After packing her luggage, she called on the gatekeeper to unobtrusively take them outside through the house's back door and the gatekeeper reluctantly obeyed.

Since none of the cars was personally hers, she asked the driver to drop her off at the location she was going to.

"But madam, don't you think it would be wise to wait for the boss before..." The driver, John started but she interrupted.

"You will take me out of this house, NOW!" She boomed.

The driver stiffened. She had never yelled at him like that before. "Alright madam."

The drive to Dominic's house was filled with thoughts and regrets on Annabelle's side.

She regretted ever going through with the marriage. She regretted thinking that she could make the marriage work. She regretted everything!

But her eyes were open now. She would no longer make those mistakes again.

"We're here, madam." John announced and she snapped out of her thoughts and switched off her phone.

He assisted her in getting her bags up to Dominic's doorstep before she asked him to leave.

He hesitated but then turned to leave. He zoomed off in the car and Annabelle knew he was going to share this bit of information with his boss.

But she didn't care. She was never going back to David. He should just marry Chanel and let them live happily ever after.

She pressed the doorbell twice before the door opened revealing Dominic.

There was a bandage just below his lips, where David had punched him and a small swelling on his right cheek.

"Ann...?" His eyes widened when he saw her luggage outside and he scowled in anger.

"That bastard threw you out?"

Annabelle could only shake her head as tears pooled up in her eyes.

His eyes softened. "Come in dear, I'll bring your things in."

Annabelle sat on the cool sofa with a mug of tea in her hand and Dominic sitting across from her.

"I'm just tired, Dominic." She said, defeatedly. "I didn't ask for this marriage as well. I was forced into it. Why then do they always make it seem as if I schemed and planned for the marriage to happen with ulterior motives?"

Dominic sighed and crossed over to sit beside her, taking her into his arms as tears began to spill.

"They don't know how rare a gem 💎you are. And I'm glad they never realized it." He cupped her chin and lifted it so that she could look at him. "Can't you see it, Ann? Can't you see that we are meant to be together? You and Maxwell are not in anyway matched..."

Except in bed. She thought.

"You don't know how happy I am to have you in my arms right now."

Dominic whispered as he pulled her closer. "There is no better feeling."

Annabelle was silent. She was just acknowledging the fact that being in Dominic's arms, so close to him no longer made her heart beat like it did with a certain somebody.

Dominic offered to sleep in the guest room after she gently told him that she wanted to be alone. She didn't want to jump back into their relationship after she just jumped out of her matrimonial home and probably, her marriage.

As she slept that night, she wondered what David was doing at the moment. Would he be with Chanel right now, the woman he loves? Of course he would.

She wondered what he would think and how he would react to her running away. Would he be happy to be rid of her or would he...look for her? She shook her head, choosing the former. David would be happy now. He would be. Why wouldn't he be?

***

She was awoken by the sound of the doorbell ringing harshly. She frowned, wondering who could be calling as early as seven in the morning.

She heard Dominic walk to the door, muttering angrily on who could be calling at this hour. She also heard the door open, then silence.

She waited to hear voices but non was heard and she got up from the bed. Just as she opened the door to peep, she heard the voice.

"I ask you again, where is she?" The angry voice boomed.

David? He's here?

She almost got excited that atleast, he cared a little to look for her. But she knew that he only came out of pride. She knew he hated Dominic and she knew he would hate the fact that she was in Dominic's house.

She would hurt him. She would hurt him as he had hurt her. And the last thing she would do was to leave here with him.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly made her way into the living room and saw them both. Dominic still in his pajamas and David in his Armani suit, obviously dressed for work and looking devastatingly handsome, as usual. Though at the moment, his face had on an angry mask.

"And I said you don't just come to my house asking after someone, like you own it." Dominic boomed back with his bandaged chin raised. "You had that power in your home. But this is my territory, and I call the shots here."

David, who also raised his arrogant aristocratic chin up, looked down at Dominic who was about an inch shorter than him, then slowly clapped his hands.

"Bravo. I can see that you have some guts in your..." he looked around condescendingly. "territory, as you called it. But when you have what's mine, I can barge into your habitat in any way and anytime that I want."

Annabelle gasped. And what does he mean by have what's mine.

"Now you listen to me, Maxwell." Dominic stated icily. "Annabelle is not an object that could be bought and owned. The sooner you get that, the better it would be for you. She has the right to do what she wants and..."

"Shut your childish mouth up, Samuels." David snapped. "I have better things to do this morning than exchange petty words with you. If you're looking for who to argue with, do that with the people in your league. Where's Annabelle?"

