Back to Love: A New Beginning
Chapter 41

Chapter 41:.

Shortly after Derek left, I got a call from Louise I checked the time and discovered it was already past ten. “Eve, where are you and Derek?” asked Louise bluntly. “I haven’t seen either of you since one in the morning.”

“You don’t need to know that. They probably thought the store was too cramped for fun, so they moved somewhere else.” Felix’s voice trailed off in the background.

In my head all I could think about was how horrified Louise would be if she found out that I had already married Derek. I would have to tell her later, when we had a chance to sit down and talk slowly.

For the moment I told her the first excuse she could think of. “I was feeling a little uncomfortable the night before, so Derek drove me home.”

“Really, are you feeling better now, what happened, did you catch a cold last night?”

“No, don’t worry, I’m fine now.”

Before Louise could say anything else, Felix’s voice came again.

“You, listen to what you’re saying, you heartless! I’m the one who ended up with a cold last night, and it’s because you kept the comforter all to yourself. I still can’t believe you hit me just because I tried to take half the comforter.”

This was followed by a very loud sneeze. It seemed that her complaints were justified.

But Louise just snorted. “You and I both know what you were thinking last night, did you really expect me to share the comforter with you? You’re lucky I didn’t go and castrate you.”

“All right, all right, all right! Lucky me.”

I said goodbye to Louise and hung up: I tossed the phone aside and plopped down on the bed, exhausted.

It looked like Louise and Felix hadn’t slept well either, but that was to be expected. My friend was a force of nature; it wouldn’t be easy to conquer someone like her, not even for a man like Felix.

It was true that there was no way a woman and a man could just chat and sleep under the same sheets, and the inevitable was going to happen.

I tossed and turned a bit more in bed before finally getting up I moved and tidied everything up. When I was finally done with the tangle, I was left with a tape of Thorn Birds, an object that was decidedly out of place. Vaguely. I wondered if there would be anything as old as a player in this sophisticated villa. I supposed it was hot.

It was already dark when Derek returned. I was watching TV when he arrived.

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“Have you had dinner?” I asked.

“Yes. Have you?” He put on his slippers and came over to the couch, looking exhausted, but “I cooked myself a bowl of noodles earlier,” I told him.

Derek leaned back on the couch next to me, his eyes sparkling with humor.

“Do you know how to cook anything other than noodles?”.

His question caught me off guard. I had to ponder for a moment before it made sense: I’d made noodles the last time I’d been here, too.

“Who told you such a thing? I’m actually quite proficient in the kitchen.”

And it was true. No one could question me on this. I had absolute confidence in my cooking.

“Does that mean that from now on I’m going to enjoy gourmet dishes?”. Derek grinned cheekily.

I crossed my legs and put a cushion between my arms. “Sort of,” I joked with a half shrug.

“Then let’s go get some good quality ingredients tomorrow. I’m looking forward to tasting your food.”

Our small talk was so mundane, but I felt warm all over.

Shane and I had rarely sat down together to talk unless it had to do with the house or his business.

And to think it was only the first day since Derek and I had become husband and wife. Still, I felt more like family with Derek, than with any time in the two years being married to Shane.

Derek lit a cigarette and put some distance between us as he smoked. When we weren’t talking about something, we just stared at the TV in pleasant silence. I felt neither embarrassed nor pressured.

Much later, I finally brought up a topic I wanted to talk about. I told Derek that I wanted to go looking for a job. He didn’t say anything for a while, and just stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. Maybe it was the dim lighting in the room, or the swirls of smoke around him, but I found it hard to read his expression.

“I can afford to support you even if you don’t work.”

“I know, but I want to be reliable too. I don’t want to be completely dependent on you. If I become a parasite who takes advantage of your fortune, then I would only be proving Vivien’s accusations true.”

“Eveline, you are not poor, not in the least. Just with the compensation for your house, you already consider yourself a millionaire.” Derek gave me a smirk.

I sighed, “I know a million is a big deal, especially for someone like me. But a millionaire isn’t really considered rich these days. Besides, my father used to tell me that it’s better to earn a single penny a day rather than sit around. And it’s not like I can expect him to support me for the rest of my life. If someday you meet someone, someone you really like, don’t hesitate to tell me. I’ll divorce you right away, without any fuss. Naturally, I want to be someone capable and independent when that day comes.”

I waited for a response, but Derek remained silent for a long time. I no longer bothered to check his expression. I didn’t dare to.

“I am a man of principle,” he said at last, “I will not divorce you, since I have chosen to marry you.”

I felt my heart trembling in my chest because of his words and fled to the bedroom soon after, telling him I was going to sleep.

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