chapter 3

She forced herself forward. “Good morning, honey,” she said calmly.

“Good morning,” Matilda replied with a smirk on her face looking at Vivian from her head to her toes as she chuckled in mockery.

Vivian hesitated, then responded, “Good morning.”

Honey, are you already having breakfast  without me? Not looking in her direction Jerald replied. He spoke trying not to be so rude. 

“I’m in a hurry. I have a meeting slated for this morning, vivian” 

But’ ……..” Stretching out her right hand, a frown creeping up between her eyebrows slightly squeezed. She hesitated to speak further letting out some air from her chest.

“Okay then let me go and pack your food. I already made breakfast for you and I”

“Never mind,” Jerald echoed, as he stood up, picked his briefcase and his car key from the table and walked straight to the door.

At the door, he smiled at Matilda. “Bye. See you later.”

In that moment, Vivian shattered completely.

What is happening to my life? She asked herself . She walked to a couch in the parlor and sat  in shock  and numbness feeling nothing in her body. She was having ptsd. She was caught up in her thoughts as though she was face-to-face with the ghosts of her childhood—her step-siblings and, most painfully, her stepmother, Mariam. 

Mariam was a woman who had turned Vivian’s early years into a living nightmare, never hiding her resentment. Vivian had been her father’s favorite, and Mariam never forgave her for it.

Vivian was intelligent—exceptionally so. Her father, Mr. Silvester, a research scientist, admired her brilliance and nurtured it with pride. That bond only deepened Mariam’s bitterness.

Life took a darker turn when Vivian lost her mother to cancer at fourteen. The loss shattered her world. At this moment she was relieving her childhood and the pain. As she sat there thinking about her mother and everything that had happened to her as a child. Her  body and her hands were shaking. Her eyes were just fixed to the table right before her as she made no sound with tears rolling down her eyes effortlessly as though there was a river of water in her eyes. Her nose in no time was also running with mucus. As she sat there oblivious of whatever was going on in her environment in no time her hands which were in between her thigh were covered in the mixture of tears and mucus which were dripping from her face as she sat upright with her face right above her hands.

“Hey, Mrs Jerald?”  Matilda mockingly called out,  a weird smile making her look like “THE  JOKER” 

Vivian who was still in her thoughts could  not hear anything she was saying. Matilda waited a while and called out again.

“ Mrs Jerald i’m talking to you,” this time around she called out with a straight face. 

Yet Vivian never replied so she stood up from the dining table walking to Vivian who was seated backing the dining area. She bent down slightly trying to get a good look at Vivian’s face so as to know why she is ignoring her call. She met Vivian crying profusely, mucus stains on her nose.

“Vivian, what are you doing crying like a baby? so your intentions are to paint me evil should it be your husband walks in now you would say I beat you up right? Anyways, that's not happening”

Jolting and snapping out of her traumatic experience Vivian got a hold of herself.

“What is your mission here in my house?” She asked softly, “I thought you left Jerald already? What are you doing back here? Is it because he is way richer now? And no longer the struggling young man you left then? I know you are here for the money. I can get him to write you a good cheque that will take care of you and your lifestyle.  please just leave my marriage alone please”

 Tears were rolling down her eyes as she cried saying please over and over again. 

“Even when you were dating him  you had  numerous boy lovers whom you were cheating on him with. I am aware of all you did when you were with him. You never seemed to regard him so much then and I know you don't still regard him now. Matilda  who was Jerald's fiance,”

 Jerald loved her with all he had but Matilda threw his love in the trash when she failed to come down the night Jerald was going to propose to her a night that was so planned and with all Jeralds close friends and colleagues in attendance including Vivian who was invited by Matilda's younger sister.  It was the most embarrassing day for Jerald. And after that day Matilda cut off all connections with Jerald.

Matilda realized that Jerald was on the verge of losing his job when they were dating. As the personal chartered accountant to the President of the UN, she quickly ran for safety into the arms of a celebrity actor known for his iconic romantic action movies. She believed Jerald was about to lose everything, and she was not willing to be part of that. All she cared about was her career as a model and finding someone who could sponsor her lifestyle while she gathered money to travel the world—her number one life goal.

“Your sister told me all you were up to. Please leave my marriage alone please I am begging you please”

Matilda scoffed, clapping, “What an awesome speech. You are such a brilliant woman indeed. No wonder Jerald married you”, she further added letting out a smirk, “so now you can stand up and speak for yourself? You shy and timid thing, who could not defend herself from her own step brother. I know Jerald is not aware of course you never told him  that you aborted for your stepbrother”

Vivian’s heart broke as Matilda’s words got to her. She didn’t realise that anyone knew about her little secret.

“He took so much pleasure pounding you as his sex toy anytime he had the urge for sex” she continued as she chuckled at intervals. whispering into her ears. 

“Also don't forget I am aware of the threesome you had with your brother and his best friend in your brothers lodge in school.  Yes I am aware of that” Matilda echoed as she leaned forward putting her elbows against her knees and her palms together as she sat on the couch beside Vivian looking straight ahead then she chuckled in mockery.

“Why are you quiet all of a sudden?” She further asked, “Do you think you are the only one that knows secrets?  My candid advice will be that you leave this house because I have come to take what is mine. You can save yourself the stress and trauma. Maybe if you leave now you can get lucky and find another man who will love you regardless of your damaged womb that cannot carry any child” Sarcasm was dripping from her voice and the smirk on her face grew with each passing moment, “Other than waiting here to fight a battle you have woefully lost already a candid advice from a sister to a sister. If you would excuse me i will like to go and have my bath,” 

As Matilda climbed the stairs to the room she had woken up, her eyes danced over the room again.  The room had a queen-size bed, a walk-in closet, and a fluffy pink-and-white rug at the center. There was a massive restroom with a twin-size bathtub. The bed, bathtub, and throw pillows were all customized. The room also had a large study with its own entrance.

Soon, Matilda began exploring the room—opening drawers and examining the framed pictures hanging on the wall. She saw many photos of Vivian and Jerald. When she got to the walk-in closet, she noticed beautiful suits and ties. Walking further in, she saw astonishing female dresses. It was obvious this was Vivian’s room.

“Oh my God,” Matilda whispered as she imagined herself wearing some of the dresses, her pinky finger resting on her lips and her thumb on her jaw. Soon, she was trying them on one after another, without any thought that they belonged to her cousin or that she needed permission.

All Matilda had in mind was to strip Vivian of everything she had. While she was enjoying her alone time, Vivian sat in mystery as her thoughts wandered far.

Am I cursed? Have I been bewitched? What is happening to me? Indeed  my past mistakes have caught up with me? It was only a one-time event—the abortion for my stepbrother. I have never even been pregnant again. Why  did I accept a threesome? How did she even get to know? Why didn’t I just die as a child ? Why is my life always filled with bitterness?