Their Marriage Reunited

by Sheena Morrish

  “Please don’t do this,” she begged him one more time but his eyes hardened and she knew that there was no getting through to the old Connor.

  “Think about it Lilly. I expect to hear from you,” he said and she took that as her dismissal as she turned and walked from his office. She wasn’t even sure how she was still standing let alone walking but she made it out to where his secretary and Melissa were colouring in pictures and giggling.

  “ Lilly look what I drew,” Melissa said in excitement as she thrust a picture under her nose. Lilly smiled at it and praised her even as her thoughts were elsewhere.

  She left the office in a daze and it wasn’t until they were outside in the sunlight that she realised she didn’t have a clue where she was heading. She felt suddenly adrift as though at any moment a small breeze might tip her world upside down. Needing some air and some space to breathe she took Melissa to a nearby park and watched from a bench as she played. Some other kids joined in playing games and Lilly sat there watching as her brain raced with all the thoughts jumbling about.

  Surely she couldn’t be considering his offer. Yet what other choice did she have? She could approach her father but it was doubtful he would help her and he definitely wouldn’t if he found out who the money was really for. He had already prevented her mother from benefitting in any way from the divorce so it was unlikely he would help. Which left her with nowhere else to turn but Connor.

  She was still debating the issue when she arrived back at her house with Melissa and long after Melissa had eaten tea and been tucked in to bed. She should be exhausted after not sleeping all night and running after an energetic four year old all day yet Lilly found that she couldn’t sleep. Instead she lay in bed tossing and turning as she tried to relax and fall in to the oblivion that sleep offered.

  She had heard from her mother several times during the day and though David was conscious he wasn’t out of the woods completely. Just the thought that it could be Melissa or her mother in that hospital was enough to make her consider Connor’s offer though she hated herself for doing it. She knew that he was their only option yet she really didn’t want it to be true. Unfortunately she had no savings and her stepsisters lived wage to wage so they wouldn’t have any to spare which meant that whether she wanted to consider it or not Connor’s offer was the only one on the table.

  Lilly was up before dawn the next morning. She had slept maybe an hour all night and she felt the worse for wear but her thoughts were in turmoil. She only had until eleven to decide what she was going to do. Much as she wanted to throw his offer back in his smug face she knew that it might be the only offer she would have.

  Just before eleven she dialled the number with numb fingers and waited with increasing tension as it rang. Several times she thought about hanging back up but in the end she knew that she didn’t have a choice.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Lilly,” she said with a sense of déjà vu.

  “What is your decision?” he asked in a bored tone as though it didn’t really matter to him one way or another whereas this decision was the hardest one she had ever made.

  “Yes damn you,” she snapped and could almost see his smug smile.

  “I have contracts for you to sign,” he said suddenly all business and she frowned.

  “What contracts?” she asked in confusion and heard his husky laugh.

  “You didn’t think that I would simply hand over the money without some sort of assurance that you won’t just walk away once your family are out of danger,” he said and she sucked in a stunned breath. He was accusing her of being the untrustworthy one?

  “I wouldn’t go back on my word,” she said fiercely.

  “I find that hard to believe after all the evidence to the contrary,” Connor replied and she dug her nails in to the palm of her hand. He was actually suggesting that she was untrustworthy when he was the one who had cheated? Unbelievable.

  “I don’t have time to sign any contracts. I’m busy,” she told him furiously and he sighed.

  “No problem. I’ll have them bought to you,” he said as though he were making huge sacrifices by even going to that trouble.

  “Fine,” Lilly said and then she hung up feeling utterly exhausted.

  Melissa was playing with her dolls in the bedroom by the time the knock sounded at the door announcing the arrival of the contracts. Lilly answered quickly hoping not to disturb her and was stunned when instead of a courier she found Connor stood there.

  “Can I come in?” he asked when she made no attempt to invite him in and she glared at him.

  “I think not,” she answered furiously and he sighed.

  “Lilly we need to go through the contracts and I think that might be a bit easier in the comfort of your apartment than out here in the corridor,” he suggested and finally with obvious reluctance she stepped back to let him through. Immediately he made himself at home as he headed to her lounge and took a seat on her sofa. Suddenly the room felt too small, the whole apartment seemed to shrink. Determined to ignore her sudden awareness of him Lilly took a seat opposite and lifted her chin as she fought for some control of her wayward emotions.

  “So what do you need me to sign?” she asked and he gave a light smile at her eagerness to get down to business.

  “Don’t I even get the offer of coffee?” he mocked and she gritted her teeth together wondering how she would ever survive spending any time with him when she couldn’t even stand ten minutes in the same room.

  “No,” she answered firmly and he gave a low chuckle.

  “I remember you having better manners towards guests,” he reminded her and she fought not to blush.

  “And I thought you said you were a busy man,” she retaliated.

  “Touché, then by all means let us get down to business,” he allowed as he passed her a thick document that made her wince.

