The cottage was ideal for two people who wanted to hide from the rest of the world and I fell in love with it immediately. Olivia had gone on and on about the Price's vacation home but nothing she'd said had done it justice. It looked like something right out of a Disney fairytale with its wooden floors and walls. The structure itself was made of terracotta and the sloping roof was painted a homely red colour. The garden was full of orange blossoms and lavender, and keeping with the lavish Price tradition, a Koi pond. There was a hammock in the garden too and that was where I spent most of my time, soaking up the sun. Zach, on the other hand, spent hours and hours at their private beach, swimming and surfing. He was one for water sports, that much I had figured out.

I was glad to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, especially after what had happened at the airport. I needed some time to think and plan my next move. I'd realized that Noah deserved to know the truth and not Lexie's distorted version of it. I would tell him myself, even if that meant him hating me for the rest of my life. Zach realized that I had some decisions to make and left me to my own self; I only saw him during meals when he would cook for the both of us. Turns out Zach was a better cook than all the chefs my mother had hired and his food soon became a drug to me. He'd cook the most delicious meals, pot roast being his specialty and I'd lick the plate clean. It was during these moments that he'd crack a smile and his eyes would light up. It was the first time I'd seen him smile since we'd gotten married.

It was about the tenth day of our 'vacation' that I decided to go to the beach. I hadn't been there yet mostly because I considered it to be Zach's place; somewhere he could go to clear his head, just like me and the hammock. That day however he said that he needed to go out of town for some business meeting and I had the entire place to myself. I quickly slipped into my bikini, thanking my lucky stars that the weather was still warm enough to swim. I put on a light cotton dress over it and grabbed my sunglasses. I ran to the beach, excited by the prospect of being alone in the endless water and letting go of all the rigidity that had crept through me since the wedding. I was eighteen years old but I'd started to act much older; I'd become an echo of my old fun-loving self in less than a month and I wasn't okay with that. Yes, I'd suffered a huge setback; yes, my life had changed forever and not in a way that I would have wanted but all of that had to leave my mind today. Today I was going to be the old Ari Bell and nothing could come in my way.

I literally skipped to the beach, not knowing the reason behind my rather surprisingly good mood and quickly took off my dress. I stepped closer to the water, tiptoeing to check the temperature and I was relieved to find out that it was warm enough. I walked in slowly till the water came up to mid-thigh and enjoyed the feel of the cool water on my body. I loved to swim and almost started to feel like the old me as I fooled around. After a while, I lowered my body and dipped my head under the water, holding my breath.

Under the water, I found calm, quiet and serenity. The only problem was, whenever I closed my eyes only one image flashed behind my eyelids: Noah's smile, Noah's eyes, Noah's touch and each and every single memory I had with him. If it was possible to cry underwater then I'm sure a few tears had managed to escape. I propelled myself above the water and came out gasping for breath; thinking about my ex-boyfriend might not have been such a good idea, especially underwater. Gone was my good mood as a foreboding feeling came over me. What was I doing? How could I even begin to have a good time when my life was going towards a downward spiral? I was in a loveless marriage, forced upon a good, decent man. The boy who loved me more than life itself was going to get his heart broken soon and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't think of a way to get out of the twisted puzzle my life had become.

I swam slowly to the shore, concentrating on the line of each stroke to divert my attention from the not-so-pleasant thoughts that were running through my head. The sand stuck to my wet feet, the grains feeling rough as they grazed my skin. I picked up my towel and dried myself. What would the old Ari do in such a situation? I asked myself and there was only one answer. In the past when things got really bad, I'd always turn to one person and I couldn't do that anymore. Olivia wasn't here; she'd bailed on all of us, even her fiancé. I'd never have guessed that she wasn't in love with him; if she didn't want to marry him then she would've at least told me. Something had felt off about her actions but I was never given a chance to wonder, I was simply thrust headfirst into a life I never asked for.

I spread a blanket on the sand and laid down on it, not bothering to put my dress on. My skin needed all the vitamin D it could get from all the time I'd spent locked up in the Price mansion. The sunrays tingled my face and I closed my eyes, cherishing the feel of them. Soon I began to feel drowsy and didn't fight the sleep when it came. I gladly let sleep overcome me and didn't fight when it sucked me into unconsciousness.

