70: BEATING IN SYNCARIEL’S POV Luke and I still stood face–to–face, with our eyes locked in a mesmerizing gaze. This mixture of desire and uncertainty swirled around me. His strong arms enveloped me. I tried shifting back, but he would draw me closer without saying a word. The warmth of his touch seeped into my skin, igniting a fire within me. From all my attempted movements, our bodies were now inches apart. My heart was beating in sync. I felt a rush of emotions overwhelming me, and I couldn’t actually get rid of this feeling at the moment. Luke’s presence was intoxicating, and his eyes were reflecting a depth of emotion I had never seen before. His grip tightened around me, and I could feel his fingers trembling ever so slightly. The both of us leaned in, our lips barely a breath away from each other. But then we stopped, coming back to our senses. Even though we still had our eyes fixed on each other. The connection was quite remarkable–hatred mixing with desire, creating a bittersweet symphony in my soul. The intensity was undeniable, but I wasn’t going to be lost in this. No, not at all. “What’s wrong?” Luke asked underneath his breath. “Why did you stop?” I could feel his fingers reaching my face. I slowly closed my eyes, holding his hands. I tardily took both of his hands down, looking into his eyes.“What’s the problem now?” He aksed softly. “Is it going to be wrong if I kiss you? Didn’t we do the same at our wedding?” “That was our wedding, Luke. You and I both know our feelings toward each other.” My tone was calm. “Remember what you told me at the hospital.” He gently held my cheeks again. “You said I’m your husband, and you’re supposed to love me,” Luke reminded me. I closed my eyes. I did remember telling him that. Of course, I wanted him to love me. And if he wanted this kiss, I needed to give it to him. But it’s just too hard to easily forget about the pain. “You saved me from being killed, Ariel. Where was the hate back then?” This man had no idea what really happened. Oh, how sad. “I need to ask, Luke. Are you doing this to fulfill your grandfather’s wish, or do you genuinely love me?” I asked him softly. Luke became lost in his thoughts. He gently took his hands off my face. He held this waist, and obviously, the question was still revolving around in his head. I just looked at him. “Let’s just find a way to fix this car,” Luke said in hushed tones. He turned to the car, and I slowly walked behind him. After letting out a deep sigh, Luke lifted the hood of the car, peering inside. But I knew he didn’t have much knowledge of what he was searching for. I moved closer, also scanning inside the hood. “I don’t see anything wrong around here.” Luke gave me a serious face. He set his eyes back on the car. “This is definitely something we can’t fix on our own.” “Yeah, that is correct,” I said inaudibly. Luke glanced at me. “I thought you were trying to be a mechanic a while ago.” I shot him a quick glare, turning my face away promptly. “I never said that,” I muttered, crossing my arms. “We should try to flag down another car for help,” I suggested. “Can’t you see we’re in the middle of nowhere? We’re the only souls in this place.” “You don’t have to worry, okay? I have a feeling we’re going to come across someone,” I told him. I went to stand by the side of the road, trying to see if any vehicles would appear. Luke stood close to his car, just staring at me. I stood for a very long time. Luke leaned against his car, his arms crossed together. We didn’t say anything the whole time. And finally, I heard the sound of an engine coming our way. It was a truck. I waved my hands frantically, hoping whoever was driving that truck would notice us. The car slowed down, and an older gentleman with a friendly smile rolled down the window. “Need some help?” “Yes, our car broke down,” I explained. “We have no idea what’s wrong.” “Oh, that’s bad. You guys need a ride?” The man offered help. “Yes, sure. That would be really nice,” I answered, smiling at him. I glanced at Luke. “Aren’t you coming?” It took quite a few seconds before he responded. He sighed and advanced toward us in leaden steps, still crossing his arms. The man got out of his truck, he helped me and Luke burst inside. And after that, he entered. That was how we left. I guess we were quite lucky. ***** Luke and I arrived home without talking to each other. And I didn’t really like that. I wanted him to fall for me, not ignore me. But at the same time, I still didn’t want to feel his touch. Luke was about to open the door, but then I held his hand. He slowly took a look at me, and his countenance was not the friendly type. I had to let go of his hand. He opened the door, stepping foot inside the house. I was about to enter as well, but he wanted to shut it down. Well, I quickly held the door, stopping that from happening. I made my way inside the mansion. I saw my mom sitting down with her eyes closed. It seemed like she had fallen asleep, waiting for me. Luke wasn’t giving her a nice look. Only his silence, with that expression on his visage, spoke everything. The anger inside of him was quite clear. “Fiona!” Luke called for one of the maids. She came down immediately. “What is she doing here?” He aksed Fiona, gesturing toward my mom. “She was waiting for miss,” Fiona replied, looking at me. “Should I wake her up?” “No, no, it’s okay,” Luke answered calmly. He marched upstairs forthwith. Fiona took her eyes off him and looked at me. “Should I…” “No, there’s no need for you to do that,” I interrupted Fiona. “Let her sleep; she needs some rest.” “Yes, Miss,” Fiona uttered. She left as well. Staring at my mom, I smiled at her. She looked so wonderful when she was sleeping, looking like an innocent baby. After the long stare, I went to my room upstairs. I tried to enter, but the door was locked from the inside. “Luke,” “I said softly, knocking on the door. I waited for a few seconds to respond. But no, he didn’t.“ee if he would I knocked for the second time. “Luke, open the door. I know you’re in there. And you’re definitely not asleep.” He still didn’t come out. This man was driving me nuts. “Luke, open the damn door!” I shrieked, hitting the door louder, thinking he would come out. It was all in vain. I needed to go take a shower. At least get some good sleep. Today’s journey was not great. Luke didn’t even surprise me again, all because his car broke down. “Luke!” I decided to knock one last time. The door opened, and I was dragged in immediately.
