My Life with Hades

CHAPTER 3

When I entered the suite, Ramsés had already locked himself in one of the rooms. I felt a little bad about everything. I let out a frustrated sigh and decided to sleep. It had been a day full of emotions. But I couldn’t take off the dress no matter how hard I tried, and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to sleep with it on. So, I had no choice but to ask Ramsés for help. I had to knock on his door a million times before he opened it, and when he did, he had a frown on his face.

“What do you want, Bree?”

“I need help with the zipper of my dress.”

He nodded and told me to turn around. He lowered my zipper and, seconds later, closed his door without even giving me the chance to thank him or at least turn around. He was obviously more than angry. In my room, I took off the dress and lay down to sleep, tossing and turning a million times before I could finally fall asleep.

“Wake up, Bree, it’s time for breakfast,” I heard Ramsés’s voice, but I was exhausted. It had been hard for me to sleep, so I shook my head no without opening my eyes.

“You’ve got two minutes to get up, or I’m carrying you out,” he said in a threatening voice. But I refused, and he kept his word by carrying me out of bed.

“Oh, crap! Put me down, I’m not dressed!” I said, hitting his back.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize!” he replied, putting me down, and I locked myself in the room angrily. Seconds later, he knocked on my door.

“I’m not dressed, you can’t come in,” I said in a bad mood.

“I have some clothes for you,” he replied, opening the door and sticking one of his hands in with clothes. I took them, and he closed the door.

They were pajama pants and one of his shirts, which were huge on me. I looked ridiculously small in his enormous clothes. When I came out, he looked at me and shrugged.

“Sorry for not having you bring clothes, I completely forgot.”

“Don’t worry. What are we having for breakfast?”

“I don’t know what you like, so I ordered a bit of everything. Oh, and this is for you,” he said, handing me a bouquet of roses. “I’m not the kind of husband who forgets to give his wife roses.” I looked at him, smiling.

“If I tell anyone this, no one will believe me.”

“Go ahead, tell them. No one will believe you. Hades doesn’t give roses,” he said with a half-smile. We ate in silence until he interrupted.

“Are you okay? You haven’t said a word during breakfast. I’m starting to worry.”

“In the orphanage, eating in silence was a fundamental rule. So, that’s kind of stuck with me as a trauma.”

“You can talk here, Bree. You’re not in the orphanage.”

“I know, but I’m already used to it,” I said, sighing. He insisted on making conversation throughout breakfast, but my answers were always short.

“After breakfast, we’ll go home. I want to show you everything.”

I started to feel really anxious. Were we really going to live together? Damn! I just couldn’t wrap my head around being married and having a husband. What a mess!

When we arrived at his house, a dog jumped up on him excitedly. It was a Doberman, and the dog was quite intimidating. They say dogs resemble their owners, and it was totally true here. After greeting him, the dog approached me and sniffed me a bit.

“Hello,” I said, feeling a bit scared, but he started wagging what I assumed was his tail. So, I lost my fear and petted him. He immediately turned over for me to rub his belly. “You’re such a handsome boy,” I said, rubbing his belly as he moved one of his paws.

“What’s his name?” I asked Ramsés, who was watching us, shaking his head.

“Guess,” he replied with a smile.

“Don’t tell me his name is Cerberus,” I said, referencing Hades’ dog in Greek mythology. But he shook his head, smiling.

“I was tempted to name him that, but no. His name is Charon,” and I couldn’t stop laughing.

“Someone likes Greek mythology.”

He shrugged. “If they already call me that, then why not take advantage of it? Come on, Charon, leave Bree so she can settle in,” he said, snapping his fingers. The dog got up and obeyed him.

My room was huge—bigger than the room I shared with hundreds of children. Everything was pure luxury. I opened the closet, and my clothes were perfectly arranged, along with a bunch of new clothes. I was amazed by all the beautiful things. Hundreds of shoes of all models and colors. After a while, I decided to take a shower. I filled the enormous tub and didn’t get out until my fingers were completely wrinkled. I got dressed and set out to explore the house. Charon accompanied me throughout the tour. The house was huge but so empty and lonely it made you want to run away. So, I went out to the garden, which was absolutely massive. You could get lost in it. I played with Charon for about half an hour, and we both returned feeling satisfied. Ramsés was nowhere to be found, and I didn’t know where to start looking for him. I went to the kitchen and found a friendly face.

“You must be Mrs. Knight, welcome. I’m Olive, the cook, at your service.”

"Please, call me Bree," I said as I approached and gave her a hug, which she gladly received. I stayed chatting with Olive for a couple of minutes until it occurred to me to ask where Ramsés was.

"He's in his office, ma'am, but I advise you not to go near. He doesn't like to be disturbed when he's there."

"Don’t worry, nothing will happen. Can you show me where it is?" I asked with a smile. She looked at me, not entirely convinced, but nodded anyway. She showed me the way and then practically ran away.

I knocked twice on his door until he finally opened it. He was frowning, and I think he was ready to scold whoever it was. But when he saw me, he relaxed.

