Hope

I survived the past two days of living with Killian by staying out of his way, keeping to my bedroom, and remaining quiet at dinner.

We hadn't spoken much to each other since Scott helped me settle. I didn't know why and I didn't bother to ask too because Killian wouldn't talk. He'd given me major cold shoulders and only spoke to me when I asked for instructions. I tended to do that often because I got lost a lot.

Albeit, today, I was particularly bored out of my mind and decided I was going to visit the diner for some adrenaline pump.

After getting off a call for my mother and assuring her I was taking care of myself properly, I brushed my teeth, took a bath in my bathroom, and thirty minutes later, I was giving myself a final once over on the mirror.

I finger-combed my hair, picked up my black bag, and headed out the door towards the stairs and now the living room where I met Killian walking out of the kitchen with a newspaper in his hand and a cup of coffee in the other.

It didn't seem like he was in a hurry to get to work today because he was still clad in his sleep pants and shirt.

"What are you doing out of bed?"

There it was; that morning huskiness in his voice that always found its way straight to my core.

"Good morning to you too, Killian." I drawled, continuing my walk to the door.

"I asked you a question." He jeered, making me stop in my tracks and turn.

"I'm going to Joe's for work."

He looked at me like I had just said something disgusting. "You should go back to your room."

My forehead rumpled in a frown. "Why?"

"Because I don't want you working."

"If I don't work I won't have money." I pointed out but he just stared at me like I had said nothing.

"Give me a list of your needs and I'll provide everything. You don't have to work at a beat-down diner anymore."

I shook my head. "No thank you, I want to work. I'm tired of staying home all day doing nothing."

"Watch movies, read books, go on spa treatments but not that diner."

He was using the matter-of-fact tone with me that I disliked. I snorted. "No, I'll work."

A sigh came from deep in his chest, letting me know that his irritation was building. "Hope, you stopped working the moment you agreed to marry me. Now go back up to your room because this discussion is over."

"You can't just take this autonomous decision and stop me from going to work. If you're so worried about the baby then I can assure you It'll be fine."

"Nothing you say is going to change my mind." He began to stalk away, leaving me dazed and confused and I wasn't going to have it.

"If there's something you need to get off your chest you better do it now."

He stopped in his tracks, then turned to give me one of his blackest stares but it didn't stop me.

"You've been difficult and distant these past two days. I don't get what I did to you and you can't just cage me in here and order me around just because we are married."

"I think I pretty much can."

"No, you can't."

With a grunt, he stomped toward me, coming to a stop directly in front of me and deliberately using his size to intimidate me. He smelled good tho but I was too irritated to care.

"Hope, stop. You're not going to change my mind."

"Bullshit." I scoffed and turned around intending to leave the house, but he grabbed me by my forearm and stopped me in my tracks.

"Is it so important to speak against everything I say?" His eyes blazed back at me, an indiscernible emotion swarming in them. "Why must you always put your health at risk?"

"I think my health is perfectly fine."

"No, it's not. Now up to your room and any more word from you will earn you indefinite grounding."

I laughed hysterically. "Are you being serious right now? You'll ground me like I'm thirteen?"

His brow cocked up. "Want to test me?"

All humor in me dried up, replaced by a bubble of anger in my core. "You'd seriously keep me locked in here?"

"Since you chose to be stubborn then yes." He let me go and I was about to snap back at him when a brilliant idea popped into my head.

Bingo.

"Fine. You know what fine. I'll go back to my room if it'll make you happy."

"Good." With that, he walked away.

If he thought he could honestly keep me caged in here, he could kiss my ass.

All I had to do was wait it out and then when he'd left the house I would leave too and surprisingly, that plan played out pretty nicely because an hour later, I was walking out of the subway and into the morning rush of the diner.

If Killian wanted me to be the stay-at-home mum, it wasn't going to work very well because all my life I had been taught to be industrious and that was why I couldn't just sit doing nothing.

Mr. Joe didn't seem to have a problem with it, so in no time, I was running orders, excitement humming in my belly. I worked all through the morning rush to the lunch rush, carrying food trays, wiping tabletops, back and forth, back and forth and once the last table was clean, I picked up the tip left in one of the glass cups and retired into the staff quarter where I slumped on one of the iron chairs and tried to catch my breath.

"I'm starting to think that the sexy son of a bitch who is legally your husband was right when he told you not to work." Lesley scowled, standing in the doorway and propping her hands on her hips. "You're sweating so much I'm scared you might pass out."

"I just need to catch my breath that's all," I assured, rubbing my head as I felt a looming headache.

