A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within.
-Eudora Welty

Ashley Davis-Harris

The pristine marble tiles felt frosty under my bare feet. I used the wrought iron railing for support as I hastily run down the staircase.

With anxious heart, I stopped at the foot of the stairs and stared as he dropped his keys on the table. He paused when he noticed me then shaking his head, he tugged off his jacket revealing a grey shirt.

He was dressed formally with new set of clothes completely different from the casual ones, he left with. Where did he find clothes? Where was he?

I held the banister securely and cleared my throat. "You were out the whole day and night. You did not return."

Through the corner of his eyes, he gave me a look before walking further in and throwing his jacket on the couch. "Yeah. Well, I wasn't liking this place anymore."

There was a light ache in my chest. He was the enemy. I shouldn't care about his double lining words but he did leave me alone in this penthouse, again. I sucked in my lower lip and bit it before widening my shoulders and stepping ahead. "Where were you?"

I was right behind him when he suddenly rounded on me after hearing my question. Taking a step back, I inclined my head to him expectantly.

He leaned his head down and sneered. "You don't have the right to ask me. Who are you even to have the audacity to ask me that question?"

"Your wife."

He blinked and raised his eyebrows. "Is that supposed to make a difference?"

"Yes." I clenched my hands and mentally punched him in the face then bravely glared at his uninjured face. "You married me. You brought me here. You are my husband now."

"I married you because I wanted to take you away from your family. I wanted to ruin you and your family! I want to ruin him!" He shouted, his jaw practically snapping at me.

"My family? Papa?" I asked, worriedly. "Why?"

"Ugh." He wrapped his hands in his hair and groaned. "Not again. Stop it."

"Just answer me, Neil. Why?"

"Stop asking me why. Just fucking stop it!" He spat out and strode to the open kitchen.

I followed him as he opened the fridge and ducked his head in. Ignoring me, he rummaged through the fridge before finally taking out an apple and a water bottle.

Frowning, I said. "What am I supposed to do then?"

Slamming the bottle on the countertop, he glowered at me. "You're supposed to look pretty and stay in this place like an obedient lady you were raised to be!"

"But you took me away from my family!" I countered back. "You would not even let me see them. At least, you could tell me, what did we do to you?"

He glanced up at the ceiling and rubbed his neck before slicing his hand in the air, aggressively. "You know what? Just go upstairs. Get away from my sight." He told me and opened a upper cabinet, pausing then closed it with a thud. "I'm starving and there's no food here! Didn't the housekeeper come today?"

No, she did not. She was in a vacation. But I did not say it out loud because my mind was clouded with the constant worrying over my family.

"Neil." I sighed.

"What?" He sharply looked over his shoulder. "What are you still doing here?"

I started. "Why? Just te---"

"Oh, for fuck's sake! That's it! You want to meet them, right? Would you stop asking me why then? Would you stop being so annoying?"

My eyes widened as I tried to fathom his twisted consent. Neil was a mysterious man. Every words from him were dubious. It was hard to believe he would agree on something I would say since he hated me quite viciously.

"What? Is this a no, then?"

"No, yes! Please!" I answered promptly. When he just stared at me, I added. "I mean, please let me meet them."

He raised his index finger in the air and pointed at me, with a menacing look in his hazel eyes. "If you ever ask me why again, you'd see the worst of me. I'm warning you, Ashley."

An unlikely fear passed through me. If marrying me and seizing all of my family's properties were not worse then I did not know what could be. Since I could not dare to speak anything, I nodded submissively.

Turning away from me, he opened the refrigerator once again and stood staring idly. The red apple and water bottle were still discarded on the countertop. My eyes travelled from him to his baby portions of food and squirmed.

Mama had taught me better. Even though the word wife did not mean anything to him. I was still his wife. I was taught to do my duty, to take care of my husband.

Crossing the room, I placed my hand on one of the refrigerator's handle and said. "Here." He stepped back and I picked up the carton of eggs. "Let me."

"No!" He protested, taking away the carton to store it back on the fridge and closed the double doors shut. "You've already given me enough headaches already. I don't need you to set my stove on fire now."

