Chapter 10 - Vivian

Even if Ari had shown me a surprisingly soft side to him, a part of me was still on the lookout for anything off-putting about him.

But after the dinner with his family, and how he continued his routine as normal, it was getting harder for me to find reasons to hate him.

He was still giving me as much space as I needed, but as I worked up the courage to explore the house more and spent less time in the spare bedroom, it was easier for us to talk casually whenever he came home.

"Enjoy another book today?" Ari asked from his side of the table, cutting through the seared steak on his plate. He always seemed to be starving after being at work all day. It made me wonder if he tended to put his own needs after his responsibilities, forgetting to eat or doing so scarcely throughout the day.

I nodded as I chewed my food, swallowing before replying, "I did. Well, I started one anyway. You know how long King's books are."

Ari snickered with an understanding nod. "I certainly do. They're so lengthy and always disturbing in some ways…but I guess that's what makes them so intriguing."

"What drew you to his books, along with some of the other horror ones?"

He shrugged as the thought, letting light contemplation fill his eyes. "The gore is visceral, even if there's a long build-up before he reaches the final pay-off. It always pulled me in."

I cocked a brow in interest, surprised to hear it. "Don't you get enough gore through your work?"

Ari chuckled. "I suppose I do, but there's a different aspect to that gore in his writing. There's something intriguing about the paranormal aspects. Knowing that violence and destruction is typically caused by something paranormal puts real gore into perspective for me. In a way, real-life violence doesn't seem so bad in comparison."

I really took in his words, understanding where he was coming from. "I suppose I know what you mean. Like when you watch or read something and realize your problems aren't as big and scary as what the characters are facing?"

He nodded, smiling faintly. "Exactly. I'm glad you understand."

My heart warmed at his acceptance, feeling as our mutual connection seemed to be coming from a more genuine place. "I never really had anyone else to talk books with, so I'm interested in what you think."

Ari looked pleased at that, and he nodded. "I must admit, too, it's refreshing to not always talk about work…especially when I'm not there and meant to be unwinding. Speaking of watching things, how about a movie?"

I nodded with a light smile as we wrapped up our meal. "That sounds great."

"Should we test fate and pick something random, or go with something safe?"

Following his lead to the living room, I soaked in that light-hearted air around us. "Surprise me."

Ari let a teasing smile take over his face as he reached for the remote. "Leaving it up to me, huh? I'm warning you now, it will either be the greatest or the worst movie you've ever seen."

"Maybe it'll fall somewhere in the middle?"

He chuckled as we took up our respective places, the curl of his lips hinting at his mild amusement. "Maybe so."

***

Like most mornings, he was gone early, and I woke up to an empty house, aside from the housekeeper who greeted me in passing as I went to the kitchen.

I felt strange familiarizing myself with the place when Ari was home, but once he was gone, I'd look around and take in everything the house had to offer.

The kitchen was beautiful and open. There were at least two separate living rooms with different uses, a home gym, a theatre room, as much food and snacks as anyone could ask for, and plenty of fully furnished bedrooms to go around. The personal library was a close second, but the grounds were the best part.

The pool was always well maintained and sparkling, the lawn was perfectly manicured with countless places to lounge and sit out in the sun, and he even had courts for tennis, basketball, and whatever else you could think of.

I found myself lingering there, dipping my toes in with a quiet hiss at the intrusive chill compared to the warmth around me.

Surprisingly, Ari became a point of interest for me ever since we fought in the kitchen. When he finally opened up to me, and we started to actually get along, I couldn't ignore how beautiful I thought he was. But it was all so confusing for me to deal with.

I was angry with him for everything, and yet, I got a glimpse of someone kinder and softer beneath that hard exterior when we talked.

Seeing that side of him made me curious, and I knew that was a dangerous thing.

A part of me still wanted to know more about him, even if he'd already given me quite a bit to work with.

I was surprised to learn he sacrificed his childhood to raise his siblings, and while it was admirable, it also made me sad. He gave up so much for them, and while they were surely grateful for everything he did, Ari would never get that time back.

But it made sense why they all respected him so much. He gave them everything they had, and while that didn't completely make up for how brutal he had been, it certainly showed him in a different light to me.

I didn't like the idea of being attracted to Ari, but as we stood in the kitchen together after the fighting died down, and he even managed to crack a few smiles, something in me wanted to see just how much he had been holding back.

Even if I knew I was better off without his attention, I had been prepared to give in.

And in some strange personal betrayal, I was somewhat disappointed when he didn't make any kind of move on me.

It was presumptuous of me to assume that was something he would do, but at that moment, my curiosity had gotten the better of me.

Was it really a crime to be attracted to the man I was legally married to?

Not really, but I didn't know how to deal with those conflicting thoughts and feelings. I knew I shouldn't be attracted to him, given what happened, but it was getting harder and harder to fight.

Most days passed with me struggling to understand why my hate for him was crumbling into an easy comfort, and while it took up a lot of space in my mind, above everything else, I was bored.

As nice as it was to not have much to worry about while Ari went off to take care of the family business, I needed something else to do with my time. I couldn't just sit around all day and wonder what my apparent husband was getting up to.

My family may have been dysfunctional at best, but at least I always had something to occupy my time with. Whether it was lessons, going to the stables, or going somewhere on vacation, there was always something going on.

Resting my chin on my arm against the side of the pool, I looked up at the blue sky above me and soaked in its warmth. I could only hear the usual neighborhood sounds, along with the occasional passing car and birds as they chirped in the trees around me. Otherwise, it was incredibly quiet.

At least something in me knew I should've been grateful in some capacity.

It was peaceful not having to deal with my brothers since I wasn't their target anymore. I didn't have to worry about them being disappointed by Dad, or taking out their anger on me just because they didn't get what they wanted.

The house was beautiful, things were mostly fine whenever me and Ari were in the same room, and I didn't have to be on edge. I didn't have to prepare myself for daily yelling, for things being thrown, or dealing with a mostly absent father.

Things were looking better, and that was only stoking the flames of my conflicting opinions of him and our situation.

But despite all of those good things, I knew I needed to confront him about my doing something—anything—with my time. I had to that night when he came home, or else I knew I'd go stir-crazy eventually.

Following my typical routine, I glanced at the clock while I sat in the living room with a book in my lap, only to find it was three in the afternoon. Sighing, I knew he usually got back at five.

While I tried to focus on the book, I could only think about what I planned to say to Ari about the situation. I ran words through my head again and again, trying to find the right ones that wouldn't cause any kind of fight.

By the time I had another hour left to wait, I stood up with a huff and waited by the kitchen island on one of the stools.

I couldn't wait any longer, surprised by the nerves that stitched themselves in my stomach.

Even if I was dead set on addressing how I needed more, I was afraid of what he might say. I didn't want him to think I was ungrateful, but at the same time, I didn't want to waste away in the house.

Time slowly ticked by as I waited, only to jump in my seat as the door finally opened, forcing my heart into my throat.