Marriage Revenge

The Clay’s mansion was built to impress and destroy at the same time. It was marble and gold, light and shadow and for as long as I could remember, it was also my cage. “Don’t forget your place, Eliana.” Those were the first words Vivian Clay ever said to me. I was six then. Now I’m twenty-four, and she still says it even worst after she birth my evil sister Vivain; it got only colder, sharper, like she’s honed it to a knife. The family dinner table glows under a chandelier the size of a small planet. I sit at the far end, silent, my plate untouched. They talk as if I’m invisible, Vivian, with her perfect red lips; Charles, pretending to be the moral businessman, but always controlled by his wife, and Sienna, their darling, my tormentor. “Did you send the charity files, Eliana?” Vivian’s voice is honeyed, dangerous. “Yes, ma’am,” I reply softly. Her eyes flick over me like I’m a bug on the wall. “Good. I don’t want mistakes this time. Last quarter, we had an... embarrassing delay.” The “delay” was when I was in the hospital after she threw a vase at me for ‘talking back.’ and I fainted straight away Sienna snickers. “Mother, she’s learning. Slowly. Like a trained pet.” I force myself to smile. “At least pets are loyal.” Her fork clatters. “What did you say?” “Enough,” Charles snaps, glancing at me. “Eliana, apologize.” I do. I always do. Because that’s how I survive. But tonight, something inside me begins to shift a quiet, trembling thread of rage winding itself into a knot. I’ve spent my life trying to earn their love. All I’ve earned is scars. When dinner ends, I slip upstairs, closing the door to the small room they call “the guest wing.” I stare at my reflection in the mirror. My face is calm. My eyes aren’t. “Don’t forget your place.” Fine. Soon, I’ll remind them where they truly stand. Three nights later, Sienna throws another party. The Clay's house is crawling with champagne, fake laughter, and hungry people pretending to be loyal. I’m there, of course, pouring drinks, fetching coats, pretending to be useful. Sienna stumbles toward me, her diamond dress glittering like broken glass. “Eliana! My darling sister! Pour me another, will you?” Her words are sweet but her eyes dare me to defy her. I hand her a glass, keeping my tone even. “You’ve had enough.” She laughs, high and cruel. “Oh, Eliana, Always pretending to care. Maybe you should drink this one for me.” She swaps the glass into my hand before I can refuse. I freeze something in her grin that chills me. “Go on,” she says, voice lowering. “You wouldn’t insult me in front of my friends, would you?” I raised the glass, and before I could drink it, "Eliana, your food is ready, you haven't eaten since the party started" Emmy, the maid called out. I quickly left with the drinks in my hands as Emmy was the only person that treated me well in the house. The room spins slightly as I finish eating and also sipping the wine. No. No, it’s my mind playing tricks. She wouldn’t. The laughter fades around me as the glass touches my lips. I never feel it hit the floor when my hand drops. My vision narrows, sound blurs, rooms spins, people in two's. Darkness swallows me whole. Suddenly; i felt cold, a different type of cold. That’s the first thing I feel, not the kind of cold that makes you shiver, the kind that makes you wonder if you are still alive or having a nightmare A soft beeping sound, sterile light, different scent of antiseptic, feel different from my small cage where other people refer to as my room. I blink, trying to open my eye bit by bit as it seems blurry; eventually I opened it after feeling alive and realizing it not some sort of nightmare and the white ceiling comes into focus. An Hospital! Hospital!! I knew I was not in the Clay's house, it felt different from the start. A nurse rushes over. “Miss Clay? Can you hear me? Hello! Can you hear me? You can signify with your fingers” she said. I can possibly hear her, I'm not deaf but as I was about to respond, my throat felt dry, those kind of surface that hasn't been in use for some time. Oh, it occurred to me, It felt like I haven't use my voice for a while, “Eliana,” I croak. “Just call me Eliana.” She nods, eyes full of pity like she has a lot to say but then again, she has to summarize the whole thing, “You’ve been unconscious for five days, your mother just left not quite long" Five days! Five days! I was poisoned? I was shivering done to my spine, and now they want me dead and not just make me suffer only? The nurse adjusts my IV. “A man has been in and out of your room, is he your fiance? My pulse spikes. “Who?” She glances at her clipboard. “He didn’t leave his name. But he’s been checking in on you. Handsome man, epensive suit, luxury lifestyle" A stranger? . Not my family. Not anyone I have known my whole life. A stranger, who could that be? I have always been lonely ever since I left the orphanage, could it be that he was sent to watch over if I was dead or alive? Different thought surrounded my head, although I was supposed to be resting but then I'm restless, would it ever stop? I wondered When night falls, I hear footsteps outside my door, I knew the person was approaching me, I pretend to be fast asleep. The door opens quietly, as if the person doesn't want anyone to know about what they might be plotting, and I'm here with my heart beating fast than a prey running away from it's predator. B ut then a deep, calm voice cuts through the dark.