"What is it now?" Alexis couldn't help but squint her eyes in impatience as she really wanted to stop reminiscing about her shitty past.
"We didn't get to talk," he simply stated.
"We did talk."
"The two of us, I meant."
Of course, she knew what he meant. But she just didn't want to accept it. Alexis took two careful steps to make a healthy distance between them. Is she the only one who is worried about getting featured in another scandal?
She looked around one last time to check if anyone was around them, but no there weren't that many people at the time of the day on the beach. Still she didn't want to risk anything.
"Let's talk somewhere private, okay?" Alexis finally gave up on arguing with him as she knew there's no way out except talking to him right now.
Stefan looked a bit pleased, but didn't show it too much. They found a quiet corner of the cafeteria near the shore and decided to continue their conversations there.
Stefan dragged one chair for Alexis to sit but she ignored and sat on the opposite chair. She saw him sighing a bit before sitting on the same chair he dragged for her.
"So? What is it you wanted to talk about?" Alexis didn't want to waste her time as she quickly got on the main topic.
Stefan looked at her for a whole long minute. It's been so long since he started to look at her more often than he deserved. Especially yesterday.
It was a little too distracting for him to see her only in her bathrobe but it felt like she was feeling extremely safe around these people and her work. She was like a bird capable of nestling anywhere she wanted if she needed to. And here he was, struggling to make a home for himself in his marriage for all these years.
Alexis's impatience grew higher as she saw him look at her silently. What was so urgent just now and why is it not urgent anymore? Why is he looking at her like he has all the time in the world now?
Or was she misunderstanding it? It was more like he didn't care if the time was running out, that surely was.
"I want you to come to my room to see something," he finally decided to speak up.
"Huh?" Alexis didn't know if she heard it right or her ears were playing pranks on her. "What do you mean by coming to your room?"
"There's something I need to show you," he repeated.
"Then bring it here," Alexis deadpanned.
Stefan hesitated a bit as he looked around the cafeteria. There wasn't anyone paying attention to them right now. But it seemed like he wasn't convinced at all.
"I don't think I can show it to you here, can you please come with me for a minute?" He seemed genuine with his request that Alexis couldn't help but feel a little bit concerned.
"Is everything alright?"
Stefan nodded a bit to reassure her about something she had no idea about and thus she ended up following him, only until his hotel room door.
She saw him vanish through the door for a few seconds and emerged behind the door with a paper document.
He handed it to her hands and waited for her until she finished reading it.
"So, it's official?"
"Yeah, more like it. It was handled mostly by lawyers but I confirmed the court's final hearing before coming here. We're divorced."
The whole time Alexis didn't remove her eyes from the documents. The signatures were neatly done, by both of them. As they have been waiting for this moment their whole life.
Alexis wanted to understand if she was in their position, would she have been confident enough to sign on the papers like that? Even if she couldn't love someone, she could always trust them. Wasn't there even an ounce of trust between Stefan and Venessa? Then why did they even decide to marry in the first place? And why is she feeling so troubled about a matter that is supposed to mean nothing to her?
Alexis felt a slight touch on her shoulder and was brought back from her stupor.
"Alex, are you okay?"
Alexis finally looked at Stefan, almost looking at someone else. Someone she doesn't know at all.
"My condolences. But why are you showing me this?" Alexis tried her best to sound calm and collected, although her inner turmoil was getting worse. She wanted to get angry but somehow couldn't find herself to do so.
"I don't know. The first person I wanted to share this with wasn't anyone but you. I didn't know I just needed to see you when I got the paper. I did plan to talk to you for a while but somehow couldn't stop myself finding my way to you after this," Stefan took back the document from her hand as he replied. He was suddenly avoiding looking at her directly.
Was he ashamed? Maybe he was. Or else why won't he look at her now?
Alexis took two steps forward and closed the door behind them. The action made him look at her automatically. At that exact time Alexis realized it was a good decision to not get angry at him for showing her the divorce papers.
He looked surprisingly in despair for a fake marriage. Is he even aware of that?
Alexis didn't know what to say because she never consoled him in the past. There wasn't a situation like that. Now that she thinks, there weren't any difficulties or typical relationship problems that happened when they were together. It just as suddenly ended as it started. That single thought made her wonder maybe that's why they weren't meant to be for each other.
"Umm…was she the one who suggested it?" Alexis asked softly.
"No, nothing like that. We decided it together," Stefan sounded pretty normal from his tone but Alexis could already see the storm working havoc in his eyes.
"I'm not sad, don't look at me like that," Alexis didn't know how she looked at him, was it pity or sympathy. But she instantly took a step back when he saw him raise his hand towards her and felt her back hit the door wall.
How much is he aware of the effects this divorce has on him? And who was he trying to convince right now?
Alexis looked at him in curiosity as she still didn't understand why he personally showed the divorce papers to her. She could guess, but she didn't want to do it right now at all.
Stefan this time returned his earnest gaze at her, wishing to get all her attention on him at once.
"I want to be sure that you know my intentions clearly."
"What intentions?"
"That I am here not because of any business meeting, but for you."
Alexis almost felt like a fool to feel sorry for him a minute ago. What is he even saying right now?
"Did you for even a second try to be in the marriage or do you have this weird fetish of trying everything is sham?"
Stefan suddenly gritted his muscles as he heard her."What are you calling a sham?"
"What else? You think being in love is like an act in theatre. Once the show times have passed, you just want to return back to usual, don't you?....Goddamnit Stefan, today should be the least of all days. I want to argue with you, but you're basically forcing me to do that."
Alexis didn't know why she has been losing her nerve so often these days but she knew she shouldn't be talking to him like that right now. She squeezed her temple in tension as her migraine pain was kicking hard.
Stefan took a step forward towards her as he didn't like the idea of her backing away from him at all. She wasn't even looking at him right now. She hasn't been really looking at her for a long time. Because he knew she was scared to have an eye to eye with her own emotions. He took her bare shoulders in his grip and that action made her look at him again. She squirmed back as much as possible against the door so that touch can be avoided, but the attempt was a huge fail anyway.
Alexis didn't know how to but her eyes started to become moist. They screamed her emotions well. She didn't want to be touched, especially not by him.
"You think I haven't tried? It just didn't work… doesn't work at all. And you know why," Stefan's voice pierced through her brain word by word like sharp edges of the knife.
"And what do I have to do with this?" Alexis tried her best to hold her composure as she asked, standing straight ready to already leave the situation.
Stefan let out a hefty chuckle. No, it wasn't a happy one but more like a cruel, pained laugh.
"What do you have to do with this, you ask? Here, just look at the mirror, see what you see in your eyes and tell me. Tell me, Alexis Lockwood, can you tell there's no fire left for me in those beautiful eyes of yours? Why does it seem so pained to see me suffer? Have you even realised that yourself?" Stefan dragged her towards the dressing mirror inside the room as she saw a reflection of her standing in front of the tall handsome figure holding her shoulders still.
It was not the first time they stood beside each other like that. But the time was different, but are they different from back then too?
Exactly at that time Alexis felt like her nerves getting best at her as she snapped harder to free from his grip.
Slap!
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A/N: hello my lovely readers! As you can see I have kept the chapter a bit bigger than usual because it will be the last free chapter of this book. I decided to make it premium from chapter 29. But do not worry, you would get your desired interactions between main plot characters on around 60-70 chapters. I chose to simply go premium on chapter 29 because this is an crucial and most interesting part of romantic development for all the main characters' scenarios and so I hope everyone of you will support and encourage me in this journey!
Love ya'll!
-nimbu420