  “What is all this?” she asked as she slowly flipped through trying not to be distracted by the legal speak and instead concentrating on just what was included that would directly affect her life.

  “The first couple of pages are confirming what we already said that I will release the funds to your mother as soon as you are living back under my roof with me and that I will take care of the current problem they face and provide care for your stepdad until he is recovered,” he said and she followed the first few pages confirming that was exactly what it said.

  “And the rest of it?” she asked suspiciously as surely a document didn’t need to be this large just to confirm what they had already discussed.

  “A layout of our terms so there will be no misunderstandings,” he answered and she frowned as she slowly flicked through.

  The document was embarrassingly thorough and Lilly couldn’t help the embarrassed blush that stole up her cheeks at the realisation that someone had actually written up these forms and knew what he was expecting of her. It started off simple with the requests she had expected and dreaded. She would move back to his home before she received a penny, she would share his room and his bed as well as accompanying him to events that required their presence. Then came the added requests that she hadn’t expected such as the need to accompany him on his business trips when he requested it and allowing him to provide a generous allowance so she could dress in the way that was expected of his wife. Before she could even argue about those she reached the even more demanding section that stole her breath away. It stated that no matter how she felt about the marriage she could not leave for twelve months or she would forfeit all rights and would be required to pay the money back with interest. It then stated that if she were to fall pregnant then she would not be entitled to leave at all and the resulting child would remain with Connor should she decide that she wanted to leave him still. More insultingly came the clause that just pissed her off completely. During the marriage she was to take no lovers other than him and if she did not follow this request then she would again be forced to pay all the money back with interest.
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br />   “This is ridiculous,” she told him furiously and he arched a brow.

  “Which part was not to your liking?” he asked curiously and she glared at him.

  “All of it. I can’t accompany you abroad at a drop of a hat. I want to continue working and I can’t just leave whenever I feel like it,” she told him furiously and he gave a grim smile.

  “I thought that you would want to continue working so I added a clause in the back,” he told her pointing to the part that she had skimmed over.

  “During the marriage I will retain ownership of Wentworth hotels restaurant and can make it my own,” she read slowly but still it meant nothing to her and she looked up at him questioningly.

  “For as long as we are married you will own and run the restaurant at the hotel. We will employ enough staff so that when you are needed to go on business trips with me they will be able to run the place in your absence,” he explained and she stared at the papers in shock. It was true that having her own restaurant had been her dream but now it seemed tainted somehow that her dream would be coming alive because of him.

  “Fine, but I don’t want an allowance or a new wardrobe,” she told him firmly. She had never been comfortable wearing all the trappings that came with wealth even when they had been in love and he should have known that about her.

  “Unfortunately for you there are certain expectations of my wife and one of these is that she will be dressed in expensive clothes that I pay for and that show the world we are happy and united,” he told her firmly and she glared at him.

  “So basically you want to dress me up like your own personal Barbie doll and parade me in front of everyone as some sort of trophy wife,” she condemned him harshly and he shrugged.

  “Put it however you like but the point is that you will let me buy you the clothes and you will wear them whenever we are in the public eye,” he confirmed and she silently fumed at his high-handedness. He had never cared what she wore when they first got married.

  “And what about this stupid clause about being stuck together for at least a year,” she pointed out and he frowned at her.

  “You did not think that I would want to ensure you couldn’t just walk out after a month and keep the money?” he asked curiously and she took a deep steadying breath.

  “But a year though? And whatever the state of our marriage? So even if you’re beating me black and blue I can’t leave?” she asked and he gritted his teeth at that.

  “Does it seem likely that I would beat you?” he demanded as anger darkened his gaze and she lifted her chin to glare at him.

  “How would I know? I barely know the real you anymore,” she mocked and a dark flush stole up his cheekbones.

  “I can assure you that I would never hit you no matter how much you might push me to it but if you would feel better that I add a condition to the contract that you are free to leave if I lay a finger on you in anger then by all means,” he said as he added the stipulation though she could still sense his anger that she had insisted on it at all.

  “And what is this stupid clause? I have no intention of getting pregnant at all,” she informed him coolly and he shrugged unconcerned.

  “Then it shouldn’t be a problem for you to agree to,” he said calmly. Except that it was a problem for her. Accidents happened. And she couldn’t just forfeit any child she had but she couldn’t stay with him permanently.

  “I just don’t see why it is even in there in the first place,” she explained and he gave a light shrug.

  “You disappeared from my life for five years Lilly. I have no intention of giving you that sort of power with my child,” he answered and she stared at him in disbelief.

  “So if I get pregnant you’re suggesting I just abandon my own child and forget he or she even exists?” she asked incredulously and he shook his dark head.

  “Not at all. I am saying that if you choose to leave our marriage then you will not be taking my child with you. Visitation will be acceptable but you will have no claim on our child and no say in how he or she is raised,” he told her and it was her turn to shake her head.

  “I can’t agree to that,” she told him angrily for how could he ever expect that she could even for a second think of leaving any child of hers.

