Mel POV
“Hi honey, I’m home,” she called sarcastically as she walked in the door. “Not that you give a crap, of course.”
Harry appeared in the doorway of the lounge room and looked over at her. He walked over toward her peering at her closely. “And you’re drunk,” he finally said accusingly.
Mel protested. “Not really. I think that I was drunk about an hour’s or so.”
Harry’s eyes narrowed. “Who brought you home?”
“So guy that I met at the bar and we went to his hotel room before coming home, so yeah.”
Mel watched in fascination as he run his hand through his hair before making his hands into fists. “Rose,” he grated.
“Oh relax,” she said with a giggle. “Hayden and Gwen drove me home.”
“Gwen and Hayden?”
“Yes Harry, your sister and her boyfriend.”
“So what did you talk about?”
“Girl stuff.”
“Like what?”
“Like the hot sexy bartender at the bar, oh and also the guy that I went to his hotel, that was what we talked about.”
“Melrose Jameson,” He said again.
It was the first time that Harry had called her full name; she sighed and looked up at him. “You’re uptight tonight.”
“And you’re a bit less than uptight,” he returned.
“True but sobering up rapidly. I’m going for a walk with Max and then go to bed.”
“No and you can’t walk with Max in your condition.”
“I have no condition. And I want to go for a walk. So I’m going.”
“Then I’m coming too.”
“Fine.”
They walked silently along the road. Harry walked with his hands in his pockets, waiting for Mel to chat to him. But Mel wasn’t in the chatty mood and she wasn’t going to pretend that nothing was wrong. They walked for hours till Michelle the nanny for Danny and Belle joined them. Michelle and Rose chat about the kids and Rose was happy till they circled back toward the Sullivan’s house and Michelle said her goodbyes before entering the house.
Harry wondered why he felt like the odd man out. He listened to the easy rapport that Rose and Michelle shared, and felt like the third wheel. Harry they realised that Rose loved everyone around her, and he was jealous, jealous for the fact that other people have an easy relationship with his wife and she was different with him.
“Rose,” he said softly, stepping toward her and reaching out gently to touch her shoulder. But Rose pulled away, circling around him to head back toward the house. She stopped when she felt his strong fingers encircled her arm, stopping her from going further. Turning around as she looked up at him with suspicion and confusion.
“It’s getting late, Harry,” she said quietly.
“Why are you avoiding me, Rose?”
“I’m not avoiding you.”
“Rose.”
“Yes I’m and you know why, so I’m tired and I’d like to go inside and sleep.”
With his free hand, Harry reached up and gently brushed the hair back from her face. Rose reached up and clapped his hand away. “Stop it,” she snapped. “Just stop it, Harry.”
Harry looked surprised. “Rose, what’s the matter? Why are you being so short-tempered?”
Rose let out a snort of laughter, moving away from him, but her arm was still caught in his grip.
“Rose, what wrong?”
“Why do you even need to ask that?” she countered.
“Well I can’t read minds, Rose.” He pointed out.
“Harry, it doesn’t take a mind reader to know that I’m still dealing with all of yesterday’s conversation,” she said as she shook her head taking a deep breath.
But Harry just let his hand fell to his side. “You are upset because I want to stay married to you?” he asked.
Rose just ignored him and walked toward the house.
“Then why?”
His words stopped her as she turned around to face him; she fought to keep her anger from causing her voice tremor. “I’m upset because you never talked to me about it. You made up your own mind up without even thinking about me or what I wanted. And please, Harry don’t answer that.” she walked away from him. Once inside the house she made her way to her bed room with Max on his trail as she closed the door.She went into her walked-in-closet, wearing her pj, when she heard her own bedroom door open, she walked into her room and she saw Harry standing in the doorway.
“What the hell is wrong with you, Harry? You can’t just barge in here like that...”
He stopped and shrugged his shoulders. “It my house.”
“And it my room. You don’t have the right to just walk in like that. I could have been naked.” As soon as Rose said that she realised it wasn’t the right thing to say to Harry. Harry’s eyes grew darker and just stared intently at her.
“What do you want, Harry?”
“You,” he said as he pushed himself from the frame and stepped inside her room. “We weren’t done, Rose.”
“Yes, Harry we are done. There is nothing else to say to you.”
“I was talking to you before you left and I have a few things to say.”
“Go ahead then,” she said with her eyes flashing and her hands on her hips.
“I did think about you, our family, our daughter and your reputation. I also our marriage that why I offered to stay married to you.”
“Offered? Harry, you didn’t ‘offered’ you simply told me what you had decided.”
Harry walked toward her, stopping a few feet away from him. “I decided based on what was best for you and Aria.”
“And how would you know what best for us.”
“Tell me what you would want, Rose. Because I know what my daughter wants. But how exactly would you like me to handle this?”
“By talking to me first, Harry.”
“But I’m talking to you now.”
Rose knew that he was right. “Fine.”
“Do you want a divorce, Rose?” his voice was low and his tone was mild, but Rose saw a storm in his eyes that she wasn’t sure about.
“Of course I do,” she responded. “That’s been what this marriage was headed for since the day we married.”
But Harry’s response was gently. “Do you want a divorce right away?”
“I don’t know what I want, Harry?” she answered quietly. “Maybe we should start spending more time apart. Maybe I could stay at my house till we figure out what we want.”
Harry was surprised at the wave of anger that rolled over him. “No. You would live with me and that it.”
“Then what’s the point of talking to me about this if you won’t compromise?” her eyes sought his. Hers were troubled and his were stubborn.
“There is no compromise when it comes to you, Rose. You’re my wife and as long as we are married, you live with me.Is that why Aria is staying with your parents, Rose?”
“And how long will that be?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” he asked mildly.
“How long, Harry?”
“Until I’m ready to let you go,” he finally said, with a blank and cold expression.
Rose shook her head. “I don’t understand,” she said at last.
“Three years, Rose. And because you’re my wife, I’m simply not interested in letting you go.”
“Harry, that’s not fair.”
“I’m done with fair, Rose. Particularly where you’re concerned.” Lowering his mouth, he kissed her, with a kiss of ownership.But Harry and Rose just stared at each other. “What now?” she asked quietly annoyed that her voice shook.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Rose. I won’t hurt you, Sweetheart,” he said with a gently voice.

