Wolf

by Lagomarsino, Giulia

  “It’s not an act. And trust me, I’ve never been like this for any other woman. It’s just you. You’re special.”

  Crap. Why couldn’t this man just shut up? I wouldn’t be able to walk away if he kept up with this shit. Men were supposed to be rude, disgusting pigs. I was supposed to love the man I married, but secretly want to kill him in his sleep. I just couldn’t see me ever wanting to kill Craig. He was too sweet, too pretty. And even his stalking wasn’t enough to make me want to take shooting lessons.

  “Well….then just pretend that I’m someone else.”

  He took another step back, leaning heavily on his crutch as he bent over and picked up the bag. “So, does this mean that I should get rid of this?”

  “What is it?”

  “Soup. I told Jackson’s mom that you were sick and she made a pot of chicken noodle soup for you. But hey, if you don’t want it, I’ll just throw it in the trash.”

  He made for the kitchen and had the trash can open before I came to my senses.

  “Just stop! I’ll eat the soup.”

  “Are you sure? Because, I don’t want to force you to eat something that will make you feel better.”

  I walked over and snatched the bag out of his hand. I opened it on the counter and pulled out a warm tupperware bowl of soup. God, I could already smell just a little bit of it and my mouth was watering. I poured myself a bowl and sat down at the table, taking my first taste. It was heaven. Craig sat down at the table with me and watched me eat, almost like he was afraid I was going to run away.

  “Are you feeling better?”

  I shrugged, but nodded when I realized what a bitch I was being.

  “That’s good. I was hoping it wouldn’t last long.”

  “What about you? How’s your leg?”

  “It’s good. Cap bitched at me for being at work today, but I had to fill out paperwork from the job.”

  “I’m sure he would have let someone bring it to you.”

  “Yeah, but two days of lying around were enough. I can’t stand to just sit around all day. And I’m pretty sure that you would have killed me if I had stayed home with you again.”

  “Look,” I set my spoon down and leaned back in my chair. It was better to get this out now instead of dragging it on. “This has been…interesting, but we weren’t supposed to be married. That never should have happened. And then you went and sold my house without my permission….I think we need to be smart here and admit what this really is.”

  He smiled at me and slid his hand across the table, resting it on top of mine. “I think you’re right. We need to admit that this was fate throwing us together and telling us that we shouldn’t fight this.”

  I blinked and then shook my head in disbelief. “Fate? This…this had nothing to do with fate. This is you trying to force me into having a relationship with you. And it’s not going to work. I want an annulment.”

  “Remember, we can’t do that. You can’t take the time off. Especially after just being sick.”

  “Then I want a divorce. I don’t care if it looks bad or not. I want out of this marriage!”

  “Baby, you’re just saying that because this is all a bit overwhelming. You’ll come around. You’ll see.”

  “You’re delusional.”

  “I’m right. Trust me on this.”

  “Trust me on this point, if you don’t give me my divorce, I will make your life a living hell. I don’t want to be married to you and I don’t want you being sweet to try and win me over. It’s not going to work no matter how many times you try.”

  “Alright, I respect your decision.”

  “So, you’ll give me my divorce?”

  “Not a chance in hell, my little pixie.”