Chapter 3: Where Obedience Hurts
1277 Words
A loud slap landed on Eris’ left cheek. She didn’t flinch. She just sat there on the single sofa, facing her parents, her father’s rage filling the whole room. Her cheek burned, but her face stayed blank.
She was used to this. This was nothing new.
“I gave you one simple task!” her father shouted. “You’ve been married to Tyler for months, but you still can’t get money from him? How hard is it to please a man, huh?”
Eris kept her eyes on the floor.
Her father clicked his tongue and pointed a finger at her. “If you have to kneel, then kneel! Do whatever it takes. Why do you think we married you off to him?”
He glared at her with disgust. “The only thing good about you is your pretty face, Eris. That’s it. So go back to your husband and use that face for something useful.”
“Yes, Dad,” Eris said softly and stood up.
But before she could reach the door, someone grabbed her arm. Her mother. And Eris knew her hell wasn’t over yet.
“Eris, please understand your father,” her mother said sweetly, her voice full of fake gentleness. “We just need money for the company. Your dad invested somewhere and the returns haven’t come yet. You know that, right?”
Eris didn’t answer.
“So please, just hang in there, okay?” her mother continued. “I’m sure Tyler will give you money if you just… ask nicely. Especially if you ask him in bed.”
Eris’ stomach turned. She wanted to pull away, scream, slap her mother’s hand off her arm but she didn’t. She knew better. Arguing would only make things worse.
“I will, Mom,” she said quietly. Then she walked out of the house.
Inside the taxi, Eris pressed her fingers to her burning cheek. Tears built up, but she swallowed them back.
She stared out the window and whispered to herself, “It’s just a slap. I can cover it with makeup.”
For a moment, she almost called her sister, Ivy. But she stopped herself. Ivy didn’t deserve to suffer too. Ivy had escaped, she was a pilot now, living free. Eris wouldn’t ruin that.
When the taxi stopped in front of the house she shared with Tyler, she paid the driver with the little she had left and stepped out.
Inside, the housekeeper, Senior Myla, greeted her politely.
“Good evening, ma’am.”
Eris only nodded and went straight to their bedroom.
Tyler was rarely home, and even when he was, he wasn’t really present. So the room mostly felt like hers.
She opened her closet and looked at the clothes lined up neatly. All of them were picked by her mother, dresses that made her look soft, fragile, and appealing.
Her mother’s words echoed in her head.
Men like gentle women. Be quiet, be graceful, but wild in bed. That’s how you win him.
Eris bit her lip to stop her tears. She took a shower. When she came out, a towel around her shoulders, she froze.
Tyler was there, packing his bag. Of course. He was leaving again.
She sat on the edge of the bed, watching him. She didn’t want to seduce him but she needed money. She needed to bring something home, or her father would hurt her again.
“Tyler…”
He didn’t look up.
“I need money.”
Still no response.
She took a shaky breath. “I mean it. I won’t let you say no.”
That made him pause. His head turned slowly.
Her voice trembled. “If you hadn’t agreed to this marriage, I’d still have my job. I wouldn’t be like this, dependent, humiliated—” She wiped her tears with her sleeve. “But you did. So now I need money. Not allowance. Money. I’m your wife, aren’t I?”
Tyler’s jaw clenched. Then he grabbed a check from the desk, signed it without looking, and threw it at her.
“Knock yourself out.”
He zipped his duffel bag and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
Eris stared at the check lying on the floor. For a moment, she wanted to rip it to pieces but then she remembered her father’s words. The slap. Her mother’s smile.
Slowly, she bent down, picked it up, and clutched it in her trembling hand. The tears came then, quiet, steady.
When she handed the check to her parents later that evening, her father grinned with pride.
“Good,” he said. “That’s my girl. See? It’s not so hard to be useful.”
Her mother clasped her hands together, smiling sweetly. “Thank you, sweetheart. You’ve made your father very happy.”
Eris forced a smile. “I should go. I need to get back home.”
Her father nodded approvingly. “Yes. Take care of Tyler. Give him whatever he wants, even if you have to beg.”
Eris bit the inside of her cheek and turned to leave but before she could step outside, her mother followed her to the gate.
“Eris,” she called softly.
Eris turned around. “Yes, Mom?”
“Thank you for the money,” her mother said in that same syrupy tone. “Your dad really needed it.”
Eris nodded.
Her mother’s hand suddenly tightened around her arm, too tight, almost painful.
“And now,” her mother said with a sweet smile, “it’s my turn to ask, right?”
Eris froze.
“When I last visited your house,” her mother went on, “I saw this lovely vase. It must be expensive. Why don’t you sell it and buy me that luxury bag I’ve been wanting? Your dad won’t get it for me, but I can’t show up at my friend’s party without one.”
“Mom, I—”
Her mother squeezed harder, making Eris wince.
“Come on, sweetheart,” she muttered softly. “I gave up everything for you. You owe me that much.”
Eris swallowed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Her mother’s face instantly brightened. She hugged Eris tightly, like everything was perfectly normal.
“Thank you, my love. You really are my daughter. Oh, and I’ll need the bag the day after tomorrow. The party’s on Friday.”
Eris’ lips trembled, but she forced a smile. “Okay, Mom. I’ll try.”
She walked out of the gate and didn’t breathe until she was far enough away. She took out her wallet. Only a few bills left. Not even close to enough for that bag.
Eris sighed deeply. Do I really have to sell something from the house? Maybe Tyler wouldn’t notice. He never did.
She started walking down the street, trying to book a ride on her phone. The signal was weak, the app kept crashing.
She waited. Ten minutes. Twenty. Thirty.
No car.
So she walked. An hours ago, rain had blurred the streets and weighed the air. Now the night was calm, fresh, and glistening with puddles under quiet streetlights.
Her steps were slow, her chest heavy. She looked up at the sky, blinking back tears.
She had tried once before, when her sister escaped, she tried to follow but her father caught her and what happened after that night was the reason she never tried again. She would rather die quietly than be caught running again.
And as she walked home, head bowed, hands shaking, Eris whispered to herself like a prayer.
“One day, I’ll be free.”
- Writer