Dominic scowled. "You're a Bastard, Maxwell. I'll be damned if I let you see her."

"And you will be damned, Samuels." David grounded and took a step forward.

That was her clue to intervene.

She quickly came into view, standing beside Dominic and David halted in his steps.

She stilled as his gaze pierced her.

"Belle..."

"What are you doing here, David?" She asked, not giving him a chance to go soft on her at the moment, after what she faced the previous night.

"You're really here." He murmured absently, while checking out her revealing nightwear. The dress exposed a good amount of her chest and cleavage and the long line of her smooth thighs and legs.

He scowled in anger and jealousy at her near nakedness to another man's sight.

He had been worried sick throughout last night calling her phone that never went through, wondering where she could have gone and if she was okay and here she was, with the one man he disliked so much and they had spent the night together. His wife!

He had delivered a hard fist to his driver and almost fired him when the idiot had finally informed him of her whereabouts just this morning.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, his icy eyes on her.

"I asked you first." She snapped, crossing her hands.

"You will answer me, Annabelle, I asked what the hell you're doing here."

He said, trying hard to control himself. Nothing had ever angered him in his entire life, than the sight before him.

Annabelle standing in a skimpy nightwear in another man's house, worse still, a man who happened to be his enemy and the bastard was standing close to her. Too close to her. Like she was his.

"And I ask again, David Maxwell." She stuck her delicate chin up. "What are you doing here?"

His spitfire angel wasn't going to make this easy for him, he thought.

He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"I came home to find out that my wife was not around and couldn't reach her on phone." He started coldly but calmly, his angry expression giving his anger away. "And just this morning, my stupid driver finally told me where she is and I came. Lo and behold, she is in the house of her ex in nothing but a nightwear that is more of a lingerie."

Annabelle gasped inwardly and suddenly became conscious of her appearance. She had been too keen on going out to face David that she forgot about what she was wearing.

She had only planned to sleep with it and then change before she could come out to meet Dominic but it escaped her mind when she heard David's voice.

"I only slept in this," She started to defend herself. "And you have no right to judge me. Not after what happened last night. You, your mother and your whore of a girlfriend had planned to humiliate me and you succeeded. Why then are you here?"

"What are you talking about?" He asked with a frown.

"Oh, don't pretend you don't know what I'm saying, David." She snapped, getting angry. "You had the conscience to bring Chanel to our matrimonial home with the support of your mother, so that Chanel could live with us! You were tired of having to drive the long distance to her house whenever you lusted for her, so you decided she should live in the same house that you and your so called wife share and even the bedroom!"

"I did no such thing!" David grounded with wide eyes.

"Oh do not lie, David." She snapped. "If you hadn't asked her to do that then there is no way she would have done it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." David said, a bit calm now. "I was at the office when the driver called and told me that you left the house with your belongings and he didn't know why. I had to call Abigail and she confirmed it but nobody told me the reason why that happened. That was when I started trying to reach you but it was to no avail. I called Katherine but she knew nothing of your whereabouts. I even had to call your mother but no one had a positive answer to give to me."

For the first time since they both started talking, he turned his angry eyes to Dominic.

"My thoughts had actually strayed to this bastard," He said icily and Dominic looked like he was about to explode. He turned back to her. "But I just forced myself to believe that you wouldn't be here with him. Little did I know that my wife was here having a good time."

Annabelle stood, pondering over what he just said.

If David had really been at the office when the incident took place yesterday and was not aware of what had happened, then that meant that the two women had planned that together just to bring problems in their marriage. And she had been a fool to have fallen for their evil plan.

She believed David was telling the truth. She saw it in his eyes.

"You weren't aware of what happened at the house last night?" She asked.

"I'm just hearing this from you." He murmured thoughtfully. "I swear I'm going to kill John before I fire him if he doesn't give me a good enough reason why he didn't tell me my mother and Chanel were in the house last night." He looked at her now. Annabelle had already stiffened by now. "And you, you couldn't even call me to confront me if I really had a hand in that. You just ran away. In defeat. And to no other place but here."

"Look Maxwell, you have overstayed your welcome, I demand that you live." Dominic came in again but received David's hard glare.

"If you open your mouth at me like that again, I will make sure you regret ever knowing me or my wife." He grounded and Dominic scowled but was instantly quiet.

He turned back to Annabelle. "I thought you were a strong woman who could stand up for herself and what's hers." He said and she frowned. "But I was wrong. You've disappointed me."

And with that, he turned to leave.

"David..." She called but he paid her no heed and slammed the door after him.

Annabelle buried her face in her hands. "Oh God."

😘