You had just finished making "love". Or that's what you call it, atleast.

You watched him as he stood calmly on the balcony, as if nothing happened between you both. He exhaled the smoke from his mouth and took another drag from his cigarette as you sat on the side of the bed with just an oversized t-shirt of his and your panties on.

You felt a pang of guilt, that feeling that was crushing your chest and made it harder to breathe.

It was always like this. But you brushed it off, saying it was just a moment of weakness. Babygirl, you know it's not.

You wanted to change stuff. You wanted to tell him words you've kept hidden to yourself. You wanted to tell him you love him after 3 years of marriage that felt like a signed contract.

But you just can't bring yourself to do that.

You could still feel his mouth on your skin, his calloused hands tracing your curves just moments ago.

You stood up from bed. Hesitant at first, but you soon made your way to him slowly in just a few strides.

The cold night air hit you instantly. The sound of tree leaves ruffling and the distant wails and honks from the vehicles in the city all fell in a blurred hum when you locked gazes with him.

August Crawford, the man that was supposed to give you the life you never imagined. But instead, all he gave you were cold stares. And sure, maybe there were gifts, but there was definitely no sincerity in it.

"Go back to bed." His voice cuts through the silence as he puts out his cigarette on a nearby ash tray.

"I'm worth more than you think." You said it. And he looked back at you like you just announced the end of the world.

He scoffed, but you weren't sure if it was annoyance or something more like pride. "Ain't that right?"

"You think I would've agreed to marry you if I didn't know that?" He continued as he walked slowly towards you. "But I do run a legacy, Love. I don't think you're any greater than that."

You closed the last bit of distance between you both. The air shifted slightly. It was colder now—now that you're finally staring into his luminous grey eyes.

You stared at each other for a few minutes before you finally spoke, "And I run an entire fucking empire."