Chapter 3 Hopeless

Aria

I walked up the stairs hurriedly, having severe headaches. I was extremely dizzy and wanted to crash on my bed. Then I heard the soft moans. I raised my brows, confused.

“Moan?” I mumbled, wondering where the sound was coming from. This is me and Richard’s house. Were the maids going at it? I breathed out, deciding to ignore the sound. They are grown adults; they can do whatever they want. I held up my gown, walking to my room, and then I noticed the moan got louder with each step I took.

Fury rushed through my bones as I realised they were having sex in my bedroom. I walked angrily to my room, barging inside. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I wasn’t expecting to see my little sister bent over by my husband. He was ramming into her like a beast, their bodies filled with sweat. The air smelt heavily like sex, and anger and disgust washed over me.

“What’s going on here?” I snapped. They both broke apart, turning to me, and guilt washed over them as they stared at me.

“A-aria,” Richard stuttered. I tried to digest what was in front of me. There’s no way my husband was just fucking my sister on our matrimonial bed. The more I tried to deny it, the more it looked real. My eyes trailed down to his dick, and it was heavily erect. No condoms; they were both stark naked with sweat glistening on their skin. My body shook as small tears poured down my eyes. I was confused, lost and in shock.

“It’s not what you think, Aria,” Richard rushed, looking everywhere for his clothes while Lily stood there shamelessly.

“Oh my God,” I cried, my eyes refusing to believe what was in front of me. I shook my head; I must be dreaming. There’s no way this is happening in front of me.

"Aria, please, it’s not what you think. I… we…” he stuttered, licking his lips. I allowed my tears to fall.

“It’s not what I think? How long has this been going on?” I asked, heavy betrayal sitting on my chest. He looked at me, no words coming out of his mouth.

“How long has this been going on!” I yelled. They flinched. The room was silent, and I kept looking at the both of them, waiting for someone to speak.

“A while, and I am pregnant,” Lily said. I lost my foot as everywhere suddenly became cold, but I had sweat running down my back. I could hear the loud sound of my heart, but I wasn’t sure anyone could hear it.

“Lily, keep quiet!” Richard snapped.

“No! I am tired of hiding this. I am tired of hiding our love! This has been going on for almost a year, and I am pregnant. How long do I need to hide this for?!” She yelled. Richard grabbed her hand harshly.

“We were supposed to hide this until we reveal everything to the media and I get control of the company; you’ve ruined everything,” he snapped at her angrily. I stood there frozen, but I finally found my leg. I turned around, running out of the room.

“Aria!” Richard yelled running after me. I kept running with him screaming my name. Everywhere became foggy, his voice sounded distant, the entire place was spinning.

“Aria!” I heard my name, my body shaking violently. I flinched awake, covered in sweat. My eyes wandered around, my heart beating heavily.

“Aria,” I heard Richard's voice as he pulled me to his chest. I was covered with his scent I used to love so much; at first, it was comforting, and I felt myself getting calm. But then I remembered, and I pushed him away from me weakly.

“What happened? Are you okay? You were screaming from your sleep,” he says. I looked into his brown eyes; he looked worried, like a doting husband. Tears left my eyes as I remembered our love; he was my whole world, and my life revolved around him. After a stressful day at the company, I always run home into his arms. He was my home and my life. But it was all a joke for him.

“What happened?” He asked, cleaning my tears softly. I sniffed, looking away.

“It was a silly dream,” I replied, clearing my throat.

“You remembered your memories?” He asked. I could see the hope in his eyes, the desperation. He wanted me to remain clueless for the rest of my life. I shook my head, looking away.

“No, my memories are all foggy. It’s unclear,” I whisper, rubbing my temple. I wasn’t lying. I remembered a few things but not all. They are coming to me slowly, and the more I find out, the more rage I feel deep within my soul. I can’t help but feel I am missing something, something important. Richard stood up and got me water. I gulped it down in one go, feeling more calm. I lay on the bed, wrapping myself like a fragile doll. I hated how vulnerable I was right now. I was hopeless.

“Are you okay?” He asked, sitting beside me, and he slowly brushed my hair. When I see him, all I remember was him fucking my sister right on this bed. I was disgusted.

“What happened before my accident?” I whispered. He froze for a moment and then let out a sad smile.

“That awful night, you went to a party. The Johnson’s were throwing a party, and you attended. On your way back, you were involved in an accident,” he said. His voice was so convincing. I would have believed him myself if I had no clue about what happened.

