Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 15- Misunderstandings

Derek and I both arrived home at the same time, and the moment I stepped into the main hall, I realized how much I had actually missed this place.

I guessed I had finally grown to love its ridiculously large size and luxurious interior. After all, Derek's house had been my home, too, for quite some time now.

"Hey, I'm gonna head to the gym for a bit. I'll be back for dinner," my husband announced.

"Alright. Oh, and how come you were able to leave work early today?"

"I didn't have that many things to do," he replied.

"I see."

I was about to go upstairs when I noticed an empty bottle of vodka lying on the ground in the living room out of the corner of my eye. I went to grab it then quickly caught up to Derek as he was about to leave the house.

"Derek!", I called out.

"What?", he asked, turning around to face me.

"Have you been drinking?"

"No." He cocked his head to one side and gave me a weird look.

"Then what's this?", I demanded, holding up the bottle of vodka.

"Oh, that. Yeah, I had it yesterday night. You know, to try and make myself forget about you," he said nonchalantly.

"The whole thing?! Oh my god Derek, you could've blacked out! Or maybe even worse!"

"Hey, relax. It wasn't even that bad. I'm fine, see?", he reassured, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"Promise me you will never drink like that ever again," I stated in a stern tone.

"I promise, but only if you never run away ever again."

"We'll see about that," I said defiantly, stabbing my finger at his hard chest.

Derek smirked and then I turned around, heading upstairs to my room so that I could unpack my suitcase.

When I walked in, I was surprised to see that my bed wasn't neatly made like how I had left it last Saturday. The pillows were scattered everywhere, and the blanket was all wrinkled.

Who possibly could've slept in it while I was gone?

I made a mental note to myself to ask Derek about it once he got back. As I was putting my clean clothes back into the closet, my phone rang and I dug it out of my purse to see who was calling.

Charlotte.

And boy, did I need to have a word with her.

"Hello?", I answered.

"Hey, girlie! Are you back home yet?", she asked.

"Yeah, I am. So, what's the deal between you and Derek? He told me that you gave him Dustin's address so he could find me."

"Trust me, Claire, I was not easy on him like you think. You should've heard the things I said to your husband. I made him drown in his own guilt and taught him a damn good lesson, too," she explained.

"Oh, really?", I remarked in amusement.

"You bet I did. I wasn't even going to let Derek know where you were staying because that's how angry I was. But then, I saw the desperate look in his eyes, and he kept saying how much he'd missed you. He was totally beating himself up over everything.

"I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. So in the end, I gave him Dustin's address. Claire, I know Derek will become a better man for you. Just give it some time," Charlotte finished.