Chapter Two

Gwendolyn.

I knew alcohol wasn’t going to help me, but I still opted for it. It gives me temporary relief from my heartache and the pain of knowing Henry was cheating.

I opened the wine and poured a large amount on the glass then gulped it down, letting out a sigh of relief. Normally, I only have a glass after Henry’s drama but soon when the pain became too much I turned it to two and then three, and it went on and on.

While sitting there I started thinking about my life, and if there was one thing I could totally agree with that would be this. This wasn’t the life I envisioned with Henry after getting married; me getting almost drunk every time we had a quarrel and he, cheating on me with his lover. I didn’t plan my life this way, when I ran away from home to be with him, this wasn’t what I was expecting.

I had dreamt of a bright and happy future where Henry and I were happily married with three children, living in a quiet and peaceful neighborhood with either a cat or a dog. But this, this was entirely different from it, and I’m getting tired of fixing his mess-up.

I took my fourth glass in silence, then looked at the time again, it was already morning and my husband wasn’t back yet. I sighed, gathered the wine and the used glass, then returned them to their post. I went to my room and took a cold shower to wash before going to bed. Tomorrow was another day, and I would rather not wake up late.

…..

Bang. Bang.

I was startled by the loud noise coming from outside, I yawned loudly and sat up on the bed slowly with my tired body.

Bang.

The sound came again, and I realized that it was coming from my door. Who the heck was that? I got down from my bed and took the bathrobe beside the bathroom door before moving to open the door.

“Who the hell….” My question died when I saw the angry face of Sheila, my good-for-nothing sister-in-law.

“Aren’t you supposed to have prepared breakfast by now, Gwen?” She asked, glaring at me.

I sighed and closed my tired eyes, “I can’t cook Sheila, I’m tired. You can just call take-outs and eat just for today.” I said, then tried closing the door, but her hand held the door from closing.

I stared at her face in shock, “What’s the meaning of this, Sheila?” I asked.

She scoffed, “You are not entitled to tell me what to eat, Gwen, I’m hungry, and I need you to go prepare breakfast for me….right now.” She commanded.

I closed my eyes and sucked in some air, hoping it would calm me down. I’ve told myself that I wasn’t going to let them use me as their housemaid anymore. I was done with their shenanigans, same with her brother’s. Sheila is my good for nothing sister-in-law, a twenty-eight-year-old lady who wasn’t thinking of settling down and getting married. Her mates were already married, living their best lives with their husbands, but here she was trying to dictate what I was to do in my husband’s house.

“Look, Sheila, I don’t have the time for your troubles this morning. I told you that I can’t prepare food for you and that I’m tired, can you just please let this go and go out to eat like you always do.” I suggested, still trying to keep my cool.

My body was tired, and I’m sure I looked like a mess right now, thinking about Henry’s whereabouts left me drained last night, and now I’m met with another drama. God, what’s wrong with this family?

“And I told you that I’m not going out! I want to eat the one you prepared and that’s it.” She stubbornly said.

Another sigh left my mouth, if I do not do something about this, then this conversation will go on and on until finally do as she says.

“Sheila, if you don’t get the fuuck out of my room now, I promise you won’t like what I’m going to do.” I threatened. If she wasn’t going to listen and be considerate for once, then I’m going to show her that I’m not a pushover.

Henry’s family have never bothered to hide their hate from me since he married me, in fact, it feels like they all hated me for no reason before I came into the family. Sheila and her mother hate me and I sometimes wonder why. Was it because their son didn’t marry the woman he claimed to love, or it was because he didn’t marry the rich heiress?

Sheila gasped and then placed her arms crossed. She looked at her right and then smiled smugly before looking at me with a solemn look.

“All I wanted was to taste your cooking, Gwen, is that too much to ask? I only want to eat the food you make, but you obviously turned it against me like in your enemy.” I arched my brows at her turn-off character.

I wondered why she was suddenly acting so calm like she wasn’t the one who was yelling earlier, and then I felt him even before seeing him. He was back.

My heart started beating loudly in anticipation, waiting for him to come to the room and drive his sister out.

“What’s going on here?” His manly voice asked, and I almost melted with just hearing his voice.

“Big brother.” She rushed to his side and hug his side.

“Hey, Shea. What’s going on?” He asked and the whole time he didn’t look at me. Not even a glance, and here I was hoping he would come home to apologize.

How silly can I be?

“I told sister-in-law to prepare breakfast for me for am hungry and needed to eat before taking my medication, but she said…” she stopped talking and looked at me. Then took her eyes off like she was scared of me, I watched the drama unfolding with indifference.

“She said that she wasn’t going to cook for me, that I should go order food online or go eat outside.” She added.

All this while I was watching Henry’s handsome face as they morphed from confusion then anger.

“Why didn’t you prepare breakfast when she asked you, Gwen?” Finally, someone noticed I was there.

I stared at his eyes and sighed, “I’m not feeling too good…” he cuts in.

“No, why haven’t you prepared breakfast by this time?” He asked instead.

“I just told you that I’m not feeling strong enough to prepare breakfast for her. She should go make her breakfast herself or go out and eat.”

Henry looked at me then burst into a loud laugh, I narrowed my eyes at him. What the heck was he laughing about?

“You are so funny, Gwen.” He said, after laughing to his heart's content, “Can you please tell me your position in this house again?” He asked.

“I’m your wife, Henry,” I answered, already getting angry. This was getting too much, isn't my husband supposed to be by my side at all times? Tell his danm sister to go get takeouts and let me be, but who was I kidding, Henry would always be Henry.

“You are my wife correct, but there’s something you also failed to mention.” He said.

“And what’s that?” I folded my hands across my body as I looked at him.

He smiled evilly, “A maid.” Sheila burst into laughter by his side but closed her mouth with her hand.

My heart broke when I heard that, I was a maid in his eyes. Nothing more than that…. A maid. I was a fcking maid in Henry’s eyes.

“You got married to me because of my wealth right, how about you put yourself to good use and take care of the house as a good maid and wife that you are.” He said, stabbing my heart more with his bitter words.

I was finding it hard to breathe in their presence so I walked back to my room and shut the door.

I didn’t know how I made my way to the bed, but I did, I sat there with my hand in my hair as I tried to control my breathing and stop the tears from coming out. But as usual, it was hard, it was so hard. Listening to someone who once called you his queen, his princess now calling you a maid was heartbreaking.

I sacrificed everything to be with him, hoping that maybe one day my love would be reciprocated. I could clearly hear my family’s warning in my ear, they’d warned me not to get married to Henry but because I was so foolishly in love—and still do, I married him.