"My wife."
"Ah."
"She’s shopping.".
"That’s... quite a shopping trip."
I shrug lightly.
"She’s throwing a tantrum."
Thomas chuckles.
"An Expensive tantrum."
I lean back in my chair, rubbing my chin thoughtfully.
Cute.
If she thinks that amount will even make a dent in my accounts, she clearly has no idea how much money I actually have.
Still...
A slow smirk spreads across my face, at least she’s angry enough to fight back.
Elaine’s POV
By the ti we get back to the estate, the sky is already dark.
The long driveway is lit with soft garden lights, the kind that make the trees and hedges look almost golden against the night, the gates slide open for us automatically, and Marcus drives us in smoothly.
I lean my head against the window for a mont as the house cos into view, the day finally catches up with then.
Aaron steps out first when the car stops and opens my door. I stretch my legs carefully when I get out
"Thank you for today," I tell both of them
Aaron snorts.
"You say that like we had a choice."
Marcus gives a quiet laugh.
The trunk opens and suddenly the reality of what I bought today becos very clear.
Bag after bag, boxes stacked on top of each other.
Aaron just stares at them.
"You bought a small store."
"Don’t exaggerate," I say.
He points at the pile.
"I’m not."
I smile slightly.
"Help carry them up?"
Marcus and Aaron exchange a look, then both of them sigh like n accepting their fate.
We make several trips inside.
The house is quiet when we enter. Most of the lights are dimd except for the hallway lamps and the soft glow coming from the kitchen.
Mrs. Margaret appears halfway through the first trip.
"Oh my goodness," she says, eyes widening as she looks at the bags.
"Shopping," I say simply.
"I can see that."
There’s amusent in her voice.
"You bought the entire mall?"
"Only the interesting parts."
She laughs softly and helps to carry so of the bags upstairs.
By the ti everything reaches the bedroom, the floor near the couch is covered with boxes and shopping bags.
I stand there for a mont staring at it all with the black card still in my hand and ror a brief second I wonder if Zane has seen the charge yet.
The thought makes sothing funny and childish inside feel a tiny bit satisfied.
Good. Let him see it and let him wonder.
I place the card on the dresser and head for the bathroom. The hot shower helps, the steam fills the room and slowly lts the tension in my shoulders. I stand there longer than I probably should, letting the water run over my hair and down my back.
By the ti I step out and wrap myself in a towel, my mind feels quieter.
I pull on a loose cream sweater and a pair of soft black lounge pants, brush my hair quickly, and slip into comfortable slippers.
Dinner must be ready by now.
The hallway outside the bedroom is dim and quiet as I step out... the house always feels different at night..... still and peaceful.
I walk down the staircase slowly, my hand brushing the railing as I descend, just Halfway down, sothing catches my eye. A soft glow coming from the patio doors.
I pause and look properly to see its a piano. A sleek black grand piano sitting near the patio doors, the soft outdoor lights reflecting along its polished surface.
I stop completely as I don’t rember seeing that there before. Curiosity pulls forward before I even realize it.
I walk toward it slowly, the closer I get, the more familiar it feels
The brand and the design. It’s one of the newer models, a beautiful instrunt.....
My fingers hover over the edge of it when I get to it and when I lift the lid slightly, the smooth ivory keys gleam under the light.
A strange feeling rises in my chest, I haven’t played in a long ti... not since this whole thing with Zane started.
Life got busy, things slowly changed and I stopped making ti for it. Even my lessons with my teacher stopped.
But the mont I sit down on the bench, sothing old and familiar settles inside .
The bench creaks softly as I adjust and my fingers hover over the keys.
For a mont I hesitate... then I press the first note.
The sound fills the room instantly, the house is so quiet that every note echoes softly off the walls.
My fingers start moving slowly at first, then the lody begins to build. It’s an old piece I used to play all the ti.
One my brothers love.
The notes co back to easily, like muscle mory waking up after being asleep for years. The more I play, the more everything else fades away..... the tension sitting in my chest all day, all of it slowly lts into the music, reminding why I used to always play my piano.
As my hands move faster across the keys, the lody grows fuller, stronger. Emotion slips into every note without even trying. And by the ti I reach the middle of the piece, I’m completely lost in it.
The rise and fall of the lody pulls deeper and I forget where I am.
There is only the music.....Only the feeling flowing from my chest down into my hands and out through the piano.
When the final notes co, they linger in the air for a mont.
Softly fading slowly into silence.
I exhale softly, my chest rising and falling, I take a deep breath and that’s when I hear it. Soone is clapping, the sound startles enough that I actually jump a little.
I turn quickly on the bench to see Zane is leaning against the doorway that leads from the hallway.
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