CHAPTER 2

~Emily

“Are you sure about attending the party?” Martha asked for the third time in maybe twenty minutes.

I sat before the vanity in a sheer undergarment, applying simple makeup.

“Yes, Martha,” I replied.

She dropped the outfits I had picked out for the party on the bed and went silent for a moment.

“You know,” she started carefully, as if scared of my reaction, “you can just stay back and rest and allow Sir Henry to attend the party alone.”

If only she knew I had thought about that throughout the whole of last night, not wanting my request to attend the party to come off as insecure because Caroline would also be there.

She had called Henry a couple of weeks back and invited him to her grandfather’s party, and honestly, I had been paranoid about it.

“Going to the party with my husband is the only way I can be at rest, not staying at home,” I replied to Martha, earning a deep sigh from her.

“I just…” She paused, sighing again. “I just have a bad feeling about it.”

I turned away from the mirror, facing Martha. “You don’t have to worry, Martha. Nothing bad is going to happen. Besides, Henry is there to protect me.”

“If you say so.” She relented. “I’ll retire to the kitchen now.”

“Okay.” I smiled at her and turned back to the mirror as she left the bedroom.

As Martha closed the door, Henry stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Steam curled over his toned shoulders as he dried his hair with a smaller towel.

Henry had the build of a Greek god. Even though he was in his early thirties, it didn’t take away from his handsome looks. 

How I missed those days when he would hold my hand and refuse to let go just to subtly tell other women that they shouldn’t try their luck with him and that he belonged to someone else, to me.

“Hurry up with that stuff,” he broke the silence as he walked past the vanity without a glance. “I don’t want to be late because of you.”

It hurt to see that he didn’t even bother checking out my makeup.

Gone were the days when he would tell me that the dusty rose lipstick shade looked beautiful on my lips.

He usually called it the Band-Aid pink shade, and we would laugh over it.

Regardless, I smiled as I said,

“I’m done actually.” Standing up, I walked up to the bed and picked up the dresses, facing his back while he stood before the mirror, applying lotion to his hair. “Just thinking about which dress would be best for the party.”

“Can you choose for me?” I asked after a while of silence from him.

“Wear whichever one.” He replied dismissively. Then he faced me, his tone serious. “Just don’t bring your drama to the party. Do not make me regret bringing you along.”

***

Henry’s words played at the back of my mind as we arrived at the Kingston premises. The front yard was large and filled with guests in sophisticated outfits strolling into the building and exotic cars parked along the cobblestone driveway.

I had only seen the Kingston mansion on TV, but it looked even larger in real life. I’m actually not surprised. The Kingston family was one of the most powerful families in the country. They had been dominating the business world for over a decade with staggering success. A huge property like this just screamed their undeniable power.

Henry finally found a spot to park and killed the engine. He got down, and I followed suit.

As we entered the building, an overwhelming feeling washed over me at how large the interior space was, causing me to instinctively reach for Henry’s hand.

Henry looked at me with a small frown, silently asking why I had suddenly held him.

“The place is huge,” I said.

I was grateful he didn’t pull away as he only let out an exasperated sigh and continued walking.

“Henry!” A voice suddenly called out from behind us.

Henry spun around, and his face instantly broke into a smile when he saw Caroline. She reached us and hugged Henry, making me think I was invisible even though I was still holding his hand.

“You look stunning!” Henry said to Caroline, causing something sharp to pull at my chest.

So he could give compliments but barely even glance at me while I was doing my makeup?

“Thank you!” Caroline tucked her hair behind her ear as she batted her eyelashes. “You don’t look bad either. You still got the charm!”

She smiled sweetly as Henry laughed heartily. “Well, I guess so.”

“Trust me, you do and…” she started, but I cut in, unable to stand her subtle flirtation.

“Hello, Caroline,” I said, forcing a smile onto my face.

“Oh, my. Emily…” She made a feeble attempt to fake a look of surprise and awe. “I didn’t know you were the one standing there.” She sent Henry a glance as she added, “Henry didn’t mention you were coming to the party.”

Caroline’s smile froze for half a second as her gaze dropped to my pregnant stomach. She forced it back on, smiling widely.

“This is quite embarrassing, but I thought Uncle Felix was the one standing there. I mean, he has quite a large belly.” She chuckled like it was funny, and it was even more painful when Henry grinned, finding it funny. “Don’t take it the wrong way, Em.”

I scoffed inwardly, my fingers digging into my clutch bag.

“Oh really?” I spoke up, forcing my voice to remain calm. “Didn’t your doctors say you were fine now? I would advise you to check with an optometrist to make sure you are okay since you can’t tell the difference between a man and a woman…”

“Stop it, Emily!” Henry snapped.

I opened my mouth to counter him, wanting to ask if he hadn’t heard her insult me.

“Not one more word from you!” He cut in at once, his voice filled with warning and cold anger. “Else I’ll send you back home.”