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Chapter 3: Gentle & Honest

** Giselle’s PoV **

Time was running out of my hands and fast as I am only left with three weeks to pay the amount required and make sure that my father was not sentenced. If I am unable to raise the money in these three weeks, I don’t think I will get to see my father.

I know that everybody is saying that he is a criminal but the man that was with me as I grew up was gentle and honest, he was always the one giving money to people and not the other way around.

I still remember what he said to me once “When you are in a position that holds so much responsibility, you need to always stay connected to your roots and help those in need. Dishonest money makes you rotten from the inside”.

So, it is hard for me to believe that my father can do something like what everyone claims and why is it that they were able to catch him now when they claim that he has been doing it for years?

“What are you thinking, Giselle” I chided myself as I didn’t have the luxury of wasting my time thinking on all the ‘what ifs’.

Thinking of what Mr. Kane had just said, I hesitated ‘Will it be ok for me to ask him for the money?’ I fetched my phone from my pocket, opened the address book, and swiped down to his name, the number that I have come to know all too well.

During the first year of our marriage, I had saved his number with just a red heart but over the period of time, I changed it to ‘Mr. Black’ as he hardly ever called me or texted me unless it was something very urgent or important.

Dialing his number, I threw the cigarette into the toilet and went out to rinse his mouth and splash water on my face. Since I just smoked my voice was a little dry and my voice was a little hoarse. Colton is a smart man, and he would be quick to catch me if I was not being careful.

“Hello, who is this?” The line connected quickly, but what shocked me was that it was not my husband’s voice that greeted me but a woman’s voice and the way she answered the call… I would not be wrong in assuming that she is comfortable enough to answer Colton’s phone like she is his girlfriend.

“Hello, who is this? Why are you not speaking up?” I must have been silent for too long.

It took a bit of time for me to pull my thoughts together, and my voice was a little rough when I spoke, “I am looking for Colton, is he there?”

“I am sorry, Colton is in a meeting right now” The way this woman is referring to my husband somehow grated on my nerves, she sounded as if she was someone very special to him, someone that had rights over him “You can tell me what your name is and which company you are calling from. I think Colton did not save your number…”

‘He did not save my number? The least courtesy he could show for me is to save my number!’ I hurriedly hung up the phone without waiting for her to speak anymore as my hands trembled. My phone slipped from my hands and fell to the floor.

Here I am pinning for him to at least treat me with little respect and love, but he is out there showing his respect and maybe even his love to a woman that is not me. I heard muffled sounds coming from my phone and immediately picked up my phone from the floor only to see that the call was disconnected.

“Just an extra expense… what a headache!” I rubbed my fingertips on the screen that was kind of shattered, but I could still use my phone ‘Is it so difficult to save my number on his phone? Or is he so repulsed by me that he doesn’t want to bother with saving my number? And that woman…!’

I felt a chill run all over me when thinking of the way that woman addressed Colton so casually with his first name. If she was his assistant, she should be addressing him as ‘Mr. Black’ and definitely not with his first name!

Colton’s attitude has always been indifferent and cold towards me so I kind of had a doubt that he might have had other women outside, but the fact that we both signed a contract where it was stipulated that if he cheated, he would have to leave the house for me.

I never doubted him, but the intimate way that other woman addressed Colton on the call sprouted the seeds of doubt in my mind. The small crack that he created in my heart, which was not obvious, was getting bigger each time he made me feel like dirt.

I got off work on time at six in the evening. As I drove past the supermarket, I stopped by to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables along with fish. I have always been very good at cooking since I learned from my mother all of my grandmother's recipes along with my mother’s recipes.

After marriage, I changed my style to cook according to Colton’s likes and dislikes. However, Colton only came back once a week according to the contract and even on the one night he spent with me, he never bothered to taste my dishes.

As time went by, I did not bother to cook for him. When Colton came back on the weekend, he would order takeaways or on that rare occasion where he was in good mood, he would cook, just like this morning.

I connected my phone to the Bluetooth speaker and played my favorite song on full volume, so I didn’t hear the front door opening and neither the footsteps that came down the hallway. I was moving my hips to the music and humming along as I cleaned the fish removing its scales carefully.

No matter how careful you are while cleaning the fish its scales can manage to prick you and that is exactly what happened this time “Aaaahh… shit… stupid fish!” I yelped grabbing my finger that was hurt.

Before I realized that I was not alone, I felt him approach me from behind and grabbed my hand to place it under the tap. His big hands wrapped around my small ones perfectly and the heat from his body raised goosebumps on my arms. I have only ever felt his skin on mine while we were having sex, so this was something new and unexpected.

“Why didn’t you ask the seller to clean the fish while buying it? You could have at least waited for me to come home, and I could have cleaned the fish!” Colton had his head bent down as he wiped my fingers with a tissue and put on a band-aid. His movements looked gentle, but his face was still indifferent and cold.

“I was in a hurry to buy things, so I forgot…” my voice trailed off at the end as I felt embarrassed.

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