Separate Bedrooms
He took a deep breath as if he was preparing himself for something hard.
“Look, Mina, I don’t want us to get lost in what we’re doing, and this way we get to separate reality from make–believe. We get to put some distance and a limit somewhere.”
“Yes, but we’re supposed to be convincing people that we are married….”
“Yes, and a lot of couples are married and living in different rooms. It’s not unheard of. Some people like their own spaces.”
“What about the staff?
“What about it?”
“They will know that we are not sharing the same bedroom.”
“Stop worrying about the staff. They’re here to work; that’s their job.” He said. dismissively
“Yes, but what about Eric? I’m sure he’s going to come to the house, and he’ll know that we aren’t sharing a bedroom.” I kept pointing out
“Like I said, personal space. It’s so simple to answer.”
But I knew he understood my hesitations.
“I was married to Eric, and I didn’t need my own space. He will see through it, and then I’ll be…”
“Okay, stop it, Mina. This is my house. There’s no way he’s going to know. If you don’t want him to find out, he won’t.”
“What about the staff? Though you might not care about what they think, but they might tell someone….someone like Eric, your son.”
“I will tell them not to say a word of it.”
“Oh my God,” I said, exasperated. “Can you hear yourself? You’re saying that you’re going to call your staff and tell them not to say that you and your wife are not sharing the same bedroom? Are you serious?”
“No, that’s not what I mean, Mina. They signed an NDA. They know to keep their mouths shut. How do you think all the Blackwind scandals get nipped in the bud? That’s because we have airtight NDAs, and our staff know not to say a word.”
Separate Bedrooms
+25 BONUS
“Does that apply to your own son? I mean, Madeline thinks of Eric as her own son.” Something flashed in his eyes just then, but I couldn’t read what it was.
“Look, Mina, I like my personal space. I have been living for more than ten years on my own, and it will take an adjustment. I can’t just move in with someone right now. It will only make things hard and complicated. Please.”
I looked at him as he put his hands on the pants of his jeans and looked at me like he was waiting for me to say something.
“Are you serious about this, Emerson?” I finally asked him.
“Yes, I am.” He answered. “This is not about you, Mina. It’s not. It’s just, as you know, it’s been a long time since I’ve had someone in my space, and… Let’s just build after it.”
He looked at me and I could see how he wanted me to agree with him, to understand his point. He continued as if just got an excellent idea.
“Yes, we just tell people that we’re just engaged now, and we’ll move in together when we’re married. And then when we’re married, we’ll just find a way to spin it. But for now, it’s a good cover.”
He paused and looked at me before continuing, “Plus, this will help you. I don’t want people to think that you and I were together when you were with Eric. I don’t want them to think that you were cheating on him. And this will give us a great standing. What do you think?”
I looked at him, unsure about how I was supposed to answer.
“I honestly don’t know what to say, Emerson.”
“Think about it. This is actually really good,” he added, “but if you’re not feeling up to it, maybe you shouldn’t have made the move. Maybe I should have let you stay at the hotel for… for a few more days.“,
“Does that mean if I came back the day we were married, we would be sharing a bedroom?” I asked, searching his face.
He hesitated, stopped and looked at me, and I could see in his eyes what the answer was. I kept thinking about everything, wondering why I was making things difficult for him.
Why was I making this hard? He was going out of his way to help me. So, I chose to let this slide. He was already doing a lot. Why was I forcing this? I mean…. this meant
+25 BONUS
Separate Bedrooms
freedom, I guess.
So, towards him, I said, “Okay, I’ll see what I can do with the place, although it’s already better than the room I was staying in at the hotel.”
He smiled as he came towards me and took my hand. He looked at me silently and said,
“Thank you.”
I knew why he was saying thank you, and I was also confused about why he was saying it, but I didn’t want to begin a new argument, so I just nodded.
“Alright, Thomas has already brought your things. They should be in the wardrobe. I should let you rest and get used to your room. I will see you for lunch,” he said as he checked his watch. “An hour, is that okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s great,” I replied.
“Okay, see you later,” he said as he came towards me hesitantly, then kissed my forehead and left me standing there in the middle of the guest room, which, I guess, was going to be my new bedroom.
I was in no mood to start unpacking my clothes, so I just lay on the bed. I must have been more exhausted than I thought because I fell asleep almost instantly.
Later, I felt someone gently touching my shoulder, waking me up. I opened my eyes to see Emerson standing beside the bed, smiling down at me.
“Hi,” I said groggily.
“Hi,” he replied. “You must have been so tired.”
“Yeah,” I grumbled as I sat up in bed.
“You didn’t even open a suitcase,” he observed, glancing around.
“Yeah, I guess I’ll do that later.”
“Or you could have Rose help you unpack,” he suggested.
“Ah, no,” I said quickly. “I’ll do it myself. I’m just tired. I kind of partied the whole night yesterday.”
“Yeah, your own little party,” he teased. “You didn’t even invite me.
I smiled at his playful tone as I swung my legs off the bed and stood up.
+25 BONUS
Separate Bedrooms!
“Food’s ready. I came to get you so we could go together and have lunch, although this might be my third meal,” he said with a wink.
“Okay,” I replied, stretching. “Why don’t you go on ahead? I’ll be right there. Just need to stop by the bathroom for a minute.”
“Alright, see you in the dining room. I trust you know where it is?”
“Trust I won’t get lost or anything.”
He smiled and left the room, closing the door softly behind him.
After a quick stop in the bathroom, I headed downstairs and made a detour into the kitchen to see Madeline.
My favourite place at the Blackwind estate had always been the kitchen with Madeline. Growing up, my mother wasn’t very motherly toward me. I’d watch her dote on Rita, but with me, it was different. And Madeline…well, she filled that void in
a way.
She had always been kind and warm whenever we visited, and it never changed over the years. So, it became a habit of mine to sneak into the kitchen and chat with her for a few minutes before going anywhere else.
But today, as I stepped into the kitchen, I couldn’t see her. Maybe she was in the dining room, I thought. I turned to leave and almost bumped into Rose.
“Hey, Rose,” I said, surprised. “Have you seen Madeline? Is she in the dining room?”
Rose’s expression shifted, her voice taking on a strange tone.
“Oh, you’re looking for Madeline?”
Something in her voice…something about the way her eyes held mine felt off. It was subtle, but I could feel the tension.
“Yes,” I replied. “Where is she?”
“She’s not feeling well,” Rose said, her lips curling into a small, tight smile.
“Oh,” I said, suddenly concerned. “Did she go to the hospital?”
Rose shook her head, the smile still lingering in that way that made my skin prickle.
“No,” she said slowly, “she just saw something she didn’t like, something that made her nauseous and she didn’t feel very well. So, she took the day off.”
Separate Bedrooms
+25 BONUS
I froze, catching the subtle jab in her words,
“Is that going to be a problem, madam?” Rose continued the word ‘madam‘ laced with mockery as she looked at me like I was something beneath her.
Her eyes gleamed with smug satisfaction like she knew exactly what buttons to push. I clenched my jaw, my mind racing.
It was clear Rose needed to be put in her place. First order of business in this house? Handle Rose.
