Dear Wife, I Hate You (by Josephine Mbanefo) novel Chapter 10

Lilith’s Pov

After the incident in the garden with Killian, I didn’t see his face for the next two days. I didn’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, but honestly, I didn’t feel like pushing myself to face him. It was better this way, I guess.

Over those two days, I spent time with Zoey. We watched movies, talked about random things. It felt nice, almost like we were going to be good friends, something I didn’t know I needed. She was easy to talk to, and in a strange way, I felt like I could actually breathe when I was around her.

On the third day, I thought about going down to paint again. I wasn’t sure if I should–Killian hadn’t said anything about it, and I had no idea how he’d react. But then Zoey asked me from her room, “Are you going down to paint today?”

I shrugged, trying not to seem unsure. “I don’t know. What do you think? Should we go?”

She raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “This is your house too. We’re just guests here. You should go paint. And besides, I want to learn too. I’d like to paint.”

I blinked at her. “Really? Are you sure?”

She smiled, nodding. “Yeah, if you’ll teach me.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m not sure I can teach you, but we can definitely try.”

Zoey grabbed the equipment, the board, the brushes, and we made our way to the garden. We settled down and started painting. Laughter filled the air as we talked about everything and nothing. For the first time in a while, I felt free from the weight of my own thoughts.

But then something shifted. I felt it before I saw it–a strange chill ran through my body, like someone was watching me. I couldn’t shake the feeling, and when I looked up, there he was. Killian, standing by the window, his gaze locked on mine.

I froze for a moment, unable to look away. His stare was intense, almost as if he was trying to pierce right through me. I didn’t know how long we stared at each other, but eventually, he turned and walked away from the window.

My heart raced. The moment felt heavy, but strangely enough, it also made me feel… uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to make of it. I turned to Zoey and suggested we take a break.

“Come on, let’s go inside for a bit,” I said, my voice a little shakier than I wanted it to be.

Zoey agreed, so we packed up and headed inside. “I’m going to check on Nolan,” Zoey said, walking off toward her fiance.

I made my way upstairs, trying to calm my thoughts, and as soon as I entered the bedroom, I heard a knock on the door. I thought it was Zoey coming back, so I opened it without thinking.

“Zoey, I—” I stopped myself mid–sentence when I saw who was standing there.

Killian.

“Oh,” I muttered, confused. “Killian.”

He raised an eyebrow, his gaze unreadable. “Were you expecting someone else?”

“No…. I just thought you were Zoey,” I muttered, suddenly feeling awkward under his stare.

He raised an eyebrow slightly. “You’ve made a new friend… so we could-” he trailed off.

I didn’t know what he was about to say, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know. The silence that followed felt too loud. My fingers itched to do something–fix my hair, close the door, disappear.

Then, out of nowhere, he pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to me.

“Take.” he said.

I looked down at the card in confusion. “What for?”

He sighed like I was already tiring him out. “You need to buy yourself a dress.”

I stared at him. “Why?”

“There’s a party tonight. I need you to dress fine.”

I frowned. “I didn’t tell you I didn’t have a dress for parties.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Can you stop being a nuisance and just take the card?”

I hesitated.

“Buy something nice for yourself,” he added, more firmly this time. “You know what a black card is? It’s unlimited. So get the best outfit for tonight.”

My lips parted slightly, unsure whether to argue or not. But I knew better than to push him too far when he was in this mood.

“If you insist,” I finally said, reaching out and taking the card.

As soon as my fingers brushed the card, he suddenly stepped closer.

Too close.

I froze.

His face was right in front of mine. His presence made my breath hitch. I didn’t know what was happening, what he was doing, but I couldn’t move. My eyes shut instinctively, like my body was bracing for something.

A kiss?

Was he… was he going to kiss me?

But then, I heard him whisper near my car, low and dry, “The pin… one, two, one, one.”

I opened my eyes quickly and blinked, confused. “What?”

“That’s the pin for the card,” he said, straightening up. “Were you expecting something else to happen?”

“No–no, no!” I said too fast, too defensively. My cheeks burned, and I could feel the blush creeping up like it was tattooing itself on my skin.

He smirked. Just a little. Just enough to make me want to punch the air.

“Don’t get anything in your head,” he said coolly. “I’m just trying to make sure you don’t disgrace me in front. of people.”

And with that, he turned around and walked away, leaving me standing there, confused, flushed, and a little bit breathless.

As Killian walked away, I stayed frozen for a second, still feeling the warmth of his breath near my ear. I shook my head, trying to clear the silly thoughts crawling in.

Just then, I saw Zoey walking toward me with her usual confident steps. Before I could say anything, she reached me and stepped into my room like she owned it.

“What was that all about?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is there a problem?”

I shook my head quickly. “No, not really. Killian just came to tell me about a party tonight… and that I should go get dressed.”

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