't he come to bed last night?

She finishes eating and hurries to Nathan's office. She knocks on the door lightly. He didn't answer, so she knocks again, louder this time.

After a few longs seconds with still no answer, she cracks the door open and slips insides.

It's huge, with shelves filled with books all around the room. It was like a library.

His desk in the very middle and he had minibar on the right end.
He was wearing a white collared shirt and had his elbows on his desk. His hands were on his head. It seems that's he was stressing over something. He didn't even seem to notice her but she could see the tension running through the home.
Without thinking she moves around his desk and behind his chair. Her hand reach out and grasp his shoulders.

Nathan immediately grabs her hand and turns his chair. He glares at her but waits for her next move. "What are you doing Sabrina?"

She bites her lip again. "I was just going to rub your shoulders. You look really stressed out."

He releases and adjusted himself in wait of her touch.

Gently, she starts rubbing his shoulder muscles through his shirt. She uses her thumbs to rub out the knots under his neck. She could see him releasing deep breaths and she could feel his body getting heavier as he let himself relax.

"Tell me what's your decision." He pulls her in front of him suddenly and demands an answer.

She was confused for a moment. Then it hit her, the intimate moment she has put herself in. She was giving him the wrong idea.
She takes a step back wiggling her wrist in his hand.

Irritation reached Nathan's eyes. He lets go abruptly. "Answer me!" He yells.

Sabrina jerked back a few more steps back Then swallowed so hard it hurt. "I think it's best if you see other women." She finally verbalizes:

Nathan laughed, an angry laugh. "So you're just like your mother."

"What?" His last statement put her on alert. He was talking about her mother like he knew her. She had a strong feeling there was something she didn't know. "What does she have to do with this?"

Nathan's gaze is sharp, and as usual, his jaw is clenched. "Don't act like you don't know."

"Know what? Nathan..." She puts her hands on her hips.

"You're a good actress you know that?" His face gets cynical. "Tell me something. "Why do let me put my hands all over you?"

There's no way she would admit she was attracted to him now. He was acting childish.

"Because you hold my hands down." She fired back. He was cocky as it is. The last thing she needed was to up his ego by letting him know the effect he had on her.

A hint of a smile appears on his face. "Why do your eyes tell me to do it?" He challenges her back.

"You're delusional." She won't admit it.

"You think so?"

"Yeah, I think you're seeing what you want to see." She moves away to the front of his desk.

"And when you moan my name." He keeps going.

"I'm protesting." She defends.

"And when you squirm beneath me."

"I'm trying to get away from you."

Nathan crosses his arms." What about when you want to massage my stress away?"

"I was hoping it would help your lousy mood."

"Tell me something else then..." He sounded as if he didn't believe a word she was saying.
"What do you plan to do with your life?" He pauses. "Because you're stuck with me forever. Unless you're trying to set me up."

Her brows furrowed. "Why are you saying this?"

He stands up walks over to the minibar and pours himself a drink. "Stop acting dumb it's getting old real quick. Don't pretend like you don't know. If we ever we divorce you take half my company." He takes his glass back and then pours another. After a harsh swallow. "That document that was sent by your father with our agreement. It had your signature on it. So, why do you look so pale Sabrina?"

Her face grew confusion as she tried to recall. She remembers signing some documents. Her father told her it was apart of a contract. She didn't read it. He asked her to trust him.

Suddenly Nathan slams his glass down and frightening her. He strides to her quickly grabbing her upper arms. Before he could say anything she blurts out. "I never read the contract..." She watches his stern expression as his grip tightens.

"Let me guess. Daddy told you not to." His nostrils flared.

"Yes." She admits.

He releases her and moves a few steps back. "Ok...Sabrina. Let's say you didn't read it." He goes back to his drink at the bar. "Our agreement states no illicit affairs. If you happen to be able to prove that I have cheated, you can divorce me, and I cannot protest. And as I already told you. Once we divorce half my company is yours and I will never let that happen."

She watches him as he pours yet another drink.

Every word out of his mouth a revelation to her. Her father's blackmailing the Alden's for half their company? How is he doing it? Why's he doing it?

"I don't want your company." She declares.

"Then what the hell are you doing here?!" He snaps.

Her heart starts pounding a mile a minute. "I want to make my father happy in his last days. If that means that marrying you blindly then so be it. I trust my father, so when he told me this was the last thing he would ever ask of me. I unselfishly put his feelings above mine. Something you're probably incapable of understanding."

She was about to storm out of his office when he swiftly approaches her and feels a tight hold on her wrist. She pulls back to face him bouncing into his chest first.

He searches her face crossly. "What do you suppose we do?"

"About what?"

"About this marriage." He replies.

She looks away. "You don't even trust me. How can anything be possible for us? Live the life that you were living when my father and I inconveniently interrupted you. I will not divorce you. I'll live my life too."

Nathan keeps hold of one of her arms with one of his, and with the other, he moves it up to her shoulders first, then to the back of her neck then he a fist full of her hair. His lips thinned. He puts her ear close to his mouth.

"You're a fucking tease." He released her with a gentle push. "Get out." He turns looking away from her.

No, she wasn't going to let him just decide what she was or what she was doing.

"You ignore me all this time!" She shouts. "What do you want from me? To just have sex with you because a piece of paper says you're my husband?"

Nathan tenses. She was talking to his back. He wouldn't face her.

"I'm telling you to go and be with whoever you want. Satisfy your needs. Live however you want. I'm not teasing you."

She turns to leans and reaches for the door handle.

"Sabrina." He said her name like a parent to their child.

She turns to see him with his hands now in his pockets and facing her.

"If you are with anyone else and I get to find out. You get nothing."

She rolls her eyes. "I don't care."

What she needed to do is talk to her father. She leaves his office and goes back to their room. She picks up her phone and dialed her parent's house.

"Hello." Her father answers.

"Dad." She adjusted herself on her bed. Her tone was soft. She hasn't spoken to him much over the last year. She was a little angry at him for making her do this and making her spend his last days away from him. Most of all she missed him.

"Hi, honey his voice sounds raspy and happy."

"Daddy, how are you?" She didn't wait and she continues. "I miss you."

"I miss you too baby. Are they treating you well?" He asks.

She always says yes when they ask her that. It's not like they starved her.

"Yes, daddy. I'm calling to ask you something."

"What is it?"

"Is it true you're...blackmailing Desmond Alden for half his company?

Her father lets out a breath. "Yes, baby."

"Why daddy? Who cares about their money?"

"It's more than that Sabrina."

"What is it then?" She puts her fingers to her mouth. "Is it about mom?"

"I don't want to get into this."

"Daddy please just tell me." She pleads

"It's better if you don't know. Please, Sabrina." Her father starts coughing for a few moments.

Sabrina squeezes her eyes shut and swallows, this is hard for her to deal with. "Are you ok?"

"Yes." He clears his throat. "Please don't be stubborn about this." He pleads

She doesn't protest any longer. She talks to her father some more and then her mother. While she was at it, she calls her sister. Anything not to think about Nathan.


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