Chapter 60: That was low of you.

Lysander’s POV

I carry Nerissa through the house like dead weight.

She’s completely out.

Her head rests against my shoulder, her arms hanging loosely around my neck, and every few steps her hair brushes against my face. ℯℯ𝘭.

I should be thinking about whether she’s okay.

Instead, I’m thinking about the vomit covering my trousers and my shoes.

My fucking shoes.

I can still feel the warmth of it against my legs.

I feel disgusting and dirty. Like something is crawling beneath my skin and I can’t get it out.

I’m going to need a shower, a very long one.

I’ll burn these clothes.

Maybe not.

But right now, I’m considering it.

Isabella loves teasing me about how much I hate mess. She says I’m too much of a neat freak, sometimes she even jokes that I probably have OCD.

I don’t.

I just like things orderly, clean and where they’re supposed to be.

I like my suits arranged properly from the darker shades to less dark shades. My shoes polished, my desk clear and my house quiet. I like knowing where everything is and not having to look at a disaster every time I turn around.

There is nothing wrong with that. At least, that’s what I’ve always told myself.

Right now, though? My clothes are ruined, my shoes are ruined, my patience is ruined.

And the woman responsible is currently sleeping peacefully in my arms.

I look down at Nerissa.

Her face is flushed from the alcohol, her lips are slightly parted. She looks completely harmless like this.

It’s almost irritating. How can someone cause this much chaos and then sleep through all of it?

I adjust my grip beneath her knees and continue up the stairs.

Behind me, I hear footsteps.

Isabella and her friend.

Rita is it? Rina?

I honestly don’t remember. I’ve never bothered with her.

I hear them whispering then silence.

Good.

At least Isabella knows she’s fucked up. She has enough sense to keep her mouth shut while I’m this angry.

I reach the top of the stairs and walk down the hallway.

The house is quiet, exactly how I like it.

My shoes make faint sounds against the polished floor as I carry Nerissa toward her bedroom.

I push the door open with my shoulder.

The room is dim, illuminated only by the soft moon light coming through the windows.

I walk toward the bed and carefully lower her onto it. She barely reacts as her head sinks into the pillow.

I stare at her for a moment.

There is a small stain on her dress from when she threw up.

If this were a real marriage, I’d probably have helped her change, made sure she was comfortable, made sure she didn’t wake up covered in her own mess.

But this isn’t a real marriage.

It’s an arrangement, a temporary solution to a problem neither of us wanted.

And I don’t care about her enough to want to go through that stress plus she would probably kick my in the balls if she wakes up and discovers i undressed her.

I straighten, turn around and walk out.

All I want now is my shower, I want to get these clothes off, I want to wash the smell from my skin.

I make it halfway down the hallway before I hear Isabella behind me.

"Lysander."

I keep walking.

"Wait."

I don’t.

Maybe tomorrow. I’m really not in the mood tonight.

"Lysander, I just wanted to say I’m sorry."

I stop just enough to let her know I’ve heard her.

"I’m sorry but not really sorry," she adds quietly. "She needed that today."

I close my eyes then turn around.

"Why do you care?"

Isabella looks at me.

"What?..."

"This is fake."

My voice comes out sharper than I intended.

"This whole arrangement is fake."

She falls silent.

"I don’t need you taking my wife to places without telling me."

I take a step toward her.

"Especially without security."

"Lysander..."

"Anything could have happened."

My anger rises again just thinking about it.

"Do you know how I found out you ladies were there?"

She folds her arms.

"But Ezekiel was there with us."

I look at her.

"Ezekiel was there."

"Yes."

"That doesn’t mean you were safe."

"He was literally watching us."

"He was supposed to be watching you."

She rolls her eyes.

"And your marriage might be fake, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s still my sister-in-law."

She pauses.

"And I happen to like her."

I stare at her.

I know Isabella.....she’s stubborn, we got that from mother.

Unfortunately, she also inherited our father’s ability to push until she finds the exact nerve that hurts.

I sigh.

"Stay away from my wife, Bella."

Her face falls slightly but I continue.

"If you’re bored and need something to pass the time, go start your wedding preparations with Nico."

The second the words leave my mouth, I know I’ve gone too far.

I see it in her face. Her eyes harden and her lips press together.

For once, she doesn’t have a sarcastic response. She just stares at me. That’s worse, much worse.

"That’s very low of you, Lysander."

Her voice is quiet as she looks away from me.

"I’ll be sleeping in Rissa’s room."

Then she turns and heads back the way she came.

"Goodnight."

I watch her disappear down the hallway.

The anger drains from me almost immediately.

"Fuck!."

My fist connects with the wall. Hard.

Pain shoots through my knuckles and I breathe through it.

The pain helps a little.

I stare at my hand.

I shouldn’t have said that. I know exactly how much she hates the marriage and I know exactly why.

Nico is twenty-two years older than her. A man our father promised her to long before I became Don, an arrangement made while Father was still alive.

One I’m still trying to undo.

Because I’ll be damned if I let my sister marry that man.

Nico has a reputation, not just for being ruthless...but for what he does to women.

His previous wives are dead.

All three women beaten to death. Rumors have it that he likes to fuck the dead women. He has a kink for it.

And now Isabella is supposed to be his fourth wife.

I refuse, I don’t care what Father promised, I don’t care how important the alliance was supposed to be. I’m not handing my sister over to a man who has left a trail of dead wives behind him.

I’ve been looking for a way out since I became Don.

I’ve tried negotiations, I’ve looked for loopholes, I’ve searched for anything that could invalidate the agreement without starting another war.

I haven’t found it yet but I will.....i have to.