Silent Promises

Ivy’s POV

I was already having a hard time holding Asher’s gaze before the kiss. Now it was even harder. I couldn’t glance in his direction. I could barely move around him. It was strange because I was never shy in his presence, but now I was.

Thanks to him, the rest of the wedding ceremony went smoothly. I stood by the side, watching as he told the officiating minister an elaborate tale about how we met. I listened, intrigued to hear the story myself. His smooth talking had the minister laughing heartily. It was one of the first things I was learning about my new husband—though I didn’t think I’d ever get used to calling him that. I was actually married, in a small ceremony, and it felt surreal.

I sat impossibly still, staring out of the car window as we drove. The drive was quiet, and I could hear my heart beating loudly in my chest.

I bravely stole a few glances at him, studying the planes of his face under the soft glow of the sun. His firm hands gripping the steering wheel was somehow attractive. I swallowed and hoped he didn’t notice. I hoped he was too engrossed in his driving to pay any heed to me, but that hope was dashed when his lips slowly curled into a smirk. “I’m all yours, Ivy. You don’t have to steal glances at me.”

I lowered my gaze to hide my bright red cheeks. I didn’t have a rebuttal.

“We are married, remember?” he turned his attention to me. “You can look at me all you want.”

It was moments like this that left me confused. I couldn’t tell if he was serious or not. He made jokes occasionally, but then there were moments when it seemed like he was being real, like this was serious business.

“What was the deal with the vow?” I asked.

His smile widened. He had the most beautiful smile, making him look boyish and cute. That was the second thing I knew about my husband, aside from the fact that he was an annoying prick.

“I meant every word I said,” he answered.

I still had unanswered questions. When did he write those vows? Did he mean them? I shook my head; he couldn’t. Asher Sterling was a playboy, everyone knew it. This couldn’t possibly mean anything to him.

“We are here…”

I looked out the window to see we were in front of a luxury shop. He got out of the car first, turned around, and opened the door for me.

“What are we doing here?” I asked as I got out of the car.

He extended a hand to me. “Come, you’ll see.”

I placed my hand in his and let him lead me. We attracted a few stares as we walked into the shop.

“People are staring,” I whispered. I was thankful in that moment that he wasn’t wearing a suit and my wedding dress was unconventional.

“Then we might as well give them a show,” he pulled me along. I could barely keep up.

“How can I help you, sir?” one of the attendants asked us.

“I’m looking to get rings, only the best you have.”

My eyes widened. “Do we really have to?” I asked in a small voice.

“Oh love, remember we have to look the part.” He took my hand and placed it in the crook of his elbow.

I watched in silence as he went through a few rings on display. He even slipped a few onto my finger. He stared at them unimpressed. “I want only the best…”

The best according to him was a 24-carat oval-cut diamond ring that cost millions of dollars. As he slipped it onto my finger, he stared in admiration, as did all the attendants around. “I’ll take this!” he announced.

We left the jewelry shop, still holding hands, with expensive diamonds on our fingers.

“Ivy! Ivy!”

I spun around as I heard that voice. It was hard to believe that the voice that had once sounded like music to my ears now filled me with so much dread. I stood rooted to the spot as Max walked up to me.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you all day. I called your phone; you weren’t taking your calls…” he answered.

I didn’t know where my phone was. With everything that was happening, my marriage to... I hid my ring finger behind my back.

“How did you find me?” I asked.

“Ivy, I just want to talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you!” I snapped.

He grabbed my upper arm.

“Get your hands off her!” Asher barked. He had been standing to the side, watching the whole exchange quietly.

Max turned around to look at him. “Who the heck are you?”

“Mess around and find out!” he retorted.

The last thing I wanted was a fight. A lot of people were already looking in our direction. I had enough highs to last me a day. “Leave me alone, Max. I don’t want to listen to anything you have to say.”

“Ivy, I’m sorry. It was a mistake.”

Asher grabbed my arm and helped me get into the car.

He walked up to Max. “I don’t want you anywhere near my woman. I don’t take that lightly,” he threatened.

“Your woman? What woman? Hey, Ivy! What is he talking about?”

He got into the car and drove off. It was another really quiet ride. The silence stretched for a while until I broke it. “I thought he loved me…”

He didn’t say a word.

“I thought we were one of those beautiful lovers, a once-in-a-lifetime love story.” My voice was hollow and tired. “I still don’t believe yesterday happened, that he would break my heart like that. He and Taylor—I don’t think I’ve truly processed it. You see something like that, you need time to even make sense of it.”

He didn’t respond immediately. “What would you like me to do to him?” he asked.

I looked at him. He had a dead serious expression on his face. “Tell me, Ivy.”

There was this fierce possessiveness in his voice that I hadn’t heard before. I knew without a doubt that he would have done anything I asked in that moment.

“I want to forget all about him and their betrayal.”

His eyes bored into mine, a silent promise was made that night.