Mel POV
To herself, Mel thought, you will. You won’t mean to, but you will if I let you.
As Harry stood in her bedroom with his eyes fixed on hers. Mel’s mind drifted back to something Lillian had said about how Harry could have found another way to get his uncle’s voting options. About how he could have found someone else when Lillian changed her mind. Even Lilli had suspected that Harry could have found a way to get the votes without completely changing his life.
But Harry had changed his life, completely. He had a wife, a dog and a beautiful daughter. He wasn’t dating anyone or sleeping around with different women, besides that one time with Mel. But Mel couldn’t figure out why. Why her?”
She felt Harry sit down next to her. Felt it as he reached out and gently brushed her hair back from her face as she leaned her head on his shoulder.
“Why?” she asked as the word slipped out with a voice that she didn’t recognised was hers. It was filled with anguish.
He turned her face toward his as his hand caressing her cheek and her chin, his thumb lightly tracing the outline of her lower lip. “Why what, Rose?” he asked gently.
“Why did you marry me?” Mel felt his hand stilled for a moment, falling to rest on her shoulder.
“Because I don’t think that it because of your uncle’s will. So tell me, Harry,” she begged. “If I am going to make it through two years of an empty marriage, at least tell me why.”
She felt his flinch before his hands dropped and he stood up. “Harry?”
“You’re right, Rose. Good night.” She watched in disbelief as he left the room, he look back at her with something resembling tenderness on his face, but he still left. Mel just sat there trying very hard to not cry but she was done fighting with the tears as she let them fall.
Mel was crying and she didn’t realise that Aria was in the room, staring down at her with tears in her eyes too. She reached out and pulled her into a hug.

Notes

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