She knew she was making herself sound more and more pathetic by the moment, but the truth was, no man had ever touched her like that before. Like...like he had a claim on her, with how his palm had settled on her cotton-covered skin like it had always been his.
And the way he had guided her...
That was new to her, too. In some ways, it reminded her of how her dad had been. Gentle and protective at the same time. But this man's touch, though...it was also underscored by an unmistakable sense of possessiveness, and that was why, even though he was no longer touching her, the warmth of that palm was still there, a phantom imprint on her spine that her nerve endings refused to let go of.
Am I getting crazy,Chelsea wondered dizzily,to be thinking all of these things...and all because he touched my back?
Never ever had she imagined that the simplest of touches could mess her up this bad. But then...maybe it was because this man was no ordinary man either.
Olivio Cannizzaro was way, way out of her league. He was just too gorgeous. Too scary. Too everything that was currently wreaking havoc over her heartbeat, and was it just her or was he still not done staring at her?
Granted, they were stuck in an elevator, and there wasn't much to look at. But seriously, though. Why was he still staring at her? It just didn't make sense, and even worse, it just made her so, so tempted to take a peek at him...even as it became harder and harder for her to breathe.
I get it now,she thought ruefully. Edgar had offered multiple times to show Chelsea photos of her "husband", but she had gently turned him down, every single time. He had been so insistent actually, and this was why.
He had known this could happen. This being her caught off guard by the sheer perfection that was Olivio Cannizzaro, and so he had wanted Chelsea to be prepared, just as any girl needed to be, if they were to wake up one day from a three-year coma and find themselves married to someone like him.
Note to self: thank Edgar for his concern.
But even though she now appreciated how well-meaning he had been, she also couldn't say her decision to come here "blind" was something she had any regrets over.
Because the truth was, it so easily could've been the opposite. Instead of a billionaire, she could've been married to someone who was drowning in debt. Instead of someone who looked like he had stepped out of the front cover of a men's fashion magazine, it could've been someone whose equally beautiful face was front and center of a Most Wanted poster.
Even with every precaution Edgar had taken to choose a husband for her, people changed all the time, and it was because of that she had been just as adamant.
I don't want to look him up,she had told her godfather. Because if she had, and the man she was married to wasn't what she was hoping for, what then?
Chelsea had never really believed in God, but miraculously waking up from a coma after three years had opened her eyes and heart to His existence.
From the moment she woke up, she had known she was different. She was new. Born again.
And since then, it was how she had done her best to live. She read the Bible to know and trust Him more, and the more she knew Him, the more she realized how much He loved her. The more time she spent with Him, the more she wanted to obey Him and as such, when Edgar told her what he had done to protect her inheritance—-
What God had joined together, no man shall put asunder.
Chelsea had insisted on meeting her husband face to face. She hadn't wanted to give herself any chance to back out, hadn't wanted to let the world tempt her into compromising just to play it "safe".
God's plans were always the best, even if they didn't seem to make sense at first, and because she also believed there was no such thing as coincidence when one had faith...
It was why Chelsea knew she had to at least try. If Olivio Cannizzaro rejected her outright, and he asked for a divorce or an annulment, that would be it. The Bible also had that covered.
But if he did not...
Gulp.
For this man to still be staring at her—-
Either he couldn't believe how horrible she looked...or it was something else.
Something that went along the lines of him also considering making a go of their marriage?
Gulp.
Chelsea's heart felt as if it was about to leap out of her chest any moment. They were passing the eighth floor now, and she could still feel the burning weight of his gaze, and oh, it was just getting harder and harder not to steal a look.
Don't peek, don't peek, don't, oh, I give up I'm peeking!
But just as she lifted her head, the elevator opened its doors at the tenth floor, and Edgar stepped sideways as two men in conversation and a woman joined them.
