For Better, For Worse: The Serpent's Contract Wife

ANASTASIA

I felt sore all over. I couldn’t go by without feeling like my body was about to break, nor could I ignore the ache between my legs that felt like a volcano.

"Is this good?" Luca asked me.

"Yeah," I said, eyeing him briefly. "You really don’t have to help me make lunch, you know."

"What? Come on! You look like you have been hit by a bus. This is the least I can do."

I smacked my hand against his arm.

"Ow! What did you do that for?"

"Just shut up!" I hissed.

"Yes, ma’am."

I rolled my eyes, going back to what I was doing, and hoping I’d finish on time before my legs gave out.

I was craving roast chicken with mashed potatoes, and when I mean craving, I literally had to crawl out of bed for this.

I could have easily had Cynthia make this, but I needed to do this myself. Any longer I stay in bed, I’m gonna lose my fucking mind.

It’s hard enough that I have been on break for the last week. It had been a long week. Setting that aside, the last twenty hours have been—I don’t even know how to describe it.

Most of the time I had just shut off my thoughts and everything else just to relish the moment. I admit it was the best thing I have ever done. To not be burdened, both mentally and physically... to just live for once.

Zade and I had the most blissful deranged sex ever, and I’m not talking about when he fucked me in his private studio. Last night was just...!

A soft sigh escaped my lips. I’m so screwed because the more I tried not to think about it, the more I got teleported, and I could see myself through the mirror, a hand wrapped around my throat from behind, with Zade’s muscles flexing each time he thrust into me like a beast.

I finally realized why Zade had a mirror as a headboard. I’d never look at it the same way again.

"Earth to earth, sis."

I jolted. "What?"

He sneered. "You keep spacing out. Something on your mind? Something smutty?"

I grimaced. "None of your business."

"I have heard that before."

"Oh yeah?" I placed a hand on my waist. "How’s Chris, by the way?"

He froze, and right on cue, his phone rang.

"Speak of the devil." I grinned.

"It’s just Dante." He snatched his phone and rushed out.

"Say hi to Chris for me!" I yelled, giggling.

Cute.

I finished cooking and plated the food, pausing to breathe in the rich aroma. I nearly drooled.

"Hmm! That’s better." I picked up the spoon and turned, but I froze in my tracks when I saw Caleb.

"C-Caleb! What are you doing here?"

He smiled. "Why? Is it odd to see me here? I do eat, you know."

"No..." I shook my head. "Sorry, um... I’m just so used to seeing you in the library."

"Yeah, about that..." He took his hands off the wheel and rested them on his lap. "I waited for you a week ago. I thought maybe you were tired from your performance, so I waited the next day and the day after that, but you never showed up."

"Caleb..." I began dropping the plate on the island. "A lot of things have happened."

"Like what?"

"It’s... complicated. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it."

"I thought you wanted to find out what really happened to your sister..." He narrowed his eyes in question.

The moment those words left his lips, it was like Pandora’s box had opened. And the locks I had used to restrain my thoughts snapped.

I had spent the whole time trying to figure out my feelings and what those flashes truly meant that I had completely forgotten the point of it all.

But that was the problem; it didn’t seem like the most important thing at the moment ever since I was told I had amnesia.

I had a car accident two years ago... one I’d always believed was something minor. It turned out I’d lost a part of myself without ever realizing it was gone.

That alone outweighed everything I’d endured for the last two years.

"Can we talk about this some other time?" I said. "I don’t think this is a good time.

There was stretchy silence and the way Caleb just pinned his yes on me made me uncomfortable, but then he blinked away, pulling out something from behind.

"Are you sure about that, Anastasia?" He held up a pink diary.

My blood ran cold. "I-Is that..."

"It’s your sister’s diary. I told you I’d get it and I did. Zade kept it somewhere locked away and forgotten. He probably doesn’t realize it’s missing."

I gulped, eyeing the pink diary. That was my sister’s favorite color, and I knew without a doubt it was hers.

"You wanted this, didn’t you? So here you go." He dropped it on the island, and left.

I stood still for over a minute before I dragged my gaze to the diary. It took a moment before I picked it up. Somehow it felt heavier than I imagined, or maybe it was just my mind making it so.

This was the last piece of my sister, yet all I could do was just stare at it. I should feel something, anything, but I was just numb.

"That smells good!"

I quickly hid the diary behind my back when Luca came into view.

He walked straight for the plate. "This is probably why Caleb came in here, must have smelled this from a mile away. It looks so delicious!"

He was about to dig in before pausing. "This is the point where you smack me for taking your food."

"A-Actually, I lost my appetite. You can have it."

"Weird. Your stomach was growling the whole time."

"I had a bite, and I’m full. Go on!" I urged hoping he took the bait.

"Don’t mind if I do!" Luca dug in, moaning at the taste with every bite.

I seized that opportunity to leave, and headed straight for my room, my breath heavy and uneven the entire time.

I opened the door and closed it behind me, leaning against the frame for a while before I strode to my bed and sat.

I traced my finger over the clasp, my heart pounding fiercely in my chest. In a sharp exhale, I curled my fingers around it.