Entangled (Phoenix 1)

CHAPTER 4

Fiona was missing her home.

People say home is where our heart is. Her heart, on the other hand, is in the place where her best friend lives. After all, we humans are the ones who make a house or a flat our own home by pouring our souls into it and creating countless memories in it.

Why in the world did she have to leave her house and live with he-who-must-not-be-named?

It is worse than staying at a stranger's home. At least there, one can have some sort of conversation with the unknown. But here, it is pure torture. She feels so out of place, as if this house is forcefully keeping her in it, and she cannot wait to leave this place for good.

Fiona honestly expected Justin to start a conversation with her after the not-so-amazing vacation, particularly after the supper with Oliver.

But no!

His goddamn ego is bigger than the whole god darn universe.

The moment Oliver greeted them goodbye, Justin straight-away returned to his humble abode without uttering a single word and shut the door of his room behind him. It felt like a slap on the face.

The next day was nothing short of a repeat performance. Their return journey was similar to the previous one, with Justin doing a lot of work on his laptop and Fiona reading an excellent book.

Alas! They reached his home, and he conveniently went to his room without acknowledging her.

Another slap on the face.

More than hurt, she was feeling frustrated. She should know Justin to even feel the emotion of hurt, but she did not know him, and after observing him for such a long time, she did not even want to.

Everyone has a tolerance level. And she was getting close to her breaking point.

Similar to Justin, even she walked into her temporary room. She changed her clothes into more comfortable ones and sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed.

Fiona was facing the door, staring particularly at nothing but clearly trying to figure something out. Her and Justin's equation had devolved into nothing less than a code, with a formula akin to an algorithm that was becoming increasingly complex day by day for her to decode.

She was so bored and irritated out of her mind that she came up with an idea. It might sound ridiculous, but that was the only logical course of action she could think about. Furthermore, it should work for her—a perfect way for her to get out of this marriage trap.

It was crystal clear that their marriage was doomed to fail, as Justin's behavior was perspicuous with how things had been going. It was pretty evident that he had zero interest in her. But only for her grandmother's sake; she was willing to take a chance.

Well! At the very least, her Grams should think she gave it her absolute best. So Fiona decided to give Justin a year, but only for the benefit of her grandmother.

She will give Justin time for atonement, which he ideally and technically lost. She does not want anyone to tell her in the future that it was she who didn't try harder than she actually did. And finally, this will make her Grams stop interfering in her non-existing love life.

A year, three hundred and sixty-five days beginning from the day they got married, and if they don't even form a decent friendship, she will leave this hell for good. But for a year, she would have to endure him and be a prisoner in this Azkaban.

Survival is going to be an arduous task here. But Fiona is an independent woman with self-respect and dignity, and she will be dammed if she uses anything in his home except basic amenities, which are well provided in her room. Call it her ego, but she had enough bullshit that he had been dishing out to her. She will never allow him, or anyone else for that matter, the liberty to taint that.