Of all the possible things that could have happened.This is the one I least expected.“People are obsessed… over the dress.”Bridget chuckles and taps on her iPad. She hands it over to me and I take in the homepage of the social media platform. Bridget knows I can’t search anything or anyone up on the internet without Malachi finding a way to get that information too. The post is a hazy one.The picture attached to it is of me, and I believe it’s been expertly enhanced several times, because what was meant to be me running under one of the streetlamps of the Starlight Hall pathway, has now become something of a photo shot of its very own.Under the light of the lamp, and with the wind blowing the dress every which way, it looks immaculate. I brace myself for the comments.They blow me away.The majority of the comments all say the same thing. “I want that dress.”Bridget is smiling widely when I look at her and there’s pride in her voice when she speaks, “Starlight hall is a trending
“Hey!”Malachi ignores me totally . He acts like I'm not even on his back and his arm isn’t clamping around my waist right now. My vision spins and I try to infuse some more fire into my tone.“Hey! What do you think you’re doing Malachi?”His response is acid, “What these incompetent fools should have done hours ago.”With his long legs and powerful strides we’re back to my room in no time and Malachi drops me unceremoniously onto the bed, “Ow.”He shoots me a glare, and it’s such a scathing one that I feel my courage retreating and panic overcome me, but he doesn’t get to glare like that at me anymore. Even if he does, I'm not allowed to care. He beats me by speaking.“What the hell is wrong with you Antonia?” Malachi’s question wipes the scowl building on my face clean off and I frown instead. What the hell is wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?He’s the one here acting like he actually cares about what happens to me.I respond in the same vein, “What happened to your plans to mu
No one is allowed into my room. Malachi wasn’t joking when he said he wanted to keep a close watch on me. The same cleaner has been mopping the hallway outside for the past hour and a half and I think everyone can tell from the amount of muscle work he has going on, that he is not a cleaner.No one has been allowed close to my door except for the nurses and the doctors. Even if I wanted to concoct a plan with Bridget to get me out of here, I can’t plot with who I can’t see. Frustration makes me release another heavy groan…. Maybe this is Malachi’s plan. He wants to make me depressed. He isn’t going to punish me for hurting his mother, not physically at least. He’s going to punish me through this, and he has. The doctor just prescribed a dosage of laxatives, which means in the next few minutes I will be asleep and I'm sure before I wake up, the internet would have found something else to talk about. My dress would have been buried under the pile of content on social media, and ev
Malachi’s pov.“Mr Finn, your meeting starts in the next ten minutes.”I ignore the voice and at the continued existence of the owner of that voice in my office, I raise my eyes to look at her. She leaves immediately.I should have her fired. Anyone stupid enough to believe that since my wife was once my secretary, I must have now developed a lingering lust for anyone who is my secretary thus giving her a chance with me…. Anyone who’s stupid enough to believe that should be fired.I will fire her. As soon as I can get her replacement.My eyes go back to the monitor and the footage being displayed on it. I’ve been sitting in front of this monitor, watching this same feed, for the past couple of hours. Even when I try not to keep my focus on it and direct that focus elsewhere, I end up coming back here, back to this. Like some sort of junkie. Yet I'm not afraid to indulge myself in this.The footage is blurry. That hospital has bad cameras.Antonia’s form lays on the bed, immobile be
Antonia’s pov.I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Bridget is out there, making my dream happen while I'm laying on the bed in here, unable to leave the room. I can’t even use my phone. I have no reception.I begin to pray.Everyone prays sometimes. It just depends on what you believe in. My grandma was Catholic. She took me to church when she could whenever she went.I begin to beg my grandma, asking her to take a little stroll up the streets of heaven and speak to God for me. He must see what Malachi is doing and he must know it isn’t fair.I just need a bit of a break.The door flies with a sudden slam against the wall. My tongue flies into my throat and fear grips me. What’s happening?Malachi’s assistant Liam comes in, panting by the doorside. He checks his watch and then looks over to the security camera on the wall. Liam has been Malachi’s assistant for as long as I have, and at some point I hated him. I really disliked the way he treated me.It didn’t take long to figu
Antonia’s pov.I can’t stop thinking about the fact that Bridget is out there, making my dream happen while I'm laying on the bed in here, unable to leave the room. I can’t even use my phone. I have no reception.I begin to pray.Everyone prays sometimes. It just depends on what you believe in. My grandma was Catholic. She took me to church when she could whenever she went.I begin to beg my grandma, asking her to take a little stroll up the streets of heaven and speak to God for me. He must see what Malachi is doing and he must know it isn’t fair.I just need a bit of a break.The door flies with a sudden slam against the wall. My tongue flies into my throat and fear grips me. What’s happening?Malachi’s assistant Liam comes in, panting by the doorside. He checks his watch and then looks over to the security camera on the wall. Liam has been Malachi’s assistant for as long as I have, and at some point I hated him. I really disliked the way he treated me.It didn’t take long to figu
Antonia’s pov. My boss and husband Malachi Finn chats excitedly with his first love in the office. I stand outside, and through the glass door, I can see a warm smile on his face. It’s a smile I've never seen before. I know the right thing to do as a competent secretary would be to leave, but as his wife, every bone in my body screams at me to go in there and tell them to stop it. I know I can't. For the three years we’ve been married, Malachi has never treated me like his wife. He’s only ever seen me as a secretary. He’ll talk to me while we’re at work because I plan the company calendar, handle negotiations with his clients, and make sure he’s ready for every presentation he needs to be ready for, but at home, he ignores me. Laughter comes in from Malachi’s office again and my heart throbs with a strange kind of pain at the sound of his laughter. It’s rich, and silky. I dart a peek towards his office once more and my eyes fall on Skye Rogers. I stare at her because everyth
Anguish and pain rip through my already raw heart, and for a while all I can do is look at him. I stare at the annoyance on his face and the rage gathering in his eyes. I look away as tears well in mine and I stare at the floor as I blink them back, asking with a steady but tired voice, a voice that poorly hides how much this hurts me. “How can you say that, Malachi?” Malachi’s voice still bears cold fury as he responds with spite, “It’s true, isn’t it?” His words are like arrows lodging into my chest, driving me closer to breaking down. He doesn’t stop there. He goes on in an irritated, annoyed voice, “I would never have married you if it wasn’t for my grandfather. You’re a nobody who wormed her way into my life, so let’s not act like this marriage is something it isn’t.” My mood worsens because I realize he still believes I drugged him that night. A night that means so much to me, is like a stain to him. A stain he will never get to rub away as long as he’s married to me. “