That night, I kept having nightmares. Voices filled the darkness, shouting accusations I couldn't escape.
"You stole everything from me. My life, my happiness, my everything!" one of them would scream, its tone sharp, cutting through the darkness.
Each time I woke up, I was always panting and sweating. The dream would feel so real that the voices still echoed in my head.
"You think he wanted you? You're nothing. You're nobody!"
I knew it. Everything that happened was beginning to haunt my sleep. What would Claudia do when she found out? I have seen her anger before, seen what she did to girls who merely looked at the boys she liked. And now, I have married her fiancè, the man she cherished so much. The man she built her dreams around.
I stayed away for the rest of the night, staring at the ceiling, too afraid to close my eyes again, wishing morning would come faster.
When it finally did, my body ached badly. I couldn't even muster the energy to sit up. I was exhausted.
After some time, Martha came in and when she took in the sight of me, she paused. I must have looked terrible, hollow-eyed and pale.
"Good morning, Madame," she said, her voice gentle. "Master wants to have breakfast with you."
Breakfast? I hadn't expected to face him so soon. What would I say? How could I look at him after waiting all night for him?
I dragged myself to the bathroom where I quickly took my bath and got dressed. Martha led me to the dining room whose expansive window was showcasing the beautiful garden. Alexander was standing with his back towards me and his arms crossed behind his back.
"Good morning…" I said quietly.
He turned around, and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe. His gaze swept over me; my face, my arms, all the way down to my toes, before returning to meet my eyes. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, calmly.
"Yes…" I lied, unsure of what to call him. Husband? Sir? Alexander? "And you…?"
"I did. Let's have breakfast." At least he was much calmer compared to yesterday.
The breakfast smelled good and looked delicious, but I couldn't eat. There was this knot of fear in my stomach that refused to go away. I just stared down at my plate, absently digging at the food with my spoon.
"Why aren't you eating? Don't you like the food?" he suddenly asked.
"I do," I whispered, aware of his eyes on me.
"Then eat. You're not in your home." It sounded like a reminder of my new life now, and it made me wonder if he knew about me before. Was that why he married me? Because he pitied me?
"Sir…" I called, unable to contain my curiosity any longer.
"Yes?"
"About that… Why did you marry me?"
Alexander went still. His expression didn't change, but I could sense the tension between us. He put his fork down and gazed at me, studying me with those eyes for a long moment.
"Because I can," he finally said.
That didn't make sense. Just because he could marry me didn't mean he had to.
"What about Claudia?" I pressed further. "She was your fiancèe. Everyone expected…"
"Expectations," he interrupted me, "are rarely aligned with my plans."
I wanted to ask what kind of plan, but the look on his face told me this wasn't a topic he wanted to dwell on. Still, I had one more thing to say, something that made my cheek burn with embarrassment.
"Sir, I'm not…" I swallowed. "I'm not ready… for… for the marriage consummation yet," I said, and I quickly looked down, afraid to meet his gaze. My heart pounded in my ears as I waited for his reaction. A mockery laugh or an angry exclamation… anything.
"I know, it's alright," he simply said.
My head snapped up in surprise, relief washing over me.
"I have a lot of mistresses. I can go to one of them to satisfy my needs," he added.
The smile died from my face and anger raised in my chest. Why should it even matter to me if he had mistresses? It wasn't as if I wanted him to touch me. He could go to hell for all I cared.
And wait… if he had mistresses, that meant he had never been faithful to Claudia. If a woman as perfect as Claudia couldn't hold his loyalty, what chance did I ever have?
A low chuckle pulled me out of my thoughts. What was funny?
"You don't seem to like that," he said.
"It's not for me to like or dislike, sir," I replied, neutral.
A little smirk appeared on his lips before his face settled back to its usual stoic look.
"Anna," he said, gazing into my eyes.
He knew my name, I thought then realized how foolish I was. Of course he would know the name of the woman he was marrying. So unfair.
