Chapter 6

Chapter 6 – Before Recovering

Aurora was sitting on the rug, the plate in front of her now empty. She devoured the food with an insatiable hunger, as if the simple act of eating was a relief from the torment she was enduring. Her body, weakened by days of forced fasting, absorbed each bite with a silent gratitude.

The housekeeper watched her from afar, sitting on the edge of the bed, hands folded in her lap, while her attentive eyes studied Aurora. She seemed concerned but also somewhat curious.

“Are you feeling better?” the housekeeper asked, her voice soft, but filled with worry.

Aurora didn’t respond immediately. She was still focused on the sensation of fullness, but the silence that hung in the room made her lift her eyes to the woman. There was something comforting about her, but also an underlying severity.

“Yes… I’m better, thank you,” Aurora said with difficulty, her throat still scratchy.

The housekeeper sighed, observing Aurora for a moment before breaking the silence again.

“Do you know where Andrews is?” she asked, in a direct tone, but with a touch of hesitation.

Aurora didn’t know how to answer right away. Her thoughts were confused, muddled by pain, anger, and fear. But after a few seconds, she couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“He… he locked me in the room…” Aurora swallowed hard, the words coming out heavy and bitter. “He didn’t respond to my cries for help. I was left there, alone, for days. He’s a monster, a cruel person…” She paused, feeling the anger boil in her chest.

“How can two newlyweds hate each other so much?” she asked, confused. “When he told me he was married, I was surprised, and even more surprised that it wasn’t who I expected. That’s why I came back to this house. When I found out his wife was someone else, I even felt relieved.”

“Don’t get your hopes up. He’s incompatible with me. He treats me like a prisoner.”

The housekeeper’s gaze softened, but instead of being understanding, she seemed to defend Andrews.

“I understand that this has been painful for you, but… you need to understand that Andrews hasn’t been home during this time,” the housekeeper began, her voice low and firm. “He was on an important mission. He called me, asking me to come and take care of you. I knew what was going on, and…” She hesitated before continuing. “He couldn’t come home, which means he didn’t want things to go this far.”

Aurora looked at her, incredulous, her eyebrows furrowing.

“He was on a mission?” she asked, almost in disbelief. “So he locked me in here, trapped, because he was on a mission? How can you justify that? He locked me up, ignored me! And now he’s what, on a mission?” she asked, spitting the words.

The housekeeper seemed to sense the tension in the air, but remained calm.

“I know it doesn’t seem reasonable, but you have to understand…” she lowered her voice, becoming even more serious. “Andrews… he has his own demons, his own reasons for acting this way. But I’m not saying you deserve it. After all, he should have learned to separate things.”

“Reasons?” Aurora cut in bitterly. “Reasons to treat me like I’m nothing? Reasons to leave me to rot alone in a room? He’s a cold and insensitive man. I should have listened to the voices in my head telling me to run.”

The housekeeper sighed, crossing her arms again.

“It’s hard to understand, but everything has a good reason,” she spoke patiently, though the understanding in her voice didn’t seem sincere. “Andrews has been through much, much more than you can imagine. He lost someone very important to him. Someone you’d never understand.”

Aurora felt her stomach churn. “Lost someone important?” That didn’t justify the way he treated her. Nothing could justify that.

“I don’t care what he’s been through,” she said firmly, feeling the anger bubble up again. “Nothing justifies the pain he caused me.”

The housekeeper, however, didn’t seem shaken by Aurora’s words. She stood up from the bed, walking over to the window to look outside.

“I know it’s hard, but you need to be patient. He’ll be back soon. And please, try to understand.” She turned to Aurora with a softer look. “Andrews has become someone difficult, but I hope this event will be good for him, because he was willing to marry someone who made him suffer for a long time. And now he’s married to someone I know is good just by being near him.”

She explained apprehensively, but Aurora could no longer hear it. The housekeeper’s words only increased her frustration. All Aurora could think about was the moment Andrews returned and began taking his frustrations out on her again.

“He wants to keep me a prisoner. And you’re just trying to make me accept this kind of treatment, but I’m not so submissive as to accept this!” Aurora stood up abruptly, her body trembling with anger. “I’m not a doll that he can do whatever he wants with!”

The housekeeper looked at her with a certain regret, but didn’t say anything more. She moved to the side of the bed, starting to arrange Aurora’s things in the new room after taking her out of Andrews’ room. Aurora felt safer now, even though she was in a room next to his.

—Things might improve with time.

“There’s no time. I need to get out of here. I can’t stay in this prison.”

The housekeeper didn’t respond, but her eyes, now heavier, watched Aurora in silence.

“But why do you need to leave? I heard you’re Janete’s half-sister, supposedly, even though Andrews doesn’t believe it. I know you must have been forced into this, to marry someone you didn’t even know. Do you know what happened between him and Janete?”

“I don’t care, just like I don’t care about that family. Still… I need to leave. Does he think I don’t have a life out there? That no one needs me? And now… I need to get out so badly, I need to know if they kept their word…” she pressed her lips together, hiding the words, and the housekeeper smiled gently, noticing the girl’s fear.

“What’s going on? You’re really not going to tell?”

“I can’t… especially knowing that it could make me lose more than I gain. I promised Janete I would stay silent, as long as she kept her part.”

“But staying silent is going to harm you. Andrews thinks you’re here because of money.”

“But it’s not a lie! That’s exactly why I married him. I need money. I need a lot of money. He’s right, I’m selfish and unscrupulous, capable of anything for money!” she declared with conviction.

Then someone knocked on the door, announcing that Andrews was arriving, making Aurora jump out of bed. Just the mention of that man disturbed her.