All Chapters of Bound Unwilling : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

39 Chapters

Chapter Eleven

“I’m home!” Emily’s voice was bright and excited. “Well, I’m at my parents’ place. Can you come over? Mom and Dad are dying to see you.”Miriam was already getting up before she finished the sentence.“I’ll be right there in an hour “.She hung up and was on her feet before she’d even fully processed the call. The soreness, the hickey, Damien, and his little speech about responsibility, all of it could wait.Emily was home.She had a quick bath and was dressed in minutes, moving faster than she had in days.She grabbed her bag and was heading for the door when it opened.Damien walked in with a tray filled with eggs, sausages, bread, and tea. Simple but put together, steam curling off the cup.He set the tray down and turned to her with a small smile. “Breakfast, my lady.”Miriam stopped.“I can’t eat right now.” She reached for her bag. “My friend just got back earlier than expected. I need to go see her.”Something shifted in his face.“I’ll have breakfast when I get back, I promise

Chapter Twelve

The drive back home was calm and peaceful.Miriam kept both hands on the wheel and let the quiet sit with her. Something felt different. Lighter. The few hours with Emily had put something back in its right place.She hadn’t realised how much she had missed her until she was pulling out of that parking lot, still laughing at something Emily had said, cheeks hurting in the best way.She turned into the estate and the closer she got to the house, the more that lightness started to fade.She sat in the driveway for a moment after she turned off the engine.Then she grabbed her bag and went inside.She walked into the living room and found Damien on the couch.He wasn’t doing anything. Just sitting there, in the dark, waiting. Like he had all the time in the world and had spent every minute of it being angry.“Don’t you dare take another step.”His voice was low. Controlled.“Excuse me?”“Where are you coming from?”“I’m sure I told you before I left.”Damien looked at her for a long mome

Chapter Thirteen

Sunday morning crept in quietly.Miriam came downstairs to find the house already alive in a way it hadn’t been all week—the smell of something warm drifting from the kitchen, the soft sounds of movement.Damien had sent his staff away the day before the wedding. Gave them all a few days off and told them to return on Saturday. No real explanation. Just cleared the house out so it would be the two of them.Rosie was already smiling. She was a small woman, the kind that moved through a kitchen as if she owned it. She had that kind of face that made you feel like you had known her longer than you had.Miriam had liked her from the start. The day Damien summoned the whole staff for introductions, everyone had stood stiff and formal like they were waiting to be assessed. Rosie had been the only one who looked genuinely happy to meet her.“Good morning, ma’am”“Morning, Rosie. How are you?”“Very well, ma’am. And yourself?”“I’m fine Rosie. Miriam pulled out a chair at the kitchen table

Chapter Fourteen

She came down the stairs and found him in the sitting room.He was already dressed. All black, custom-fitted suit, shirt open at the collar. No tie. He looked sexy and expensive in it.He looked up when he heard her on the stairs.He stopped.Just stood there, eyes on her, not saying a word as she made her way down.She reached the bottom and met his gaze.“You’re staring.”“I am,” he said. No apology.She picked up her clutch from the side table.He still hadn’t moved.“Damien.”“Give me a second.”She almost smiled.He crossed the room slowly and stopped in front of her, eyes moving over her one more time.“You look magnificent.”He was still looking at her, then it seemed to hit him.“I didn’t get a debit alert for the gown.”Miriam tilted her head. “That’s because you gave me a card that doesn’t work.”“What do you mean?”“It declined. In front of everyone at Neiman Marcus.”His jaw tightened slightly. “The Rhodes don’t get embarrassed that way in public.”“Well.” Miriam held his

Chapter Fifteen

The door had barely closed behind them.“You embarrassed me tonight,” Damien said.Miriam turned around. “I embarrassed you? You dragged me out of a gala because a man said hello to me.”“He wasn’t just saying hello.”“He introduced himself. That’s it.” She dropped her clutch on the side table. “You’re being irrational.”He moved toward her and grabbed her wrist.“Damien.” Her voice sharpened. “You’re hurting me.”He didn’t let go immediately. Just looked at her, jaw tight, something burning behind his eyes that hadn’t fully settled yet.She pulled her wrist free.“Don’t do that,” she said quietly. “Don’t ever do that.”She turned and walked up the stairs without looking back.Don’t walk away from me.”She was already at the top of the stairs.He followed.She had barely made it to the bedroom door when he pushed it open behind her, the anger he had been holding since the gala filling the room the moment he walked in.“I said don’t walk away from me.”“And I said you’re hurting me.” M

