My Wife, My Rules – 17. chapter

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Tess was alone. Aiden had already gone downstairs to see to his guests. She sat at her dressing table with a brush in her hands, unsure whether she was tending her hair or merely drawing out the moment. The chamber lay quiet, wrapped in that particular early evening stillness of the estate. From below drifted only faint sounds of the gathering in the lower salon. Muted laughter. A woman’s voice. Now and then, the soft clink of glasses. She was used to staying upstairs, enclosed within her safe space. But tonight felt different. Perhaps it was the secret passage she had been given that day. Or perhaps it was the way Aiden had watched her by the river. She did not know. She only knew she wanted to do something for him. Something more. Simply for him.

She set the brush aside, rose, and went to the wardrobe. She searched for something suitable. Not too striking, yet not purely domestic. She chose a simple, light-colored gown with a modest neckline and short sleeves. She stood before the mirror for a long while. Her face was pale but calm. Her hair hung loose, and she smoothed a few strands behind her ear. Then she dressed. Every movement was slow, careful. She straightened the fabric, sat to put on her shoes, then removed them at once. Bare feet gave her an odd sense of certainty. In the end, she slipped them on again. She paced the chamber, checking her appearance more than once. She took a deep breath and opened the door.

She went down the first few steps slowly. Her heart beat a little faster, a light panic gripping her. She could do this. The corridor smelled faintly of herbs from the tea table in the salon. The muted sound of the piano spread through the air. Precise. Gentle. With the occasional delicate ornament. Intoxicating. Laughter rose again. Aiden’s. Low. Relaxed. Tess caught herself smiling. She stepped down another stair. A woman’s laughter joined his. No other voices followed.

When she turned toward the salon corridor, the doors stood partly open. They did not see her. But she saw everything. Aiden sat on the sofa, settled comfortably. Elegant, a glass in his hand, his expression calm and open. Beside him sat a woman with long dark hair, dressed in a beautiful lace gown and wearing a smile too confident to be innocent. She sat closer than propriety allowed, her knee touching his thigh. They were laughing. Her hand rested lightly on his forearm. And he did not move away. If anything, he said something that made her laugh harder, her eyes gleaming.

Tess froze. There was no outburst. No sharp emotion. Only a quiet tightening in her chest, like forgetting to breathe and realizing too late that the air is gone. Her throat burned. What hurt more was that only moments before, Aiden had been with her. And now… with another. There was no one else in the room. She had thought the visits meant many people. Clearly, they meant one woman. She did not know how long she stood there. Only that she turned away. And that the stairs leading back up felt suddenly much longer.

Aiden returned to the chamber late at night. She was not asleep. She sensed his presence with her whole being. He undressed quietly and slipped into the bed with care. After visits, she usually woke in his arms, as though he always gathered her there when he returned. Only this time, she realized it too late. Aiden reached for her, and her body reacted before her mind could decide. She drew away. Not sharply. Not visibly. Perhaps not at all. Perhaps she only stiffened. But it was enough for him to feel it. He went still. He frowned.

Is she asleep, or is she awake? he wondered, uncertain.

“Kitty?” he whispered, barely audible.

Don’t call me that! something inside her screamed. Go to her!

She stayed silent.

Judging by her breathing, she seemed more awake than asleep. And tense.

I must be imagining this, he decided, and let it be. He slowly withdrew back to his side of the bed and fell asleep.

Tess lay quietly, eyes open in the dark. Her thoughts ran wild like startled horses. That scene, that image she should never have seen. His face, his gaze fixed on a beautiful stranger. Her hand on his. Their shared laughter. She could not drive it from her mind and focused only on holding back tears. She was no more to him than another obedient woman in his life. That was how it was. How it had always been. And still, she had received from him more than life had ever shown her she could have. She simply no longer wanted it from him.