The Tycoon’s Remorse Pursuing His Unforgettable Bride

Accommodating her.

(ARIELLE’S POV)

I pinned Jared a quizzical look, expecting him to give me answers, but he looked away, his expression remorseful.

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. “I demand to know what agreement, Jared.

Jared hesitated, his eyes darting between me and Sofia. “I…uh…we discussed it earlier.”

“Discussed what?” I pressed on, my patience becoming thin. “You can’t just invite someone to live in our house without talking to me, your wife, about it!”

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!”

Sofia’s face turned red with anger, but Jared intervened before she could retaliate. Arielle, please understand. Sofia is not a stranger-”

“Well, she is to me!”

“Arielle quit acting childish and listen!” Jared said, almost snapping.

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. “Arielle, 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

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Accommodating her.

now because I’m not letting this slide!”

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

“Arielle? Arielle, wait,” I heard Jared call out behind me, but I didn’t pay heed. I kept ascending the stairs, and I could hear his thudding footsteps closely behind me.

I got into our bedroom, my chest heaving up and down. Jared joined me almost. immediately, a placating expression on his face. “You have to take it easy, Arielle.”

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

He looked stunned 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?”

Come on, Arielle. You have changed too, since Sofia’s arrival. The Arielle I married was a woman of few words who would choose peace over fight anytime. These days, all you do is whine and nag.”

“That’s because my marriage is being threatened. I’m sorry, but Sofia is being a nuisance, and she has to leave.”

“I’m sorry, but she can’t leave yet.”

“What do you mean? Getting an apartment doesn’t take time, does it? How long does she plan to stay 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. Sofia is actually a sweet 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, Arielle. She can’t live alone. What if she falls ill in the middle of the

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night, and there’s no one to help? She needs people around her, Arielle.”

“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 I 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, are you listening?” Jared’s voice cut into my thoughts.

“Umm…what were you saying?”

“I was asking if you have agreed to let Sofia stay?” He asked, his eyes imploring.

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, Arielle,” Jared said, and before I could blink, he had me in his arms, pressed tightly against his chest.

“Let go, Jared. You’re suffocating me,” I groaned.

His grip quickly loosened, and he stepped away. “I’m sorry if my grip was too hard.”

I nodded. I was beginning to feel dizzy and nauseous from inhaling his cologne in the

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brief moment he held me in his arms. I used to love Jared’s cologne, but now it smelt so terrible I wanted to puke.

“I will go show Sofia her room. 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.

Minutes later, my eyelids dropped in an exhausted sleep.