The day went by with Hope trying to find a way to get out of the house, but in her heart, she already
knew it was useless. The maids were ordered to keep an eye on her inside the mansion and provide
everything that was needed including clothes and other feminine things. She could not help but accept
that whatever had happened, Varys had made sure that she was not deprived of everything, except for
privacy. The guards were standing by every door outside the mansion. She was stuck with no way out
and did not even know why Ethan had sent her over to Varys so easily.
Huffing aloud in anger, in the end, she gave up and fell down on the bed. Her eyes fell shut and as the
hours passed by, all she dreamt about was the past memory of Varys teaching her how to drive the car.
When her eyes fluttered open, the windows were covered with darkness except for the twinkling stars
that shined outside. Sliding out of the bed, she stepped on the cold floor barefooted and walked
outside. Strangely, the place had fallen silent completely. When she had been awake, the place was
covered with chatter patter of someone walking by, or talking or one thing and other. But now it felt like
there was no one inside. Not even a maid was seen anywhere. That came off as a bit strange to Hope.
Climbing down the stairs, she heard some sounds coming from the kitchen. Not finding anyone, or
having anything to do, she decided to go there. She peeked out a bit silently to see who was inside,
and immediately shot back as her eyes widened in surprise.
"I already saw you, Hope." Varys' voice stopped her as soon as she decided to turn on her heels and
dash.
Hope immediately gritted her teeth in frustration. Here goes her plan to disappear out of his sight down
the drain.
Well, she was already caught and trying to run will only make her look like a cowardly moron. And all
the devils inside the hell knew, this was definitely not the time when she wanted to look like a moron.
Lifting her chin up high, and appearing completely nonchalant to him, she straightened and walked
inside the kitchen. Varys was whipping something up in an oversized bowl wearing a shirt that fit his
chest, sleeves rolled up to elbows and muscles, and pants. As her eyes sneakily roamed over him,
trying not to drool, literally, she realized that at that moment, he did not look like a person who handles
the mafia or does anything bad in the world.
The mere thought hurt. Bad.
She was not a moron to get emotional over little things. The thing was, as the years had gone past, so
many years, the years in which she never found a happy ending for herself. Every person she loved left
in the end without a goodbye. Varys was first, and then her parents. And when she married Ethan, she
thought this was the life she was supposed to live. A life with a happy family surrounded by a white
picket fence, a doting husband, a couple of spoiled children, and love.
She never wanted luxury, never enjoyed the big parties, never lived the life of the riches because
perhaps it was not made for her. Having Ethan to herself would have been enough, but then he was
never made to be tied to her perhaps.
"Is there anything special you want to eat?" Varys' question broke through her thoughts.
Her gaze immediately snapped up to his eyes and found him chuckling at her. That is when she
realized that she had been staring a tad bit too long at his body while she had been lost in her
thoughts.
As the double meaning behind his words entered her head while staring into his mischievous eyes, she
suddenly found herself wishing for the earth to swallow her.
"No!" she snapped immediately, sliding past him to open the fridge and pull out a bottle of chilled water.
"What did you do today?" Varys asked her calmly.
Ever since the fight he had been feeling extremely guilty for spitting out the words that he should not
have. He loved Hope and no matter what she had done or what his heart wanted, in the end she
belonged to him. He finally had her in front of his eyes after so many years, and like a moron the first
thing he had done was fight.
Hope did not respond to him. Silently drinking down the water she put the bottle back and started
walking away.
Varys immediately grabbed her arm, pulling her back and forcing her against the kitchen isle and
himself.
"I asked you a question, Hope." He muttered calmly, trying to push back the wave of frustration.
Hope ignored him. After kidnapping her and insulting her in the morning, he was now trying to pretend
like nothing happened at all? How was it fair? This was hard for her. She needed to be alert and aware
in any situation involving Varys in order not to snap and declare her undying love for him,
She tried to slide out but Varys blocked her way by putting his hand on each side of her on the kitchen
aisle. His scent engulfed her, completely rendering her defenseless. It had not changed over the years,
unlike his body.
"Why have you been avoiding me?"
Yikes.
Direct shot.
He didn't even try to mask the question.
Although his eyes and features were still gentle, and he seemed pretty defenseless in the moment but
she could tell Varys was as alert and aware as you could get. The gentleness was from something
else.
Shit, shit, shit.
What in holy hell was going on?
Hope decided to play stupid.
"What?" she asked.
"You heard me," he answered.
Then there are those times when honesty was not the best policy.
"I haven't been avoiding you," Hope slid her hand to grab a spoon lying next to where her hand was on
the kitchen aisle.
"You're lying. You are not even looking at me."
Hope's head snapped up, her eyes glaring daggers at him, "I am NOT avoiding you."
The corner of his mouth twitched but he hid it immediately.
Her eyes broke free from his gaze, mostly just so I could avoid the piercing scrutiny and find something
else to focus on except for the hotness of his body.
And then she noticed, the kitchen was a mess. She could see a sloppy mess of white something, that
was most probably supposed to be mac and cheese in a frying pan, a mess of unevenly cut vegetables
in a pot, filled up the sink of burnt and dirty dishes and a mess of flour on the black marble beside the
boxed up thingies.
All in all, it was hell come loose.
"Hope," he said softly, catching her attention. His head dropped down in her nape as he whispered
near her ear, "in the morning, I said some things I should not have. Can you forgive me for that?"
"You said what you thought of me." Hope replied, lifting her hand to push him back to create some
distance between them, "I am not upset. I don't have any right to be."
Hope did not want to move away from him. The memories hit hard and she did not need them right
now. She wanted to clear her mind and put a stop to everything she was feeling.
"Don't push me away." he sighed, sliding one of his hands in her waist, touching her finally. His
emotions were letting out the best of him and instead of controlling them, he had decided to let them
lose. It had been years and he did not have the power to fight his love for her anymore.
"You got married to that fucking bastard, Hope." he let out the words through clenched teeth, his face
was buried in her neck so that he doesn't scare her off with the look on his face in that moment, "I hate
the fucking face of that husband of yours. I hate his name, his mention, every fiber of that man's body
makes me disgusted. And you fucked him and married him?"
Hope flinched at the harsh words, but his words angered her as well. She did not want to defend Ethan,
because in all truth, she had come to gain the same feelings for him, but hearing these words from
Varys' mouth was like a brutal insult to her. A slap on her face for the choice she had made.
"I do not want to talk to you anymore," Hope murmured, putting all her strength in her hand to push him
off but his chest was like a brick wall, unmoving, hard, and strong.
"You are not going anywhere." Varys ordered, "tell me. What did you find in him? What did you see in
that fucking criminal to marry him?!"
“You are the one to talk!” Hope's voice sounded shaky, even on that one word. She took in a big,
broken breath. “You are a fucking criminal as well, Varys. You ruined love for me.” she took another
breath to control the threatening tears. “Would there be any difference if it was you in his place? You
never told me what kind of things you did, what kind of business you were in. You have no right to
judge me when you are not a saint.”
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