Divorced At Eighteen

Chapter 06

IT SEEMED ASHER wasn’t joking, which Minah didn’t appreciate.

“I’m sure you’re a busy person. So why are you wasting your time here? What does it matter to you if I die because I’m not eating?” Minah let out a sarcastic laugh. “That would actually be better. I could finally be with my parents and not be alone in this world. So if you’re worried I might die here, there’s no need to make a big deal about it. And if you claim you care about me now? I’ll just laugh in your face.”

“You sure talk a lot, Minah. I’m just trying to get you to eat. Unless... maybe you actually like having me here and that’s why you’re refusing to eat?”

Minah’s beautiful face twisted in annoyance. “Are you kidding me? Asher Moore, you’re the last person in this world I’d want to be around. Seeing you just kills my appetite.”

Asher pressed his lips together tightly at her words but quickly regained his composure, striving to remain calm and not react to her provocations.

It was almost funny how the dynamic had reversed. Now, she was colder than ice while Asher seemed to be weighing his next move.

“Eat before the food gets cold. Don’t drag the food into whatever you’re feeling.”

“Easy for you to say, isn’t it? Because you’ve never felt what I’m feeling.” Minah pointed to the door. “Leave. Take all the food you brought with you because I don’t want to eat any of it.”

She was about to lie back down, turning away from Asher, when he suddenly moved toward the bed faster than she expected. He grabbed her arm firmly to stop her, making her gasp in surprise. Minah froze for a moment at his unexpected action.

“Minah, don’t turn your back on food. There are so many people starving in this world, and you’re just wasting it.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line. She hadn’t anticipated Asher would get this close to her.

She turned to face him, sitting upright again, and tried to pull her arm free, but he wouldn’t let go.

“My arm,” she said firmly, locking eyes with him as his face hovered too close to hers.

“You can see I’m holding it.”

“Can you stop being sarcastic? If you’re worried about the food going to waste, give it to the maids or donate it to the homeless. I swear, the Lord will bless you even more.”

Once again, Asher’s expression seemed to remind himself that he was there not to argue but to get her to eat. He was literally holding himself back from snapping at her.

“Do you want me to feed you myself so you’ll eat?” Asher said, finally letting go of her arm and moving away.

Was he serious?

Minah barely stopped herself from gaping when Asher got off the bed, walked to the table, and started slicing the beef steak. Then he returned to the bed and sat at its edge.

Her eyes dropped to the plate in his hands as he stabbed a slice of beef with a fork.

He really was serious.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered.

Minah swallowed hard. “Have you lost your mind, Asher? Can you just go back to where you came from? I don’t need you here. Even if I die, I’ll never need you. Just—”

Minah blinked in shock when Asher popped the bite of beef steak into her mouth.

“Eat,” he instructed in a calm tone.

For some reason, she tasted how good the beef steak was.

“If you spit that out, you won’t like what I’ll do next, Minah. While I’m still holding back my irritation with you, just cooperate. This is for your own good.”

How was Asher staying this calm? She couldn’t understand why he was willing to tolerate all this when he could’ve just left her alone.

It must be out of pity for her, she thought. That’s the only explanation.

“Eat, or I’ll stay here even longer.”

Minah’s tear-filled eyes blinked rapidly. Above all, she didn’t want to feel pitied—especially by this man.

In the end, she had no choice but to chew the food in her mouth. Without saying anything, she took the plate from Asher and placed it back on the table. She then sat at the edge of the bed to face the food.

After swallowing the bite in her mouth, she finally spoke again. “Make sure you leave as soon as I’m done eating.”

“I keep my word.”

Minah didn’t dare look at Asher as she started eating. She didn’t plan to finish everything, just enough to put something in her stomach and get him to leave because she couldn’t stand having him there any longer.

But the delicious beef steak? She finished all of it. She ate about half of the other dishes.

“I’m full,” she said after sipping juice from a tall glass.

Asher glanced at the food on the table before looking at her. Then, he stood.

“I’ll be back later.”

Minah frowned. “We agreed you wouldn’t come back, Asher.”

“We agreed that I’d leave once you ate. I’ll have the maids clear this up,” he replied, studying her briefly before heading for the door.

She hated the way Asher looked at her—calm, without a trace of coldness or disdain.

But she freaking felt something warm inside her because of it.

“Asher,” she called as he was about to step out of the room.

He stopped and turned back to her, waiting for her to speak.

“What?” he asked when she couldn’t find the words.

Minah swallowed hard. “Get lost,” she finally said before stepping off the bed and heading to the bathroom.

Asher took a deep breath before leaving the room, choosing to understand Minah’s situation rather than argue with her.

“OH, s**t,” Minah muttered under her breath. Her nerves were on edge, a strange restlessness coursing through her veins. Her eyes flicked toward the door of her parents’ room, almost as if she expected it to open any second and reveal Asher.

The idea annoyed her. Why did it feel like she was waiting for him? She hated this. Absolutely hated it. He had said he would come back, but that didn’t mean she had to care.

