The entire room seemed to freeze. Conversations halted mid-sentence, heads turning as guests strained to catch sight of the unfolding drama. Evan straightened, his hand hovering inches from Violet’s arm as he turned to face Nicholas, his expression a mixture of confusion and irritation.
“I was just…”
But before he could say another word, Violet’s knees buckled, and she fell to the floor.
CHAPTER 25
Violet felt as though her head was spinning. She was lying flat on a bed while Nicholas paced around the room in front of her.
Nicholas.Nicholas!
She shot up in her bed immediately.
“What are you doing?” He was by her side in an instant. “You need to be resting. Lay back down.”
Violet blinked, unable to ascertain whether the scene in front of her was real or just a figment of her imagination.
Yes, she had seen Nicholas right before she had fainted. But that could well have been her imagination, considering how often she thought about him anyway.
“Violet,” he warned once again as he gently tried to push her down on the mattress. His touch sent a spark through her entire body.
No.This was definitely the real him.
“You have no right to tell me what to do,” she fought back stubbornly, sitting up even straighter now.
“I am only doing it for your own good,” he said.
“And why do you always assume you know what is good for me?” She narrowed her eyes.
Seeing him again after a week had brought out an anger inside of her that was hard to control.
“Violet…” Nicholas sighed, taking a seat at the edge of the bed now. “You fainted out there. Do you really think that this is the time for us for be arguing like this?”
“Oh.” Violet’s cheeks turned red at the revelation. Sothatwas what had happened.
“I am perfectly fine now, Nicholas. Forgive me. The shock of seeing you again was simply too much for me.”
Nicholas shot her a look. “I don’t think that is all there is to the story. You look like you have not had a proper meal in a long time.”
“Perhaps that is not a terrible thing. I may finally look like the women you missed dearly during your time at the estate,” she snapped.
She did not know where all of this bitterness was coming from, but she could not stop herself either.
Nicholas’ eyes widened. “What on earth are you talking about?”
Violet let out a mirthless laugh.Trust him to play so innocent.“No need to dwell on it,” she said bitterly. “Though, this is not how I anticipated my evening would go. One moment I was talking to Duke Evan and the next…”
“He should be careful next time,” Nicholas interjected, angrily. “I was polite enough this time that I let him off without saying anything since I was too worried about you. But he should think twice before having the audacity to talk to my wife.”
His words were so possessive that they sent a shiver down her spine. But she knew better this time than to get her hopes up.
“Yourwife?” she questioned. “Is that what I am now to you?”
Nicholas’ jaw tightened. “That is what you havealwaysbeen.”
“Some of us do not take the meaning of words lightly. Please do not refer to me as such when you left me alone at the estate.” Her anger flared the more she spoke, and she had to try hard to keep her voice from cracking. “As you said, you did not wish to adjust to the life of ahusband.It should not be so easy for you to refer to me as your wife whenever you wish to.”
Nicholas looked taken aback. If he had not expected her to react in this manner, then he had surely been foolish.