"What's going on, Bree? Is everything okay?" I nodded.

"I'm bored, that's all."

"So, you want to bother me to ease your boredom?" he asked with a half-smile.

"You're getting to know me," I replied proudly.

"Do you want to come in? I'm in the middle of something, but it'll only be a few minutes, and then I’ll pay attention to you." I nodded, and Charon followed me in. Ramsés looked at Charon, puzzled.

"Looks like someone has a crush on you," he said with that half-smile, then turned around and walked to his huge desk, sitting behind it and picking up his phone.

"Sorry, my wife needed me," he said to the person on the other end of the line.

Damn! That showed me this marriage, for him, was real. I stayed silent, wishing I could run away, that this was all just a stupid nightmare. He continued his call for a few more minutes, and after hanging up, he approached me.

"What do you want to do?" he asked, looking at me intently.

"I don't know," I replied, shrugging.

"Do you want to go out?" I shook my head.

"I don't feel like going out either."

"We have a pool at home. We could sunbathe and have some drinks." I nodded, not really convinced. I didn’t like pools because I didn’t know how to swim and was a bit terrified of water. Although I could stay and sunbathe, I remembered I didn’t have any swimsuits.

"I don’t have a swimsuit," I said, shrugging.

"I had some bought for you, you know, for our beach Saturdays," he replied, averting his gaze from me. "You should check your closet." We left his office, and Charon followed me the whole time.

"Charon, stop following Bree around," Ramsés ordered, snapping his fingers. The dog stayed still.

"I don’t like you commanding him with a snap of your fingers," I scolded, crossing my arms. He sighed.

"That’s how he’s trained, Bree."

"I don’t like it."

"Well, you’ll have to get used to it. Go change."

"Come on, Charon, come with me," I said, calling him, but he didn’t move. Ramsés gave me that half-smile.

"If you want him to obey you, you know what you have to do." I crossed my arms.

"I refuse."

"You’re so stubborn, Bree," he said, shaking his head. "In just one day, you’ve already given me gray hairs."

"Get ready, because soon you’ll look like the Joker," I replied, laughing.

I put on one of the swimsuits I found, but I honestly didn’t feel comfortable, so I covered it with a wrap. I found Ramsés waiting at the stairs with his back to me. He was barefoot, shirtless, and in shorts. What a back he had! Damn! I couldn’t help but check out his butt, and I had an overwhelming urge to s***k him.

"Can you stop staring at my butt, Bree?" he said with a frown, and I wanted to die. I turned red with embarrassment. When he turned around, things got worse. Damn! What a six-pack! I had to look away before I started drooling. We walked together to the pool and sat down to soak up the sun.

"Can you put some sunscreen on me?" he asked, handing me a bottle.

"It’s my chance to grope you," I replied to tease him.

"I’m your husband, Bree. You can do it." I sighed, feeling defeated. Olive brought us a couple of cocktails, which were absolutely delicious. I think I drank half of mine in one sip.

"Take it easy, Bree. Olive has a heavy hand with the alcohol. Very Russian of her."

"Is Olive Russian?"

"Yes, she is. So be careful with her drinks, or you’ll end up sleeping with your head in the toilet. I’m going to take a dip in the pool. Care to join me?"

"No thanks, I’m good here soaking up the sun," I replied nervously. He snapped his fingers.

"Come on, Charon, into the water," the dog jumped in with him, and I watched them play for a while. Then they came out and both shook themselves right next to me, getting me wet.

My first day at the office felt a bit strange. We arrived together, but upon entering, we went our separate ways. At least he respected my decision. I met my assistant—damn! I had an assistant, and I couldn’t believe it.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Knight. I’m Abigail, your assistant," she said with a smile. "Wow, it’s odd that you share the same last name as the boss." Then she looked embarrassed. "Sorry, that was out of line."

"Nice to meet you, Abigail. Don’t worry, it’s a bit of a strange coincidence. So, I understand," I said with a smile.

When I entered my office, there was a huge bouquet of roses with a card that said, "Happy first day at work. Here I am fulfilling my duty as a husband who sends flowers to his wife on her first day." The card wasn’t signed, but I knew exactly why. I appreciated the thought. Mid-morning, my assistant came in with a terrified look.

"Miss Knight, Mr. Knight came to see you," she said, and I found it funny how terrified people were of Ramsés. It was ironic because sometimes he frightened me too.

"Let him in, Abigail," I said. A few seconds later, Ramsés entered. She looked absolutely terrified.

"Miss Knight, if you don’t need anything else, I’ll leave."

"You can leave, Abigail," I said with a smile, and she fled like a bat out of hell. The poor girl was clearly terrified. I looked at Ramsés, and he was frowning.

"What do you mean, Miss? The deal was that I wouldn’t say I was your husband, but that doesn’t mean people should think you’re single." I sighed.

"This is kind of silly, Ramsés. She assumed it, and I let it slide. I don’t know why she thought that. I’m wearing my rings," I said, showing them to him. "What are you doing here?"

