Chapter 154
“My wife p>
“Ah p>
“She’s shopping p>
“That’s… quite a shopping trip p>
I shrug lightly.
“She’s throwing a tantrum p>
Thomas chuckles.
“An Expensive tantrum p>
I lean back in my chair, rubbing my chin thoughtfully.
Cute.
If she thinks that amount will even make a dent in my accounts, she clearly has no idea how much money I actually have.
Still p>
A slow smirk spreads across my face, at least she’s angry enough to fight back.
Elaine’s POV
By the time we get back to the estate, the sky is already dark.
The long driveway is lit with soft garden lights, the kind that make the trees and hedges look almost golden against the night, the gates slide open for us automatically, and Marcus drives us in smoothly.
I lean my head against the window for a moment as the house comes into view, the day finally catches up with me then.
Aaron steps out first when the car stops and opens my door. I stretch my legs carefully when I get out
“Thank you for today,” I tell both of them
Aaron snorts.
“You say that like we had a choice p>
Marcus gives a quiet laugh.
The trunk opens and suddenly the reality of what I bought today becomes very clear.
Bag after bag, boxes stacked on top of each other.
Aaron just stares at them.
“You bought a small store p>
“Don’t exaggerate,” I say.
He points at the pile.
“I’m not p>
I smile slightly.
“Help me carry them up p>
Marcus and Aaron exchange a look, then both of them sigh like men accepting their fate.
We make several trips inside.
The house is quiet when we enter. Most of the lights are dimmed except for the hallway lamps and the soft glow coming from the kitchen.
Mrs. Margaret appears halfway through the first trip.
“Oh my goodness,” she says, eyes widening as she looks at the bags.
“Shopping,” I say simply.
“I can see that p>
There’s amusement in her voice.
“You bought the entire mall p>
“Only the interesting parts p>
She laughs softly and helps to carry some of the bags upstairs.
By the time everything reaches the bedroom, the floor near the couch is covered with boxes and shopping bags.
I stand there for a moment staring at it all with the black card still in my hand and ror a brief second I wonder if Zane has seen the charge yet.
The thought makes something funny and childish inside me feel a tiny bit satisfied.
Good. Let him see it and let him wonder.
I place the card on the dresser and head for the bathroom. The hot shower helps, the steam fills the room and slowly melts the tension in my shoulders. I stand there longer than I probably should, letting the water run over my hair and down my back.
By the time I step out and wrap myself in a towel, my mind feels quieter.
I pull on a loose cream sweater and a pair of soft black lounge pants, brush my hair quickly, and slip into comfortable slippers.
Dinner must be ready by now.
The hallway outside the bedroom is dim and quiet as I step out… the house always feels different at night still and peaceful.
I walk down the staircase slowly, my hand brushing the railing as I descend, just Halfway down, something catches my eye. A soft glow coming from the patio doors.
I pause and look properly to see its a piano. A sleek black grand piano sitting near the patio doors, the soft outdoor lights reflecting along its polished surface.
I stop completely as I don’t remember seeing that there before. Curiosity pulls me forward before I even realize it.
I walk toward it slowly, the closer I get, the more familiar it feels
The brand and the design. It’s one of the newer models, a beautiful instrument p>
My fingers hover over the edge of it when I get to it and when I lift the lid slightly, the smooth ivory keys gleam under the light.
A strange feeling rises in my chest, I haven’t played in a long time… not since this whole thing with Zane started.
Life got busy, things slowly changed and I stopped making time for it. Even my lessons with my teacher stopped.
But the moment I sit down on the bench, something old and familiar settles inside me.
The bench creaks softly as I adjust and my fingers hover over the keys.
For a moment I hesitate… then I press the first note.
The sound fills the room instantly, the house is so quiet that every note echoes softly off the walls.
My fingers start moving slowly at first, then the melody begins to build. It’s an old piece I used to play all the time.
One my brothers love.
The notes come back to me easily, like muscle memory waking up after being asleep for years. The more I play, the more everything else fades away the tension sitting in my chest all day, all of it slowly melts into the music, reminding me why I used to always play my piano.
As my hands move faster across the keys, the melody grows fuller, stronger. Emotion slips into every note without me even trying. And by the time I reach the middle of the piece, I’m completely lost in it.
The rise and fall of the melody pulls me deeper and I forget where I am.
There is only the music Only the feeling flowing from my chest down into my hands and out through the piano.
When the final notes come, they linger in the air for a moment.
Softly fading slowly into silence.
I exhale softly, my chest rising and falling, I take a deep breath and that’s when I hear it. Someone is clapping, the sound startles me enough that I actually jump a little.
I turn quickly on the bench to see Zane is leaning against the doorway that leads from the hallway.