32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

-Alison-

I had hoped to avoid encountering Astrid, but it seemed fate had other plans. However, I couldn't help but glance at her flat stomach, a subtle reminder of the life growing inside her, a life that shared a connection with Jared. It stirred possessive feelings within me, prompting me to snuggle closer to him, ensuring there wasn't even an inch of space between us.

"So," Astrid said, gesturing with her arms, "shall we celebrate?"

"Celebrate?" Jared and I echoed in unison.

"Your recovery and return to Jared's arms," she clarified.

We both exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what she meant.

"Sorry?" I questioned.

"What? It's a success," she insisted. "You're here, safe with him, and he and I are slowly reaching a place of peace between us."

Jared let out a disbelieving huff, indicating his skepticism about the notion of peace. I couldn't imagine making up with someone who had treated Jared the way Astrid had. Placing my hands on his arm, I silently conveyed my solidarity with him, reaffirming that nothing would come between us again.

Suddenly, my anger toward Jared seemed insignificant when confronted with Astrid's presence. She noticed the gesture, but her smile faltered when her gaze fell upon the ring adorning my finger. Then her attention returned to me.

"I'm sure you know we are still officially married," she stated.

I nodded. "I'm aware."

"Then what is that?" she pointed to the ring.

Glancing down, I smirked before meeting her gaze with a smug expression. "Just jewelry."

Jared couldn't contain a low chuckle, burying his face in my hair to stifle it. I couldn't help but smile too as Astrid's frustration became evident. Was she perhaps infatuated with Jared as well? Or at least intrigued by his refusal to yield? It was both reassuring and disconcerting, yet it confirmed that Jared had no intentions of being hers.

"Didn't he give you one?" I taunted.

"He did," Astrid admitted, holding up her diamond ring.

I turned to Jared, who looked down at me with affectionate eyes, displaying no hint of apprehension. "Did you pick it?"

He shook his head.

"Did you choose mine?" I inquired, and he nodded.

Maintaining my smile, I turned back to Astrid, who seethed at the implication that my ring held a deeper significance.

"I think we'll pass on the celebration and have our own private one," I suggested, running my hand along his arm to imply my meaning. "After all, I'm fully recovered now, so expect us to be holed up in our room for a while. And if you hear any noise, I'm not in pain. I just can't keep quiet when we're together."

Astrid's eyes flashed with anger, clearly resenting Jared's willingness to be intimate with me, something he hadn't shown with others. Jared leaned in close to my ear, delivering another verbal jab at Astrid, whispering, "You really can't keep quiet. I even make you cry because of how good I make you feel."

I let out a soft whimper, recalling too many moments like that, but Astrid remained unaware of his words, which only seemed to irk her more.

"Well, then, you two should hurry up, because we're having a little celebration," she declared. "Dinner."

"Dinner?" Jared questioned, clearly surprised.

"Yes, dinner. Just the three of us. But I'll be generous and give you three days to get it out of your system. Three days, and then we have dinner together."

"Astrid, I have no intention of—"

"It's important, Jared," she interrupted, her tone indicating that the dinner held significance beyond what she was letting on.

Jared sighed deeply before agreeing. "Very well."

"Good. You have the next few days off to catch up," she said, her annoyance evident as she left.

As the doors closed, I remarked, "She's into you."

Jared let out a sound of disbelief, and I turned to him, noticing his wide-eyed expression and the tightening of his grip.

"What?" he asked.

"She likes you. She wants you," I stated.

"She wants to break me."

"Yes, that too, but I think she more than just desires to break you. She wants to keep you," I said.

My words failed to evoke a positive response from Jared. Instead, he tensed further, drawing me so close that I felt enveloped by his entire body. Leaning down, he buried his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply. I savored the comfort he sought in my presence.

"Well, she doesn't get to keep me. I made that clear. I'm yours," he murmured, sending shivers of delight down my spine.

"Hmhm," I agreed before turning my head to capture his lips once more.

Yet he barely let me kiss him before pulling back.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"We aren't done training."

"Jared, we have three days of peace. Shouldn't we use that for something good?" I suggested.

"Exactly, we should train," he insisted before releasing me and taking up a position, indicating it was time to resume our training session.