When I woke up, my head felt groggy and heavy but I quickly realized that it was nighttime and that someone had covered me up with another blanket. It took me a few seconds to adjust to the dark but as soon as I did, I also realized that it was cold outside and that my flimsy dress over my slightly damp bikini did nothing to shield me from the cold. I pulled the blanket tightly around myself, knowing exactly who'd put it on me and feeling touched by the gesture. I wandered into the house to find a mouth-watering smell coming from the kitchen. I followed my senses to find Zach bent over the stuff, busy concocting yet another masterpiece. I was transfixed by how he moved; the usually calculative Zach Price let himself loose when it came to cooking and was a sight to watch. He moved with precision but there was a different kind of energy about him; he was freer and involved, it was all very hands-on and despite the fact that I felt like a creeper watching him like that, I stood.

He turned and was startled to find me standing there, his eyes widening as he took in my appearance. The blanket only covered so much; my legs were still visible and you could catch a tiny glimpse of the tattoo I had slightly above my knee. My hair, damp from before, now hung in loose untended curls around my face. If anything, I looked like a disheveled homeless person. I consciously moved my hand to my hair, uselessly trying to fix it but that only seemed to make Zach look at me even more strangely. What was up with that?

"You're awake..." he stated rather awkwardly, returning to the stove and avoiding looking at me. I pushed myself off the wall against which I was leaning and followed Zach, standing beside him as he put various spices in the stew he was making. The smell wafted up my nose and my stomach grumbled. I blushed, realizing that Zach probably heard the sound too.

He chuckled; yes, the Zach Price chuckled and it stunned me. Was there something in the water here? Why were we acting so different than the way we used to?

"Dinner's going to be ready soon. Why don't you go, umm, change and I'll set the table." He said all of this without ever looking up from the pot and it was strange for a guy who always looked people right in the eyes.

"Okay I'll be right back," I said, feeling my words hang in the air.

I quickly changed into a pair of jeans and a light pink v-neck sweater, brushing my hair to make it less tangled and letting it fall freely over my shoulders. I noticed a rosy tinge on my cheeks, something which had been missing for weeks. The sun here definitely agreed with me or was it something else? Was it excitement, anticipation? I had no idea what was going on with me and I didn't want to find out either.

Zach had set everything up by the time I got back and was patiently waiting for me. This was new, usually he didn't wait up for me; he'd cook, eat and then go to sleep in a separate bedroom. He'd been acting really different today and it irked me not knowing why. I settled into my seat and spooned some of the hot stew into my bowl. I sat in the chair in front of Zach around the small table for four.

"This is delicious," I said, repeating my words from every meal and on cue he replied with a curt thanks.

We ate in silence for a while and I was about to take the dirty dishes to the sink when Zach stopped me, looking rather hesitant about saying something.

"Can we talk?" he asked and I nodded, feeling concerned. What was this about?

"We'll need to go back soon and when we do I want you to go tell your boyfriend about what happened. Please, it's the least you and I can do for him." I felt stunned, why was he bringing up Noah again? I didn't like it when he talked about him, much less pitied him. I decided to keep my mouth shut, fearing I'd say something inappropriate.

"I've been thinking, just because we were made to sign some papers and say a few words doesn't mean that we necessarily have to be in a married relationship," he said after a while and that got my attention.

"What are you trying to say?" I asked, my words coming out rather strained.

"I want you to continue your relationship with Noah, irrespective of the nature of our relationship," he said quickly and again avoiding eye contact.

My heartbeat sped up, he couldn't possibly mean... No, what he was implying was sick and wrong and immoral and no one in their right mind would suggest that. I was speechless, the right words never coming to mind.

"Arianna? Say something," he said softly and I stared blankly at him.

"You're saying...you want me to... You want me to be with Noah again?" I asked, as if him repeating the words would make more sense of it all.

"In simpler terms, yes, that's what I want," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. He had clearly thought about this but I couldn't wrap my head around the idea. My husband, the man I was married to, wanted me to be with my boyfriend, or rather ex-boyfriend, again?

"I'm sorry... I need to go," I said as I stood up, dropping my spoon on the floor with a loud crash. I ran away from Zach as fast as my legs could carry me back to my room. I locked the door behind me knowing that he was running after me. I leant against the closed door, hyperventilating as he knocked repeatedly on the door. I sank to the floor, my head in my hands waiting for the knocking to stop.

"Arianna let me in! What's wrong?" he shouted and I ignored him.

"Stop acting like a child and open the door," he said, sounding very annoyed and that's when it hit me. To Zach I'd always be a child, his fiancé's kid sister who was immature, someone he'd always look down upon. That was probably why he felt like he could make all these life-changing decisions about me without even asking. Well if he treated me like a child, then a child was exactly what he would get. I picked myself up from the floor, grabbed my iPod and played my favourite rock song, turning up the sound as high as it would go.

Take that, Zach.