Dolores seemed to understand what Coral was thinking. She didn’t explain and just smiled at her instead. The arrangement was between her and Matthew and she had no right to ask about his private life or request he stayed home with her. She even felt more comfortable in his absence.
Dolores entered the room and stared at the bedroom furnishings. The style was unique with a black and white color scheme. The monochromatic room was simple, tidy, and luxurious with a touch of elegance.
“This is Mr. Nelson’s room.” Coral smiled.
Since they were technically married, Dolores knew they should stay together. Dolores opened her mouth and realized she couldn’t say a word about the arrangement. So, instead, she nodded in response.
*****
Dolores found it hard to fall asleep her first night in her temporary home. She leaned against her pillow and browsed the employment websites from her phone, ready to find a job. She could only live a steady life, take good care of her mother, and give the child she was carrying a future if she had a job.
She was shocked to find someone hiring translators. Being a translator was a common enough job, but what was surprising was the fact that the employer was looking for someone who knew the language of Country A. Country A was where Randolph had sent Dolores and her family. It was a poorly developed tropical country and there weren’t many people learning the language of the natives. After all, the language that was most commonly used in the world was all language from more developed and capable countries.
The salary and benefits were good. She filled out the application, attached her resume, and put down her phone before laying down and falling asleep.
The moonlight glistened across the window like silk in the silent night. Dolores had drifted off to sleep after tossing and turning for a bit and didn’t notice the flash of white light shot into the yard when a Maybach drove in and pulled into the garage. The car door opened and a towering figure got out. He strode into the house and he almost seemed to dance across the floor as if he were walking on clouds.
He undid his tie and realized his mouth was dry. Not wanting to disturb his servants, Matthew headed for his room and grabbed a glass of water from the bathroom. His Adam’s apple slid up and down his throat as he gulped down the water. Water dribbled down his chin, but he didn’t care, as he was still thinking about his evening through a wine-induced stupor.
After finishing the water, he finally relieved a majority of the burning sensation in his throat. He’d drunk quite a bit of white wine at the dinner party and few glasses of red wine when celebrating separately with Helen for her birthday. It turned out he who was good at drinking had gotten slightly drunk.
He removed his jacket and tossed it onto a chair as he left the bathroom. He’d left the lights in his room off as he was familiar with the layout of the furniture and didn’t need to see to undress. Knowing exactly where his bed was, he climbed in and fell asleep instantly.
Dolores sensed the movement in her sleep, but she quickly settled down and drifted back into a deep sleep while cuddling the blankets around her.
*****
Dawn arrived faster than either of them wanted. The first light, resembling shiny threads, soon shimmered and filled the room with light. Matthew and Dolores were sleeping soundly, like a newly married couple.
Matthew’s eyelids twitched and his eyes fluttered open. Due to the hangover, his head felt fuzzy, and he wanted to take a shower to wake himself up. He tried to raise his arm and get up and realized his arm was caught by something. He rolled over and noticed a woman lying in his arms.
The woman’s long black hair cascaded onto his arm. Her face was pale and her eyelashes curved like butterfly’s wings. Her rosy lips were parted slightly and her breathing was soft and regular. His eyes moved down her face slowly and fell onto her thin neck and delicate collar bone. Her breathing increased a bit and he found it was actually kind of attractive. He couldn’t help but swallow. He hadn’t had that impulse even when with Helen. He wrinkled his eyebrows and seemed unhappy with his involuntary reaction, yet he couldn’t move his eyes away.
Meanwhile, Dolores dreamed she was in the middle of African grasslands. A fierce lion stared straight at her as if wanting to devour her. She woke from the dream with a start. However, the moment she opened her eyes she was met with a pair of deep eyes pretending to be calm. Her mind instantly went blank. She immediately widened her eyes and covered her chest while staggering.
“Wh-why are you here?”
Matthew calmly looked away and slowly lifted the blanket off. “This is my house.”
Dolores wanted to respond, but once realizing where she was, she swallowed her words. “Weren’t you celebrating your girlfriend’s birthday? Why’d you come back?” she asked as she climbed out of bed and stood at the side opposite Matthew.
Coral said that Matthew wouldn’t be coming back so Dolores had let down her guard and slept soundly all night. So, it was no surprise that she hadn’t realized he entered the room. She’d slept in the same room with a man. She realized she’d slept in his arms and her neck and cheeks burned as she looked away from him.
Matthew started to unbutton his shirt. He hadn’t taken it off to sleep and it still smelled of alcohol. The wrinkled material sticking to his body was unpleasant and he only wanted to shower. He glanced at Dolores who was clearly panicking beside the bed and Matthew’s mouth split into a playful smile.
“Could my girlfriend’s birthday be more important than my wedding night?”
Dolores became speechless. They were only legally married and only for a month. There really wasn’t a wedding night, was there? Matthew took off his shirt and Dolores turned away. She hid her disgust toward Matthew undressing in front of her. Ever since she sold herself, men disgusted her, especially being in close contact with them.
She panicked. “I-I’ll leave now.” Dolores rushed out of the room without a second glance.
Matthew didn’t pay her any mind. He undid his belt and strode into the bathroom. He needed to take a shower.
After taking a shower, Matthew’s short black hair was wet and disheveled. His white bathrobe covered his lean body and his tanned chest peaked out, displaying his toned muscles.
He strode over to the closet and went to grab some clothes but stopped when he discovered a strange bag with a sunflower on it. He froze. Did the bag belong to Dolores? There was even a flower on it. Why was she so childish? And she was bold enough to put her things in his closet? He frowned and took out his clothes. After dressing, he put the clothes hanger back and accidentally knocked her bag down.
The bag was open and all her things inside fell out. There was some simple clothing and toiletries. As he crouched down to pick them up, he noticed the ultrasound with Dolores’ name on it stating she was six weeks along. Dolores was pregnant?