The House Husband

Standing at the altar with the man of her dream, Marie Anne couldn't have been happier. Everything was happening as she envisioned, her magnificent gown was gorgeous, the hall decorations was beautiful and the food tasted absolutely divine. It was a small affair flaked by people from her husband's community. Her family member couldn't be bothered to attend her wedding, which kind of hurts a little, even her friends all had something to do. Shawn, that cocky bastard, probably barred the people she know from being present on her big day. The absence of familiar face does little to dampen her happiness because a beautiful future awaits her. Smiling from ear to ear, she walked around the hall to greet the guests. Her just wedded husband, Luke, was busy chatting with his female colleagues. Just because they are now married doesn't mean she need control how he interacts with his friends or colleagues. Besides, she isn't the jealous type and completely trusted him, afterall, he chose her over everyone else, that ought to count for something, she thought happily. Moving around to greet the others, who found the time out of their busy schedules to attend the wedding. Everyone kept gushing about how perfect they were together. This only made her even more happier. What she didn't see, was the pity in their eyes when she turned around. If anyone had warned her that the future she was dreaming about is nothing but mere illusions, she would no doubt have fought them tooth and nail for trying to jinx her. Five Years Later Marie Anne wondered where it had all gone wrong. Struggling to gain access into the building she was once known and respected, everyone was down rightly hostile or was it because she has been away for so long? Shawn was rounding up his meeting when there seemed to be a slight commotion outside the office. The words were clearly filtering in, making those within the meeting room uncomfortable, but he looked unperturbed. Instead, he wore a dark scowl. His assistant, Gary, knew instantly what that expression signified and quickly attempted to defuse the situation before it escalated further, but he needn't worry, the person making all the ruckus had somehow managed to get past the security outside and was walking directly into the office, her high heels making a creaky noise as it engaged with the tiles. She was elegantly dressed, a cute little girl clung to her neck, hiding her face from those present. "You can't avoid me forever" she all but shouted, looking angrily at the man sitting undisturbed at the head table. "I don't have time for your nonsense, as you can see, I am busy." he said in a calculated voice, gesturing to his assistant, he said, "See Mrs Harrison out," then resumed scribbling something on the notebook in front of him. The silence in the office was palpable. No one dared to breathe too loudly for fear of getting ousted by Shawn. "You can't get rid of me that easily," she said, walking forward. It was unclear what her intentions towards the CEO were, but the security personnel and Gary were quick to stand in her path, motioning her to leave before things got ugly. "You are so cruel." She whispered bitterly disregarding the fact that she was interrupting his meeting, "All I asked was a few minutes of your time." "I am afraid you can't afford my time," he said through gritted teeth, giving her a death stare. "Will you leave on your own or should I throw you out myself?" he asked. "Will you have time for me when I die?" she asked. She also had stopped struggling with the men in front of her. "Well, you will have to die first to find that out." he bites back without feelings, gesturing to the men to throw her out if she resisted being escorted out. Normal people would at least show a little compassion and possibly hear the woman out, but Shawn was different, he never gave people the benefit of the doubt, he never cared about people's feelings, as long as he is concerned, his company has more value than any human life. With a heavy heart, Marie Anne turned around and left. She knew now that he doesn't want to see her or have anything to do with her, he made that clear when she insisted on getting married to Luke but she had hoped he would change his mind once he saw his niece. She knew she doesn't deserve his pity, but blood they say is thicker than water, or did she hear it wrong? The toddler she was carrying made a little fuss before nestling her head comfortably into the nook of her neck to doze. The little one had no worries in life, she had no idea what the adult are going through. Every step she took away from the office. She regretted her past decisions and wished she could go back to rectify her mistakes. If only she had listened to his warnings then, perhaps a day like this wouldn't happen. Her situation would no doubt be different from what it was now. ********** "This is Sheriff Hardins from Runnerille county police station. I would like to speak with Mr Cage please." the man said in a crisp voice. "I am sorry, but Mr Cage is a little busy and unavailable at the moment. If there is anything, you can leave a message, and he will get back to you." answered Gary, wondering why the police would want to speak with his boss. "I see, when can he come to the precinct, then?" "I am afraid his schedule for the next six months is tightly packed, he won't be coming over anytime soon, if there is nothing more..." Gary said dismissively, holding in a snicker, everyone thinks they can just summon his boss now. "...It's about his sister," the police officer cuts in before he hangs up. There was a short pause at the other end, as if the assistant was relaying the message to his boss, giving the police officer enough time to add the most important information. "She was found dead this morning." and then he waited. This must be shocking to them too. The police officer reasoned after all, it's not everyday they get an homicide case in Runnerille county. "Where did you say you were calling from again?" asked Gary, and the police officer almost smiled. Now he is interested in what he had to say. Shawn didn't believe it when he was told that his sister had died. In fact, he thought she was merely acting out, he wasn't that free to entertain her unnecessary tantrums. Refusing to go over to the county, he poured his heart into his work, creating the perfect city. Three days later, the sheriff called again to know what the delay was, but his calls went directly into the voice mail. All his years of service, this was the first time he had witnessed a kin refusing to come and claim the body of their deceased. Because the county was a small one, their morgue had no room to accommodate more than three bodies at a time and, since they were not getting any money from keeping the body, the Mayor decided to have her buried in the public cemetery. Shawn was oblivious to all of this until a week later, on his way to the office, a little girl hugging a teddy stood in the middle of the road, as if blocking his path. "What is that?" He asked, annoyed when his driver stepped on the break abruptly. "I don't know sir, but someone left their toddler unattended," said Victor, the driver. He was looking around to see if anyone noticed that their child had wandered into the street, but everyone kept moving without minding the child. "Just drive around her, will you?" he said in his classic annoyed voice but just then, a middle-aged woman ran towards the girl, grabbing her and apologizing profusely. "Huh, some people don't deserve to have children," he said as they resumed their journey towards the office.