Chapter 19

James must have immediately sensed my distress because he held up his hand as a sign of preventing me from trying to argue.

“James—”

“Mia, would you trust me?” He kept his voice calm and composed. “Everything is a part of the plan I have for us, alright?”

Gee, was that meant to make me feel better?

I genuinely felt like there was no use in trying to talk to him. The longer I stayed around him, the more I could feel the ache in my head growing. After the day I had, I felt myself ready to collapse.

I glared at James for a long moment of simmering silence before pushing past him without a single word.

“Such bullshit,” I muttered tightly under my breath.

“Mia...”

James called out for me, but I refused to stop moving. I had to get away from—I needed to put some sort of distance between us otherwise I wasn’t entirely sure what would happen. I was so angry I couldn’t think straight.

‘Why? Why does he have this excessive need to control everything that goes on around us?’ I asked myself bitterly. ‘Have I not been flexible enough with all that he’s insisted I do?’

Right as I met the staircase, I felt a large, strong hand wrapped around my arm. I was swiftly pulled back and faced with a very aggrieved-looking James.

“Do not walk away from me,” he demanded stiffly.

“Or, what? Are you gonna put me in time out like I’m some kind of child?” I fired back.

“There’s no need to be dramatic.”

Another round of lethal venom coursed through my body, raising my rage to a whole new level.

“I’m not being dramatic, James Derek. What I am is fucking upset,” I stated. “I'm not your pet, you can't just decide everything for me.”

I caved in when it came to that insane schedule he’d created for me. I adhered to every demand and made every appointment. I never once argued or spoke out against anything that he had set up for me because I was firmly under the impression that he was trying to make sure I was being cared for.

However...This so-called press conference that he went ahead and planned out felt like a complete disregard for my personal privacy.

“How could you plan something like this without ever consulting with me about it first?” I questioned sharply.

James crossed his arms over his chest and leered down at me. “I have both scientifically and efficiently allocated our time, ensuring it wouldn't affect their unborn child.”

“You mean because my pregnancy hasn’t started to visibly show yet,” I said dryly. “Rigghht, of course. We wouldn’t want the public to think that you knocked me up and you’re doing this out of sheer pity.”

I noticed the subtle twitch in his right eye. There was anger lurking behind his gaze as well.

“You have no idea how badly I wish—” He cut himself off before finishing the statement.

I was tempted to demand that he finish what he’d originally intended to say. Yet, James tried to collect himself and took a few deep breaths.

“I simply made the best decision,” he concluded.

“Yeah, you did make the best decision. You did it for yourself,” I retorted. “You’ve proven to me that you are far too self-indulgent and you clearly get a kick out of controlling others like some kind of tyrant.”

James huffed. “You’re being unreasonable. I know that I'm doing my best to balance your work and health to ensure that everything is as efficient as possible. Believe me, Mia. Following along with my plan will allow you to present yourself in the best light and announce our relationship to the public. All my arrangements are for your benefit.”

”The very least you could have done was discuss this with me,” I said sternly. “Unless you’ve already forgotten, marriage is about two people.”

James gave a slight shake of his head. “There’s no need for that.” His tone was cold. “I’m used to making decisions alone and a majority of the time everything tends to work perfectly because my choices are often correct.”

‘So, that’s it then,” I thought blatantly. ‘Our relationship is nothing but contractual.’

He made it seem that there was no room for reason or explanation so he and I parted on fairly poor terms.

A day or so passed since James and I last spoke to one another. Lily confronted me with a worried look in her eyes, expressing her concern for our relationship. I had to explain to her that this was nothing more than just a mere opportunity for him and I to reassess our relationship.

“Oh, well, I’m sure everything will work out in the end,” Lily said promisingly.

“Or, perhaps he’s finally decided that you’re not worth all the trouble after all,” a taunting voice called out.

Monica came sauntering in the room with a proud smirk on her face. Since I first moved into the house, I could tell that James was treating Monica much colder than he probably used to. No doubt she likely blamed me for that.

Monica was clearly someone who’d been pampered and privileged all her life and never had to deal with disparity. To her, I was a threat.

She sneered at me and sized me up as though she were trying to send a warning signal. “A stone, no matter how polished, will never become a diamond,” she mocked.

I knew Monica’s words stood on no real foundation. Between my exhaustion and sheer lack of caring, I let my inner thoughts fly.

“In James’ eyes, you and I are more like pets that he likes to manipulate whenever he chooses,” I said to her. “He both gives us the perfect environment for us to live in, but it’s not as though he cares about our thoughts and feelings.”

I could tell from the enraged look on her face, that I’d struck a real cord within Moncia.

“Wait and see,” Monica hissed. “I’ll prove to you that you and I are not the same.”