Confined Four Years

Confess the Truth

~~~~~Zachariah~~~~~

“You’re what she wants though.” He replied, standing as well to grab his brother’s shoulder. “Whatever you do, just don’t hurt her.”

            Zachariah watched as Marcus walked away and shook his head. What did Marcus really think of the entire situation? Julia picked that moment to come home, her thick, strawberry-blonde hair pulled up into a ponytail. As the kids ran in front of her, she laughed brightly before sitting down her diaper bag and following them, her eyes narrowed happily. The gentle, flowery scent of her perfume drifted to his nose as she ran past him. Once she had both children planted firmly on the sofa, she walked over to the bassinet where Sophia slept. The closer she got to his body, the tenser he felt until she stood right next to him, her eyes on his daughter.

“How did she do, Zach?” Her smooth voice startled him from his thoughts. “Any problems?”

            She did it, he thought, falling into a slight stupor. She called him Zach, not Zachariah. Is that because they are getting closer or does she actually want to call him that? He could not help but stare blankly at her beautiful face, and she tilted her head a little, but her smile never wavered. It felt similar to earlier, when their eyes locked across the room. He just could not bring himself to pull his gaze away. When she reached over to poke his arm, he tensed a little before remembering what she asked. It was about Sophia, right? He thought, inhaling the distracting floral scent.

“Uh… no, Sophia was fine.” He replied, finally tearing his gaze away to look at his daughter. “You were right about how easy it actually is once you get the hang of it.”

            As he stood this close to her, the flowery scent drifted up to him causing his body to tense. When her green eyes rose to look into his, time seemed to stop before her smile froze him in place. Considering everything her family and his put her through, how could she still smile like that? The more he watched her, the more confused she grew, before her oval face tilted and snapped him out of his stupor. His eyes fell to the rose charm of her necklace before he laughed, reaching up to run his fingers through his hair nervously and looked back down at Sophia.

“It’s nothing.” Zachariah mumbled, willing himself not to blush.

            Julia was the type of woman who could look good no matter what she wore or if she used makeup. Today, her porcelain skin looked free of any makeup and the soft sweep of her long lashes kissed her cheekbones before she smiled again and turned to walk towards the kitchen. He could not help but watch, unable to stop himself from checking her out. She has always had a small waist with wide hips and medium-sized breasts. Even back when she first married Marcus, Zachariah often fantasized about what it would be like to touch her, and it seemed those same teenager hormones took over now.

“She’s quite beautiful, isn’t she?”

“Yeah…” He replied without thinking before jumping and turning to look at his brother. “So, why don’t you…?”

“Beauty is only skin deep. We have nothing in common, remember?” Marcus countered with a knowing smirk.

~~~~~Julia~~~~~

            A few days after the embarrassing conversation with Marcus, Julia sat with the kids in the living room when a knock sounded on the door. Marcus invited in two very unexpected guests, and their presence made Julia tense in anger. His parents. If they found out Zach knew the truth, then all of them would be in trouble since no one but she and Marcus were to know about it. Julia turned her attention back to the kids when his parents finally noticed Sophia. The conversation they held off on having seemed just about to come up, so Julia did her best to keep her mind on the twins’ learning.

“Who is this little one?” Mary asked, looking down at the baby. “Why didn’t you tell us you were expecting another little angel, Julia?”

“Actually, mother, we didn’t even know Julia got pregnant.” Marcus covered for her, making her sigh in relief. “It certainly surprised us when she came, that’s for sure.”

            Julia could tell Marcus told half-truths, to make the story seem legitimate. She could not help but sigh in relief, but she knew this would make them positive her marriage was going perfectly, just as they hoped. The twins kept quiet, clearly able to tell we wanted the truth hidden. Plus, they saw little Sophia as something of a sibling. Usually, she did not like to brag, but her kids were pretty smart for four-year-old’s. Zach came into the room at that moment, an irritated expression on his face, but he kept quiet. Once they took their attention off Sophia, their eyes narrowed on Zach.

“Have you found what you want to do with yourself? That is your purpose for being here, after all.” William stated, his face drawn up in an irritated frown. “You haven’t been slacking because Marcus is paying all the bills, right? Zachariah, you must choose quickly.”

“Actually, I have decided, so don’t start putting pressure on me.” He said as he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve already submitted the paperwork to the college to change my degree choice. Why are you here?”

“We came to check on you and see how things were with the new baby.” Mary smiled; the same smile that always made Julia sick. “Oh, and one director has a cute little boy that may be to Madison’s tastes…”

“Don’t.” Marcus’s tone dropped, meaning he saw the hint at the same time Julia had. “We told you to start with the answer would be no.”

