ESTELLE
I jolted awake when I felt like I was falling while in my sleep. When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Linden sleeping on the chair.
He stirred and rubbed his eyes. He might have felt that I was looking at him. “Hey.”
“When I told you to stay, I didn’t mean you stay on the chair. You can go out of this room or sleep in bed.”
He smiled even if he looked tired. “How are you feeling?”
“Better than you, I guess. You will get a stiff neck if you keep doing that. I’m fine. Get some rest.”
“I actually went to the bathroom to piss and checked Lynx for the update.”
“And then you sat back on the chair and fell asleep.” I got up and saw what I was wearing. I must have been so tired after that accident. I didn’t know I had fallen asleep quickly.
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t tell me you wanna watch me in the bathroom, too.”
“Go ahead. Call me if you need anything.” He stretched out.
“I’ll be fine.” I entered the bathroom. I suddenly felt like soaking in the tub, but at the same time, I had a lot of things to do.
After I peed and cleaned up, I changed to something comfy. I realized I didn’t have enough maternity dresses.
I got back to bed and took my phone. “There’s no video of me in that incident, is there?”
“I asked my IT to take down data related to that incident online.”
“Thanks. Can you pass me the iPad?”
He gave it to me, but I felt he wanted to say something.
“What is it?” I lifted my gaze to him.
“Tatiana went to Osmium yesterday.”
“Yesterday? Why I haven’t heard of it?”
“I thought I told you about her. Instead, you gave me that angry look. And you were with Pops and out of coverage.”
I ignored the sarcasm in his words. “Sorry about that, but what does she wants from Osmium?”
“She gave us info about the imitation of your products.”
“What do you mean? How did she know?” My voice raised, causing him to groan.
“Calm down. When she couldn’t contact your father, she followed the man working for him. She ended up in the storage unit. The guy named Paul—”
“Paul Murphy. He’s Dad’s right hand. What did he do?”
“I know you don’t wanna hear this, but I think they’re trying to make it look like Star LLC is involved in drug smuggling.”
“Drugs?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing right now. I sat straight in bed. My mood soured as I glared at my husband. “What kind of drug?”
“It looks like Fentanyl.”
“What the hell? So, you found drugs in the storage unit? She could be the one who put it there.”
“Baby, Murphy rented that storage. It’s in his name. The DEA confiscated at least thirty boxes of what looked like knockoffs of your products.”
“I wanna see the products.”
“While you’re away, the team from your lab already checked the products. They did not meet the standard of your original ingredients. And the packaging isn’t the same as the original.”
“I thought so. We have unique packaging.” I eyed him. “So all this happened just one day, and today I almost died.”
“I don’t wanna tell you this because I don’t wanna stress you out, but I don’t wanna keep any more secrets from you. I am sure your mom sent you messages or emails.”
I blew a breath. “Don’t tell Mom what happened today. I don’t wanna worry her.”
“You have my word.”
When I was speechless, he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Can you come to bed, please?”
“Of course.” Linden was still in jeans and a shirt. At least he had changed from what he wore this morning.
Once he sat beside me, I moved closer so that I could hug him. “I just need a moment of silence.”
“Take the time you want.” He let go a long sigh as he wrapped his arms around me. I still worried about his sudden kindness and consideration. I was afraid he would explode in anger and yell at me.
I closed my eyes, gratified to be alive. I took his smell into my lungs. I almost wouldn’t have experienced this. I listened to his heartbeat, felt the rise and fall of his chest, and sensed his warm embrace.
“I was looking forward to seeing you when I left Pops’ house.”
“He called earlier, asking if you got home. I didn’t tell him what happened.”
“I understand if you did. He insisted on sending me home, but I didn’t want to bother him. I’m sure if he knew, he would blame himself.”
“Yeah. I know my father.” He tightened his arms around me, his lips pressed against the top of my head, yet I still felt his struggle. He didn’t have to voice it out. I felt it in his touch, his breath, and his embrace.
“What’s important is I’m safe now.”
“I was so worried. I thought I stopped breathing the moment you told me to track your location.”
“I’m so sorry.” I lifted my chin and looked right into his eyes, still filled with pain.
“At that moment, I felt what you feel when I was away, missing for two days. I felt how you felt when I said those horrible things to you when I left to rescue Jasper. I couldn’t describe how painful it was. I couldn’t put it in words, and I put you through that. I made you suffer. What kind of husband did that?”
A single tear rolled down his cheek. For the first time, he didn’t hold it. He didn’t hold his emotion. I saw his vulnerability. He showed me the other side of him, not just the tough and strong Gabriel Linden, his dark side, but his weak side, that he was just a man. And I loved him more than ever.
As a small smile appeared on my lips, I wiped the tear with my thumb. “I think that’s the best thing in us. We got to share each other’s emotions, pain, pleasure.”
“I didn’t want you to feel that. That was not my intention. And I’m sorry if I was such a terrible person.”
“Well, you just have to suck it up because that’s what we signed up for. Remember?”
He took my hand and kissed it. “I love you, Estelle. I know I have a terrible way of showing it, but I will make it up to you every day for the rest of my life.”
“You’re not so bad.”
He hugged me tight again. “I’m so sorry for everything I put you through.”
“I know you are.”
***
“Number 3 and 5.” I pointed at the men aligned for me to identify. I couldn’t forget those faces, even if they were covered with bruises.
“Are you sure?” the officer asked me.
“Yes. Hundred percent. That ugly blond said to me, it’s you. It’s really you. Estelle Bladwyn. Well, fuck, baby!” I mimicked his voice, causing Linden to groan beside me.
“Thank you, Mrs. Linden.”
“Thank you, officer, for the quick response.”
“We’re just doing our job, ma’am, and with the help of Osmium, we captured them quickly.”
“Are you okay?” Linden asked as we walked out of the police station.
“Better than those faces, I guess. You couldn’t just help it, could you?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said with a shrug.
“Oh, yeah?” I looked at him before I climbed into the car. “Their broken noses and your busted knuckles, or you went too far with your kickboxing?”
“How do you know I kickbox?”
“I might have googled your name.”
He shook to laugh. “You’re stalking me, wife?”
“You stalked my Instagram, and why can’t I google you?”
“I’m not complaining. I’m just afraid you might find something inappropriate attached to my name.”
“Like what? Surprise me.”
“He was a porn actor back in college,” Sax replied.
“Oh, that tells a lot.” My smile was meaningful, and I intended for him to see it.
Lynx laughed so hard. “How can I unhear that, Mrs. L?”
“I’m sorry, Jacques. I wish I could help.”
“Yeah. I remember something back in—” Before he could spill the tea, I elbowed him, making him laugh. He leaned in and whispered, “I was not going to tell them. That stays between us.”
“You will sleep outside if you ever mention it again.” This time, I let everyone hear it.
Linden’s ear just turned red. “So you were saying it was my fault?”
“Definitely, not mine.”
“But you still enjoyed it.”
I elbowed him again.
“Maybe you should stop doing that, or I will get another tube on this side.”
“Oh, shit. I’m sorry. I completely forgot about it.”
“It’s okay. You may damage my lungs, but you have to be very careful with your heart.” That got whistles from the guys.
“I never see this coming. I thought Linden is just another asshole,” Sax implied.
“Fuck you, Ryder.”
“I love you, too, man. So you two are okay?”
“None of your business, mate,” Lynx scolded Sax.
“You two should renew your vows.” When he heard a groan from Linden, he just gave us a shrug. “Just saying. It’s not a bad idea.”
Linden whispered, “Will you marry me again?”