Huffing, I pocket my phone and move over to one of the drawers under the kitchen island. Pulling out a pen and notepad, I quickly scribble down a message and then hightail it out of my own apartment.
Once I'm back in the elevator, and the doors close in front of me, I take a deep, heaving breath, finally feeling like I can breathe again for the first time in the last twenty minutes.
Chapter Sixteen
Alicia
Peeling my eyes open in the morning, I'm comforted by the warmth of Jellybean's small body curled up against mine underneath the white silk sheets covering the bed that's now supposedly mine.
Glancing around the unfamiliar room, I take in the pristine white dressing table across from me—a large square mirror on top, lined with circular lights that are currently turned off—but with the sunlight shining through the large windows behind me, I can see my dishevelled appearance clear as day.
Grimacing at my tangled hair, I flick my gaze to the left of the room, where the wall is taken up by built-in wardrobes that I filled with all of my clothes last night with Eliana's help.
The thought of my sister no longer being in London anymore has a pang of loss shooting through my chest, and I sigh as I climb out of bed, my feet sinking into the dark carpet beneath my feet as I pad over to the door on the right of the room that leads into the bathroom.
Opening the door, I'm almost blinded by the bright, white tiles that seem to reflect sunlight around the space from the skylight above. A large, rectangular shower takes up most of the back wall, leaving a small space beside it for the toilet.
Moving over to the double sinks, I uncap my toothpaste, spreading it along my toothbrush and then shove it in my mouth, brushing my teeth as my eyes drift to the door that's opposite mine.
I didn't pay much attention to the bathroom last night, considering Eliana was the one who unpacked my toiletries and my make-up, placing it all on shelves that are stacked on the wall beside my sink, so I didn't see the other door, and I have no idea where it leads.
My curiosity piqued, I spit out a glob of toothpaste, rinse my toothbrush, and then move over to the door, leaning against it and listening for any movement on the other side.
When I'm greeted with silence, I push down on the handle and pull the door open.
The room ahead is dark, and not just because of the closed curtains that cover the windows situated behind the bed, because where my room is mostly white furniture, this one is all black—the bedsheets, the wardrobes, the curtains, and the chest of drawers. Even the carpet is black. The walls and the large rug in the centre of the room are the only things that are of colour, but even then, it's a pale grey.
I move further into the room, looking around for anything that might give it some character, but it's pretty bare and boring.
My eyes catch the pictures on either side of the bed, and I walk towards them.
One is a picture of Dom and his sister when they were younger, wide smiles on their faces as they look at the camera.
The little boy in the picture looks nothing like the man I've met, and a spark of curiosity burns inside of me as I wonder what in life might've happened to turn him into the grumpy bastard he is today.
Moving my gaze to the picture frame closest to me, I see Dom and Sophia again, but this time, they're standing on either side of their cousins—Dom beside Jessica, and Sophia beside Jaylen. Each of them are dressed in formal attire with frowns marring their faces, and as I look closer, I can see the evident tear tracks on each of their cheeks.
I think back to the conversation I had with Louise before the wedding, and I make the assumption this is a picture of when they attended Jess and Jaylen's mother's funeral.
My brows furrow.
Why would someone want a picture from such a devastating day like that beside their bed?
Strange.
Shaking my head, I glance around the room once more, seeing nothing of interest, and then turn back to the bathroom. I go back to my room and get dressed so I can wander around the rest of the house, hopefully without bumping into the man I'm now, unfortunately, married to.
Once I'm dressed in a burgundy woolly dress, and a pair of white fluffy socks to keep my feet warm during the cold of the winter, I practically skip down the stairs, greeted by a comforting silence, with Jellybean trotting along behind me.
My eyes scan the empty living room, and my lips tug up into a smile as my furry best friend yaps excitedly, spinning around in circles on the rug, chasing after her tail.
When I spot her light pink dog steps tipped over about a metre from where I placed them last night, I frown, and walk down the last couple of steps, moving to right them.
As soon as they're back in place, Jellybean clambers up them and situates herself on the leather sofa.
Moving out of the living room, I glance at the large clock hanging on the wall in the hallway leading to the kitchen and see it's just past eight in the morning.
Tentatively moving towards the kitchen, expecting the dark-haired, grumpy bastard I married to be standing there waiting for me, I'm pleasantly surprised when the room is vacant.
