Early days of a new bride
1084 Words
It's been few weeks since my marriage to Williams.
We never moved into a new apartment.He said, I wouldn't be able to take care of him on my own, so I remained trapped under the same roof with the one man I had been trying to avoid, Seth.
Every morning, I woke with the same knot in my chest, and every night I went to bed wondering how much longer I could keep the tiny life growing inside me a secret.
I stood on the balcony, staring into the empty stretch of sky. The cool breeze brushed against my face, but it couldn't quiet the noise in my head. My thoughts wandering in every direction, each one heavier than the last.
Then a loud crash shattered the silence, the sound echoed from the dining room downstairs.
My heart lurched.
Without thinking, I rushed out of my room and hurried downstairs. Three maids had already abandoned their duties, frozen around the dining table.
Williams sat in his wheelchair, chest rising and falling with angry breaths. His face had turned a deep shade of red, veins standing out around his neck.
"What is the meaning of this?" he barked, pointing at the shattered plate scattered across the floor. Rice, curry, and pepperoni sauce stained the polished tiles.
His glare landed on me.
"You made this?"
I nodded cautiously. "You asked for rice curry with pepperoni."
"And you call this food?" he snapped. "It's too spicy! Is this how you serve your husband?"
No one dared speak.
The only sound was the soft clink of broken porcelain as the sauce slowly spread across the floor.
"What's going on here?"
Seth's voice cut through the silence as he walked in through the front entrance. His sharp eyes swept across the room before settling on the broken plate.
"Celine, what happened?"
One of the maids lowered her head. "Sir... Young Master got angry and threw his meal on the floor."
Seth's jaw tightened. He turned toward Williams.
"Williams, what is all this? Can't you behave like a decent human being for once?"
The room fell silent again.
He motioned for one of the maids to clean up the mess before looking back at me.
"Who prepared the meal?"
"It's Young Madam, sir," another maid answered quietly.
Seth looked back at his son. "Apologize to Amanda. Right now."
"Dad, there is..."
"Now!"
Williams clenched the armrest of his wheelchair so tightly his knuckles turned white. His jaw flexed as though swallowing the words physically hurt him.
He shot me a murderous glare.
"...I'm sorry."
"I don't accept that," Seth said flatly.
Williams inhaled sharply.
"I'm sorry... Amanda."
Every word sounded like poison on his tongue.
Without waiting for my response, he slapped the arm of his wheelchair impatiently. One of the maids hurried over and wheeled him away.
He didn't look back once.
The room slowly emptied until only Seth and I remained.
"You don't need to worry," he said softly. "He'll come around."
His words sounded reassuring.
His smile didn't.
That same smile lingered on his lips, the one that always made my stomach twist.
A dull ache pulsed through my lower belly.
I forced a small smile and excused myself before he could say anything else.
Back in my room, I remembered I had left the balcony doors open. The curtains swayed gently as the afternoon breeze slipped inside.
I walked over and pulled the glass doors shut, the bedroom door slowly creaked open behind me.
I turned…..
It was Seth.
He stepped inside without asking and quietly closed the door behind him.
The click of the lock echoed louder than it should have.
"Can I... help you with something, Father-in-law?" I asked carefully.
"My son can be quite the fool," he said with a sigh, slipping both hands into the pockets of his tailored grey trousers as he walked toward me.
Instinctively, I stepped backward.
But he kept coming until there was barely any space between us.
"I know this marriage isn't easy," he murmured. "You don't have to carry everything alone."
Before I could react, his hand wrapped around mine.
Ice spread through my body.
Every muscle stiffened.
"You can always rely on me whenever you need to."
I pulled my hand away immediately.
His fingers lingered in the air for a second before dropping to his side.
The way he looked at me made my skin crawl.
There was nothing fatherly in his eyes.
"I don't know what you mean," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady, "but I'm not comfortable with this."
Without waiting for a reply, I walked past him and left the room.
My heartbeat hadn't slowed by the time I reached the staircase.
Then I saw Williams.
He sat waiting in his wheelchair at the tip of the stairs while the maid adjusted the lift mechanism beneath it. With a flick of his fingers, he dismissed her.
She bowed and walked away.
I forced myself to keep walking.
As I came close enough to pass, his hand shot out without warning.
Pain ripped through my scalp as he had grabbed a fistful of my hair.
I gasped.
He yanked me toward him until my face was inches away from his.
"Just because my father can't stop staring at you doesn't mean you've forgotten who you belong to," he hissed, his voice low enough that no one else would hear. "I'm still your husband. You will do as I say. Every single time. Do you understand?"
Before I could answer, he shoved me away, the back of my head slammed against the wall.
I crumpled onto the cold floor, pressing trembling fingers against the throbbing bruise forming beneath my hair.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Williams simply watched me on his wheelchair toward the staircase lift as though nothing had happened.
Halfway down, he stopped and looked back.
I pushed myself up despite the pain shooting through my body. My knees shook as I hurried after him, gripping the handles of his wheelchair to steady it as the lift descended.
The irony tasted bitter.
The man who had just hurt me was the same man I was expected to care for.
As I stood behind him, guiding the wheelchair the rest of the way, it felt as though a storm had settled permanently inside my chest. Every hope I'd once carried stripping away piece by piece, leaving only exhaustion behind.
Was this really the life I had chained myself to?
- Writer
