Arranged Marriage, Wanted Wife

by Mary Goldberger

  She walked over to the desk and pushed the play button placing the tape player on the desk before taking a seat.

  Waren didn’t let his eyes waver from Pricilla even when the tape began and he recognized the conversation he had heard that day.

  The conversation had been edited, Waren noted, since he recalled every word he heard from that day and when the tape ended, he glanced at the tape player before shifting his gaze to Pricilla.

  “Is that all,” he asked his voice cool but otherwise calm which confused Pricilla.

  Pricilla bit her lip reaching out for the tape player. “That was all I could get, but as you heard for yourself they planned on trapping you in this farce of a marriage.”

  Waren began studying his hands when he asked absently, “I’ve never asked, but how did you learn about my wedding? My father didn’t invite anyone we knew and I’m sure that Brody wouldn’t speak to you much less call you about my wedding.”

  He glanced up watching her eyes flicker before she smiled coyly. “One of the members that were invited gave me the heads up and since I wanted to see you, I thought it was the perfect opportunity.”

  “At my wedding,” Waren repeated his voice going suddenly hard. “After five years, you show up at my wedding out of the blue and I’m supposed to believe that someone just dropped you a line.”

  “Well, baby,” she began seductively, “they heard I was back in town and knew how much we meant to each other so they thought I would like to know that you were getting married. If I’m not mistaken,” her smile turned to satisfaction, “you were more than glad to see me.”

  Waren recalled what he did that day to Jassi and he mentally cursed although not a single word left his lips toward Pricilla.

  “You were happy to see me, Waren, if you recall,” Pricilla reminded him with a light lick of her lips.

  “If you recall,” Waren stressed getting a visible flinch from Pricilla, “I merely dropped you off at your condo.”

  Pricilla waved her hand as if dismissing that error on his part. “I know that you were just stressed out about the wedding so I forgave you…” she began to say only to stop when Waren let out a sharp laugh.

  “You are good, Pricilla,” Waren admitted sitting back in his seat. “Five years ago, I didn’t see it but I can see it now.”

  “See what,” Pricilla asked in bewilderment not sure where this conversation was going.

  “How superficial you are,” Waren told her without mercy. “Five years ago you left me because I wasn’t rich enough to satisfy your needs and no, don’t try to talk your way out of the truth because I did a little fact finding myself.”

  Pricilla blanched before she calmly faced the situation. “I will admit that I was charmed by what he could offer me and for a short time, I let that seduce me until I realized that it wasn’t worth it, and what I really wanted was your love.”

  Waren watched Pricilla squeeze out a few tears before he uttered mockingly. “Bullshit. You came back because for one your husband found a younger and prettier woman that he wanted for his wife.” Waren watched Pricilla’s eyes flare at the comment. “And for two, Jassi’s grandmother hired you to come back and humiliate her granddaughter although I think your presence was to make me take more notice of Jassi from her way of thinking anyway, but you had your own agenda.”

  Pricilla tossed her head giving him a brief sad look before she sobbed. “How can you think so low of me after everything we’ve been through together?”

  “Easy,” Waren remarked standing up from his desk and walking around to lean over her chair watching her eyes widen briefly with alarm until he grabbed the tape player straightening back up. “This may have worked, Pricilla, except for one small little detail.”

  “And what could that be,” Pricilla said scornfully dropping all pretense.

  Waren slammed his hand with the player on the desk breaking it. “I heard the whole conversation that day from start to finish without your little tweaks.”

  He brushed the player to the floor his eyes never leaving Pricilla who went white at the look.

  “Anything else,” Waren asked with a raised eyebrow watching Pricilla’s eyes flicker trying to come up with something before she finally gave up.

  “Well, I had to give it a try,” she specified with a careless shrug getting to her feet. “You can take that dull wife of yours. I have other fish to fry.”

  Waren went to open his mouth before he just shook his head remembering the last time he tried to warn her and how she turned it around on him.

  “I hope that you will be happy,” Waren offered her seeing the smug smile that went across her face before she walked out of his office. “But I doubt it.”

  After uttering these last words, Waren picked up the phone and dialed his apartment not getting an answer. Thinking that Jassi fell asleep once she got home, he decided to just talk to her when he got home sitting down at his desk to go back to work.

  Chapter 11

  Waren was hard at work when the phone on his desk rung and he answered it with a brief, “Glenson.”

  “Hi, Waren,” Craig laughed hearing the absentness in his voice. “Delilah and I wanted to know if you and Jassi would be busy tonight. We are coming to town for the evening and we wanted to have dinner with you two.”

  Waren stopped what he was doing frowning slightly telling Craig. “Jassi has been working night shift these last few nights so I will have to call and see if tonight she is off.”

  “Okay, give me a call back when you get a chance,” Craig told him before making some small talk and then getting off.

  Waren smiled using his cell to call home again only for the phone to ring before the answering machine picked up.

  Frowning, Waren hung up before he snapped his fingers and using the desk phone called the hospital.

