We left my penthouse. I nodded at Terrance. He’d be following behind us in the second car. So that Adelaide didn’t feel so aware of her position, I was driving us wherever she wanted to go. I still had her cell phone in my pocket. I’d not switched it on, but I knew her whole life was there. She wasn’t on social media of any kind. Her cell phone was just used for calls, texts, and very rarely for emails. She kept to herself mostly.
“Where would you like to go?” I asked, expecting her to tell me the name of a mall.
She tells me the location but not the name. I’ve never heard of it before and have no choice but to type it into the navigator to be pointed in the general direction.
“I could have told you where to go,” she said.
“It’s fine.”
“Aren’t all guys against getting directions?”
“This is not getting directions. I’ve never had to talk to anyone to get what I want.”
She chuckled and I chanced a glance at her.
“Is this some exclusive boutique?” I asked.
“Please, I hate shopping.”
“I find that hard to believe…”
“Why? Because that was all my sister told you to do?” She snorted. “Bethany and I are nothing alike. If you wanted a wife who liked to shop, then you should have married her.”
I gripped the steering wheel, annoyed with her.
Bethany bored me. She always tried too hard. I know she made everyone believe we were fucking, and we weren’t. She never aroused me. Her voice always had that edge of whining to it. I hated hearing her talk. To be honest, the only reason I took her with me on business trips, apart from the fact she was supposed to be with me, was the distraction she provided. I knew she slept with everything that had a dick. She tried to get a rise out of me, but I just didn’t care. Her pussy was already well-used before I came along.
“You owe me my cell phone.”
After last night, I expected her to be scared, or at the very least worried about being in the same room as me. This woman made no sense. Rather than act scared, she seemed to be talking back. When had Adelaide grown a spine? The shaken, panic-stricken woman of our wedding was long gone. In her place sat a very beautiful and determined female.
She reached for the window and pressed the button, letting in the fresh air. Adelaide tilted her head toward it. This was the first time during the day she’d been outside. The only other time I’d taken her out was during our dinner with Ivan and Slavik.
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“That means you’re not a man of your word, and you lied.”
Irritated, I reached into my pants pocket and handed her the cell phone she was so anxious about.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m a man of my word. That means I tell you the truth, and I expect the same in return.”
“I have no reason to lie to you.”
“There is always a reason to lie.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched her press the power button. “It’s dead.”
It would be. I didn’t waste time charging it. That was the other reason I hadn’t given her the cell phone. She would need time to charge it, even when we made it home. She pulled down the glove box, shoved her phone inside, and closed it. I expected her to be angry.
She stared out the window. Her hand was cruising out of the window, sliding up and down.
“We’re nearly there,” she said, suddenly sitting forward.
I slowed down as she started to point to where she wanted to go. When we arrived at an animal shelter, I couldn’t have been more shocked. When she lived with her parents, she’d volunteered at a shelter, but I figured that was to look good to the press.
She clapped her hands, looking excited. I had no choice but to follow her as she’d climbed out of the car and rushed toward the main reception. I wasn’t dressed to be at a shelter.
I watched as my wife talked to an elderly woman behind the counter. The two shook hands, and then Adelaide saw I’d arrived.
“Er, this is my husband, Andrei. Would you mind if I showed him around?” Adelaide asked.
“No, of course not, dear. You go right ahead.”
Adelaide turned toward me, her hands clasped together. “Would you like a tour?”
I noticed she didn’t introduce me to the woman on the counter, whom she clearly knew.
“Yes,” I said, surprising her.
“Right, let’s go then.” Adelaide took a step toward a set of double doors, leading toward the back of the shelter.
I grabbed her hand, locking our fingers together. I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight. This was a surprise. I guess Adelaide hadn’t been using the experience to look good to the press, and I was now even more intrigued.
Adelaide
I love all animals-dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, cows, horses, the list goes on and on. I adore them. I had always wanted one, but growing up, Bethany couldn’t stand them. None of the animals liked her and I used to think it was because they were known for sensing evil. Lame, I know, but I had to get my kicks out of it somehow.