I wake in the morning after yet another nightmare. This time it was about werewolves. Alex is not in the bed. As usual. After last night's fiasco, I now wonder if he is off 'not having sex' the hotel staff. I drag my tired body to the bathroom and look at myself in the mirror. More mosquito bites. I guess hanging around in a park late at night is responsible for these ones. And then there is the other visual memory of last night, not black but red. Thank Christ it hasn't bruised.

The warm water is refreshing; it lets me forget about all of my problems. Horrible nightmares, a misbehaving... boyfriend...boss? One of them. Jake and his forcefulness. Missing my parents. I feel a pair of cool hands slide around my waist as he kisses my shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He whispers. "I know you don't understand, one day I will tell you, but I can't right now."

"Why?"

"Because once I tell you, you won't want to be around me."

I turn around and face him.

"How do you know that? You are just assuming this."

He shakes his head.

"I am going to lose you soon enough; I couldn't bear to lose you before then."

Alex looks so sad as he presses his forehead to mine.

"Please don't make me tell you." He whispers.

"You weren't going to have sex with her?"

"No."

"Ok."

"Really?"

"Yes, I am going to take some advice I was given on board."

He grins and leans in, kissing me.

I can smell that breakfast has arrived. The meal that Alex has learned that if he gets for me, I am like putty in his hands. I begin to eat; he watches me with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, if you aren't fast enough to start eating before me, then tough luck mister." I say with a piece of steak in my mouth.

He rolls his eyes. "Such manners, eating before royalty and speaking with food in her mouth."

I poke my tongue at him.

"I spoke with Penny this morning, she said that she has not ordered a ball gown for you. So I rang Miranda, she said that she will take you into town. We will leave soon."

"Is that the reason for the steak? Are you going to be at the house to see Terrance and that tart of a maid?"

"Stephanie!" He hisses.

I push the plate away and get up from the table.

"Stick your steak, your highness, up your arse." I curtsy and stalk off to the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

The drive to Terrance and Miranda's house is quiet. He hasn't said a word to me since I told him where to stick the steak. I can tell he is pissed but does he realise that I am too? Why would he want to be there? Surely he can see that it is going to cause problems, does he think that I am going to accept him being there? The driver stops outside of the town house and Alex walks up to the front door. He waits until the door opens and Terrance and Miranda step out, closing the door behind them. Quietly the three of them slip into the car, Miranda and Terrance look at us as they make themselves comfortable, sitting on the seats opposite us.

Happy now? The poor man has to suffer clothing shopping. Better than him 'not screwing' the staff. What happened to giving him the benefit of the doubt? That was before he decided to spend the day in her presence.

"How are we all today?" Miranda says bright and chirpy.

She looks at me. The look on my face must speak a thousand words.

"That good huh?"

I feign a smile. I hope not to be rude but if I were to speak I might start yelling at Alex or worse, crying.

"Oh well, never mind. So, what are you boys going to do while we are girly-ing it up?"

Alex shrugs, clearly in a sulk.

Oh boohoo, poor baby didn't get what he wanted.

"Maybe we could go to the pub, hey Alex?"

"Yeah whatever."

I can see Miranda and Terrance look at each other. Poor buggers, stuck in the middle of our mini war.

The woman pulls on the lacing of the back of the dress. Miranda walks into the room and assesses the dress.

"Would you leave us?"

The woman nods and quietly leaves.

"What happened?"

"He got me a steak." I mutter.

"Go on." She frowns at me.

"He knows that it is my favourite meal, had it ordered exactly how I like it. He was trying to hide what he was planning by buttering me up with it. It clearly doesn't register in his mind the issues that I have does it?"

She shakes her head.

"He wanted to spend the day at your house, around her, even after last night?"

"Yeah." She sighs. "Sometimes men just don't get it."

I scoff at his stupidity as I cross my arms.

"He would not have seen the issue but I know that he has learned his lesson about her."

"How do you know that?"

"Because he loves you. He knows that he hurt you. I know he won't go near her again."

I look down as the tears start to trickle, pretending to play with the beads on the bodice.

"What does it matter? In a few weeks, when this girl is found, he won't be mine anymore. Might as well be fighting with him, at least then it won't hurt as much."

"People like Alex, they don't have multiple partners. When they choose their one and only, it's for life. When this girl is found, you remember that."

"That may be the case, but it's what I don't get that is upsetting. The marriage, the children, the life with him. I would forever be, the other woman. I don't want to be 'the other woman'."

She smiles at me sympathetically.

"I can see why he likes you, you don't take his crap, you know that you are going to lose him, deep down you know what happened last night isn't what your mind is telling you it was, and yet, you still love him, right?"

I nod.

"When you love them, they are worth fighting for."

I look at her, her soft face warm with happiness and love. She softly runs her thumb over my red mark, wiping the tears from my face.

"Is he worth it?"

I nod again.

"Then don't give up on him. He needs you, more than you realise."

She steps back and looks at me.

"What do you think?"

"I like it."

"Excellent. Don't show it to him." She winks at me.