  Within minutes, he had been transferred to the floor that Jassi was assigned. “Hi, I’m Jassi Glen…um, I mean Jassi Parks’ husband and I was wondering if you could tell me whether she is working tonight.”

  There was a brief shuffle as if the individual was moving around papers before the voice told him. “Sir, Jassi isn’t working tonight. In fact, from what I understand, she’s been transferred to another hospital per her request.”

  Waren didn’t even stop to think as he hung up the phone and was out of his office calling over his shoulder. “I’m going home. If you need me, call my cell.”

  Mrs. Chester stared after him in confusion wondering what happened to cause him to leave in such a hurry. The ringing of the phone where she had to reschedule an appointment for her boss distracted her.

  Waren sped home parking his car without much care before rushing up to his apartment where he opened the door about to call out Jassi’s name when he saw the envelope on the table.

  He stilled eyes on the white slash against the black table and something in him clenched with fear walking toward the table leaving the door open.

  His hand was shaking slightly when he reached out for it and he scowled yanking it opening to pull out the sheet of paper.

  Dear Waren,

  When we married, I knew that you couldn’t wait for the day that you could get a divorce. Having to marry someone you didn’t love, I’m sorry more than you can ever know. As of today, we have officially been married for a year, which was the time limit as agreed upon by both sides. Therefore, I am officially releasing you from our marriage and I will be sending you the divorce papers soon.

  I will be honest and tell you that I was attracted to you from the moment I saw you in my grandmother’s house even though you didn’t even glance at me. I knew that if you ever gave me any attention, then everything would change so I was glad that for the first ten months of our marriage you left me alone and went on with your life. I will tell you know that the account you opened in my name, I’ve never touched so if you want you can give the money to my grandmother or keep it since it is your money.

  I wouldn’t change what happened in the last two m
onths because I’ve enjoyed the time I spent with you. Tell your friends that it was a pleasure to meet them and give Delilah my apology that I can’t be an aunt to her little one.

  I want you to be happy, Waren, and that stretch of land you have is more than beautiful. Build the house you were telling me about although I wished I could’ve seen it once it was completed.

  As for my birthday gift, it was one of the best presents I’ve had in a long time and I will remember it always.

  If I told you that, I fell in love with you in that moment, would you believe me?

  Now for the hard part…

  Waren read the letter to the end where Jassi explained about her grandmother’s call and how she made a decision that she thought was for the best.

  His hand clenched tightly around the note leaning back against the wall before he lifted his head to reread it.

  His phone rung a few minutes later and he answered it indifferently.

  “Waren,” Craig replied catching his odd tone, “what’s wrong?”

  Waren uttered the words that he still couldn’t believe. “Jassi’s gone.”

  Craig didn’t understand, but the lost quality in his friend’s voice immediately made up his mind. “Delilah and I are on our way over. We’ll talk when we get there.”

  Delilah glanced over at his words when he hung up the phone explaining. “Waren said that Jassi left.”

  Deborah’s face said it all as they got up from the table and headed out of the restaurant going over to Waren’s apartment where the open door had them both worried.

  “Waren,” Delilah called out walking into the apartment while her husband closed the door.

  They find him in the living room sitting on the couch holding a piece of paper in his hands.

  “Waren, what happened? Where is Jassi?” Delilah asked walking over to sit down beside him and in response, Waren handed her the piece of paper.

  He leaned his head back against the couch while Delilah read the letter aloud her words coming to a halt when she came to the part about the conversation with her grandmother.

  “Oh my,” Delilah whispered lifting her head to stare at Waren before she went back to the letter.

  Craig muttered an expletive under his breath only to be stilled when Waren told them. “I was here when her grandmother called. I had gotten off early so we could spend some time together and just came into the house when the phone rang. I had picked up the receiver about to answer it when Jassi beat me to it and I almost put it down until something in her grandmother’s tone of voice stopped me. I listened to the entire conversation until Jassi hung up the phone never hearing the last sentences uttered although I did.”

  Waren lifted his head eyes blazing with rage when he continued. “In that moment, I could’ve literally destroyed them but I hung up and left to speak with my father since Jassi’s grandmother revealed what Jassi wrote in that note.”

  “Damn it,” Waren suddenly exclaimed. “Why didn’t she talk to me about it? Why did she have to assume that she understood what I was feeling?”

  Craig sighed while Delilah mentioned lightly, “Waren, you heard more about her childhood then we do, but something tells me that after her parents’ death, Jassi was seen as a nuisance.”

  Waren nodded his head slowly thinking about the look that came into Jassi’s eyes sometimes when she talked about her family. “Even that day, Dylan and her family told Jassi that she should stay married to me until I tire of her. They made it seem like it was only a matter of time before I would get bored and finally file for divorce.”

  “Waren, are you going to look for her,” Craig asked getting a haunted look from Waren.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to look,” he admitted his voice harsh with anger and sorrow.

  Delilah frowned before standing up and walking out of the room while Craig sat down in the only chair in the room.

  He snapped his fingers saying, “How about a friend of Jassi’s, someone she would tell, or even the hospital wouldn’t they be able to tell you where she went?”

