Her Travails

Six

ERIKA'S POV

Day after day, I woke up to unending gifts from Jordan. I never wore one dress to two events, it was always a new one. I was in paradise, and what made me even happier was seeing Maya happy.

I had never lived in such luxury. As much as I tried to provide for her, it wasn't up to a fraction of the benefits she enjoyed from Mr. Scott. We even went on trips to Disneyland, although we frequently had to hide her from the public to avoid gossip. She had a great time.

Watching her and Jordan get along almost brought tears to my eyes. I should have been the one to provide all these good things for my daughter, but my wealth was taken from me. I couldn't even give my daughter the warmth of a family, as I was deprived of that. Also, to think that a couple of weeks back I would have given my baby up to foster care, fortune really smiled upon us, in the person of Jordan.

Despite his actions, I guarded my heart against falling in love with him. There was to be no romantic relationship whatsoever, as we had agreed before signing the contract, so I couldn't lose track of my emotions. I would also use my influence to pay those evildoers in their own coin. I secretly made a vow to reclaim everything that was taken from me by my ex-husband and his wife, coincidentally my former best friend.

A couple of weeks after the marriage, Jordan and I were alone when he tried to hold my hand. I flinched and immediately pulled it away from his grasp. His touch made me remember the many times that I had been sexually abused, the trauma replaying itself in my head at that very moment.

"I'm really sorry, Erika. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Jordan apologized fervently, his eyes filled with concern.

But my expression turned cold, my voice laced with anger. "You have no idea what you're doing, Jordan. You have no idea what your touch does to me."

Jordan looked taken aback. "Erika, I thought we were...I thought we were past this."

"Past what?" My voice rose. "You think a few weeks of luxury and gifts can erase everything? You think you can just touch me, and I'll forget our agreement?"

Jordan stepped back, his hands raised. "I didn't mean to hurt you, Erika. I swear. I would never take advantage of you"

My eyes flashed. "You didn't mean to? But you did. You are all the same thing, you think you just throw your money around and any woman would do as you please, right? Well, not me, Jordan, we had an agreement, and we should keep to it."

Jordan's face fell, but I continued, my voice fierce. "Never touch me again, Jordan. Never. Or this marriage will be over, contract or not."

The room fell silent, the tension between us palpable. Jordan's eyes dropped, and he nodded slowly. "I understand, Erika. It won't happen again."

In the days that followed, he stayed away from the mansion, and although he sent me money for upkeep, I still wasn't happy. I missed his company, and even Maya kept asking after him.

I started wondering if I had been too hard on him with my words. I thought of a way to apologize, so I decided to make a cake. I asked the butler to help me purchase some recipe books and baking utensils, which he promptly did. I followed the steps meticulously, and I tried making a red velvet cake, clumsily designing it, and inscribing the words 'I'm sorry' on them.

I sent him an apology text and begged him to come home that night, as Maya and I missed him terribly, as I had baked a cake, with great difficulty.

Jordan replied to my text, his response surprisingly tender. "Erika, I've missed you both so much. I'll be home tonight, and I can't wait to see you and Maya. And thank you for the apology, it means a lot to me. I'll be looking forward to that delicious cake!"

My heart skipped a beat as I read his message. I felt a mix of relief and excitement, knowing that I was taking bold steps and moving forward from the trauma of the previous years of my life.

As the evening approached, I nervously awaited Jordan's return. Maya was bubbling with excitement, asking every few minutes if 'Daddy Jordan' was already home.

Finally, the door opened, and Jordan walked in, a warm smile on his face. Maya rushed to him, throwing her arms around his legs, and Jordan scooped her up, twirling her around.

I watched, my heart melting at the sight. Then, Jordan's eyes met mine, and he walked towards me, his arms opening for a hug. I hesitated for a moment, then stepped into his embrace, feeling a sense of forgiveness and new beginnings.

As we hugged, I whispered, "I'm sorry, Jordan. I was too hard on you."

He whispered back, "I understand, Erika. I know I made a mistake. But I promise to be more mindful from now on."

We pulled back, and Jordan's eyes landed on the cake, his face lit up. "Wow, you made a cake! And it looks amazing!"

I smiled, feeling a sense of pride and hope. "I tried my best. And I inscribed our message on it."

Jordan's eyes locked onto the words 'I'm sorry' on the cake, and he smiled, his eyes shining with gratitude. "Thank you, Erika. This means everything to me."

We shared the cake and savored it.

"This is good. Where did you learn to bake?" Jordan said in between mouthfuls of cake.

I merely smiled as I watched them eat. Later that night, we were watching TV when Jordan had a diabetic attack.

Jordan's body began to shake.

I was dismayed, as I had no idea that Jordan was diabetic, and added a lot of sugar to that cake. He probably had over a pound of cake, and instead of telling me that he was diabetic, he chose not to hurt my feelings, and rather suffered an attack because of me. If anything happened to Jordan, I would have myself to blame.

I wept uncontrollably, and even poor little Maya, who had no idea at all of what was going on, cried with me. We sat beside him on the bed as the doctor examined him, and for the first time in years, I closed my eyes as said prayers to God.

After everything I've been through, I chose to stop believing in the existence of God. I thought there was no way someone was up there that was watching me suffer without doing anything to help. But this night, I asked God to save Jordan, as I didn't know what life would be like for me and my daughter without him.