I stared at the news show on TV and listened to the reporter speak about her recent findings somewhere in Pakistan, and I couldn’t help but wallow in self-pity at how I had abandoned all my goals and dreams of acing and making it big as a journalist because of my family and this godforsaken sham of a marriage.
As I continued to listen, nostalgia hit me hard, and I was plunged into deep misery as I reminisced on how much I must have lost. It had been barely two years since we got married, and it already seemed like there was some sort of invisible hand grappling at my neck and snuffing the life out of me.
You know, I initially thought having separate rooms as a couple was a bad idea when we first got married. I only needed less than six months to realize that it was one of the best decisions I have been forced to make. I couldn’t imagine how I’d have protected myself from Isak whenever he got home wasted and horny, or times when he was in his right senses but wanted to flex his muscles with me in bed.
On other days, he was either telling me how he was doing me and my family a huge favor, and as such, I do not have a right to have a say in his house, or stalking me around town like some creep, ready to throw punches at any guy who as much as glances at me.
In movies and romance novels, this behavior of his would be portrayed as adorable. Well, maybe it is until you find out that the reason he is always that way with me isn’t because he loves me too much to share but because he thinks of me as a possession to be kept away from others.
The former could make one feel wanted. Loved. Depending on the love language of the recipient of the act, the latter, on the other hand, just causes you to become a recluse with no friends or acquaintances to have a breather with.
I took a big gulp of my coffee as I heard the door to his room shut upstairs in anticipation of what I had up my sleeves. I had had enough of his bullying, and I was ready to somehow take my life back from him. Anyhow.
With each step he took down the stairs, my anxiety level kept climbing, and my palms were sweaty. I nibbled on my lips nervously. For some reason, the plan I had come up with and executed with so much confidence was making me feel uncomfortable, and I feared that I might be taking things too far.
The smell of his strong perfume, which I would have loved if he wasn’t the one wearing it, announced his arrival in the sitting room, where I was in my night robe, staring intently at the TV. I mumbled a greeting, and he did the same.
He asked how my night was, and I gave no response. The atmosphere in the sitting room was thick as usual. It was quiet, except for the sound emanating from the TV, but you could tell there was some sort of tension between us.
We barely had anything to say to each other. Left for me, I would not so much as want to see him, but he demanded that I be downstairs every morning before he left the house, and I was only being obedient.
My eyes were fixed on the reporter, but from the corner of my eyes, I watched as he sauntered towards the dining table, where the chef was waiting to take his orders. I took slow steps to the dining table and sat on the seat across from him. I forgot to mention that he also instructed me to watch him eat every day.
The chef, a petite woman who could be in her mid-fifties or a couple of years less, made to leave after she had gotten Isak’s order, but I stopped her. Without taking my eyes off Isak, I asked to be served breakfast as well.
It came as a shock to her and Isak because I usually would not eat at the same time Isak does, but today was a good day—the day I'd be free from the bondage I was in—and I deserved to eat and make merry.
He looked at me, curiosity etched on his brows, probably wondering why I had a sudden change of mind. I shrugged my shoulders and smirked at him, my eyes still on his. About five minutes later, the chef and two maids waltzed in with trays of food and were instructed to place them on the table.
The chef made sure to dish the food out, and I politely told her not to. He was my husband, and I wanted to take care of him like a dutiful wife should, at least for the last time before either of us parted ways with the other.
She looked at Isak as if to be sure, and he held his hand up as a sign of his approval. I grinned at her as she retreated into the kitchen. I adjusted my seat and walked the length of the golden table to where he was seated.
Our eyes were locked on each other’s. Mine probably had an unusual glint that made him think I was up to some mischief, while his—I loved the uncertainty in his. I'd be scared if the tables were turned, so I blamed him.
I dished some pancakes onto his plate, poured some tea into his teacup, and placed it on the saucer by his plate. I did the same for myself and took them with me to my end of the dining table. I closed my eyes, said a few words of prayer, and was about to eat when I noticed he had yet to begin eating.
