Last Updated:
I knew that choosing to go back to my father's house would meet with some resistance. But the resistance my daughter and I suffered after that day is one I never want to experience again.
They did not allow us to have access to good meals. Raya and I depended on the cereal packs I stuffed into our bag. But that was not enough. Each time I headed to the kitchen to find something to eat, I would meet every cabinet and even the refrigerator locked.
Worse, no matter how much I desired to leave the house for good, my father always made sure we could not simply leave. There were hours they would lock me and Raya in the room. If not that, they would lock the main door and other exits. It got so worse that they locked the windows too!
I cannot start to imagine how terrible things would have gotten if we had spent a minute more in that place. So, I am super grateful to be out of the house.
Why am I calling it a house? It is a prison.
Anyway…
I looked around our grand hotel room and adored its warm colours and fine furniture.
I am glad that terrible phase is over.
“Raya?” I called after I carefully rested her back on the queen-sized bed.
“Yes, mummy?”
“Mummy needs to tell you something,” I said, caressing her hair, which needed washing ahead of tomorrow.
Her tired eyes blinked. “What?”
My lips widened into a smile and “Mummy thinks you are so, so, so cute.” I ruffled her stomach with my nose. “My baby is the most beautiful.” I then kissed her forehead. “So, so beautiful.”
“Mummy!” she complained within her intense giggles.
“I want you to feel all the love I have for you.” My kiss reached her cheeks next. “Take them all!”
“Mu-Mummy!” Her laughter intensified, and my troubled heart found warmth.
Once the mood was light enough, I became a little serious and said, “Raya, tomorrow, our lives are going to change.”
Her nose scrunched with confusion.
“We are going to a better house,” I explained better.
“Like Lego House?”
I shook my head. “Better than Lego house. Way better.”
“I like it!”
Oh, I love my baby's innocence. “Also, Raya?”
“Mummy?”
“Someone is going to live with us.” Since that day, I have not set my eyes on that man. So I don't know the details of our living arrangements after the wedding. But I think it's best to let Raya know that she will be seeing a certain person more often.
Of course, I am not going to lay out the entire truth in front of her.
Not now.
“Some… one?”
“Yes, baby.” I kissed her tiny fingers and relaxed my body next to hers. “Someone.”
“Kay-kay, Mummy.”
“Thank you for listening to me, Raya.”
“Mummy.” Her eyes became wide and a bit teary-eyed.
I sat up immediately. “Is something wrong?”
“Food.”
“You are hungry?” Raya nodded without holding back. “Oh, my beautiful baby. Of course, you can eat. Our days of surviving on cereal are over. Let me order a meal set. I will-”
The sight of Nathaniel at the doorway stalled my intention to get off the bed.
“Did I not lock the door?” I wondered aloud while I frowned at the stillness of the man's figure. “What do you want?” I asked with seriousness after seconds passed.
“Uhm…” One would think he saw something his soul could not comprehend. “I see you are doing well.”
My feet reached the ground, and I stood straight. “So?”
His hands went behind him. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“Our marriage.”
My arms folded. “What's there to talk about?”
He moved closer, and I hated how familiar his scent continued to be. “Miss Sarah Pierce, I am a businessman with a highly regarded public image.”
“I did not ask you for a résumé.”
“Marrying me is not as simple as slipping rings into each other’s fingers.” He stopped his long strides when there was about thirty centimetres of space left between us. “I have a lot to protect so-”
“Is there a point to this yapping?” I did not hide my temper, even my fake yawn was as sarcastic as possible.
After observing me, his lips shifted into a smirk. He appeared amused. Very amused
Gosh. Just what about my anger is amusing? This man keeps getting on my nerves. I ought to…
“For a blissful and trouble-free union, there are rules I need you to follow.” With a particular glint in his eyes, he moved closer, and his presence ruled that moment. “Once you agree, a simple contract will bind us for two years. After two years, we can go our separate ways.”