  Waren sat up suddenly his mind beginning to get over the shock as he stated slowly, “The woman said that Jassi had asked for a transfer so they may be able to tell me where she transferred.”

  “She didn’t take anything from what I can see,” Delilah remarked coming back into the room. “I searched your room.”

  “Which means that she hadn’t brought all her clothes here,” Waren figured in a low voice getting up from the couch reaching for the phone.

  Delilah glanced at Craig who explained, “He’s probably going to call the hospital to see if they can tell him what hospital she transferred.”

  Delilah reached out and took the phone from Waren’s hand getting a startled reaction from both men in the room.

  “If you don’t deal with Jassi’s family first then bringing her back will only cause more trouble besides trying to convince her to come back with you,” Delilah told him. “Jassi has believed for this entire time that you were in love with Pricilla even though you were attracted to her. If you go after her now, then it will be a waste of time because I don’t think Jassi will believe you although she may return because she loves you willing to take whatever you are willing to give her.”

  Waren frowned before he sighed heavily admitting that Delilah was right and he wanted Jassi to come back knowing that she was important to him and the only woman he loved.

  “Craig, you still have the blueprints for my house,” Waren suddenly asked turning his attention to him.

  “Of course, my friend, why do you ask,” Craig stated leaning forward eyes beginning to shine with an understanding light.

  “It’s time I started building it, don’t you think,” he confided with a grin.

  Craig and Delilah nodded their head in agreement before Delilah pleaded, “I know that we have more talking to do, but can we do it over dinner? I’m hungry and so is the little one I’m carrying.”

  Waren winced at her reminder tilting his head to the door before going over to the couch where Delilah had placed the letter.

  He glanced at it before folding it up and pulling his wallet out of his back pocket, he slipped it inside and placed the wallet back.

  “Let’s go get something to eat,” Waren conceded getting a relieved smile from Delilah and a nod from Craig.

  I will find you, Jassi Glenson, and when I do, you will be coming home with me, Waren promised closing the door to his apartment.

  That evening arriving back at his apartment, he put his keys on the table and shut the door locking it before he walked slowly down the hall feeling the emptiness of the rooms.

  “I’m home,” he called out.

  The apartment stayed silent and his eyes closed at the silence knowing that he needed to resolve things quickly because it had only been less than a day, and without Jassi here, things were lifeless.

  He went straight to bed where he stripped down and crawled under the sheets hoping that sleep would claim him fast but he stayed awake staring at the opposite side of the bed where Jassi had laid for the past two weeks.

  Reaching out a hand, Waren placed a hand on the pillow still able to feel the slight warmth from Jassi and he closed his eyes allowing that little bit of warmth to relax him so he could get some sleep.

  The next morning, he was up and dressed a determined look in his eyes when his cell rung where he answered it leaving the apartment.

  “So how soon did you want to start,” Craig asked laughter in his tone.

  Waren stopped in the stairway for a second before he understood, and he chuckled continuing down the stairs.

  “ASAP, if possible,” Waren told him.

  Craig laughed assuring him. “I think we can arrange that and if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.”

  Waren nodded his head reaching the parking garage heading for his car. “Right now, I ask that you keep on the house and make sure everything is progressing smoothly. There a lot of things here that I have to accom
plish before I get down there myself…”

  “Waren, don’t worry,” Craig repeated. “They are good workers and I assure you it will be done the way you want, and correctly.”

  “Thank you,” Waren’s voice was soft, but it conveyed his gratitude, which Craig accepted as his close friend.

  Waren hung up and climbed into his car deciding there was one place he ended to stop before heading to the office.

  Twenty minutes later, he was leaning against his car outside the hospital when he saw Jassi’s friend. Dana, leaving from the staff exit since her shift just ended.

  “Hello Dana,” he called out walking over to her.

  Dana gave him a narrowed look before shifting the bag over her arm asking snidely. “What do you want?”

  Waren sighed running a hand through his hair. “I’m guessing that Jassi told you the truth about us.”

  Dana pursed her lips and nodded her head shifting her eyes away. “The night she stayed over…”

  “Her birthday,” Waren completed for her.

  She glanced up at Waren in surprise nodding her head in agreement. “I couldn’t understand why she would agree to work on her birthday and then she explained what she heard…”

  Waren stopped her there his face a mask of confusion. “What she heard?”

  Dana hesitated briefly before she sighed giving him a guarded look. “Jassi heard her father-in-law and the others talking about her grandmother on that day. I’ve never liked Jassi’s grandmother because she always seemed so nice to Jassi and yet she was constantly asking her to do things. Jassi would get paid and they would ask for money for some bill, or Jassi would have the day off and they would tell her that their car was having problems and needed someone to drive them around for their shopping. It was small things and Jassi, being Jassi, never looked any deeper because they were family.”

  She shook her head uttering in a low voice. “When she told me about what she heard and her marriage to you, I understood and so did Jassi finally. They had made a mess and Jassi, like usual, had to clean it up…by marrying you.”