I bent my head to the side as if to ask if he needed anything, but he said nothing. I shrugged and took a slice of my pancake. That was when he began to eat. How foolish!
A smile played on the corner of my lips when he took the first bite, and I felt some sort of excitement in my chest. In a few months, we were going to be married for two years, and it was the first time it seemed like I had the upper hand.
He was always the bully, and I was his victim. But it was different—a beautiful, cold morning. I didn’t have to scream the roof down like he would or make threats. I didn’t even have to utter a single word, but I could see the sweat breaking out on his forehead, and it was a sight I'd give anything to watch again and again.
Halfway into our meal, I excused myself to go to the sitting room, and I was back in my seat in seconds, a large envelope in hand. Once I settled back in my seat, I tossed the envelope across the table.
“That came in for you this morning,” I said. This time, my voice was audible enough for him to hear. He raised his brows at me as if to ask what it was. “I don’t know. I didn’t open it since it was addressed to you.”
He dabbed at his lips with a napkin and stretched to get the envelope from the table, almost spilling some tea on himself. I was unconcerned. He hissed once he was seated and yanked the envelope open while sending occasional glares across to me.
I was done with my pancakes, so I had my cup of tea in between my palms, easing the cold that was seeping through the slightly opened window into my skin. It was a myriad of emotions for him as he stared at the content of the envelope.
His brows creased in confusion, then his eyes popped as if threatening to disconnect from their sockets. His free hand folded into a fist, and the veins on the side of his head began to pop.
I had a wide smile by the time he fixed his gaze on me, and I could swear that I had never been that fulfilled in my entire life.
My work was done, and I was willing to bear whatever consequence it'd attract.
I punched hurriedly into my phone as the taxi driver held my gaze in the rearview mirror. After scrolling through my phone for a few seconds, I snapped my fingers and nodded.“DoubleTree by Hilton, please." I smiled at him.He nodded and sped into the street.Sighing, I leaned into my seat. I couldn’t help but wonder if I had done the right thing. But if there was anything I knew, it was the fact that I had had enough of living with Isak.The more I lived with him, the more I wished for the world to end. And since the world was not ending anytime soon, it was better if I ended what was left of the sham.For a while, I worried about how disappointed my parents would be, and I feared that my father might disown me if and when he found out what his only child had done. But it was either them or me, and it was glaring who I chose.As the taxi sped on, it felt as though a large part of my worries were also speeding away (even though I knew my problems still existed).The envelope I handed
As we drove back to our base in Liverpool, I couldn’t help but notice the intermittent skipping of my heartbeats when I glanced at Ian. I knew it was unhealthy to get involved with anyone when I was still legally married to Isak, but it felt good to feel those butterflies again like I used to with Arthur. Something about Ian had me drawn to him even though I didn’t want to. He was the complete opposite of Isak—soft-spoken, kind, courteous, and younger—and it was something that I considered before getting involved with anyone. And it was the reason I had loved and enjoyed his company all through my week-long stay at the resort. I was beginning to miss him the night before since we were slated to leave the next day. My lips broke into a smile when he was there at the parking lot, ready to chauffeur me back to Liverpool, even though he looked like he could afford to fly anywhere. I had chipped it into a couple of our conversations about how much I loved road trips, and he had thought t
The door casually opened with the third knock, with Ian standing and holding the doorknob. I had tried talking him into holding a weapon in case he needed it, so he actually had one right now hidden in his trousers. My kitchen knife.I waited for the danger, ready to act out in any way that I could, but then, as soon as the door was open, Ian suddenly paused. I watched him suddenly spread a smile at whoever was at the door, shake their hands, and extend the door much wider for them to come in.Raising a curious brow, I adjusted from my defensive position and slowly came out into view as the footsteps made it in, and instantly, I made a pause. Then my curiosity went higher.The cops?How are they here?I had dialed Ian, not them, hadn't I?"I called 911 on my way," Ian explained just then, as if reading my thoughts as he slammed the door shut after they were all in. There were about five officers. Four males and a blonde female cop. "I figured you obviously meant to call the cops when
