Dear readers, good evening!:)

The third chapter is ready, I know how interesting it would be for you to know about Anna, so instead of 21 chapters of another story, I worked on this one.

I, as always, in defence of Rhett:) yes, he behaved terribly, but their lovemaking was consensual.

And then his words and leaving, that's just ugh...

Scarlett was overconfident in going to meet him, relying only on her charm and a new dress. Yes, he really hurt her.

He doesn't know how to live through pain, losing Bonnie made him that way. He either runs away or hurts someone (most often Scarlett, apparently he thinks she's invulnerable).

Anyway, he's going to get nervous:) but I still love him:) Or rather both of them:)

Enjoy reading!:)

I own nothing in regard to GWTW.

Chapter 3.

Two weeks before Christmas, Scarlett was busy taking inventory at the shop, helping Ashley with reports at the sawmills, and getting ready for the Christmas dinner.

She tried to occupy her thoughts and her time, not to think about the shameful incident at the hotel, about the humiliation. And the fact that in spite of it all, and in spite of all the anger she felt toward him, she was hurting. Which meant she cared. It made her nervous, because after living a decade of her life in blind pursuit of one man, Scarlett didn't want to live another decade in longing, reminiscing, and trying to get another man back. No.

All she wanted was to be loved and to love in return. She wanted warmth, she had money, she could always earn it. Human relationships were more difficult.

"Did anyone ever really love me, not just as a pretty face or a trophy to show off?" she wondered before going to sleep, lying alone in her big bed.

"Will he make himself known at Christmas," she pondered, wrapping herself in the blanket. Scarlett realized that Andrew was trying very hard to get some information about Rhett and his connections. They met with the lawyer a couple of times a week, usually at his office, sometimes at her shop. He asked questions, but said it was hard to find out anything in the main brothel in this town, since her husband owned half of it and they were reluctant to talk about him.

Andrew was thinking of going to Charleston after Christmas and Scarlett was looking forward to the trip with dread, afraid of finding out about his next whores and adventures.

"You shouldn't care, don't care, don't care... There's nothing connecting you except your last name and you'll change that soon enough, Scarlett," she reassured herself before going to bed, but her heart was burning with resentment, jealousy and her fantasies.

"Damn Rhett Butler and his whores!"

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that she herself had led him to this behaviour during their marriage and her idea of separate bedrooms. Either way, she was tired of blaming herself for it.

"After all, he could have just turned me down, damn it! And anyway, he can be very persuasive if he wants to be! So it was easier for him to run off to bed to his red-haired whore. Well, let him stay there!"

But, a trip to Charleston wasn't necessary. The week before Christmas, Scarlett was at the shop and Andrew stopped by to talk, as usual.

It was already lunch time and Scarlett invited him to have lunch at their place for the first time.

"My children will be home too, if you're not embarrassed by their company?" she spoke calmly.

Andrew only nodded and smiled.

Walking into the mansion, they were greeted by a cheerful Wade and Ella, who began talking over her about some package that had been delivered this morning.

"Children, you should say 'hello' first to Mr Lewis. You're being rude," she sternly said them, and the embarrassed children remembered their manners.

Andrew said hello to the children, noting how mature her oldest son was and how charming and sweet her daughter was.

"Mother, there's a package from Uncle Rhett," she heard Ella's cheerful voice, but Wade just nodded with a smile.

Scarlett's heart beat faster, she swallowed and gave a strained smile.

"There must be Christmas presents," she said quietly, and Andrew watched her carefully.

"Shall we open it, Mummy? Please, can we open it now?" the children urged her.

Realizing she couldn't stand their pleading over lunch, she just nodded and Wade took the parcel and walked with it into the parlour with the others.

"Please, have a seat, Andrew," Scarlett politely pointed to the seat on the sofa by the window.

While Andrew was sitting and gazing with interest at the décor in the room, noting the extravagant taste of the mistress of the house, Scarlett carefully opened the package.

There was a child's new lace parasol and new doll for Ella, very pretty, Scarlett herself admiring the fine work of the artist for a moment.

For Wade there were a couple of books and a pocket watch in a velvet case. His first watch, which he was very proud to receive. It was even engraved "To Wade Hampton from Uncle Rhett."

As the children looked excitedly at their presents, Scarlett, not expecting to find anything else, noticed a large, weighty paper envelope.

"What's this?" she thought to herself as she carefully opened the envelope.

Andrew sat watching the family in silence, and when he saw how pale she looked when she opened the envelope and how her hands trembled, he stood up and walked over to her.

"Scarlett?" he asked in a quiet voice, seeing that the children had retreated to another corner of the room. "Are you okay?"

She lifted her green eyes from the papers and said in a deliberately calm tone, "Well, Andrew, we won't need a divorce lawyer here. My husband is giving me a gift."

Andrew walked over and saw two stacks of papers whose title read, "Divorce Papers..." He began to scrutinise the papers, which had no signatures on them.

Scarlett on the other hand read his note, "I heard you wanted to divorce me, my pet and even hired a new lawyer. Don't waste your time and especially money, Scarlett. I'm giving you this opportunity!"