"You’re supposed to be my new employee. If I don’t come to see you, it would be strange," he replied, making light of his visit.

"Do you check in on all your new employees?" I asked, looking at him intently, and he nodded. He hung around for a few minutes before leaving with his usual frown. I went out, and Abigail breathed a sigh of relief.

"Are you okay, Abigail?"

"Yes, Miss Knight. It’s just that Mr. Knight kind of intimidates me." I smiled.

"Don’t worry. He is quite scary."

"I hope everything was alright. When he shows up at a department, it usually means something’s wrong."

"It’s my first day. He just came to greet me," I said, shrugging. "He always does that with new employees, right?"

She shook her head, and I realized Ramsés had lied. I didn’t want to think about him and focused on work. At lunchtime, I got a call from an unknown number. I hesitated to answer, but I did. It was Ramsés.

"Shall we have lunch together?"

"Do you think it’s appropriate to have lunch with your employee on her first day of work?" I teased him.

"Come on, Bree, I didn’t get married to eat alone," he replied seriously, and I imagined him frowning.

"Alright, but we’re not eating here. I don’t want rumors to start," I sighed.

"As you prefer, Bree. Caden’s waiting for us at the entrance. See you in the car," he said, ending the call.

On the way to the entrance, I ran into Abigail along with some other girls. She introduced me, and they greeted me kindly. We chatted for a bit when my phone rang. It was Ramsés. I excused myself.

"Sorry, ladies, my husband’s waiting for me, so I gotta run," I said, waving goodbye.

"I didn’t know you were married, Mrs. Knight. Sorry for calling you Miss all morning," Abigail said, embarrassed.

"Don’t worry," I replied with a smile. "It’s recent, so I’m not used to it either." I said my goodbyes and headed to the car, where Ramsés was waiting with a deeper frown.

"I called you, and you didn’t answer," he scolded as soon as I got in.

"Sorry, I didn’t know the number," I replied mockingly. He immediately took my phone.

"How could you not recognize my number? Didn’t you save it?" I shook my head.

"I was busy."

I watched him type on my phone, and a few seconds later, he handed it back. When I looked, he had saved his contact as “husband” with several hearts. I stared at the screen, then at him, surprised.

"These hearts are the most corny thing I’ve ever seen," I burst out laughing.

I glanced at Caden, who was trying to hold back his laughter, and Ramsés crossed his arms. I kept teasing him until we reached the restaurant. We ate in silence. I think this was the only time I enjoyed the quiet.

"How was your first morning?"

"Wonderful," I said with a smile. "Thanks for making me work with you." He gave me his usual half-smile. Would I ever see him genuinely smile?

That night, when we got back home, he sat in the living room, drinking a glass of whiskey. I sat next to him. He offered me some, and I refused, but he put the glass to my lips, just like on our wedding night. We unintentionally made it a routine; it was our way of sharing. The days went by, and things were going well. I started noticing certain things about him—one of which was that he seemed like someone who was suffering. But why? For the first time, I didn’t want to be imprudent and ask, though I was dying to know.

"Come on, Bree, you’re young. Go out and have fun with your friends. Caden will drive you so you can drink," Ramsés insisted. But they weren’t really my friends, and I didn’t feel like it. He kept insisting, so I called the girls. We went out for dinner and drinks afterward. Carol spent the whole night teasing me about my marriage, putting me in a bad mood. It seemed like she was jealous.

"Why are you so concerned about my marriage? I bet you wished Hades had proposed to you. I bet he never even noticed you," I said, crossing my arms, and the other girls laughed.

"Don’t be ridiculous, Bree. I’m your friend, and I’m just trying to look out for you. I’m sure you don’t even know why they call him Hades," she replied angrily. When I got tired of her talking about Hades and my marriage, I said goodbye.

"It was a pleasure, girls, but I’m heading home," I said, grabbing my bag and waving goodbye.

Caden was waiting outside, leaning against the car. He looked puzzled, probably expecting us to return home at dawn. When I got home, Ramsés was drinking his routine glass of whiskey. I sat next to him and sighed in frustration.

"And that sigh? Everything okay with your friends? I expected you later."

"Everything’s fine," I said simply.

"Want some?" he asked, handing me his glass. This time, I accepted and drank it all in one gulp.

"Can I ask why they call you that?"

"I’ve been waiting for you to ask me that this whole time. Did anyone say anything to you today? What have you heard?" I shook my head, avoiding his gaze. It was the truth; I didn’t know anything.

"Look at me, Bree," he said seriously, but I didn’t want to look at him. I could only do it when I was challenging him; otherwise, I couldn’t hold his gaze.

"If you don’t look at me, I’m not going to tell you anything." Frustrated, I sighed and looked at him, but strangely enough, his gaze didn’t scare me. Maybe it was the effect of the cocktails and his whiskey.

"They say I killed my family to get everything," he said bluntly. I was in shock. I expected anything but that.