  “Well I will not be removing it from the contract. Either you agree to it or the deals off,” he told her and she bit her lip nervously.

  “And what about taking precautions to ensure that pregnancy doesn’t happen?” she asked for she definitely didn’t want to be tied to this man permanently because of an unplanned baby.

  “That is up to you. If you feel that you do not want the chance of getting pregnant then by all means use the contraceptive pill to ensure you do not accidentally conceive,” he said with a shrug and she glared at him.

  “And what about using other forms of contraception? After all the pill could fail,” she said desperately and he didn’t look bothered in the slightest.

  “Like I said Lilly, any birth control will be down to you. I have no reason to prevent the conception of our child and I am certainly not wearing condoms to make love to my wife,” he assured her and she flinched at that.

  “It is hardly making love when there is no love shared and why shouldn’t you have to wear a condom? I don’t even know what diseases you might have caught in the last five years,” she said with a shudder and his lips tightened at that dig.

  “I have gotten a clean bill of health from my doctor if you wish to see it,” he offered and she conceded that he wasn’t going to give in.

  “Can you at least take out the part about me taking a lover during our marriage?” she pleaded and his eyes narrowed on her flushed face.

  “Why?” he asked.

  “Because it’s embarrassing and it shouldn’t even be there. I have no intention of taking a lover,” she told him firmly.

  “I want to cover all possibilities. I don’t want to come home and find you with some other man as a way to punish me for my no doubt endless sins,” he explained and she gaped at him in disgust. What would ever make him think that she would do something like that? Why would she use some other man to make him jealous when it was obvious that it wouldn’t bother him in the slightest anyway for he had plenty of other women who would be only too happy to console him.

  “I wouldn’t do that,” she told him furiously and he shrugged.

  “Then you won’t have a problem signing it,” he answered. Unable to argue anymore and feeling utterly drained she signed the document regretting it even before she’d finished the last swirl of her name.

  “Now what?” she asked and if her question lacked enthusiasm then she blamed it on the fact that she felt absolutely washed out.

  “Now we arrange for your apartment to be cleared out and your current job terminated. I estimate that you should be able to move back in to our home by tomorrow,” he answered and she stiffened at that.

  “I can’t move in so fast. I have Melissa to look after until mum’s home from the hospital for more than a few hours at a time,” she said urgently as she glanced towards the bedroom where she could hear her sisters animated chatter.

  “Melissa will naturally be able to stay with us for now. I will employ a nanny to ensure she is well looked after until her mother is home,” he announced and she stared at him in disbelief. Did he think that he could just click his fingers and everything would be done his way?

  “I don’t want to uproot her and give her any more ideas that things aren’t completely normal. Right now Melissa needs stability and moving her in to a house with a man she’s never met wouldn’t be normal for her,” she argued and he sighed. He should have remembered how stubborn she was.

  “Melissa is a child. They adapt to new situations quickly and if you tell her that you are both going on a holiday she will be fine. If you keep sending out these defensive signals though, even she might get the idea that something is wrong,” he told her and she folded her arms around her body as she wished that she had
another excuse. Anything to delay the inevitable.

  “Fine,” she finally agreed and his triumphant smile made her want to hit him.

  “I will send a car for you both tomorrow and arrange for your things to be moved,” he said.

  “I’ll get a bus,” she argued determined that she should get at least some sense of her independence while she still had it.

  “I will send a car and you will use it,” he told her firmly and she bristled at the order but didn’t try to argue again. It seemed that he wasn’t in the mood for negotiation.

  “Anything else or is that it?” she demanded eager to be rid of him and he smiled again as he read her eagerness all over her expressive features.

  “Just these,” he said slipping her engagement and wedding ring back on her finger. Before she could say a word though he moved closer to her and tilted her chin back so he could see her eyes that were flashing with anger and more than a hint of her pain.

  “That everything?” she demanded trying to pull away but he held her fast and smiled that devastating smile that she remembered from years ago.

  “Maybe just one more thing,” he answered and then he dipped his head and captured her mouth in an evocative kiss that transported her back to a time when she was with the man she loved and hadn’t been able to resist every single kiss and caress. For a moment she lost herself to the pleasure he could evoke with a single kiss then reality intruded and she remembered what he had done to her and all the reasons that she should hate him. Pulling back abruptly she glared at him even as she wiped the back of her hand across her mouth as though his touch was distasteful. Something that caused his eyes to darken with anger.

  “You can leave now,” she instructed but instead he moved even closer so she was forced to look him in the eyes as he tucked a stray tendril hair behind her ear and caressed her jaw.

  “Just a small warning, sweetheart. Every time you try to wipe away the touch of my kiss I will simply repeat the process,” he informed her and before she could even grasp his meaning he kissed her again but this one was more of a punishment as he took possession of her mouth and forced her to respond. As he pulled away he caught her hand before she could wipe away another kiss and instead placed his lips to the wildly beating pulse at her wrist with a devastating smile meant only for her.