Chapter 12 I Forgot I'm Married Now

Sabrina returned home after a day's work. She still found her new identity as a married woman hard to settle into. As she approached her apartment unit, she heard footsteps behind her. "Where do you think you're going?" Curtis's voice sounded behind her. She turned, puzzled. "Home," she replied, looking at Curtis with curiosity. "That's not the way home, or have you already forgotten that we're married?" Curtis said, frowning. "We're living together now." Sabrina felt a rush of embarrassment wash over her. She had forgotten the agreement they had made earlier. She pulled her key away from her door and reluctantly followed Curtis back to his house. Daniel was surprised to find both of them returning together. "The two of you coming home together? That's a surprise! Did you wait for her to finish work?" Curtis responded apathetically. "No." A heavy awkwardness filled the air, and Daniel's face fell. "If you're utterly incapable of saying anything right, Curtis, maybe it's best to keep your mouth shut next time," he grumbled. Daniel couldn't help thinking that Curtis would never score a girl in his life with that attitude—the only reason why Curtis could even get married was because of him! Daniel was starting to think that maybe he had ruined Sabrina's life by encouraging Curtis to marry her. "You know what? Maybe you should divorce him. It's such a waste of a beautiful woman like you, Sabrina. You hear that, punk? I'll have to hunt for your next victim again!" Curtis's expression darkened, and Sabrina felt even more uncomfortable. "W-Wait! We're, uh, trying to build this relationship, right? These things take time. Don't sweat it, okay? I might even start to think of you as my own grandpa for being so sweet." "Damn straight I wish I were your grandpa! I must have done something wrong to end up with a grandson like that punk!" Daniel retorted, rolling his eyes. He was determined not to let Curtis off the hook. Turning to Sabrina, he smiled warmly. "Come on, sweetie. Dinner awaits!" Sabrina nearly laughed. Curtis might have a clapback for everything, but he sure was defenseless against his own grandfather. She followed Daniel into the kitchen, but her concern for his health still lingered. "Hey, didn't I explicitly forbid you from working in the kitchen? You need to rest, Grandpa!" Daniel's voice boomed from the kitchen. "I'm perfectly fine working in the kitchen! I'm not some deadweight who needs both of your constant pampering! I can take care of myself!" Curtis felt a little left out. He couldn't help but feel like an outsider in their close-knit dynamic. It was as if those two were family instead. They worked together in the kitchen for a while before finally bringing the food to the dining table. By that point, Curtis had settled on the couch with his laptop, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses. Daniel felt miffed. "Excuse me? Mr. Walton, if you're going to work even when you're at home, then you might as well not leave your office at all!" Sabrina agreed silently. The home was a place to reclaim life—not another setting for work. However, she refrained from commenting, considering her relationship with Curtis more like that of housemates. She didn't want to come across as overbearing. Curtis sighed audibly, closed his laptop, and placed it on the coffee table. "Fine! I'll only come home tomorrow after I finish work," he declared. The last thing he wanted was to get an earful from his grandfather again. The three of them sat down to dinner. Unsurprisingly, Curtis was excluded from the lively conversation, again. Daniel even began talking about Curtis' artwork right in front of Sabrina, which really annoyed him. Sabrina received a call from her manager after dinner. Apparently, there was some emergency work she needed to resolve right away. Left with no choice, she started working. Curtis emerged from the kitchen with a glass of water and noticed that Sabrina was now engrossed in her work. He stared at Sabrina and turned to look at his grandfather, who was entertaining himself with some TV show. He was irritated. "Wait a minute. Why was I scolded for working at home, but she's not?" he asked, directing his frustration toward Daniel. Daniel rolled his eyes at Curtis's remark. "First, her work is an emergency. Second, stop trying to prevent a woman from pursuing a successful career of her own! My God, you're so backward. Talking about backward, you should step backward and stop blocking the TV. Thanks." Curtis couldn't help but feel like he must have been adopted. Why else would his own grandfather be so cold with him?! Sabrina, who just finished her work, was a little embarrassed. She did not intend to get Curtis into further trouble with his grandfather. Who would have known Daniel was so unabashedly biased? "I'm tired, and that's because I'm old. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight, you two!" Daniel announced, excusing himself to his room. In reality, he had stayed in the living room just to keep Sabrina company, and now that she was done, he felt free to retire for the night. Sabrina helped Daniel into his room. Unfortunately, this little act of kindness made Curtis look even more like an asshole grandson who could not care less about his own grandpa. By the time Sabrina finished her bath, she found Curtis reading on the bed. He did not even bother to lift his head to look at her. She froze when she saw her blanket and pillow on the couch. She turned to look at Curtis. He did not move an inch. "Curtis! You—" She stopped herself from demanding an explanation from Curtis. This was his room; he could do anything he liked here. Besides, she understood that Curtis, being a tall figure, might not find the couch comfortable. "Just remember to turn off the light before you sleep, okay?" she finally said, opting not to challenge Curtis's decision. Curtis shot Sabrina a surprised glance. He expected a fight—not her compliance. Now he felt bad. Yes, it was an intentional arrangement. Sabrina not fighting back, though, turned his spite into nothing. "You seem to be getting along well with my grandpa, Sabrina. You even manage to make him throw fits at his own grandson one after another. I'm impressed," Curtis remarked. Sabrina was puzzled by his statement. What did he mean? "I don't want what just happened to me to happen again," he said. Sabrina froze. Finally, she understood what he meant.