3. WIRES AND WHISPERS

ARIA

I was not shocked when Rowan kicked me awake the next morning.

“Get up and go into the house before the neighbors see the kind of mess that you are.” He snapped, barely giving me a second look as he left for the office.

I couldn't move. I was shaking and weak and a stabbing pain kept biting my sides. It seemed as though someone had removed my organs and poured ice into me.

I managed to crawl inside and find my phone. I called my best friend, Talia. “Please come. I feel like I will die from the cold.”

She came and drove me to the hospital hurriedly. I fainted from shock before we reached the hospital.

When my eyes opened again, Talia was beside me on the bed, holding my hand earnestly. She gasped in relief. “Thank God you're awake, I really thought you'd finally died.”

I groaned as I sat up. Was death not even preferable to this existence?

“Where's Rowan?” I asked, seeing that I was connected by wires to at least three machines.

Talia shook her head angrily. “How can you even ask about that ruthless man? He hates you, why can't you see it?!” She yelled at me. “Leave him!”

I couldn't leave him. I had given years of my life to him and I had nothing to show for it, not even a child.

The doctor informed me that I had contracted pneumonia from being out in the cold all night, but he prescribed some pain killers and meds.

I left the hospital with Talia begging me to stay. I refused to, instead I took the painkillers to dull the pain.

When I got home, the doors were locked and I realized I didn't have my key.

Hesitant, I used my phone to call Rowan. I called him five times, but he never picked up even though I confirmed from his secretary that he was in the office.

I finally convinced her to take the call to him though he had warned me never to try that, but I needed to go into the house.

“Rowan? Please can you come home? I am just back from the hospital and it seems I have lost my key.”

Rowan sneered. “Then why didn't you just die there? Don't bother asking for the key, I changed all the locks. You think you can disappear for two days and pretend you were at the hospital?”

I was stunned and emotionally affected.

So I was in a coma for two days, but instead of worrying, he changed the locks?

My chest tightened at the callousness of the man I called my husband. If he had even called Talia to check, he would have confirmed I had fainted but he didn't care enough to.

I ended the call, my face going blank and emotionless. I went over to my father's house.

The butler, Mr. Partridge opened the door. I heard the sound of laughter even before I was completely inside.

“I always knew she was a tramp! You mean she disappeared from home for two days?” I heard my step-mother laugh.

“Yes. Rowan just informed me now. I can't believe I have such a loose daughter!” My father said, anger twisting his tone of voice.

Immediately I stepped in, their voices cut off.

My father stood, scoffing at the sight of me. “I can't believe you're so shameless to show your face here!” He said.

I looked between the two of them, knowing it was a hopeless cause trying to explain where I had been the last two days.

I just needed a place to rest until Rowan returned from work so I could go home.

“So you are not only a whore, but you're also deaf and mute now, right?” My step-mother snapped at me.

“I have been at the hospital since I got pneumonia from Rowan locking me outside.” I informed them.

“You're a liar. Why would Rowan lock you outside? We all know Rowan would not hurt a fly. See how he treats Zara!” My father roared, angry at me for daring to tarnish the image of his son-in-law.

Why did I bother coming here? My father has always hated me since my mother died in an explosion on a private island.

Now he stood like he couldn’t bear to look at me. I’d seen that look before every time he remembered her.

He loved my mother, but she had cheated on him with her lover on that island so he transferred all his hate to me, and I’ve been paying the price since then.

I left their house. It was better to be caught under the sun and rain than staying there.

I should have gone to Talia’s house but she had already done enough by staying with me at the hospital.

My phone rang. It was my boss. “Where are you, Aria? We have a client and we need your expertise!”

“I am sick, Josh.”

“No, we cannot afford to lose this deal. Please come in today.” He begged me.

I was the best videographer at the company so I hurried over even though my sides were still exploding with pain.

I got to the meeting, and met the client. She was planning her wedding and she wanted us to handle the videos and photos.

When I showed her samples of what it would look like, she happily signed the deal worth almost two thousand dollars.

The event would be a destination wedding so we were booked for the entire week.

My boss breathed a sigh of relief. “Can you believe we almost lost that client? Thank God you arrived when you did.”

I stared at him listlessly, wondering how I could be so important at work, and yet my husband and family never saw any use in me.

I stayed to work on drafting a plan for the event with Josh as he asked how I was.

I told him I was fine, though I could barely keep from wincing in pain.

“I'll go home and rest now, Josh.” I informed him before leaving that evening around nine. I had stayed that late because I hoped Rowan would be back before I got home.

My phone vibrated in my pocket with a message. I found a text from Talia.

“Please come, Aria. I am being molested!”