Page 4 of Breaking the Annulment

She bristled, recalling the empty vows. Legally, they were still husband and wife.Not for much longer, she told herself. But his unwavering glare shook her confidence. Glaring, she countered, “I never used your name.”

He glared right back. “Then you will start.”

A knock sounded. One of Michalis’s guards stepped in. “Night security team is here. Need anything before the day shift heads out?”

Michalis glanced at her. “Escort Mrs.Giannopoulosto a guest suite and secure her phone.”

Aurelia almost screamed a denial at the guard’s surprised look, but her retort lodged in her throat as he recovered almost instantly. He came forward and gripped her elbow, gently but firmly. “This way, Mrs. Giannopoulos.”

She glared at Michalis. “You can’t do this.”

“I already have,” he countered smoothly.

Aurelia had no choice but to allow the guard to escort her to her room and confiscate her phone. Behind her, Michalis remained standing, the unopened annulment papers resting on the desk like a silent challenge.

3

Saturday night

Aurelia slept all day,not waking until dusk. Between working extra hours to make up for the week she was taking off work, and the stress of seeing her “husband” after seven years without any contact, she hadn’t slept properly for weeks.

Groggily, she forced her lids open, momentarily disoriented. This bed was way too comfortable to be hers. Then the memories of the previous night came barreling back in and she jerked upright, suddenly wide awake. Michalis’s fundraiser, the annulment papers, the locked suite.

Shit.She swung her legs off the bed, scolding herself for. She should have tried to escape, but after the emotional rollercoaster, tossing and turning most of the night, her body had demanded sleep.

What she needed now was a shower and change of clothes. Maybe Michalis would be more reasonable this time. If he decided to let her go, she had a flight to catch back to Houston, and she didn’t want to be wearing last night’s gown.

She walked toward the large walk-in closet, hoping, but not expecting there to be any clothes inside. To her surprise, it was full of men’s clothes; shirts, jackets, trousers. No women’s clothing, not even an old dress. Clicking her tongue in disappointment, she stepped farther inside. Maybe there would be some behind the door, on the side she couldn’t see. Nope. Just shoes, ties and belts.Hmm.Maybe I could wear one of the longer shirts and use a belt to make it look like a shirt-dress? I’ve seen women do it before.

Quickly raking through the shirts, she selected the thickest one she could find. Her dress had a built in bra, so she hadn’t worn another one underneath. Now she wished she had. She was curvy, some might say full figured––in aMarilyn Monroesort of way––so walking around without a bra wasn’t something she ever did. Not to mention she didn’t want to give anyone a show. Luckily, the shirt she chose, navy with red pinstripes, would hide a lot. Satisfied with her choice, she took it off the hangar, grabbed a slender black belt off the belt rack, and headed to the bathroom.

The room was huge and ornate, with a separate jacuzzi tub and shower, two double sinks, lots of drawers and cabinets, a glass fireplace she could see from anywhere in the room, and hanging from the vaulted ceiling was an enormous crystal chandelier.

She sighed, momentarily awed by the sheer opulence of the room.Money has its privileges.A quick search unearthed at least a dozen different shampoos and body washes to choose from, and she sniffed them all before selecting one with a hint of jasmine and orange. Another drawer contained all the toiletries she could ever want or need. Luckily, she kept her legs waxed and they were still smooth, so she didn’t need to open a package or razors, but a new toothbrush was more than a welcome sight.

As quickly as she could, she brushed the tangles out of her hair, then twisted the long length up into a simple knot, securing it quickly using a chunk she’d left out for just that purpose. The longer it grew, the easier it was to create fancy updos that didn’t need a bunch of hair pins and sprays. It was thick but not so thick it was unmanageable, healthy and shiny; her best feature, in her opinion.

Tilting her head back and forth to make sure the knot wouldn’t fall out, she grinned in satisfaction as it stayed securely fastened.Good.She didn’t want to use the shampoos and conditioners on hand, she was very particular in that regard, and didn’t have all day to let it dry, even if she wanted to try one.

Stepping under the spray of the shower, she let herself relax and closed her eyes, enjoying the hot water beating down on tight muscles. Thy tiny shower in her apartment couldn’t compare to the luxury here, and she was not above taking advantage of it. After a shamefully long time, she decided she’d better hurry up and get moving. She finished quickly, then shut the water off and stepped out, wrapping herself in the towel she’d placed nearby. A smear of lotion, quick brush of her teeth, and she slipped into the shirt. The ends hung down almost to her knees, but with the addition of the belt, mid-thigh was the best she could do. A shirt-dress. She smirked at herself in the full length mirror. Not bad. Her fancy six inch heels wouldn’t look right, but they were all she had, so she slipped them on anyway.

Still admiring her emergency fashion rescue in the full length mirror, the sound of the bedroom doorknob turning caught her by surprise. She turned, bracing for a confrontation. A guard stepped in, face impassive.

“Mr. Giannopoulos requests your presence downstairs for dinner. I’m here to escort you.”

“Great,” Aurelia muttered. “Perfect timing.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. I said, ‘lead the way.’”

Nodding, he motioned for her to precede him. “After you, Mrs. Giannopoulos.”

Grinding her teeth, she stared him down. “It’s Petrova.”

With the barest twitch of his lips, the guard nodded. “Of course, Mrs.Giannopoulos. Whatever you say.”

She let out a short, strangled scream––venting all her anger and frustration on the poor man. He was infuriatingly unmoved by her outburst. Muttering under her breath, she stomped out of the room, only to be met by two more guards, both of whom looked like they could take on a gorilla. And win. “Are you kidding me?”

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