Chapter Sixteen

“Welcome sir.”The gatekeeper’s voice reached him before he even stepped out of the car. Damien parked, nodded once, and walked inside.It had been a long day. Long day of working through the files that had piled up during the honeymoon. Long day of checking his phone and hoping that Miriam responds.The sitting room met him with the smell of whatever Rosie had on the cooker. Something warm and familiar that made the house feel more like a home than he deserved right now.“Good evening sir.”“Evening, Rosie.” He set his briefcase down. “Where is my wife?”“Guest room, sir.”He said nothing but she saw the way his expression shifted just slightly. He had been hoping she had moved back to their room before he got home.“Has she eaten?”“Yes sir.” Rosie nodded.“Good.”He went upstairs and stood outside the guest room door.Knocked once.Twice.Third time.“Miriam.” His voice was quieter than usual. “You can’t stay mad at me forever, baby. I’m really sorry.”Silence.He stood there for a

Chapter Seventeen

They were barely halfway through lunch when Damien set his fork down.“I need to go home.”Lucas looked up. “It’s not closing time. You still have work.”“I know.”“Damien—”“I can’t concentrate, Lucas. I haven’t been able to all day.”Lucas looked at him for a long moment. “What exactly did you do to her?”Damien said nothing.“Do you need me to talk to her? I can—”“No.” His voice came out sharper than he intended. He pulled it back. “No. I’ll handle it.”Lucas held his hands up. “Alright. Fine.”Damien picked up his jacket.The last thing he needed was Lucas anywhere near this.Lucas drove him back to the office without another word on the matter.Damien was out of the car before it fully stopped. He went straight upstairs, grabbed his car keys and briefcase, and headed back down.His assistant looked up as he passed. “Sir, you have a three o’clock—”“Reschedule it.”He was gone before she could finish.He drove home like someone who had already run out of time.Ran two red lights

Chapter Eighteen

Miriam stirred first.The room was darker than it was.Evening had crept in while they slept, outside the window city lights were already coming on, soft and distant.Miriam lay still for a moment, taking in the quiet, before her stomach made itself known.She was starving.Damien shifted beside her, one arm still draped across her waist.“You’re awake,” he said without opening his eyes.“I’m hungry,” she said.He opened one eye. Then the other. He looked at the windows, read the time from the clock on the bedside table, and sat up slowly.“We slept for four hours.”“I know.” She sat up beside him, pulling the sheet around her. “I’m still hungry.”He reached for the bedside phone and dialed the kitchen.It rang twice.“Sir?” Rosie’s voice came through.“Dinner, Rosie. We’ll be down in an hour.”“Of course sir. I’ll have it ready.”He set the phone down and looked at Miriam.He stood up and held out his hand. “Bath first.”He ran the water himself, it was warm, and they got in together

Chapter Nineteen

The bedroom was quiet when Thomas finally said it.He had been holding it for days, carrying it through meetings, through reports that didn’t add up, through phone calls he had to make that he shouldn’t have had to make. He had held it through dinner and through the evening and now, lying in the dark with Margaret beside him, it came out.“The company is struggling.”Margaret shifted. “What do you mean?”“I mean exactly what I said.” His voice was flat, tired. “Since Miriam left, things haven’t moved the way they should. Numbers are down. The team is unsettled. Clients are asking questions I don’t have good answers to.”“It’s only been a few weeks, Thomas. These things take time to adjust.”“It shouldn’t take this long.” He stared at the ceiling. “Your son doesn’t know what he’s doing.”The silence that followed was a different kind of silence.“He is your son too,” Margaret said quietly.“He is. And I love him. But love doesn’t run a company, Margaret.” He turned onto his side, away

Chapter Twenty

Miriam picked up her bag and headed downstairs.Mrs. Morrison was already in the hallway.“Oh darling, you’re leaving already?” She pulled her in for another hug, warm and unhurried.“I have to get back.” Miriam hugged her back. “Thank you for the food. It was perfect.”“Anytime.” Mrs. Morrison pulled back and held her at arm’s length, looking at her the way she always did, as if she were checking that everything was okay without asking directly. “How is your husband? Is he taking care of you?”“He is,” Miriam said.Mrs. Morrison smiled. “Good. That’s all I needed to hear.” She patted her hand. “Alright, baby.Emily appeared behind her mother, leaning against the doorframe.“Drive safe,” she said.“Always.” Miriam glanced back at her. “Think about what I said.”Emily pointed. “Don’t push it.”Miriam smiled and walked to her car.She sat in the car for a moment before starting the engine.The house looked warm from the outside, lights on, Emily’s shadow moving past the upstairs window

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