10 Nine...

***

It was the third time she ignored Nick's phone calls. At every interval, she would catch the stare of all of them, silently urging her to pick the call. She once again rejected it wondering if he would ever stop calling.

When she thought it was all over, with every one resuming their action of eating breakfast, she received a text. She froze as the music of her phone sounded in the dining room. Meeting the eyes of her husband who had long ago lost appetite, she forced a smile muttering an apology before checking what the message was all about.

'Since you refused to speak to me, I'll come to you and don't try to stop me!'

She quickly excused herself from the dining table dialing his number. As soon as it rang, he rejected it. She sent the call again and he did the same thing. She thought for a second before deciding to text him.

'Don't come over Nick, we can talk later okay? I'll call you.'

She was very fortunate today that Kara wasn't present or she wouldn't have heard the last of it. She was lucky Audora convinced Frederick and Kara to have a vacation, a week to themselves at most, else, she wouldn't be able to explain this whole situation.

She played with her food this time having lost the appetite to eat. Catching the eyes of Daniel, she discovered that he was not even pretending to have lost his appetite. He just relaxed staring at her with an emotion she couldn't decipher.

"Well," Everyone turned to the servant that had began to speak. "Simeon said to inform you that a young man wouldn't stop shouting your name and requests to see you." The servant directed his information to Clarissa who paled instantly.

That was when they heard it, the voice calling out to her. Was he close by or something? She grimaced at the situation. Why doesn't he give up already? Nobody needed to tell her that the table was curious of what she would do.

"Clarissa," the voice started again. 'He isn't going to keep you from me!'

Daniel's expression was void of emotions and that made her a little confused on what to do. Nicholas had to stop somehow and she had to do something immediately.

"I'll just talk to him, maybe he'll stop." She said standing to leave but a cold grip made her stop. He had been fighting the urge to say something and finally gave in. He shouldn't care but he did anyways.

"You don't need to do anything. Just tell the guards to throw him out and they will." Daniel said finally letting go of her, not bothering to look her way.

"I know Nick, Daniel and I know if I don't talk to him he's going to do this again and I don't want that. I don't want-" She flinched when she heard the sound of the chair against the tiles. She watched as he retreated further into the house. Her grip tightened with emotion as she watched him walk away from her.

The yelling wouldn't stop and it was pissing her off. She finally found the courage to walk away from the table.

___

"What are you doing here Nick?" Clarissa said making the man stop pacing. Nick walked to her in a instant, frowning at her question immediately.

"What kind of question is that, you weren't picking up my calls. I didn't want to wait anymore so, I came to see you instead."

Everything was all bottled up and her words came out harsher than intended. "I don't need you to wait for me Nick, you should move on already."

"What? How can you even say that? We've been together for months, you can't do this to me for fuck sake!" His breathing became ragged with anger but he continued, "It's because he fucking has money right?"

"Look, I'm sorry it all turned this way. I never knew it would happen like this but it happened and there's nothing I can do." She said.

"What do you mean Clarissa? You don't need him in your life you need me! We make a good couple, can't you see that?"

"Nick, I know you're hurting...alot and I understand but you need to accept the fact that I'm married now and I can't be yours anymore."

He combed his hair in frustration. "To hell with your Marriage!" He snapped but calm down when he realized himself. "I thought you loved me, I thought we were something. You can't just let go and forget me, I won't let you." She frowned but he made no attempt to stop. He intended on pouring out his heart out to her, he wanted her to be able to read his mind, know that he was crazy about her, but right now, she was doing the opposite.

"I know you're just feeling the need to be loyal to your marriage Clarissa. I know you still love me, you still feel something for me and nothing for that spoilt brat. I need you to come with me, divorce that man and be with me Clarissa I'm begging you, I'm going to go crazy already." Clarissa frowned.

Divorce, had never been on her mind from day one. She wanted Daniel as her husband but what she couldn't take out of her mind was the idea that she got married to her cousin's man or the fact that he might still be in love with her cousin.

"That's where you are wrong. Look for someone else Nick, because I know that if I ever pull through with a divorce, I won't be able to be with you anymore. I can't be with someone I don't love Nick, I'm sorry." He paled. "Forget about me Nick and face reality."

"Are you in love with him?" He asked, searching her eyes for a sudden emotion of weakness but there wasn't. It was as if she had prepared herself for that very question, memorizing her answer in her head every minute.

"There was never anything between the two of us Nick and I'm sorry I led you on,"

"What the fuck are you on about?"

"It wasn't supposed to be that way, I just couldn't find a way to break up with you. Forgive me and I'm sorry please don't call me again."

She moved to walk away only to be drawn back to him with force slamming his lips to hers.

She didn't hesitate to seal her lips in repulsion. Dang it, for requesting privacy.

She forced herself out of his grip and gave him a resounding slap on the face. In a swift motion, he turned to her again, furrowing his brows at her aggressiveness.

"Stop it!" She sobbed. "I need you to get out and don't come back ever again!"

She felt his pain, she imagine being with someone who doesn't love her, pretty much her condition right now. Still, two wrongs never makes it right.

She walked away from him in anger leaving him with a frown on his face. A frown that later turned to a look of anger. He was not someone who would back down so easily. He wanted her and only her and he was sure that he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

No matter what it takes....

____

Darius stood before his large mirror knotting his tie getting ready to leave for work. Audora gently replaced her hands with his hoping to knot it better and he let her.

"You look more beautiful than the last time I saw you." It had really been long. He had gone for a job somewhere out of the state hoping to investigate a crime scene and during those times, he hadn't had a proper conversation with his wife. Two months was a little too much for her not to miss him badly. She paused to look at him before averting her gaze and continued gently.

She mirrored his affection and he could see it. He still never failed to ignore the blush that crept to her cheeks.

"I could say the same for you, you look better, more handsome." Her hands slid down the tie as she finished but he caught it in his hands pulling her closer to kiss her and she wrapped her hands around his neck to deepen their kiss.

___

Daniel buttoned his cream colored sleeve shirt and went forward to reach for his tie but his tie was already stretched towards him. He looked up to find his wife holding his tie out to him.

He stopped himself when he reached forward to take his tie from her and walked away to search for another tie.

When she noticed him walk away from her, her grip tightened around the material. She watched him knot another tie of the same color.

Pulling herself together, She cleared her throat finding the courage to say something without stuttering.

"Daniel, I don't know if you would like to hear but," she swallowed "I told him off,"

"You're right, why would I want to care? I shouldn't, because all you do is run back to him."

She felt her heart shatter at his statement. "That isn't it!" She found herself gritting out. She watched his expression hoping to find at least something that could make her feel okay a little but instead, he showed none.

"I don't care anymore Clarissa. It's not like it's my business anyways, do what you like." He found himself walking away from her. She staggered back at the weight of his words. How she had wished he knew how his words affected her at least but it made no difference, it was always going to be like this.

Karma will always be cruel to her.