He Wants An Open Marriage? Done!

"Christian?" Roxanne asked, her eyes widening as the gravel crunched beneath her heels. "I thought you—"

"You thought you had gotten rid of me, right?" Christian cut in, stepping fully out of the shadows. His voice was low, vibrating with pure venom.

"What on earth are you still doing here?" she asked, her grip tightening on her keys until the metal edges bit into her palm.

"I was waiting for my wife," Christian said, his lips pulling into a tight, humorless smile. "Just like a good husband always does. Or have you completely forgotten that part?"

Roxanne shook her head, a wave of profound exhaustion washing over her. "Just leave, Christian. Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough for one night?" She looked at his rumpled suit, her eyes cold. "This isn’t how a senior corporate executive behaves. It’s honestly hard to watch."

Christian’s heavy brows knit into a dark scowl. "Oh, really? What exactly is hard to watch, Roxy? The fact that the people at the top wouldn’t let me celebrate with you? Or the fact that you ordered security to throw me out like a stray dog? Or maybe that, thanks to your little stunt tonight, I might not even have a job by tomorrow morning?"

"Oh, please, Christian," Roxanne scoffed, taking a slow, steadying breath of the crisp night air. "You can’t pin a single bit of this on me. You brought this entirely on yourself. Showing up to an elite executive dinner without an invitation? With all your years of corporate experience, I would think you’d know exactly how that plays out."

"And that is the biggest issue here," Christian shot back, stepping closer until the smell of stale whiskey and stress sweat rolled off him. "I am amazed that a brilliant woman like you can’t see how bizarre this entire situation is."

Roxanne’s brows pulled together. "What are you talking about?"

"Don’t play dumb with me, Roxy. Look at what is happening," Christian said, gesturing sharply toward the grand villa behind them. "They are treating you as if you are completely separate from me. Like you aren’t my wife. Like you don’t even carry my last name."

"Get to the point, Christian. I’m tired."

"The point is that I was intentionally excluded from the very dinner celebrating my own wife’s appointment!" Christian yelled, his tone laced with absolute malice.

"Well, that has absolutely nothing to do with me. I didn’t draft the guest list," Roxanne countered smoothly.

"Of course it has everything to do with you!" Christian barked, his face twisting. "Even the blind can see what’s happening here. You’re sleeping with Richard Vance."

Roxanne’s jaw hardened instantly. She took a swift step forward, closing the distance between them until she was staring directly into his face. "That is the absolute last time you will open your mouth to speak about things you know nothing about," she warned, her voice dropping into a dangerous whisper.

Christian stared at her for a beat, taken aback by the sudden heat radiating from her, before a mocking smirk played on his lips. "What’s the matter? Are you finally feeling a little bit of shame for your slutty behavior?"

Roxanne opened her mouth to tear into him, but she stopped herself. She took a slow breath through her nose, looking up and down his rigid, desperate frame. She slowly shook her head.

"I am not going to waste my breath on a narcissistic boy who can’t see past his own swollen ego," she said quietly. "Just looking at you right now, I feel completely disgusted by my choice in a husband."

She turned on her heel to open her car door, letting out a sharp scoff. She had barely taken a single step before Christian’s hand clamped hard around her upper arm, jerking her back so violently that she almost lost her balance on the gravel.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Christian?" she demanded, aggressively yanking her arm out of his grip.

Christian lunged back into her personal space, his chest heaving as he stared down at her. "Tell me the truth, Roxy. Are you fucking Richard?" he demanded, his hot, bitter breath striking her face.

A dangerous, electric urge flared in Roxanne’s chest. She wanted nothing more than to throw the absolute truth right in his face, to destroy his fragile pride completely. But a sudden spark of survival instinct stopped her. Giving him that ammunition right now would be catastrophic.

Instead, she locked her gaze with his, a cool, unshakeable confidence settling over her features. "Tell me something, Christian, do you remember the rules of this open marriage?"

Christian flinched, his posture stiffening. "Don’t you dare try to—"

"You have absolutely no right to ask me questions, and you have no right to stick your nose into my private affairs," Roxanne said. Her tone was terrifyingly calm, her eyes piercing straight through him.

Christian actually stepped back an inch, completely caught off guard.

"You gave up the right to question my choices the day you demanded an open marriage. Your only option here is to sit back and accept it."

Christian stared at her, a rare flash of genuine panic and surprise crossing his features. He reached out, his fingers catching her hand, his tone suddenly shifting from rage to desperate pleading. "I don’t want the open marriage anymore, Roxy. That’s over. It’s done. I want you all to myself now."

Roxanne let out a sharp, incredulous laugh. The sound cut through the quiet parking lot like a knife. Her eyes turned to steel as she violently snatched her hand out of his grasp.

"First of all, do not ever lay your hands on me like that again," she said, her voice ringing with absolute authority. "Secondly, we are not closing this marriage. Not yet. Not when I’ve finally remembered what it feels like to make my own choices. No, sir. This marriage stays wide open."

Before Christian could gather his wits to utter another syllable, Roxanne yanked her car door open, slipped into the driver’s seat, and slammed it shut.

Christian remained frozen beside the car, staring after her as the engine roared to life. For the first time since their marriage began, he realized he had lost control of her completely.