BOUND OF LOVE - Season 3 Episode 72

“Oh, wait!” she finally snapped and held Abi’s hand. She took off her mask and flashed an encouraging smile. “Okay, since you’re going there to pick up your man, you must get rid of that pale face of yours. Let me put some colors in those lips.”

Kelly started to perform her quick magic trick and in no time, no sign of Abi’s reddened eyes and puffy cheeks could be seen anymore.

“Perfect. Now go, baby girl. As for me, I’ll go on a hunt too. I found a pretty little cake I want to eat whole too, haha. Let’s go crazy tonight, shall we? Just make sure not to disappear on me again.” Kelly raised a brow and Abi hugged her.

“Thank you. I love you, Kelly.”

“Aww ~ Okay, now go. Someone might snatch your man away.” She winked and Abi finally went on her way.

…

The ladies in the grand ballroom were still fawning and swooning over Alex but no one seemed to be brave enough to approach him, not even the dignified looking first princess. The ladies were all acting like figurines waiting to be picked, posing this way and that to try and catch his attention.

Abi entered the ballroom again and this time, her eyes were fixed on her prize. There was no more shying away from this. It was now her turn to be strong for him, her turn to do something for him.

She walked inside, weaving her way through all of the swooning ladies. Her eyes fell on Alex. He seemed so far away as he sat in his throne-like chair. He definitely was like a god in the midst of humans.

Her feet began to move, one slow step at a time. All the noises around her disappeared as she headed towards Alex. It was strange. She felt unbelievably calm.

The closer she got to him, the more she could see the blankness in his eyes – it seemed Zeke wasn’t lying. But as she looked at him, as she got a clearer view of his face, she disagreed with Zeke’s statement that this man was no longer her Alex. He was wrong. This man was still her Alex. This was his body, not anyone else’s. And Alex’s soul, heart and body belonged to her alone.

Abi finally stood before him. He was now within her reach. She didn’t hear the gasps and shocked murmurs inside the ballroom – all whispering about how a brazen woman in black boldly approached Alexander.

Everything faded to the background when she stared into his eyes. He, too, looked back at her. His eyes were glazed over and he looked laidback, uncaring.

It took Abi a lot of restraint to not jump on him and embrace him. She knew she couldn’t do that. Not yet. Not in this place and not like this. From what Zeke told her, she had to tread carefully and gauge the situation first.

She took a silent breath. Somehow, this felt strange. She couldn’t believe she was going to have to treat her husband, this man whom she cuddled with all day, this man whom she made love with many times, like she was only meeting him for the first time.

A new melody started in the background. It vaguely reached Abi’s ears and it brought back the memory of their first dance.

She finally silenced all the thoughts running through her head and she focused on the task at hand. Without further ado, she spoke.

“May I have this dance?” she asked as she held out her hand, palm facing up, as if she was a gentleman asking a lady for a dance.

The man’s lips curved up. Abi couldn’t read anything in his eyes. He was wearing that smirk, that mischievous smirk she knew so well. Only that… there was no emotion in his eyes. Not displeasure nor anger. Nothing.

He lifted his hand and took hers in his. He stared at their hands and then, suddenly, he pulled her towards him without warning and guided her fall so that she would end up sitting on his lap.

“Woman, what makes you think I want to dance?” he asked. His deep, sexy and masculine voice finally reached her ears once again and Abi struggled not to lose her restraint. His lips were right next to her ear and his hands were wrapped around her waist. Oh, how she had longed for this moment. It wasn’t quite how she had pictured it, but even so, just being in his arms again felt like heaven.

Everyone gaped at the sudden PDA, absolutely overtaking the newlywed’s sweetness. No, Alex and Abigail’s public displays completely exceeded the newlywed’s as Alex looked like he was actually kissing her nape.

“My name is not ‘woman’,” she told him, trying to keep her voice from wavering. She had to be the strong one now but still, it stung her damn bad, being called by him like that. “And you are here in the ballroom, so of course I would think you came here to enjoy the party and not just sit here until the party’s over,” she argued, trying to swallow that tinge of pain she was feeling.

“Enjoy, huh…” he echoed, his warm breath touching her skin as he looked past her and stared at the crowd. “I don’t see what’s so pleasurable in dancing like that.”

Abi looked at him. She noticed that he had turned the word joy into pleasure. There was a clear difference between the two and it seemed he just didn’t lose his emotions, he lost the understanding of them as well.

“If it’s dancing in bed, I would agree that doing that is indeed pleasurable.” He stared at her and their eyes met. It seemed that all that was left in him was the desire of the flesh.

She so wanted to kiss him right then but she was afraid it would be a bad idea. What was the right move for her to do? She was fighting with her emotions, trying to keep them in check and it was getting harder to think.

As Abi was still struggling, a voice brought her back to the present.

“Since you don’t want to dance with her, then let me,” a man said and Abi looked up. Zeke already held her hand and looked like he was about to take her away from Alex’s embrace.