"I promise you one thing and I will stand by it," he said calmly. "I will treat you well."
Before I could understand that, he stood up and walked towards me, his eyes never leaving mine. And to my surprise, he leaned down and gently pressed his lips on my hair. Just a simple gesture, yet it made my heart skip a beat.
He straightened up and checked his wrist watch. "I have to leave now. Make yourself feel at home."
And with that, he walked away, leaving me alone.
****
Martha showed me around the house. The mansion had five floors and a private elevator that was connecting them all. Each floor had its own rooms: kitchens, gyms, spa rooms and other luxuries I could ever imagine needing.
"Do you like it?" Martha asked, as we entered another hallway.
I nodded, overwhelmed. I wouldn't have to lift a finger here. There were people for everything, from cooking to cleaning. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. It felt strange, wrong even, to stand back and do nothing.
We reached the hallway where the bedrooms were located. The room I had woken up earlier was the master bedroom. It had a dressing room and a floor-to-ceiling window that gave a perfect view of the city skyline.
She opened another door. "This is your personal room, in case you want to be alone," she informed me. "Master has his own too."
I glanced at the door she was pointing at, curious. But when I tried to open it, it was locked. Why did he lock his bedroom? What was him hiding?
Before I could think further, my phone buzzed in my hand. I checked the screen, and my heart hitched painfully. It was my father.
"Hello…?"
"Come home. Now!" his angry voice cut through the line.
"Is something wrong—"
"Don't ask questions. Just get here!" He shouted, and ended the call.
I stood there, feeling my hands trembling slightly. Martha looked at me with concern.
"Are you okay, madame?"
"Yes… I need to go see my father," I said. "Is the driver available?"
She nodded without hesitation, and soon I was on my way back to my father's house.
When I arrived, the house was eerily quiet, but I knew father was there. Wasting no time, I rushed to his study, where I found him sitting at the desk, his expression was dark, his eyes wild.
"You're here," he said, his voice dangerously calm.
"Yes…" I nodded.
He rose from his chair, grabbing a stack of papers from his desk and began to approach me. I slowly backed away till my back hit the wall, my heart was racing in my chest. Something about him terrified me at the moment.
"You good for nothing rat!" he spoke through gritted teeth, gripping my jaw. His fingers dug into my skin and I winced in pain.
"What… what did I do?" I stuttered, my voice shaking.
"You can't even do one simple thing right," he spat, shoving the papers into my chest. They scattered to the floor.
"Tell me why he did this! Tell me why he revised the contract from 50% to 20!"
Contract? What contract? Had Alexander changed something? I didn't understand what he was talking about, but I recognized the rage in his eyes. It was the same look he had when he broke my arm when I was twelve.
"I didn't do anything, father… I don't know why he did…"
Without letting me finish, his hand struck my face with such force that my head collided with the wall. Pain exploded across my cheek, and I tasted blood.
"I think I made a mistake marrying you off to him," he snarled. "You will divorce him, but first, I will teach you a lesson."
My eyes widened in horror. Divorce? He couldn't mean that. Alexander wouldn't allow it… right?
Before I could process his words, he grabbed my hair and swung me across the room. I crashed onto the edge of the table with a loud thud, pain shooting through my ribs.
"Father please…" I gasped, but he didn't stop. He grabbed me again, slammed me against the wall.
"I will kill you with my own hands and throw you under ground before anyone can find you," he yelled, landing a punch on my stomach. I doubled over.
I was too weak to fight back. Too powerless to save myself from him. I just let the blow come, one after the other, until the room started to spin. My vision became blurry. The pain was everywhere now, not just where he hit me.
I was fading, darkness creeping in from the edge of my sight. Would I really die? If I did, he would get rid of my body, and no one would ever see me again, not even Alexander. Oh no… I didn't want to.
God, please help me!!
Suddenly, the door flew open and someone stormed in.