PTSD

IVY

Living with women all my life taught me patience, kindness, and empathy.

I decided that I was going to pull out all of those characters, and be the bigger person.

“Did you need something ma'am?” I forced a smile on my face, as I regarded Vladimir's mother.

“Yes indeed. I need to put things into perspective so they can be very clear to you. Do you want to sit for this?”

“I'd rather stand, thank you.”

“Hmm,” a patronizing smile claimed her face. “As you wish then.”

My armpits clamped down hard against the fastened side of my towel, as I waited patiently for her to enlighten me.

“You're not my first, second, or even tenth choice for my precious son,” she dropped it hot. “That's the first thing you should know.”

Aha! I had read somewhere about these kinds of women. The ones who were male adjacent. Some people called them boy mums.

They would throw every other woman under the bus for their– precious son's, as she put it.

“But my husband and your parents thought it was for the best to pair you two up. Heard those blasting sounds earlier?”

“Yeah, I did,” I replied, waiting for her to reach a conclusion.

“Good. It's all because of you. We've been living fairly peaceful lives, until you showed up. You're a Greene, which naturally invites chaos. Now I'm not saying we don't have our own problems, but you make shit worse. Bottom line, know your place here, and there won't be a problem. Understood?”

I swallowed hard, pushing down a retort that would cement me as a real Greene.

Instead, I faked another smile. “I'll keep that in mind ma'am.”

“Let your words be your bond.”

She turned around, and like a stormy breeze, walked out of the room.

The breath stuck inside of me came out ferociously.

This time, this one time, I had chosen to hold back my tongue.

Not because women like Natasha Bratva scared me. But because I respected women too much, even the ones who clearly had a problem with my existence.

However, there would come a day I wouldn't care. Hopefully, for everyone concerned, that day didn't come.

It took me a couple of seconds to change into fresh new clothes.

I didn't think I would be able to get any sleep, considering my predicament. But as soon as my head touched the pillow, I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Dreamless, until Millicent showed up. She was nice enough to give me a warning though.

Her hands were reaching for my neck when my eyes popped open.

“Are you alright, Bride?”

My lashes fluttered, as I tried to make sense of the vision before me.

It took a couple of seconds for the blur to clear up. As it did, I sat up.

“Anna?”

“I'm here, bride,” she plopped next to me. “You were sweating, and mumbling in your sleep. Can I do something to help?” She asked with vivid concern etched all over her face.

My smile was instant, and genuine. “It's fine. I'm fine. Don't worry about me.”

“How can I not worry? You're in my care now. Look.”

She pulled out a folded piece of paper from her bra area, and handed it to me.

“What's this?” I asked, as I accepted it.

“Read it.” She encouraged me with a nod.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the paper, and focused on the words.

I was just three words in, when tears gathered in my eyes.

This was Grandma's writing. It was her words. She didn't just throw me to the wolves, and left me by my lonesome.

“Oh my, Anna. How did you get this?” I looked up from the paper, curiosity in my burning eyes.

“Don't worry about that. See that number there? When the boss gives you a phone, you can call her whenever you like, okay?”

“Oh Anna.” I hugged her dearly.

It seemed the universe didn't want me to be completely isolated, and so it sent me an absolute Angel.

“You'll eat now,” she said a couple of minutes after I had gathered myself together, whilst drawing the side stool closer to the foot of the bed.

There was no room for argument, and frankly, I was starving.

But just as I picked up the spoon, my thoughts crossed to before, and familiar fear gripped me.

The spoon slipped out of my hand, and landed on the tray.

“Bride!” Anna was beside me in a heartbeat. “Is everything alright? Why are your hands shaking?”

I looked down to see my hand actually shaking. Then my gaze shifted back to her.

“Poi–” I swallowed hard, unable to complete my words.

But because she was an Angel, she completely understood me.

Holding my gaze, she picked up another spoon, and began to taste every single dish.

“What are you doing? Stop it!” I said with concern.

She ignored me, and continued until everything was in her mouth.

Taking things even further, she poured from the water bottle, and drank out of it.

“Let's wait.” She finally looked up to me with a reassuring smile on her face.

My eyes glimmered thankfully. If Millicent was the demon of my night, Anna was the Angel of my day.

“See? It's all fine. Don't worry, I was instructed by the boss to taste every one of your food before it's presented to you. I think my mistake was not doing it in front of you initially. But rest assured, you never need to fear being poisoned ever again. I promise you.”

“Why would he do that?” I blurted the second she was done filling me with the information.

“Huh?”

“Why would he ask you to die on my behalf?”

She moved her head side to side, clearly still confused by my question.

“Say my food is actually poisoned. If you taste it, you die. I can't have that. I won't have it. He needs to switch it up. A man should taste my food. I don't think I would care much if the said man dies.” I shrugged.

She did the sign of the cross swiftly, with panic in her eyes. “Don't say that, Bride!” She rebuked me after. “No one should die. Man or woman. Why do you believe it's okay for men to die? You prevented the boss from being poisoned, and he's a man.”

I didn't like that she was right about me saving Vladimir.

Because it begged the question now; why the heck did I do that?