Marriage By Law

Chapter Twenty-Six

I ducked behind the wall and leaned against it.

I don't think I was meant to see that. I could hear my heart beating so loud I was surprised no one else heard it in the night. I heard footsteps and I quickly stood up, opened the door and stepped back inside.

Did I really see what I saw? I racked my brain, trying to determine whether what I saw was real.

I thought he said he didn't know how to fight? I didn't know whether to feel happy or scared. I had never seen him like that. I didn't see his face but his stance, his behaviour, it was something I had never seen before. It scared me, just a bit. This only made me realise that I didn't know him at all.

Who would have ever thought that he would stand up for me like that? Something in my stomach churned and it wasn't the smell of alcohol this time. When I touched my cheek, my hand came away wet.

I was crying because of this? I wiped my face quickly. Damn it, Ivory, get a grip.

I opened the door to see Darius leaning against the wall, as if nothing happened, like he had not a care in the world. He looked up as I stepped out and I looked at everything but him.

The fact that he did that, for me, it was something that I just... I didn't know what to say. He did that for me.

I thought he hated me.

"You washed your face but you didn't dry it."

Shit.

I wiped my cheek with a hand, hoping he wouldn't notice my eyes.

I started to walk ahead when he grabbed my arm and spun me around.

"There's a dead cat that side," he reasoned out, taking me in another direction. My eyes searched for his hand holding my wrist. If anyone saw us, it would seem like he was dragging me. Once we reachedt the main road, he dropped my hand and suddenly I missed the warmth. I hurried to keep up as he walked in front of me.

"We left Adrian back there," I reminded him, after debating with myself whether to break the silence or not.

"What?" he asked, looking over his shoulder without stopping. I was taken aback by the look in his eyes that I stopped walking.

"Eh-"

"Oh." He looked away. "Richard will drop him off once his shift is over." He turned around to face me, putting his hands into his pockets. By this time we were already outside the house. I could see his shoulder tense, then relax, and I debated whether to say something or not. Should I say what I saw or should I just keep quiet?

Just as I opened my mouth, I saw the guard open the gates. Darius turned and entered the gate.

He stopped slowing down and I followed his gaze to meet an angry-looking Ma at the top of the stairs.

"Young man, what did I say? If Ivory gets sick again, I wi-" She stopped as Darius walked past her. She turned to me, raising an eyebrow.

"What's the matter with him?"

I shrugged, and then she made me a target of her anger. "Where did you go?"

"We went to return Adrian," I answered, feeling bad under her heated gaze. We should have told her. I could see the worry on her face as she sighed. Well, I didn't exactly lie. It was sort of the truth.

"That boy, of course. Well, hurry inside. You must be freezing, and you didn't change. Go wear something warm and sleep. Do you even know what the time is?"

I sighed as she fussed over me, making me walk up to the bedroom.

"I will need to seriously talk to that boy," she was saying as she pushed me into the room.