“I know, Daddy.” I offer him a smile. “But it’s all gonna work out in the end, I promise. I got the deed to the property today. The house and cottage are safe now.” I lean forward and give him a tight squeeze, wishing he’d understand that I did it all for him, and he’s worth it.
Chapter Nineteen
GEMMA
Each day I wake up to an empty house, I’m relieved. The last person I want to see first thing in the morning is Robert, but lately I haven’t been so lucky. While Robert lives in a beautiful house, the stark white walls makes it feel like a prison. I can’t believe I never noticed how much of a robot he is. There’s nothing personal inside this four-thousand-square-foot home. It’s a cookie-cutter version of all the others he’s built down to the interior design. While it’s a nice place, it looks like came from a magazine, and I hate it more than anything.
I want color on the walls, and my mother’s paintings splashed around my house. There needs to be character and for it to look lived in. Right now, I feel out of place as if I might break something, and that’s no way to live. It’s obvious I’m just another item in Robert’s collection placed inside his pristine house.
After I get dressed, I walk into the kitchen where I find Robert drinking coffee at the table. The morning after the wedding he was up early to have breakfast with a client and was gone most of the day. Not surprising, considering he doesn’t know how to stop working. When I glance in his direction, he’s wearing a grin as though he’s happy to see me, and I want to tell him to go straight to hell. But I’m trying to control my anger. The last thing I need is an argument before my coffee.
“Good morning, dear,” he sing-songs, indicating he wants to chat about something. This is typical of him, and I swear at this point, I can predict his next moves.
I grunt, grab a mug from the cabinet, and pour some cream before filling it to the top with liquid caffeine. I sit down with my eyes barely open because I’ve slept like shit since I’ve been here.
“I wanted to explain my plans for the rest of the week so we’re on the same schedule.”
I take a big sip, thankful the creamer cooled it down enough to drink immediately. Impatiently, Robert waits for my reply, and I just glare at him. I never agreed to pretend to want to be with him, just that I would, so this is as good as it’s going to get. When I don’t speak up, he continues.
“I have a new client that I’m meeting in Cedar Pines today. Considering it’s five hours away and we have a lot of properties to view, I’ll be there for a couple of days. I’ll be leaving this afternoon and won’t return until Thursday evening. I’ll have no time to prepare for the honeymoon since our flight is early Friday, so you need to pack both of our bags.”
He’s not asking, but rather he’s demanding it.
“Make sure to clean the house and do the laundry too. Just because your mother died when you were young and you weren’t taught the proper way to keep a household, that’s no excuse. I need to know you’re at least trying here, Gemma.”
“I’m sorry?” I finally ask, not ready to write down all the tasks he has for me. It’s absolutely bullshit that he keeps bringing up my mother, and it infuriates me to the point of no return each time he does. If my mother were here, I’m sure she would’ve warned me away from him. Instead of answering, Robert goes back to his newspaper.
I’ve stayed here for less than a week, and he’s already treating me like a damn child. He gives me zero credit and doesn’t respect the fact I’m still working full-time at the garage. Maybe he should hire a maid since he has so much money. Being his housewife who cooks and cleans up after him is time-consuming and disgusting. Somehow, I’m supposed to magically make it all happen with a smile on my face. I’m no Disney princess.
“It’s a part of your duties.” He finishes reading an article, then looks at me. “Speaking of, when do you plan on quitting your job? I need specifics, no more being vague. We’ve already discussed this several times, and if you weren’t up there all day, you’d have more time to be here.”
“You’re such a sexist pig,” I mutter, tired of listening to this rhetoric.
“I didn’t hear your answer,” he snaps. “You know how I feel about you working there with Tyler. He’s a criminal. And he basically forced you to be with him publicly,” he says, repeating the story he told people because Tyler and I were seen together at the Harvest festival. Robert still hasn’t gotten over it and hates that I’d rather be with an ex-convict than him.