She grinned bitterly, hiding her tears... He walked around her again, having learnt about both the lawyer and her intentions. But, for some reason, he didn't sign the papers.

"He thinks I won't sign. Well, Rhett Butler, we'll see about that!" were her thoughts.

It turned out to be more painful than she had expected. She had thought that she was in control and that everything would happen when she was ready and when she chose the moment. But it turned out he was one step ahead of her again.

Scarlett sighed heavily and said with a bitter smile, "That's it... Now I'm almost divorced. What would my mother say?"

"He's a bastard," said Andrew briefly, putting the papers on the table.

"No, he just gave me a 'gift', as he put it."

"He sent these documents along with presents for your children. For Christmas. That's cruel, Scarlett."

She grinned. "That's Rhett Butler's style. And you know what, Andrew? He thinks I won't sign. But, I'm going to play my part to the end and... Whatever I feel right now, I'll sign and send them to him."

"What about the financial arrangements, Scarlett?"

"No, Andrew, I won't give him that joy. The joy of discussion. I don't need his money, I'll earn it myself. Everything he's offered there, I'm agreeing to..."

"Then sign it, Scarlett... I'll send him the signed packet of documents later today, and I'll keep your copy with me, just in case for closer examination."

She only nodded.

Quickly, taking her set of papers, she walked to her study, next to the parlour.

Scarlett opened the inkwell, picked up a pen, dipped the tip into the ink, and in quick handwriting firmly signed her name, "Scarlett Butler."

"That's it," she thought, and looking down at the papers, took the gold ring off her finger.

"So, Rhett Butler," said the pretty blonde woman, rising from the couch and walking over to the hotel room mirror to fix her hair before going out. "Аre you taking me out? Finally, the weather allows to go out, what with all this rain. Even Christmas was boring, I was at my friends' house, they were having a reception in my honour. How did you celebrate the holiday?"

Rhett stood silent by the fireplace, lazily finishing his cigar. He smiled his pirate smile, put the cigar away, walked over to the woman, put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek affectionately.

She looked at his reflection in the mirror with surprise and only said, grinning, "Don't try to be slyly quiet, Rhett, but hand me the fur cape. We're going for a walk, look, it's sunny. And today you'll finally tell me why you look like you're five years old and you've done something wrong, and I'll try to think of some way to help you. Etienne used to do that earlier, as you remember, and now here I am..."

Rhett smiled again, realizing that he was going to have to talk to his old friend, and very frankly.

Anna was ten years younger than he was, and they had met on a ship sailing to Europe a few years before the war. She was seventeen and was leaving America, where only her elderly aunt remained, for Europe for one purpose. To marry a rich man.

He spotted her on the ship, got her talking, and despite her young age, she was brave, sensible. Yes, they slept together only once, there on the ship, drinking heavily, but he was careful, and she kissed him affectionately on the cheek in the morning and said they'd better be friends and forget about it.

He agreed, and also agreed to help her get invitations to all the important social parties in Paris. It was there that she met Etienne, her future husband, who was twenty years older than her and who quickly noticed the nice girl and proposed.

Rhett also met him, and then became their good friend, especially Etienne helped him out many times when he got into tricky situations with ladies or at the card table. He was a friend of their family and a member of their household, and he believed that Anna had never told her husband about their one night together.

But, that summer Etienne passed away after a long illness, Anna wrote to him, but he was in a terrible state of grief and drunkenness over the loss of Bonnie and the destruction of his whole life. Nevertheless, he tried to answer her letters, trying to be honest, and by Christmas he met her at the harbour.

Now, had become a wealthy widow, Anna decided to visit her homeland for the first time since her departure before the war. She dreamed of meeting Rhett's family and his wife, "that brave girl who dared to marry you, Rhett Butler". That's where one of their frank conversations began, as they strolled along the seafront on a cold, sunny January afternoon.

"So why don't you explain it to me from the beginning, Rhett?" interrogated Anna, walking slowly beside him, holding his hand and squinting against the sunlight.

"It would take a lifetime, Anna, I'm confused myself," he answered her, grinning.

"Rhett Butler, don't be dramatic! We've been corresponding all this time, you wrote that you were married. This is the girl for whom I helped to choose a green bonnet in Paris, isn't it?" she asked slyly.

"How do you know it was her?" he asked in surprise.

Anna snorted, "You called her name a few times, pondering, thinking I wouldn't hear. 'Scarlett this...Scarlett that...' And I knew right away it was real, Rhett. I saw your eyes, Honey." She stopped for a moment and then continued with a quiet voice,

"I know you had a baby girl. I'm so sorry, Darling, about the way things turned out. I'm sorry for your loss. But, we have to move forward," she said, seeing his sad eyes and the way he looked to the water.

"It's not that simple, Anna. Honey, we didn't have as good marriage as you and Etienne," Rhett said with conviction.

Anna smirked and told him seriously, "Darling, don't idealise our marriage with Etienne. You knew why I wanted to get married. Yes, I let him love me, I was faithful to him. I couldn't give him a baby, but I suspect that's his problem. We lived for ourselves, had fun, went out, travelled. He was older, but he was good in bed," she said smiling slyly.

