Chapter 5

The house was silent, except for the faint ticking of the clock in the hallway.

Elise stood in the kitchen, carefully arranging a tray with a steaming teapot and a plate of crackers. It had been eight months since she first stepped into Alejandro’s life, and she had grown accustomed to the quietness of his home.

Her fingers brushed the edge of the teapot as her mind wandered. Alejandro had made incredible progress and was walking now though not for long, and he still needed the support of a cane.

It made her happy to see him reclaiming his strength. Yet, it also filled her with a quiet dread. The contract’s terms had been clear: Help me recover, and this marriage is off.

Now that he was getting better, she wasn’t sure how to live a life that did not include him.

“Elise?”

Alejandro’s deep voice called her from her reverie. He had been watching her for the longest time with a smile on his lips.

Elise glanced up to find him standing by the door, leaning against his cane.

“I was making you tea,” she looked at him with a smile.

He nodded, “Thank you. Come sit with me.” Alejandro pointed out, moving towards his room.

Elise followed him and when they settled, Alejandro volunteered to pour the tea for them. Elise smiled at him, not only his legs were healing, but Alejandro didn’t seem like the rude and bitter person that she once knew.

“Do you know what tomorrow is?” Alejandro broke the silence that had almost begun to settle on them.

Elise shook her head. “No. What is it?” She furrowed her brows.

“The anniversary of my accident.”

Her breath caught. She hadn’t expected that not like she had expected anything. “Oh,” she murmured, not sure of what to say.

Alejandro’s gaze dropped to his hands, his fingers tracing the rim of his teacup. “I’ve never talked about it with anyone before. Not my family. Not my friends. No one.” He glanced up at her, his expression blank though a small smile began to appear. “But I want to tell you.”

Elise set her cup down, her full attention now on him. She nodded softly, encouraging him to continue.

He let out a slow breath. “Before the accident, I was...everything people expected of an heir to Mendoza's legacy. I was charming.” He smiled. “Almost everyone wanted to be me or move with me.” His voice was tinged with a bitterness that made Elise’s chest tighten.

“And then, it all changed. One moment, I’m behind the wheel, laughing with my friends. The next, I’m waking up in a hospital bed, unable to feel my legs.

Everything happened so fast, and the world moved on, but I couldn’t. People stopped calling. Stopped visiting. I became the man everyone pitied, the man they mocked when they thought I couldn’t hear.”

Elise’s heart ached at his words. She wanted to reach out, to touch his hand, but she stayed still, letting him speak.

“And then you came along,” his voice was soft. “You didn’t look at me like I was broken. Though you had some arrogance that intrigued me,” he chuckled. “You looked at me like I was...worth saving.” He paused, his eyes locking with hers.

“Elise, I don’t want to lose you.”

Her breath hitched. “Alejandro...” She had not seen this coming.

“I know what we agreed,” he interrupted. “But I can’t let you go. I don’t want this marriage to end. I want you. Not as part of a contract, but as my wife.”

Elise’s pulse raced. The vulnerability in his voice was undeniable, and it shook her to her core. She had always known that leaving would hurt, but she hadn’t allowed herself to imagine that he would feel the same way she did.

“Alejandro,” Elise called out, “I care about you. More than I ever thought I would. But we can’t be more than the contract. I don’t know how to believe that this is more than me being your caregiver.”

His eyes darkened. “I understand how you feel and I wanted it that way too, but I can’t stop myself from feeling the things I feel. Don’t you feel it too?”

Elise didn’t speak, but her silence answered enough.

Alejandro reached for her hand, his grip firm but gentle. “Please stay, allow me to prove it to you.”

Elise struggled to form the words but she knew that she felt everything he felt. Unable to control herself, she leaned in closer and her lips met his.

Alejandro’s body language seemed like he didn’t expect it, but in an instant, he took over, after receiving approval from her to go on, then kissed her fiercely.

He did not stop kissing her as he made her lay on the bed, her hair sprawled about her as he kissed from her lips to every part of her body.

The way his lips moved about her body made her toes curl, and Elise began to feel her body heat up at his touch.

Alejandro moved her dress up, and his fingers began to mess with her open thighs. Even as she wasn’t completely sure, Elise could not resist his touch.

Alejandro held her closer and softly licked her navel, his touch causing chills and flutters in her belly.

“Ale…” Elise released a moan as his lips traveled up to her nipples. He sucked it with so much dedication, taking turns between her breast while his fingers played with the rest of her body.

Elise’s hands wrapped around his head, pressing him against her body as she kept on moaning from the pleasure Alejandro caused.

This was the first time in eight months that they were having this level of intimacy or anything close to it, and it was fulfilling.

Gradually Alejandro’s fingers ran to her panties and pulled them off then his fingers found their way to her vagina.

He pumped it with all carefulness while making sure that the chills ran through every part of her. All along, his lips rotated between her lips and nipples.

Just when Elise thought he was done, his mouth went to her vagina. She gasped, “What are you doing? Stop please.” Elise blushed.

He smiled, “hearing you speak turns me on. If you want me to stop then you’d have to stay quiet.”

Elise swallowed, “What was wrong with this man?”

Alejandro’s tongue went inside her wet channel, playing with it in a rhythm that excited his dick and made her toes curl.

He ate her like he was dependent on her, his fingers pumping inside in a way that seemed like it was paving the way for him.

Elise had gotten so wet that she could not control herself as her hands pulled Alejandro’s hair. “Please don’t do this anymore, just take all of me.”

The side of Alejandro’s lips curved and without wasting any more time, he pulled out his hard cock with his veins pumped out on every side.

He rubbed it along her clit till Elise was pleading, “Please don’t tease me. Just go in.”

Alejandro smiled then raised his face to her. “Lily, do you want me this much? I want you too.”

Before he finished his statement, his thick cock went deep inside of her and Elise let out a loud cry. “Aaarghh…”

Alejandro’s eyes were filled with excitement. He loved how she moaned, how she called his name, and everything about her.

Alejandro bent to the side of her ears and licked it before he muttered the words, "I promise to go easy on you."

Elise kept on staring straight into his eyes as a tear slipped out of hers, while his hard cock slammed against her walls.

Everything continued that way, like the world was at a stop, till the night was far spent and they slept off.

The next morning light streamed through the curtains as Alejandro stirred on the bed. His hand reached out instinctively, seeking Elise warmth, but the bed beside him was empty.

He sat up, then tried to call her from the bathroom but something about her absence worried him.

Without wasting any more time, he jerked up and checked his room and hers only to notice a neatly folded piece of paper on the nightstand.

With trembling hands, he unfolded it.

Alejandro,

Thank you. For everything. For showing me kindness when I needed it most. For believing in me, even when I wasn’t sure of myself. You’ve given me so much, more than I could ever repay.

But I’m scared. Scared that what we have isn’t real, that it’s just the closeness of our circumstances. I care about you, but I don’t know how to give you more so I decided to leave, far away from you and this city. I’m sorry.

Elise

The paper slipped from his fingers as he bolted out of the room. “Security!” he shouted and in no time, they were in front of him.

“Go everywhere, the airports, train stations, and bus stops. Find my wife, Elise, and bring her to me. Now!”

As the security scrambled to obey, Alejandro sank back onto the edge of the bed, his fists clenching at his sides.

“You’re not running from me, Lily,” he muttered, “I am not letting you go.”