Chapter 6: A Guest in Her Own Home

"Ella Stone, ma'am," Ella answered sweetly and politely.

"Ella." My mother-in-law repeated the name as though testing how it sounded. "What a lovely name."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ella replied with a pleasant smile.

"You're so polite and respectful, unlike someone here." My mother-in-law's eyes briefly shifted towards me before she turned back to Ella. "Come, have a seat."

She took Ella by the hand and led her towards the dining chairs, treating her with a level of warmth I had never received from her. It was almost as though she were guiding her own daughter to the altar.

"How long have you been working for my son?" my mother-in-law asked after Ella had taken a seat.

"Not very long, ma'am. I recently joined the company as his secretary," Ella answered with a smile, as though we didn't already know that.

"Oh, really?" Mrs Black's smile widened. "That's wonderful. You must be a hardworking girl."

"You flatter me, ma'am, but I'm only trying my best," Ella replied modestly.

Adrian chuckled.

"She's one of the best employees in my office," he added.

I turned towards him, surprised.

Adrian had never praised anyone in front of me before. Or perhaps he simply had never praised me.

"That's good," Mrs Black said. "A woman should know how to make herself useful."

Her eyes briefly shifted towards me.

I understood the meaning behind those words.

"Mum, Ella came with me because we had something to discuss," Adrian explained, as though only his mother deserved an explanation. "She'll be leaving soon."

"Oh, don't rush her away!" Mrs Black protested. "She can stay for a while. It's been so long since we've had a guest."

I glanced at Adrian, expecting him to object. Instead, he simply shrugged.

Wasn't this my home too?

I pressed my lips together, but the question remained trapped inside me.

Why did I suddenly feel like an outsider? I asked myself, but I couldn't find an answer. Something inside me was trying to tell me something, yet I refused to listen.

"Mira!"

My mother-in-law's sharp voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Why are you still standing there? Go and bring something for our guest. Or do you expect me to serve the meals?"

I blinked.

"Yes, Mum."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped immediately. "Have you forgotten what I've told you?"

I swallowed.

"Sorry, Mrs Black."

"Better."

I turned towards the kitchen, trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling tightening in my chest.

"Mira!" Adrian called after me.

For a brief moment, I hoped he would say something different. Perhaps he would tell his mother that I was his wife, not a maid, and that I didn't have to serve everyone.

Instead, he said, "Just bring us some juice. We still have work to do."

Work to do?

I glanced at the wall clock. It was already seven in the evening.

"Didn't you hear what the man said, Ella?" Adrian asked.

I couldn't hear Ella's response clearly, but Adrian continued, "I thought he was going to say something valuable earlier, but he ended up talking rubbish."

I was surprised at first, too. He is quite funny.

Ella's laughter followed.

Behind me, I heard her laugh at something Adrian said. For some reason, the sound stayed with me all the way to the kitchen.

I placed my hands against the counter and took a slow breath.

Perhaps I was being unreasonable.

Ella was his secretary. Naturally, they would be familiar with each other. There was no reason to feel threatened by a woman simply because she worked with my husband.

But then another thought crept into my mind.

If Adrian could become so familiar with his secretary, why couldn't he be that way with me?

He didn't know a single thing about me. He didn't know what I liked eating, and whenever I told him something about myself, he seemed to forget it within five minutes.

I stared at the counter for a moment before shaking my head.

Still, I couldn't forget the lunch bag.

Or the way Adrian had lied about giving it to Daniel.

I reached for the glasses.

I wasn't going to start imagining things without proof.

A few minutes later, I returned to the living room with a tray of drinks.

Ella immediately smiled when she saw me.

"Oh, you didn't have to trouble yourself, Mrs Black."

"It's fine," I replied quietly.

I placed a glass in front of her.

"Thank you," Ella said softly.

"Your house is lovely," she commented, looking around. "You must have put a lot of effort into keeping everything so beautiful."

Before I could respond, Mrs Black laughed.

"She has plenty of time for that. It's not as though she has children to look after."

My fingers tightened around the tray.

Ella glanced at me briefly before turning towards Mrs Black.

"Oh, ma'am."

Her voice carried a hint of sympathy.

"Well, I'm sure everything will happen at the right time."

"That's what I've been waiting for!" Mrs Black exclaimed. "Five years, Ella. Five whole years, and still nothing."

I lowered my eyes.

Why did she always have to bring it up?

Adrian cleared his throat.

"Mum, can we not discuss this now?"

I looked at him in surprise.

For once, he had interrupted her.

But before I could feel relieved, he continued.

"Ella and I still have some work to discuss. We shouldn't keep her here too long."

"Oh, all right." Mrs Black waved her hand dismissively. "You young people and your work."

Ella stood up, smoothing her skirt.

"Thank you for your hospitality, ma'am."

"You're welcome, dear. You should visit again."

"I will."

She turned towards me.

"It was nice meeting you, Mrs Black."

I forced a small smile.

"You too."

Adrian picked up his car keys.

Suddenly, Ella's expression changed. Her face tightened as though she were in pain.

Adrian noticed immediately.

"What's wrong, Ella? Oh, is it that time of the month?" he asked softly, reaching out to hold her.