Chapter 10

With Regina gone, Bellatrix turned and rushed back inside. In the living room, her father was being attended to by Elise, who handed him a glass of water. As she entered, his gaze fell on her and the glass of water was long forgotten. "Bella," he called weakly and she quickly rushed to his side. Taking his hand in hers, Bellatrix asked. "How are you feeling Daddy?" "How am I feeling? Bella, you shouldn't be worrying about me. The person you should be worrying about is yourself." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he asked. "Tell me Bella, that nonsense on T.V, is it true?" Bellatrix hesitated for a second. She didn't want to say something and end up worrying her father, but under his concerned and expectant stare, she couldn't bring herself to lie and finally gave in and told him everything. As expected, Joe didn't take the news well. "How dare that child do this?" He fumed. "How dare he!" "Daddy, it's...it's fine," Bellatrix said, placing a hand on her father's chest. "Cillian can do whatever he wants because...I'm going to divorce him." "Divorce?" Joe parroted. For a second he was silent, then, his expression fell, guilt and sadness evident in his gaze. "I'm sorry Bella, this is all Daddy's fault–" "Please don't say that Daddy," Bellatrix interrupted him. "If something's not meant to be, no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you wish for it, you can't force it." After saying this, she flashed a reassuring smile. But the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Joe, seeing this, couldn't help but hug his daughter. "Daddy's sorry, Bella," He mumbled into her hair, his voice filled with the guilt that weighed his heart, while his hand rubbing circles in her back, tried to sooth hers. "From now on, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask me. I'll do my best to provide you with whatever you want and support you to the best of my abilities." Bellatrix felt her heart warm as she stayed in the hug, letting the scent of her father's familiar cologne wash away the bitterness that threatened to spill. She felt like she could stay like this forever. With the remainder of her life being uncertain, she wanted to spend as much time as possible with her father, being in his arms forever. However, that notion of hers was busted by the sound of her phone ringing. Pulling away, she grabbed her phone and was surprised when she saw it was an unknown number calling. Who could it be now? She wondered as she excused herself to answer the call. "Yeah, hello?" "Hey, Bella." Hearing that familiar voice, Bellatrix stopped in her tracks and her eyes narrowed. "Damien Walker?" She asked. "Oh my, you remembered me and here I was thinking I had been forgotten," Damien chuckled. "Anyway, I have something to discuss with you, do you have a second?" "About what?” "Aetherion's anniversary is coming up and by a twist of fate, I happened to not have a date, so, I was wondering, would you help a man out? Accompany me, would you?" Bellatrix paused the moment she heard this. Aetherion's anniversary? Cillian's company's anniversary? And Damien was inviting her as his date. "I apologize, but I'd have to decline." "Decline?" Damien repeated. "After how I helped you? You know, you put me through quite a lot when you collapsed and that little show with that husband of yours... shouldn't I at least be compensated?" He asked, his voice carrying an amused hint. Bellatrix parted her lips, about to turn down his offer again, but then, she saw reasoning in his words. He had helped her twice and yet, he was still owed. Wasn't it right that she repaid him in some way? Nibbling on her lower lip, Bellatrix hesitated for a few seconds before giving in with a sigh. "Fine," She said. "I'll come with you. Just send me a time and a location, I'll make it there." "Perfect," Damien said, his voice lightening up. "I'll get my secretary to mail it to you later. And don't worry, I'll be the perfect gentleman." "I'm sure you will," Bellatrix muttered as she ended the call and made her way back inside to spend some time with her father. About two hours later, with one final hug, she decided it was time to head home. The sun had already set by the time she returned to the Laurent Residence. As she stepped into the usual loneliness of the house, her nose was hit with the sweet aroma of food. Someone was cooking? Who was it? She thought as she followed her nose, towards the kitchen, and to her surprise, she found Cillian cooking. "Cillian?" She began, confused and surprised. He never cooked, the only thing he knew how to make was eggs, and even then, the yolk was always hard. "What are you doing?" Hearing her voice, Cillian turned to look at her, his expression unreadable. "You're back," he simply said, plating the food and placing it on the dining table. As he slid a plate towards where she stood, Bellatrix looked down, her brows shooting up the moment her eyes fell on what he had prepared. It was carbonara, and not only that, the pasta wasn't overcooked, and the egg was perfectly soft and the bacon, not burnt. "You...cooked this?" She asked. "If you're not gonna eat it, you can throw it in the trash. It's better than standing there and making faces at me." Came Cillian's response as he picked up his fork and took a bite. Bellatrix, however, didn't throw it in the trash. Even though she was reluctant at first, she eventually took a seat across from him and after a few hesitant bites, her eyes widened. It was good, unlike what she had expected. "Aetherion's anniversary is coming up," Cillian suddenly said, breaking the silence that had settled over the dining table. Bellatrix paused mid bite and glanced up from her food. Taking that as a sign to go ahead, Cillian continued. "Regina is going to be accompanying me. Seeing as she's going to be the new face of Aetherion's new lineup, it's only right." "Oh," Hearing this, Bellatrix felt her fingers tighten around her fork, but she kept a straight face. "Well, there's no need for you to tell me this. I'm only an assistant, I don't have any right to interfere with your business. You, as the boss, have the final say." With that, she took another bite of her food. Cillian, however, didn't seem to take her words in a positive light. Instead, his frown deepened and a subtle vein pulsed in his jaw. Suddenly, he dropped his fork. The clatter of the utensils was accompanied by the sound of his chair sliding back. Bellatrix looked up and raised a brow. "Not eating anymore?" She questioned. Cillian stared silently at