My mouth parted to defend myself but no words came out. What was I thinking? Cooking was a lost case for me. How would I take care of my husband when I could not even cook?

He glanced around the kitchen and sighed. "Have you eaten anything yet?"

I shook my head in denial and he nodded, walking away.

"Then, let's go. I'm starving!"

Were we not arguing before? Now, he was taking me out for breakfast? Wait, out? As in out of this building?

A relieved smile graced my face and I closed my eyes in gratitude. Being locked inside the top two floors of a very high rise building for almost five days, could make a person traumatized.

"Hurry!"

My eyes snapped open and I went running after him but halted beside the living room couch and glanced down at myself.

"Ashley!"

Startled, I grabbed the beige jacket from the couch and followed the sound of his voice, still calling out my name.

The elevator doors were about to close when I barely managed to pass through. "I am here." I said and slipped my arms into the jacket.

Neil was leaning on the elevator wall  and looking down at his phone but when I spoke up, he lifted his head and eyed me amusedly. "You know, that's a male jacket."

I bit my lips nervously and fiddled with the buttons. "I was not dressed for going out and you were leaving."

He gazed down at the clothes beneath the huge jacket and rolled his eyes. "You look fine enough."

My cheeks warmed and I stared at my reflection in the steel doors. My hair was tucked into a high ponytail and I had no makeup on my face. I was not subconscious of my face as much as I was about my body.

The whole night yesterday, I was waiting for him but sometime later in the night, I fell asleep on the couch. Since the window shades were not dropped down, sunlight woke me up early in the morning. I had just changed into a short sleeveless top that reached just the middle of my bottom with black tights covering my legs when I had heard the elevator dinged.

The elevator was a private one so I knew it had to be Neil and it was Neil. Now here was me dressed so lightly and going out in public for the first time after the whole thanksgiving fiasco.

My eyes travelled to Neil's reflection and I curled my hands. "Forgive me for being so conscious about my outfit since this is my first time going out after...." I let my sentence hang in the air purposely.

The way he was acting made me almost believe that he had no idea this would be the first time, people would see me after I turned my back on my family on my very own family's thanksgiving party.

He straightened up and smirked. "Why don't you just say that your royal ass couldn't handle this cheap clothes in public and you want to hide them under my jacket?"

"You and I both know these are anything but cheap." I pointed out, with a glare. "And for your information, the jacket has a hoodie. I need that to hide my face."

Even if the man hated me, he still brought branded clothes for me. I did not know why he still behaved otherwise.

"Why? Ashamed to be seen with me now?" He bit out, defensively.

Agitated, I threw my hands in the air. "Stop twisting my words! And I thought you were starving? Well, so am I! I just wanted to eat outside without being cornered by anyone."

"Whatever you say, princess." He shrugged. The elevator doors finally opened to the basement floor of the building. When I was about to walk out, he gestured at the jacket with his hand and added over his shoulder. "But if people laughs at you, I don't know you."

I gasped and was about to slap his back when I pulled back instantly. He stared at the hand I pulled back and nodded. "Good girl."

Keeping my lips sealed, I followed after him. How idiotic could I get? I was about to raise my hand on him, again. As if the man hadn't done enough to make me fear him. His cold side still frightened me but sometimes, he would became so intolerant that I lose my trained posture.

I might find him attractive but this man had ruined me. I might be married to him but he was still a stranger to me. The four days I had stayed with him made me realise he could be very unpredictable. Especially, when in anger.

He stopped by a white car and indicated me to get in. The car looked expensive and attractive like him but I was inexperienced with cars just like I was with men. Good lord, I didn't even know how to drive. Papa never even allowed me to sit on the passenger seat, let alone drive a car.

For the first time, I sat on the front and grinned, feeling different. The view from here was different. Between the CD player and the gear in the middle of the front seats, there were so many buttons. I felt so illiterate for not even recognising a single one of them.

Neil started the engine but didn't drive when he noticed my odd behaviour. He gave me a questioning look then shook his head. "Never mind. Just put the seatbelt on."

"Oh, right!" I perked up and did as told.

My grin never left my face because I felt so excited. From the moment I sat on the car, my nerves faded. Right now, I felt thrilled to be doing something that I had never done before. Sitting at the front of the car and going out for breakfast.

