Chapter 1

Emily's POV.

I felt the strange wave of dizziness hit me suddenly again as I went about my daily routine in my room in the mansion that I had come to know as my home.

A wave of chills washed over me as I recalled the familiarity of this feeling. 

It was a few minutes past six am. I had woken up later than I should have.

I rushed into the bathroom in a flash and emptied the content of my stomach. My hair stuck to my face as small beads of perspiration formed on my forehead.

I dabbed my face with a small face towel and rushed back to the room. 

With weak hands, I picked up the hair brush that had been going through my hair before to resume, brushing my hair and packing it in a bun. Mrs Wilson, my mother-in-law, had instructed that my hair be styled before I stepped out of my room.

It made me wonder if I was such an eyesore for her. She could barely stand my presence sometimes.

I rushed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for the family.

The table has to be set by six thirty. I was behind schedule, so I prepared the meal as best as I could within the limited time.

Soon, the table was spread. I rang the bell to inform everyone that breakfast was ready and they all came out for breakfast except Eric.

My husband. 

"Emily, the chicken looks soggy. Can't you do anything right?", Mrs Wilson asked grimly. She had her lips pressed in a thin line.

My eyes fell to my feet in shame. 

Moments like this made me grateful for my inability to speak. I was born mute and had never spoken a word since I was born. 

"Mother, you know she can't respond. She's just a dumb twit we have to bear with", Alicia, my sister-in-law, chipped, taking a bite of a stewed potato.

"Your inability to cook good meals for your family is as bad as your inability to speak", she cursed under her breath but it was audible enough for me to hear as I sat just beside her at the table.

Eric soon descended down the stairs, and all eyes turned to him.

His appearance always had a way of making me shiver with mixed feelings.

Dashing was the words that I had screamed in my mind when I first met him as a young girl. He was a fine man indeed. Every girl would want to be his wife, and I was no exception. That was till I truly became his wife, and all the hell he had was let loose.

I mustered a smile at him as he took his seat beside his mother at the table and greeted everyone, but I was met with a cold, unfriendly face. He ignored me.

I felt invisible, as always, as everyone chattered aroud breakfast about anything and everything till breakfast was finished soon and I cleared the dishes.

"Emily, don't forget that we would be going out for dinner tonight so you don't have to make dinner. It's a relief to you and to us", Alicia commented snidely before walking out oulf the dining room.

This was my life in the Wilson's mansion.

Tears spilt down my cheeks as I recalled the good times. The times when Grandpa Richard was alive.

He was the one who had encouraged the Wilson's to adopt me. I never knew my parents. All I recalled when I thought of my past was the orphanage and grandpa Richard's smiley face when he had come to check out the orphanage and saw me crouched down in a corner with my rag doll.

The years I spent in the Wilson's mansion with him around were the only blissful times I had had here. He understood sign language very much, so I spent almost every day with him, and we conversed about so many things.

When he died, I was plunged into another realm of darkness not just because I missed him terribly but also because he could no longer protect me from the torment of his children and grandchildren. 

It only got worse when they realised his last wish was for me to get married to his grandson, Eric Wilson. He wanted me to bear the heir that would continue the family legacy.

I was overjoyed initially because I thought he would be like his grandfather, but he had turned out to be nothing like that.

He only used me to satisfy his sexual desires and left me emotionally and physically drained afterwards.

I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts and rushed to my room after doing the dishes. I did not share a room with Eric. He refused to let that happen. He only came to my room when he needed to release steam in the form of his sperm.

I recalled when I had first found out I was pregnant. I had mixed feelings. I was overjoyed but also confused. 

I had rushed over to Eric to tell him the news, but he had shunned me for the most of the day, telling me to stay out of his way.

I gestured to him that I had something important to tell him, but he only shook his head and asked me to get lost.

He had barged into my room later that night to have sex with me again as usual. After he released, he was about to leave when I held him back.

"What is it?", he has asked me, pulling on his pants with a drown on his face.

I rushed over to the drawer and pulled out the pregnancy test kit.

The crease on his face had deepened with impatience, but I had smiled at him in assurance while slowly bringing the test into his view.

"Look, I can't deal with this right now. I have to work. Excuse me, E-"

He had trailed off upon seeing the positive pregnancy test.

"You're pregnant?", he had asked, and I nodded ecstatically, trying to read the expression on his face.

"This was not part of the plan, Emily"

I frowned and gestured to him that we were married because his grandfather wanted us to have an heir, but he had angrily thrown the pregnancy test on the bed!

"Listen here, dumb woman. You can not be pregnant. This marriage of ours is strictly a marriage of duty to each other. Don't get your hopes up thinking we are in love or we will do anything people in love do"

Tears streamed down my cheeks, but his dark eyes remained cold.

"You will get rid of that thing in your stomach, Emily. It can not stay!! Okay?!"

I tried to gesture to him that I did not want to, but he raised his hand to stop me.

"You don't have a choice, Emily. It's all about duty. It's my baby, but I do not want it."

He turned to leave, but I rushed over to hold his hand. Without thinking twice, he shoved me harshly, and I fell on the bed, sobbing loudly as I watched his retreating back.

Tears rolled down my eyes as I sat on my bed, recalling that painful moment. I recalled how the abortion process went. 

It left me torn!