“I wasn’t with my guards? I was alone?” I asked.

“Yes, you left secretly because you complained of a headache,” he replied.

“How did you know I had a headache if I left secretly?” I asked, puzzled.

“You texted me about it before you left. But I didn’t know you were coming alone. I won’t have let you otherwise,” he says. I nodded. He has rehearsed his lies. I don’t drive myself; I am always with my driver and a few bodyguards even though I drive. If I remember clearly, that night I told my driver not to inform Richard that I was coming home. I wasn’t supposed to leave the party I couldn’t have left because of a simple headache. My memory is all foggy, and I badly wish I could remember. There’s something I need to know. I felt the sharp pain in my head, and I hissed. Richard sighed.

“Stop trying to remember; you will only hurt yourself,” he says. I sighed, feeling frustrated.

“And another thing,” he added. I looked at him, raising my eyebrows.

“Tell me,” I replied. He sighed.

“You went to the Johnson’s party to convince the shareholders to sign the logistic company to me,” he says. The room was quiet, and I looked at him blankly.

“Is that so?” I asked. He nodded.

“Yes, we spoke about it before, and you agreed. You were supposed to finalise it that night,” he says. Wow, the audacity of him to say this to me.

This was a wake up call; Richard truly didn’t care about me, and that hurt me. The logistic company was the only company to my name. I didn’t inherit it from my father and it gained widespread attention in few years. How could I ever have thought giving it to him was a great idea?

“Did I tell them about it?” I mumbled, already knowing the answer.

“No, but it’s not a problem. You can still sign it to me. They can’t do much; technically, you’re still the boss. I just want it in my name,” he says.

“Why?” I asked, too exhausted to be harsh.

“Remember I told you, everyone always calls me the wife. The media calls me all sorts of names and accuses me of living in your shadows. Everything I owned today, they give you all the credits for; you are richer and you’re more respected. It makes me feel like shit the way they treat me; they will respect me more if I own more companies,” he says.

These were the exact words he told me; the only difference is I was not in love and worried for my husband's mental health. How did I allow him to convince me? Was I too blinded by love? It doesn’t matter if he owned the empire or not; the media will still call him names.

“What happens when I sign it to you? Remember you also wanted me to sign my father’s empire to you,”

“Yes,” he nodded. “You agreed to stay home and have our children. You said you’d be out of the media's eyes so I can shine.”

“The room was quiet again; what made it sad was the fact that he wasn’t lying. I agreed to do all that he mentioned. I was foolishly in love. I smiled.

“You’re right. I will do anything for you; I will sign the papers,” I said. His eyes light up.

“Really?” he asked. I nodded, rubbing his cheeks affectionately.

“Yes, I love you so much. I will do anything for you,” I whispered. He smiled widely.

“I will bring the documents,” he said, standing up. I watched him run to his safe. He put in the password, and I tried to remember the sound of the numbers. He always kept that safe and private; I have no idea what the password was, and I never tried to find out. Now I’m interested. He came to me with the documents and pen. He handed it to me, and it was quite bulky. It made me wonder what the content is because I didn’t read it.

“No need to read them, just sign here,” he says, pointing to it. I sat up and I took the pen; my hand shook vigorously, and it was hard holding it. I finally got the grip, and I signed. Richard frowned.

“That’s not your signature,” he says. I raised my brows.

“It’s not?” I asked cluelessly. He shook his head. I sighed, laughing dryly.

“I am so fucked up,” I whispered. He let out a tight smile.

“Don’t worry, I will contact Williams tomorrow. Your signature is quite unique; hopefully you will remember it when you see it. This document is useless now; I have to contact my lawyer,” he said, rubbing his head.

“Can you get me food? I am quite hungry,” I said. He let out another smile and nodded. He went to the safe and unlocked it again. He kept the document inside and walked away. I stood up from the bed weakly, taking my stick and walking to the safe. I sat on the floor, and I closed my eyes, remembering the tone. I breathed out and I tried it. It failed. I know if I tried it more than 3 times, he might know. It’s a 4-digit code, and I tried to think of what the password might be. I tried the day his sister died, and it failed.

Left with one trial. I remembered the tone again and then matched it with birthdays and anniversaries of people in his life. After deep thinking, I tried the day he officially became a CEO. The safe click opened, and I sighed. I closed it and went back to bed. I lay on it, looking at the ceiling. Now that I know the password, I can finally see what he has been hiding, and who knows if I can use it in my revenge arc? If only I had known, I wouldn't have looked through the safe.