"Well, it's still good to have you back here. It's not the same without you. And look at you; four days of honeymoon and you're already glowing."

My cheeks flushed. Jesus, why was I embarrassed? "Really? I didn't notice."

"Come on." She walked around the room to sit by my side. "I need every single detail of what happened."

"Well, it was...pretty good,"

She quirked her brow and pursed her lips as if considering what I had just said. "Is that all?"

I shrugged. "I had fun I mean we did exactly what most honeymooning couples do."

Her eyes lighted up, her tone was emphatic. "You guys made love?"

Made love? Not really.

We had sex. Very dirty, very kinky sex but it wasn't love and I was afraid it was never going to be.

"You did you, didn't you?" She snapped me out of my thoughts with a nudge to my side. "You let him into your pants again."

"It's not like that," I protested, struggling to maintain a straight face as my cheeks turned pink against my will.

"But you did have sex."

"Well yeah. I mean we are two sexually frustrated married adults."

She giggled. "And he's you're husband so who else. I'll be honest tho. I really don't like that Killian guy because of the way he treated you at first but you guys are married now so you can have all the sex you want and love him however you want."

I couldn't help myself. I laughed at the things coming out of her mouth and tried not to think too hard about it because a year from now, all my fantasies, all the sex, the fighting, it would be over. I would have my life back. At least what was left of it.

The knocking sound on the door brought me back to attention. "Girls, orders are coming through!"

By the time I returned home, the last rays of sun skimmed the horizon. It was evening and I hadn't expected to find Killian home at the time but when I stepped into the house and the mechanical lights turned on, he was there, sitting on the couch.

He uncrossed his legs and craned his head in my direction, his expression totally unreadable. "Where did you go to Hope?"

His tone sounded vaguely threatening. Shit. I clutched my bag and desperately hoped I didn't reek of fish oil and French fries. "I went to visit, uh, my mum."

"You did?" He was getting up, walking towards me.

I swallowed a lump in my throat and forced myself to stay calm. "Yes."

"That's funny because I called her when I got home and couldn't find you. Said you two hadn't spoken since you got back."

Shit. Shit. shit.

"Well yes, uh," I didn't recognize my own voice, I was so nervous. "Originally I did go to see her but she wasn't around so I visited Scott instead."

He looked at me like he hadn't believed a word I'd just said and there was a brief pause that made me quake inside but after a nerve-racking second, he sighed. "Dinner's in the kitchen. I'll be up in my room."

When he walked away, I reached for my chest and breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The next morning, I paced my bedroom, clutching my purse and running a hand down my jeans.

I stared out the window, not sure how much longer I could do this. Why the hell wasn't he leaving yet?

I continued to pace around, waiting for him to leave but he hadn't driven out of the garage yet and I was starting to get a little anxious.

As much as I wanted to stay home today and figure out why my stomach hurt so much, I'd already included my shift in the shop's rooster.

My anxiety made my bladder fill. By the time I dashed into the bathroom and returned back, he was gone.

Half an hour and a meaningless conversation with the guy who sat next to me on the train, later, I walked out of the subway, as usual, smiling from ear to ear because I had actually outsmarted Killian.

I clutched my purse and strode to the restaurant's front door, ponytail bobbing from side to side. I'd worn a happy smile today, but that happy smile soon disappeared and panic rose inside me in the form of hot bile that threatened to make me vomit as I saw Mr. and Mrs. Joe outside the sealed-up shop, both hugging each other as Mrs. Joe sobbed endlessly.

Somehow, I forced nausea back down and walked to them. "Mrs. Joe, are you alright? Why isn't the shop open?"

She pulled her reddened face from her husband's chest and looked at me with disdain that chilled my bones. "I should be asking you that question. Hope."

My face creased with worry. "Mrs. Joe." I sort to touch her but she flinched away like my touch burned. "I don't understand."

"Well, why don't you ask your beloved husband and leave us alone." She spat at me, falling back on her husband's chest.

What the hell was going on?

"Excuse me?"

She sighed. "Please Hope, just leave, we don't want any more trouble."

I didn't understand. "But i-"

"Please leave!" Mr. Joe snapped at me and I jerked, feeling instant tears whelm up in my eyes.

My lower lips trembled and I felt my nostril moisten. "But I didn't do anything wrong."

"You did." Mrs. Joe sniffed. "You married a monster."

I did?

Killian?

He did this?

My fist clenched. Of course, he did. There was no denying it-it had his handwriting all over it.

Hot anger bubbled and sizzled behind my ribcage. This was it. I had had enough of this asshole.

"I promise I'll make this right."