her for what felt like an eternity, then he sighed. "I suddenly lost my appetite." Then, without another word, he walked out. Bellatrix followed his leaving form for a little while before she sighed and muttered. "What a waste, the food's actually quite good." Later that night, while putting together an outfit for the gala, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning, she saw Cillian by the entrance of the closest with his arms folded. "Do you need something?" She asked, but Cillian did not respond. Rather, His gaze lingered on the part of her body that was being exposed by the nightgown she was wearing. The moment Bellatrix noticed this, she tried covering herself. Something in Cillian's expression darkened as she did that. Without a word, he crossed the room and pinched her chin. Bellatrix flinched and instinctively placed her hand on his chest, putting some much needed distance between them. "What are you doing?" She asked. "Don't you think," Cillian began, placing his thumb on and dragging it along her lip, feeling its plumpness. For a second, his gaze darkened, before he continued. "It's time for you to do your duties as my wife." Her brows furrowed when she heard this, but she didn’t pull away. She looked up and met his gaze, those dark eyes of his that now stared down at her with unreadable emotions. She felt her stomach flip and her heart clenched weirdly. Perhaps it was the warmth of dinner. Maybe it was the voice in the back of her head telling her this might be the last time, but for what reason it was Bellatrix didn’t resist. Searching his eyes, she slowly allowed the hand pressed against Cillian's chest to drop as he leaned in, closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against hers. The moment his lips captured hers, Bellatrix's body tensed. A rush of sensation washed over her and against her better judgement, her eyes fluttered closed. When Cillian's tongue pushed past her lips, her own tentatively responded and a small moan escaped her throat when she felt him grip her waist, the heat of his body searing into her own. In the back of her mind, she could still hear that one voice nagging—the voice of regret. But yet again, she ignored it. This once, even if it was pathetic of her, she wanted to feel this. So, when Cillian's hands found her breast, she didn't push him away. She simply arched into him, moaning against his lips, her hands clutching desperately to the front of his shirt. Breaking the kiss, he leaned down and kissed her neck, all the while keeping his eyes on her, observing her every reaction. The way she reacted to HIM. Bellatrix however, was too occupied with the pleasure to notice this. Suddenly, she felt his hands grip the hem of her dress and began tugging it up. In the back of her mind, the rational part of her knew she should stop him, but the moment his palm pressed against her stomach and his lips began kissing her shoulder, Bellatrix's heart fluttered. "Wait..." She gasped the moment she felt her underwear slide down her legs. "Cillian..." But her pleas fell on deaf ears. Before she could do anything else, she felt him lift her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around him and the moment she did, Cillian carried her over to the bed and laid her down. His mouth found hers almost immediately, resuming the hungry onslaught all the while his hand traveled up her thigh, exploring. Her eyes suddenly snapped open when she felt him touch her exposed part. "No, Cillian..." Bellatrix began, but the words got stuck in her throat as he began rubbing her. A soft gasp escaped her lips and her fingers tightened on his arm. The more Cillian rubbed her, the more her resistance faltered and slowly, her hand loosened their grip and moved to his chest. "Wait, I..." She began, but a gasp tore from her lips when she felt his fingers enter her. “Fuck!” She moaned out, arching her back as his hand moved faster. It wasn't long before she felt her peak approaching. "Cillian, wait... I'm..." Her words got lost in the pleasure, her body arching into his touch, her mind a dizzy haze as he continued to move his fingers. Then suddenly, she felt him pull away. The next moment, she was lifted up and turned around. The moment she was, his arm came around her waist, pulling her flush against him. "Don't move," He whispered, his voice rough in her ear. "Just...trust me." Before she could process what she had said, she felt him position himself and then, slowly, he entered her. The pleasure was immediate, so intense she let out a moan, her head falling back against his shoulder. He pulled back and then, just as slow, thrust forward, his teeth nipping at the curve of her neck. Her body trembled and a soft whimper escaped her lips. "Cillian..." Her hand found its way to his hair, gripping it while her body moved in time with his thrust. But despite the pleasure she was experiencing, a part of her heart still ached, and no amount of pleasure she experienced could take it away. The rest of the night was spent with nothing but the sound of their pleasure filling the room, their bodies entangled in each other, never once breaking apart. ~•~•~•~ The following morning, Bellatrix woke up to aches all over her body. As she remembered what had happened, her heart suddenly felt heavy. She shouldn't have done it. Whatever the reason had been, she shouldn't have given in so easily. The sound of the door opening pulled Bellatrix out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Cillian stepping in, carrying a glass of water in one hand and…a medicine in the other. "You're awake," He said as he strode towards her. "Here, take these. Contraceptives." "Contraceptives?" Bellatrix parroted. "Yes," Cillian said, handing the items over without an ounce of remorse. "Yesterday was a mistake and I don't want yet another mistake resulting from that." Her heart clenched as she heard this. She looked down and stared at the medicine. Then at him. For a moment, she considered asking which part was the mistake—the dinner or the night. But she said nothing. Without another word, she stood up and grabbed the pill, ignoring the ache between her legs. "Don't worry," she told him, her tone cold, almost indifferent. "Nothing like that is ever going to happen." Without accepting the water, she popped the pill open and threw the content in her mouth, swallowing the tiny pill whole. Cillian, however, didn't look pleased by this. However, he didn't say anything. He simply watched as she turned around and without another word, walked out of the room.