Chapter 4

THE TRUTH

~TARA’S POV~

After the couple leaves, I go back to the kitchen and start cleaning. I don’t want to spend another hour getting nag at my Lea when she comes back and in a bad mood. Recently, she’s been releasing her stress through yelling at the staff and mostly at me.

I don’t knwo why she suddenly becomes like that. She’s not talking to me the way she did when I first met her after the accident, so I don’t have any idea. While I can endure the humiliation whenever she looks down on me in front of others, the staff starts talking behind Lea’s back.

“Are you alright, Tara? I’m glad the madam left,” Sophia, one of the staff asks as she walks in the kitchen.

“I’m fine,” I smile, offering her a glass of water which she happily accepts.

“Ah! That feels so good. I thought my throat would dry up from stress just listening to the madam making a scene in the morning,” Sophia sighs, shaking her head. “If I were you, I'd quit. How can you endure her attitude? It’s becoming her hobby to yell and embarrass you in front of everyone.”

Sophia’s right… I could have quit. The problem is, I coudn’t. I’d do it if I could. Actually, I thought about leaving the Jackson mansion. I was under the impression that I’ll get paid for working here, so I plan to save up and then leave the job. So, when I found out that I’m not getting paid… my plan crumbled into dust.

“She’s right. By the looks of it, the madam’s doing it on purpose. Isn’t that bullying?” Eva, another staff member, joins in.

“Oh! Maybe because Tara is undeniably gorgeous than she is, that’s why she’s jealous of you and wants to make things harder for you. I thought you two were sisters though,” Sophia continues.

I thought so, too. When Lea said she treats me like a sister, I was happy to have someone like her. But her kindness didn’t even last a year since we left the hospital three years ago.

“Yeah, right? I initially applied to this mansion when I heard that the madam was kind and gentle. I was surprised when she started showing her real colors. No wonder the staff from three years ago were all fired and they hired new ones,” Eva scoffs.

“Why did even the master like his wife? She’s not that pretty or kind, and doesn’t seem to know anything about business but only spends money like water. And the others also heard them arguing often at the master bedroom. I can’t believe they’re still together until now.”

“Alright, I think we should stop talking about their affairs,” I say, putting my hands on my waist. I look at the shining counter and smile, feeling satisfied at the result of my hardwork.

“I’ll have to clean the master’s office now. See you around,” I tell them and leave for the second floor where the office is.

The smell of leather fills the room as I step in. I look around and sigh at the sorry sight of his office. The master wants it neat, but he can’t maintain it. When the staff tasked to clean after his mess left the other day, Lea arbitrarily suggested and assigned me to clean the office.

I start sorting out the documents on the floor and on the table, making sure everything’s organized so it will be easier for him to work. After gathering the scattered pages and folders, I wipe the furniture and vacuum the floor.

It took me a couple of hours to finish cleaning but something’s missing. The room is now organized and neat, but the atmosphere’s dark and heavy.

I look around, trying to figure out what’s missing until I glance at the window.

“Right! We need some sunlight,” I say, pulling the curtain aside to let the light reflect through the glass window.

“Better,” I smile, looking around again inside the room.

My smile fades when suddenly, something catches my attention. It’s the family safe with an initial J engraved on it.

I move toward the safe tucked discreetly behind the bookshelf where the sunlight directly hits. My fingers softly brush the cold steel, and before I could think of what to do next, they began to move on their own, pressing numbers that seemed so familiar to me.

It’s my birthday!

I’m holding my breath as the mechanism works its magic, and for the next second, a brief click was heard. The lock was released.

“O-Oh my!” I retrieve my hand and cover my mouth. My heart’s pounding so fast I could seem to hear every beat.

How did I do that? No… I shouldn’t know that.

I’m just a maid, though? Lea said I was a maid… So, how come a maid’s birthday is the code used to lock the safe?

I freeze in disbelief, but it’s as clear as day that the safe was opened.

I swallow a lump in my throat and brace myself, trying to calm down as I take a peek inside the safe. Inside it lay photographs, documents, and a velvet box. My hand trembles as I lift the lid of the box… inside it, is a diamond ring. I hold my breath, tears welling up in my eyes.

“I knew this ring.”

I saw this ring every night for three years, haunting my sleep along with the man’s sweet and gentle voice, whispering promises and love in my ears.

Taking a deep breath, I wear the ring… and it fits. Perfectly.

Tears start streaming down my face like rain as I stagger back, sobbing. I found the ring which I only saw in my dreams in Alexander’s office, so what? Does it mean the man who longs for me in my sleep was also Alexander?

Suddenly, memories surge like a floor breaking through a dam. Alexander’s voice echoes in my mind, whispering his vows. The nights we spent together flashes through my head, like a movie playing at high speed. Then comes the memories of that tragedy… the plane crash.

And Lea’s twisted lies.