“You’re losing your mind, Minah,” she scolded herself, pushing off the chair and heading toward the door. She needed fresh air, something to calm her racing thoughts. The garden would do. She could regroup there, far away from Asher’s maddening presence.

But just as her hand reached for the doorknob, the door swung open, and there he was.

Asher.

The sight of him made her breath hitch. She froze mid-step, her pulse stuttering as her eyes locked on his tall, commanding frame.

Why did it always feel like her world stopped spinning whenever he appeared?

She clenched her fists, forcing herself to snap out of it. She couldn’t let him have this effect on her. Refusing to acknowledge the way her heart skipped a beat, she averted her gaze and tried to walk past him.

But his hand shot out, catching her arm gently yet firmly.

“Where are you going?” he asked, his voice a low, smooth timbre that sent an unbidden shiver down her spine.

Minah swallowed hard, her heart betraying her by beating faster. She hated how her body reacted to him.

“Since when do I need to tell you where I’m going?” she snapped, yanking at her arm, though his grip remained steady. “I’m going to hell—care to join me?” she added sarcastically, masking her growing unease with bravado.

His lips curved into a faint smirk, but he said nothing. Instead, his fingers loosened the knot of his tie with a practiced ease that drew her eyes against her will.

Why did even the simplest things he did look so damn good?

Her throat dried up as she watched him, her gaze unwillingly tracing the sharp line of his jaw, the confident set of his shoulders.

Shit. s**t. s**t.

“You haven’t had dinner yet,” he said casually, as if the tension between them didn’t exist.

When her eyes flickered to his lips, she immediately looked away, a memory she’d buried threatening to claw its way back to the surface.

“Looks like you were waiting for me to come back,” he teased, the smirk in his voice even more irritating than the words themselves.

“The nerve!” she hissed, her eyes narrowing as she glared at him. “Don’t flatter yourself, Asher. Can’t you see I was about to leave? I’m heading to the dining hall to eat.” It wasn’t her original plan, but she wasn’t about to admit that to him. “Now let me go, and while you’re at it, get out. I told you to leave, didn’t I?”

Her words were sharp, but her voice wavered slightly when he stepped closer, his presence overwhelming.

Before she could react, he gently backed her against the wall, his movements slow and deliberate.

Her breath hitched, her body betraying her once again.

“Minah,” he murmured, his tone a dangerous mix of teasing and authority.

One of his hands released her arm, but instead of stepping back, he placed it on the wall beside her, trapping her. The other hand, however, slid down slowly, tracing a featherlight path along her arm.

Goosebumps erupted on her skin as his fingers brushed against her. Her entire body tensed, heat pooling low in her stomach as an unbidden wave of desire swept over her.

Damn him.

“You didn’t answer my question,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “Where are you going?”

Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. His touch, his scent, the heat radiating from his body—it was all too much.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to focus. “What does it matter to you?” she bit out, though the shakiness in her voice betrayed her. “And stop touching me!”

He ignored her protest, his fingers lingering on her arm before sliding upward, his knuckles grazing the bare skin of her shoulder.

“Asher!” she hissed, but it came out weak, more like a plea than a reprimand.

He leaned in, his breath warm against her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

“You don’t want me to touch you?” he asked softly, his lips so close to her skin that she could feel their heat.

Her heart was hammering now, her body frozen under his proximity.

“I… I don’t,” she stammered, hating the way her voice trembled.

“Liar,” he whispered, his lips brushing the sensitive shell of her ear.

Her knees nearly gave out, a wave of heat rushing through her at his words.

“Asher,” she said again, his name falling from her lips like a curse.

“Shh,” he murmured, his lips ghosting along her jawline now, teasing but never quite touching.

Minah’s hands balled into fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as she fought the urge to grab him, to pull him closer.

She hated this—hated how much she wanted him, how much her body craved his touch even though her mind screamed at her to resist.

“What do you want?” she managed to choke out, her voice trembling. “You’re not here for nothing, are you?”

He pulled back just enough to meet her gaze, his eyes dark and unreadable.

“You’re right,” he said, his voice steady. “I’m not here for nothing. I told you—I came back to make sure you eat.”

His words snapped her out of the daze, anger bubbling up to replace the unwanted desire.

“You’re unbelievable,” she spat, shoving at his chest with both hands. He didn’t budge at first, his smirk widening, but finally, he stepped back, giving her enough room to breathe.

“Now,” he said, his tone maddeningly calm, “are you going to walk to the dining hall on your own, or do I need to carry you there?”

Her glare could have melted steel. “Don’t you dare,” she growled.

Asher chuckled, the sound low and rich, before gesturing toward the door. “Then let’s go, Minah.”

She stormed past him, her body still buzzing with unspent energy. Her heart was still racing, her skin tingling where his fingers had been.

Even as she walked away, she could feel his eyes on her, the weight of his gaze making her pulse quicken all over again.

Damn him. Damn him for making her feel this way.