            Both parents looked irritated, but since Julia and Marcus did everything they asked, they would show their hand in front of Zach if they said anymore. Julia kept praying they would leave, wanting her children and Sophia to be away from the toxic people they were. Hopefully, Marcus could finish winning over the Board and the two could end this charade soon. She bit her cheek to stop herself from saying anything until the door shut firmly behind them. Hate felt like too kind a word for their parents. As soon as she knew they would not overhear what she wanted to say, she stood from the table and gripped the edge tight to contain herself in front of the twins.

“Maddy, Mason, can you two play in your room for a bit?” She asked kindly, watching as they nodded. “Mommy things we need a brief break.”

            Anger coursed through her body like hot lava, making her vision blur as the children left the room. She wanted to scream, to punch something until it became dust. This anger, so foreign to her, felt good and right in that moment. They once again suggest of marrying Madison off to some stranger just like they did to her and Marcus. Clearly, they planned to do the same with Mason as well, since the last time they talked, a little baby was born that they thought would complement him perfectly. She could feel the thick edge of the table in her hands and it hurt to grip it so tight, but Julia needed that grounding.

“How dare they even try to pull the same s**t…” she spat the words out when she turned to face the two men. “I am so SICK of their bullshit! Marcus, you said you were going to find their intent. Where the hell is it?!”

            Zach’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped, but her attention was solely on Marcus. He crossed his arms over his chest before sinking into thought for a few minutes. Julia hated everything about this situation, from the blackmail, to forcing her to have s*x with someone she does not love, to getting angry at this level over something she was sitting on her hands on. Where is the intent? What are they planning and why are they doing this to us? These questions have nagged at her brain since the start of this farce and she felt tired from waiting for him to find a resolution.

“And the way they looked so happy when they met Sophia, it makes me ILL! I haven’t slept with you since we got pregnant with the twins!” Julia felt like a dragon, upset and ready to destroy the world with fire. “If they try to involve her in the scheming, I will take all three of them and run away. I can’t keep doing this petty act of playing the perfect passive wife when I’m ready to slap everyone for this!”

“I know.” Marcus said simply, pulling out his phone. “Let me make some calls. I’ve been holding off because I wanted more information, but I have been in contact with an attorney about this. I need to know what we can do, and fast, about this.”

~~~~~Zachariah~~~~~

            The house was silent when Zachariah woke up one weekend day, his eyes glancing around the living room. Marcus sat watching television and Sophia was napping in her bassinet. Zachariah sat up, his hand contacting with the soft blanket someone put over him while he slept. He looked at it for a moment before folding it carefully and setting it aside. Right now, he wanted a cup of coffee and something to eat. It was strange Julia was not here, but wherever she was, he hoped she was having fun. He stretched as he stood, letting out a grunt, which caused Marcus to turn and look at him.

“She went to the community center to play with the kids.” He said, answering the question Zachariah did not ask. “Want to go check it out?”

            He did not expect to find himself at the community center an hour later with Sophia in tow. Marcus dropped him off at the front door without a word and left him there. It was a large red-brick building, covering a city block, and had two floors with vast glass windows. Through those windows, Zachariah could see a room full of children with Julia at a piano in the middle. He walked through the sliding doors to hear the notes of her tune carrying outside. It was a beautiful melody that reminded him of first love kisses and romance. Zachariah hung around the wall as she played, entranced by her smooth movements in front of the piano.

“Miss Julia comes to play the piano every month for the kids. They love to hear her play.” One lady said, walking over to him to speak. “A few months ago, her tunes sounded depressed, but here lately, they’ve been so full of life and love that she seems like a different woman when she plays.”

            Love. Zachariah looked at the woman as she played the piano and thought back to what Marcus told him. If he was to be believed, Julia was in love with Zachariah, though he did not know if that was true or not. Perhaps he was ignorant, but she really did not seem to be a woman in love. When she finished her song, she smiled as she looked around the room. Her eyes fell on him and he froze at the look of happiness and affection in her eyes directed at him. Was she happy he came? He wondered as she made her way through the crowd of kids to him. Just seeing her smile was enough for his heart to race.

“Did Marcus tell you I would be here today?” She asked when she entered earshot. “I’m so glad to see you! You haven’t heard me play before, have you?”

“It was… beautiful, Jewels.” Zachariah replied, chuckling when she bounced on her heels. “I’d love to hear more of your piano.”