Back at the estate, family meals were taken seriously. Breakfast meals above all. In all of my twenty three years, I had never gone out for breakfast.

"Okay. That's it." Neil said when he stopped the car on a red light. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing." I answered genuinely, with a small smile.

Neil looked even more suspicious now. "After the way the day started, you are smiling now? What is wrong with you?"

I ducked my head down and twisted the heavy wedding ring on my finger. "Am I not allowed to smile now?"

Green light blinked on and before Neil started driving, he gave a me a brief look. "Not when your smile is suspicious. What are you planning, princess?"

"I just...I never went out for breakfast before."

"What? Why?" He asked, confusedly.

Long nails prickled my palm intentionally as I cursed myself for even opening a topic that was severely uncomfortable for me.

Glancing out the window, I watched as people moved on in their life freely. Morning outside of the confines of the estate was different. The people were different. I could see mostly working men and women trudging their path on the sideway, without glancing around. How would it feel to just walk among the crowd and not have people stare at you? How would it feel to just go about being like a normal person?

"Papa never---" I started hesitantly but before I could even go further, Neil thumped the steering wheel.

"I knew it! What century do you even live in?"

My defensive side rose once again and I glared at him. "My family is different. They have different views and values."

Neil snorted. "Restrictions, you mean. You're not a thirteen year old anymore, princess."

"Protection!" I corrected him. "Not restrictions. Papa and mama has the best intentions for us. They might make decisions for us from time to time but they had been supportive with our wishes and wants."

Papa valued his views above all but his children's wishes were never dismissed as if they did not mean anything. Sometimes, he could not follow through with what we wanted because he believed, they were not the best for us. Papa could be harsh with his words but Mama would make them soft. She would not let us be sad after we were denied. Her sweet voice was enough to make us understanding and devoted.

They might not be the perfect parents in the world but they loved us in their own way.

"Supportive?" Neil laughed harshly. "Indeed, very supportive!"

Papa loved us. I had to believe that. Even now, for him to not reach out to me had to have a reason. My faith in my family had me going. I would be nothing without them.

Neil's taunting voice were coiling my insides. I did everything what he demanded from me. I went against my own family for him and still, he did not have the small curtesy to not make fun of my family's love and support. Why would he, anyway? He hated us. He hated our sole existence and I was not allowed to know why but no matter how much I feared him, I would not let him mock my family.

I turned in my seat and curtly said. "You do not know my family nor do I know yours but by the way you are acting, it is as if you know what a supportive and loving family is."

I pointed my finger at him and shook it bravely. His eyes turned dark and his face turned bitter as he listened to my words. He gave me a warning look before focusing back at the street.

Purposely ignoring his look, I went on. "Now listen, you might have a very loving and supportive family but do not make assumptions on others based on what you have."

The car jerked to a stop and the seatbelt bit into my chest and hip. I gasped and looked out to see whether Neil was mad enough to stop his car in the middle of the busy streets of New York but it was the parking lot of a small cafe.

In front of us, the cafe stood warmly and I forgot my previous anger as I realized, I was in a new place but I did not get the chance to indulge in the beauty of this small cafe because Neil abruptly got out of the car.

Sensing the ominous silence that followed after the slam of the car door, I swallowed nervously and went after him quickly.

All I wanted was a peaceful breakfast but I should have known better. Neil and peace were a match made in imaginations.

*******

A/N: Hey Everyone, after a long time.

Here's the thing.

As you all know, I have another book in the The Season-Bride Series before this book named, THE SUMMER BRIDE and it is completed but there has been too many grammar nazis correcting the book in every chance they get.

Trust me, I'm really happy that people are reading my book thoroughly and finding every little bit of errors even though I mentioned it's NOT EDITED. But sigh, I had been too distracted to see more corrections in my comments than to see my readers voice out their reactions on the scene and characters.

So, I decided to just stop writing this book and edit the first book since all those mistakes were deflating my inspiration as a writer.

BUT there's been too many eager readers waiting for the update of this book and I couldn't just ignore them. So, here I am. I do apologise but the update here will be slow.

Honestly, a writer is nothing without its readers. So, thank you for still sticking with this book.