Chapter 2

Maurice shrugged and pulled Lexie back into his arms, planting a couple of kisses on her. "Isn't she just trying to help you fit in with the team? You never seem to make any friends in the lab.

"Watching you dance is actually pretty entertaining. Who knows, maybe someone will finally start liking you."

Maurice gave me a defiant stare for a while, then clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed.

"Idiot," he scoffed.

Just as the tension in the room was getting awkward, the door was suddenly thrown open with a bang.

It was Giancarlo Randall, Maurice's arch-nemesis. He strolled in with a smirk. "Well, weren't we supposed to be talking business? What's with all the glitter and party vibes in here?"

Maurice shifted into a more serious mode and started discussing business.

I was still frozen in place, and Giancarlo shot me a disapproving look.

"What's wrong, Mr. Raymond? Can't even afford to dress your wife decently? Need me to sponsor her wardrobe?" Giancarlo mocked.

I bit my lip, and Maurice's face turned stormy. He told someone to get my clothes.

"Pathetic. Can't even figure out how to dress yourself, huh? Put your clothes on and sit down," Maurice snapped.

My eyes stung, but I did as I was told and sat down.

I was not clueless. I could feel every emotion, like how Maurice really hated me.

And honestly, I kind of hated Maurice, too. I didn't want to keep doing this anymore.

So when Maurice and Giancarlo were about to start throwing punches, I decided to stir things up a bit.

I brushed my ankle against Giancarlo's calf.

Giancarlo whipped his head around, fixing me with a sharp look.

But I didn't back down. I kept moving my foot up his leg, teasing him.

Giancarlo slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet. "I don't think there's anything left to talk about."

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Maurice took Lexie with him and left as well.

Resigned, I made my way home alone, but right outside the club, I ran into Giancarlo, puffing on a cigarette.

"Miss Wright, what was that all about back there?" he asked.

I looked at him earnestly. "I was just trying to make friends."

He stared at me in disbelief. "Is that how you make friends?"

Thinking hard about how Maurice acted around other women, I tried to copy him, stood on my tiptoes, hooked my arms around Giancarlo's neck, and kissed him.

Giancarlo's eyes went wide, and once he realized what was happening, he shoved me off.

He glared at me, furious and flustered. "Are you insane? Does Maurice even know you're like this?"

I felt a little wronged. "But that's literally how Maurice makes friends."

Giancarlo took a deep breath, his ears turning bright red. "You're all crazy."

He drove off, but ended up coming back anyway.

"Just doing my good deed for the day. You look so clueless. I'll give you a ride home. But seriously, don't get any ideas about me again," he said.

I nodded, a bit regretful. "Alright."

When I got home, the living room was a disaster, clothes from both guys and girls were tossed everywhere, all mixed up together.

I hid out in the guest room and texted Maurice's mother.

I said, [Olivia, if I could love someone, and someone loved me back, does that mean I could get a divorce?]

My mom died when I was six, trying to protect Olivia. That was when I went through something so traumatic, I developed an emotional disorder.

Olivia always felt guilty about it, so she arranged for me to marry Maurice, thinking at least someone would be there to take care of me.

That's why I knew he'd always been taking it out on me.

Olivia didn't agree, and she didn't say a word. But the next morning, Maurice treated me even worse than before.

"Yasmin, you got my mom to force me into this marriage, and now you want to stop me from messing around outside too?" Maurice snapped.

"You really think just because you made her push me, I'd ever want to make this marriage work?" he sneered.

I was flustered. "No, I didn't. That's not true."

He looked at me with utter contempt. "Lexie's moving in from now on. Even a minute apart from her drives me crazy."

Maurice tossed a wad of cash at my feet. "We're almost out of condoms. Go out and buy some for us."

My cheeks were on fire, but I kept my cool and picked up the cash.

"Okay, I'll go buy them," I said.

I went to the supermarket, bought the condoms, and came back, fighting back my bitterness as I gave them to her.

Maurice's face was dark. Suddenly, he grabbed the box and hurled it at my face.

"You know what? I changed my mind. You're an idiot. If you had my kid, it'd just be as stupid as you. Let Lexie be the one to have my baby," he sneered.

Lexie's cheeks turned red. She said softly, "Maurice, I'd love to."

The box left a scratch on my face, and I awkwardly covered it with my hand.

"Well, that's just perfect," I said.

Maurice gave me a sarcastic look. "Yeah, what's not to love? I might've married a fool, but tell me. Who else has a wife as generous as mine?"

"Lexie wants to get some exercise. As the host, why don't you show some hospitality and go swim with our guest?" Maurice said.

But when Lexie got out of the pool, her face fell. "Maurice, I think the ring you gave me is gone."

I froze for a moment. A ring? Lexie got one, but when I married Maurice, he never gave me a ring.

Without even glancing at me, Maurice said, "Yasmin, go find Lexie's ring."