"Better than me?" suddenly asked Rhett, laughing.

"Of course, Darling! Etienne was beyond competition!" she answered proudly and added calmly, "And anyway, Rhett Butler, take the crown off your head already! You're not a gift, Honey, but, I love you anyway, my friend! But that's not the point. Tell me, why are you here and your wife is in Atlanta?"

And Rhett, sighing, stopped beside the wrought iron fence and, looking out at the water, began to tell Anna about his and Scarlett's marriage, their quarrels and resentments, about Ashley Wilkes, their separation, even their separate bedrooms. About his drinking and, finally, about their last meeting at the hotel in Charleston.

The wind had died down, and the sun shone brightly despite the cool air. Anna listened attentively, occasionally taking her eyes off the water and looking at the tall, sturdy man beside her. After listening to his long story, she adjusted her fur collar, then put both hands into her warm muff and turned away from the water, looked directly at Rhett and said with a smile, but her eyes were serious, "What a swine you are, Rhett Butler!"

Rhett suddenly laughed and replied, "So much for support! Here's an old friend for you!"

Anna looked at him more seriously and said, "Listen to me, Rhett, what you did to the woman, that you obviously still love, is disgusting and low. If Etienne were alive, he'd break your neck! Jesus, Rhett, he was your friend, he taught you a lot. Even with whores, you wouldn't have behaved like that! What happened to you?"

"She hurt me too much, Anna," he replied briefly.

"And you, Rhett? You know, I'm not going to discuss your whole marriage right now, at least I only know your point of view. But! I have a couple of things that would keep me awake if I didn't tell you about them now," she looked at him, then took her hands out of her muff and ran them affectionately over his woollen black jacket, adjusting the lapels and then the cashmere scarf round his neck.

"Firstly, Honey, how old are you?" she began with a slight smile, "Remember? And how old is this girl? Yes, she's a young woman now, she's grown up before your eyes. You know, I grew up with Etienne and he taught me everything. I had no one, no father, no brothers. In fact, neither did she. Rhett, she had you. And you may have broken her trust, but you could get it back, you were her friend."

"Everything was ruined when I married her," Rhett replied, looking at Anna with a frown. "I wanted her so badly, Anna, you know? Wanted to love her, to spoil her... And she never wanted me..." he concluded bitterly and turned to the water again, gripping the railing tightly.

"And secondly, Rhett, and most importantly," she continued, "Tell me how she's supposed to have feelings for you if you never once told her about yours! Not once, Rhett Butler! I bet you also insulted her constantly, having a bag of hurtful phrases behind your back. Oh, Rhett, what's the matter with you?" she concluded sadly.

Rhett only remained silent. He realized that their whole marriage had been built on lies from the beginning. And now... How to build anything now that they were both in resentment, Bonnie gone... "There are still children left," he thought to himself. "And she loves me..." flashed a second one. "And I..."

"Rhett, you need to meet and talk to Scarlett," Anna concluded, as if to answer his thoughts.

And then he remembered the papers he'd sent her in his haste to make fun of her, to make a joke, more than sure she wouldn't sign, because financially he was only leaving her the house. He knew that she would never agree to it, and he waited for her angry letter, telegram or even her arrival... "Anna doesn't need to know about it yet, let's wait to see what my dear wife comes up with, what her next move in our game will be..."

"Let's go to lunch, Rhett," Anna said suddenly, smiling and interrupting his thoughts, "there's a wonderful restaurant at the hotel, will you invite me?"

He just nodded with a smile, taking her under his arm and they headed back.

"God, I missed you," he whispered hotly in her ear, pulling her close to him as they sat on the velvet couch.

He had already got rid of her dress and corset, only her underskirt remained, and she had already rid him of his shirt. The touch of her breast, skin to skin intoxicated him so much that he could only repeat, pulling her closer to him and kissing her face and neck, "Scarlett, I missed you... So much... I want to love you..." Suddenly he heard a short and cold, "No..."

He froze, his hands caressing her naked back stopped in mid-air. He tried to look into her face, into her eyes, but her hair, it got in the way, it got in the way...

She had hurt him again... She...

Rhett opened his eyes abruptly, seemingly from the stabbing in his chest. He sat up and took several deep breaths.

Coming to his senses, he looked around, realizing he was in his bedroom, in his mother's house in Charleston. He realized, that it was only a dream.

Frighteningly realistic.

As he fell asleep, he reassured himself that Scarlett would soon make herself known and definitely be furious. He smiled, falling asleep, "How beautiful she is when she's angry..."

But the next morning, when breakfast was over and Rhett with his mother were drinking coffee, the butler brought him an envelope. Rhett set the fine china cup on the table, took the envelope, opened it silently and carefully. Then he took the papers in his hands, frowned, ran his eyes over them, and stopped his gaze at the last lines, where the handwriting of his favourite woman, his wife, was signed "Scarlett Butler".

Without saying a word, without answering his mother's anxious questions, he silently and quickly stood up, took the papers, left the dining room, grabbed his hat from the table on the way out, and in one jacket walked out of the house, slamming the door.