MR BILLIONAIRE'S REGRET: CHASING HIS IRRESISTIBLE WIFE

(ARIELLE'S

POV)

I shot Jared a confused look, expecting some sort of explanation, but he just brushed me off.

What the hell? Don't tell me Jared agreed to accommodate Sofia in our home without informing and discussing it with me?

"Agreement?" I repeated, this time, my voice was firmer and demanding. "Tell me, what agreement, Jared."

"Watch your tone, wifey." Jared narrowed his eyes at me before glancing over at Sofia. "We talked about it earlier."

"Talked about what?" My patience was wearing thin. "You can't just invite someone to live here without discussing it with me first. I'm your wife!"

Sofia stood up, her hand still on her stomach. To garner sympathy, I guess. "Jared, tell her," she said, holding his hand. "We agreed that I could stay here until I get back on my feet, and get a place of my own." "Back on your feet?" I exclaimed, incredulous. "You're pregnant Sofia, and not handicapped. You need to be thinking about the future, and not freeloading off us!"

Her face flushed with anger, but Jared jumped in before she could fire back. "Arielle, just listen for a second. Sofia isn't some random person-"

""Well, she is to me!"

"Arielle, stop acting like a child and hear me out!" Jared snapped.

Oh, wow! So, voicing my displeasure now makes me childish?

"Sofia is going through a tough time," Jared continued. "She needs our support."

"Support?" I scoffed. "Our support, you say? How about you rephrase it to, 'your support?' You're not even supporting me, your own wife! How can you just bring someone else into our home without considering my feelings?" Jared sighed, rubbing his temples. "We need to talk about this later. It's been a long day."

"Talk about it later?" I repeated, my voice rising. "You'd better be ready to talk about it now because I'm not letting this slide!"

And with that, I stormed out of the living room, heading upstairs.

"Arielle? Wait!" Jared called after me, but I ignored him and kept climbing the stairs, his footsteps pounding behind me.

I slammed the door to our bedroom and leaned against it, my chest heaving with frustration. Jared followed right in, wearing that placating expression that made me want to scream.

"Arielle, just take a breath," he said softly.

I swirled to face him, unable to rein my anger in. "Who are you?"

He frowned again at my question. "What do you mean? I'm your husband."

"Exactly! A husband I no longer recognize. You used to dote on me, and prioritize my wellbeing. You never took a decision without my knowledge, but everything changed the moment Sofia arrived. So I ask again, who are you?"

"Look, Arielle," he said, his voice rising slightly. "You've changed too since she got here. The Arielle I married was calm and collected; now all you do is complain."

"That's because my marriage is under threat! Sofia is a nuisance who needs to go. She pushed me down the stairs-do you think that's just something I imagined? That's why I ended up in the hospital! And now you want her living here with us?" My tears threatened to spill over.

"It's okay love," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around me in a warm hug. "It's okay now. I'm sorry-I didn't realize how much pressure this was putting on you."

"You just don't believe me do you?" I cried out. "She wanted to hurt me!"

"I believe you love," he held me closer. "Listen, let's figure this out together. Starting tomorrow, I'll install cameras around the house and hire more help to keep you safe. How does that sound?"

"You're unbelievable Jared... Why go through all that trouble? Just tell her to leave! Finding an apartment doesn't take forever right? How long does she plan on crashing here?" "Until she delivers her child -"

I gasped in shock, questioning

myself if I heard right. "Are you kidding me? From my deduction, Sofia is somewhere between five and six months pregnant. Are you insinuating she's going to live with us for approximately seven months?" My voice came out shrill and louder than I expected.

I guess shock has a way of triggering one.

"It's not that bad, Arielle. Trust me this time as your husband, Sofia is annoying. I know that, but she's not evil, she has a pure soul, you just have to get to know her."

"Allow me to understand all of this

clearly. The plan was that she

stayed at the penthouse until she got a place of her own, an idea I wasn't comfortable with. But since your mother suggested it, I had to give in. What changed? Why does she want to live with a married couple now?"

"She's pregnant!" Jared insisted. "She can't be alone right now. What if something happens in the middle of the night? She needs people around her."

"Doesn't she have a family? I understand she's divorced, but what about her family? They are people she should be with and not you, not us."

Jared paused, as if contemplating his next choice of words. "She does," he finally said.

"Then why is she not with them?"

"Her family have been away for a while. Her Dad has a heart disease, prompting her parents to retire to a beach in India, where her mother is tending to him with the help of some Indian physicians. She is the only child and has no sibling or relative to go to, except me and mum."

My eyes dropped at Jared's words, and for the first time since I had known Sofia, I felt another emotion that was not anger towards her-sympathy.

The anger in me dissipated, as I wondered what she might be going through. An ailing father, a divorce, being pregnant and alone without her family with her. I had to admit, that was a lot for one to go through.

But then, was that enough to make

her act in the unbearable manner she does? People go through a lot and still turn out well, behavior wise. I, for example, didn't have it rosy growing up, having been born into a not well-to-do family and having to struggle to the point I had gotten to.

I shook my head, I shouldn't be comparing. People react to circumstances differently, and that's what makes us peculiar as individuals.

"Arielle?" Jared's voice pulled me back from my thoughts.

"Yeah...what were you saying?"

"I asked if you'd consider letting Sofia stay." His gaze was earnest.

I sighed in resignation. "Do I have a choice? You two already decided, so I guess I will have to let her stay."

"You will? Thank you!" He swept me into his arms before I could protest.

"Jared! Let go-I can't breathe!"

He pulled back slightly so our eyes met; there was something soft in his expression that made my heart race despite everything else swirling in my mind.

"How lucky am I to have a wife like you?" He buried his face in my neck, inhaling deeply as if savoring my scent. Then he started leaving soft kisses on my skin. "Stop it..."

I pushed him away gently; his cologne was overwhelming-I used to love it but now it felt suffocating.

"You won't forget your promises about the cameras and extra help...right?"

"Of course not," he assured me quickly. "You always have my words. Just get some rest okay?"

I nodded and watched him hurry out the door. Afterward, I collapsed on the bed, my body feeling like a heavy sack of flour.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

Minutes later, my eyelids dropped in an exhausted sleep.