It was 5 in the morning. The whole house was drowned in silence. The only light that could be seen was the moonlight coming from the window, casting a shadow over Scarlet's face.

She is so beautiful that it hurts. Her light brown eyes are definitely the most expressive pair of eyes I have ever seen. They easily depict her feelings, no matter how hard she tries to hide.

She is stunning but her heart is even more beautiful. She is so pure, so good at heart that hurting her makes my heart ache in distress. She always thinks about others, even someone like me who can never give her any happiness. If I am ever rude to her, her big brown eyes drowns in sadness, that makes me instantly regret my action.

I was lost in these thoughts when she shifted in her place. Her nose scrunched up a little and her eyelids parted slightly. It took her a minute and few blinks to get adjusted to the darkness.

"What is the time?" she asked me in a whisper.

"5," I said, staring back at the ceiling.

"Why are you awake?" she asked in confusion.

"I couldn't sleep." I replied.

"Do you want me to warm some milk for you? It helps in sleeping." she asked.

"No," I said mindlessly.

"Um.... Anything else I can do?" she asked.

"No, just go back to sleep. I'll be fine," I said and rested my arm over my eyes.

She lay down but I kept feeling her worried gaze on me. Knowing her, she won't rest until she helped me sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep but failed to relieve myself of all the stress of this new relationship. There was a constant mayhem inside my mind, making me feel restless.

I pretended to be asleep so that Scarlet can go back to sleep. I wanted to be alone for some time and her constant scrutiny was panicking me. After some fifteen minutes of acting, the sound of her harsh breathing softened and I took a peek at her sleeping figure.

Slowly and silently, I made my way out of the bed to my desk. Picking up my laptop and some files, I made my way out of the room and closed the door behind me as silently as possible.

...........

After completing my work, I went back to my room to get dressed for office. Scarlet had already taken a shower and the whole shower area smelled like her, feminine and flowery. After taking a quick shower, I changed into another one of my large array of black suits.

Once I was ready, I made my way outside and found my mother sitting with Scarlet and Nate on the dining table. "Mom," I acknowledged her and seated on my seat.

"You never call your mother on your own. Do you?" she complained.

"Don't be overdramatic, Mom. I called you last week." I reminded her.

"Yes, to inform me about the issue in my bank account." she retorted angrily.

"Well, it was still a call, wasn't it?" I said and poured some fresh orange juice for myself. I looked around and found that Cara was missing. "Where is Cara?"

"She is still asleep." Scarlet told me.

"Hmm," I nodded and began slicing the egg on my plate.

"Well, I'm on a liquid diet these days so Kelly, can you please make some lime water for me?" Mom said to Kelly and I rolled my eyes. She manages to find a new diet every few months.

"Oh, come on. You don't need a new diet. You're already stunning." Nate said, earning a giggle from my mother.

"Why thank you, Nate. You are such a charming young man." Mom smiled and I internally groaned at Nate who could do anything to get on my nerves.

"Well, I am leaving on Sunday. Why don't we have a small picnic? It would be fun. You, me, Scarlet, Cara and of course, Evan." Nate said to me with the sole purpose of irritating me.

"Do whatever you want. Fortunately, I won't be able to join. I'm leaving for Malibu this Saturday for three days." I told him. I was grateful that I won't have to see him or meet him in his last two days.

"You're going to Malibu? Alone?" Mom asked.

"Yes, alone." I replied with a frown.

"Um... Why don't you take Scarlet with you? It would be like a mini honeymoon." she said.

I narrowed my eyes at her and replied, "I think you're forgetting that Scarlet and I ..." I stopped when I realized Nate was sitting there and he didn't exactly know Scarlet and I weren't a loving couple. Mom smirked when she realised she had caught me in a vulnerable position. "That Um... Scarlet and I already had a plan to go there together but we stopped because of Cara."

"Oh, come on. We all can take care of my baby girl." Mom interfered. "You kids go and enjoy."

"Scarlet must be busy with her bakery these days." I reasoned.

"Liam will handle that." she said.

"But---" Scarlet began to say something but I stopped her.

"Fine, we will go." I said because I didn't want to cause any more suspicion to Nate. He already looked like he was observing us with calculation and I didn't want him to think something was wrong between us.

Soon, they started discussing something else and the noise ticked me off so I made my way back to my room. Scarlet followed me into the room and locked the door behind her.

"What will we do now?" she asked.

"We will go there. I will work and you can enjoy." I said to her.

"But I have never been to California before. What is it like? What should I pack?" she asked, looking confused. Her small button nose scrunched up once again and I smiled unknowingly.

"The place where we will live is near a beach. Just pack some sundresses, two or three bikinis and one evening gown, just in case." I told her.

"Oh, I'll have to go for shopping then." she said.

"Yes. And please Scarlet, for God's sake, use that credit card I gave you." I said in the most gentle voice possible. I had given her a credit card but she hadn't used it once. I know she was a very self-dependent person but I was her husband, at least on papers. My money was also her to use and to spend on herself for the time she was my wife and my responsibility.

"No thanks, I'll manage." she refused again.

"Scarlet, I'm asking you one last time. Go and buy whatever you want. Spoil yourself, that's the only least I can do." I said and prepared to leave for office. She began to argue again but I stopped her by saying, "Good bye."

"Bye," she said, still looking unsure of whether to use my money or not.

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