The door to my room banged shut, and in the next minute, I was down on the floor, squatting against the door with my feet on the cold tiled floor and my hands hugging tightly around my knees.All of those things had just ended a few minutes ago, and I just needed time to think right now.All I felt was weak. And tired. And disappointed.I was so disappointed in how things were turning out.This was not the plan at all when I left Isak's house and bought this apartment.I had planned to stay here and remain hidden for as long as it'd take until he finally agreed to sign the divorce papers.How did he find me so easily?Why was Isak constantly such a thorn in my life, even in the process of trying to finally be free from him?Just to confirm everything I already knew, I slid out my phone and opened up the pictures once again, and it all came back into view on the screen, as clear as the moment it had occurred. His retreating figure. His clothes. His car and plate number. Everything.It
That night, Ian had to go back first to his place to freshen up, which was a lot easier since, luckily, he had come in the morning with his car.Before leaving back to his place, he had helped me set up a new alarm system in my apartment and put other possible things that could come in handy together if there was any emergency while he was gone.It didn't take long, however, before his car arrived back in my driveway. I knew he had done it all as soon as possible to be back because he had only been gone for barely an hour when the drive from his place to mine took about thirty minutes to and fro, like he had mentioned before.Not thinking of how much speed he must have added to be back before anything happened over here, I tied up my bathrobe and moved quickly to answer the doorbell.I only just made it out of the shower, thinking I'd have the time to maybe prepare some snacks for us before he got back, but here he was, already back when I had barely made it out of the shower."Ian?"
"Are you okay? Be calm. We're safe."It was Ian speaking. His hands were rubbing firmly over mine in my panic attack as he hurriedly started the car with his other hand while I watched through my ragged breathing as the men from the fire service continued to arrive in their trucks, trying to put out the fire from the house.It felt like a dream.Like a goddamn hallucination.All that reflected in my eyes from my new apartment was now a tall fire. Razing down every single thing all up to the roof.Soon, I found myself whimpering, and then, as soon as Ian's car swerved and finally started to move out of the driveway, I burst into tears.Ian tried his hardest to keep me calm, rubbing consistently over my hands until his car was finally out on the road, leaving it all behind with each distance covered.My apartment.The entire last of my savings was used to purchase that house for my escape.Everything gone.Razed down to the ground.I really couldn't control my cries at this point, and I
I was busy.I had been bent over the same mahogany table for the last hour, looking over the email responses from my lawyer for the millionth time. At the same time, I had my copy of the divorce papers spread over the shiny wood surface in front of me, and at the same time, my left thumb kept busy with declining each of my parents’ calls that kept coming in over and over again.There was no reason to talk to them right now.They had done this to me.Even if they were calling because they had probably heard about the fire, I still didn't wish to speak or say anything to them.There was even a higher possibility that their call wasn't anything about the fire outbreak at my house because I bet Isak wouldn't just go and let them know that their daughter's apartment got razed down when she was in it.It was better now that Isak had no idea where I had gone.He wouldn't go tell my parents about the fire because then he wouldn't be able to say where exactly I was at the moment if my parents
"You look great, Miss.""Uh, Thankyou." I chuckled, sending a thankful smile to the older lady, who was simply one of the many other dozens of staff in the house.I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out that I hadn't even seen them all. This house was literally so big, it would need a lot of housekeeping in all of the corners."I think they fit great," I said too, adjusting my suit jacket as I turned side to side while beaming at the mirror.Ian had burst into my room earlier this morning while I was still in bed to tell me that he had something that may interest me for today if I wanted to join.He had work today, and his offer was that I could join him at one of his companies that he was headed to.Somehow, that had brightened up my entire morning in anticipation for the rest of the day.If someone had told me any day that I would be this happy just to go see some company and return, I would have rolled lazy, bored-looking eyes at the person and gone back to whatever imaginary thin