My chocolate
1873 Words
Marisol
I stared at the huge chandelier that hung from the lofty ceiling, a groan slipping from my mouth as my stomach rumbled and this throbbing at the lower part of my abdomen intensified.
Today would make it the third day since I had last eaten something substantial. And no, it wasn’t because I was being starved or anything. It was because of that man called my husband— Atticus.
After that terrifying encounter, because I checked on him the last time, Alpha Atticus had drafted a long list of strict rules for me to abide by.
Three are prominent. Take ten steps away from me whenever we meet. Don’t dare to come into the dining hall until I am done. Most importantly, stay away from Neriah, she is the last person that you want to be with.
Who the hell was even Neriah?
Anyway, I couldn’t remain like this anymore. I could pass out at this point.
I slipped away from the bed, glancing at the wall clock that just ticked eleven a.m. According to what the maid assigned to me had said, Alpha Atticus always had his breakfast by ten p.m. and he would spend the rest of the day, overseeing the training of some new warriors, his business, and pack affairs.
And with that, it meant that Atticus wasn’t around and would only be back by nighttime.
I clutched my stomach, groaning out of pain and if it weren’t for the random fruits and snacks that someone had dropped at my door, I would have starved to death— Thanks to whoever it was.
As I opened the door and stepped out of it, Atticus flashed through my mind and that dangerous glint in his eyes sent a shiver down my spine.
All through the days that I had avoided him, a thought had nudged at me— The thought that maybe it would have been better to have died in the hands of my ex-husband than getting married to Atticus because why did it seem like I had suddenly been plunged into this hell that was worse than what I had experienced in the hands of Julian.
In Julian’s pack, I never experienced nightmares despite the way I was mistreated but with Atticus it was different.
Everything about him haunted me. His face. His voice. Him.
The fact that he even planned on ending his first wife’s life after our wedding still clung to me. If he could do that to her and threaten to kill me for worrying about him, then it meant that she wasn’t the problem.
Atticus was the problem and the best thing was just to stay away from him.
To keep my life, I would abide by his rules until this was over.
I took tiny steps down the hallway, clutching my stomach, and to quash the thoughts about Atticus, I tried to imagine what it would feel like to have a variety of dishes set before me.
Scrambled eggs, toast, sushi, and a bowl of pho.
That would be bliss.
My eyes closed shut and the thought of food made me smile but in the blink of an eye, that brief excitement faded because before I could wrap my head around things, I crashed into a woman carrying brown packaged boxes.
The contents of the box scattered over the floor while the brown-eyed woman dragged her hands down her face, almost whimpering. “What have you done”
Did I just get someone into trouble?
I stared at her in shock, quickly whipping out my phone while typing as she groaned frustratedly. “I am sorry that this happened. It isn’t your fault but it is mine and I would take responsibility for this mess” I crouched down, stretching the phone to her while she carefully read the text.
A small smile slipped through her face. “Speech impediment?”
I quickly typed. “Mute”
Her mouth parted and she bobbed her head gently. “You don’t have to worry about this though. Everyone makes mistakes. Anyways, my name is Neriah. Everyone says that I am Neriah”
Neriah.
I was about to return her smile when the name repeated in my head. ‘Neriah’ Just at that moment, Atticus' rule flashed through my mind and then it hit me that the Neriah he warned me to stay away from was the one who crouched before me.
Without thinking twice, I rose to my feet and retracted my step.
She seemed shocked by my reaction and stared intently at me. “Since you are mute, I guess you are the woman that Atticus just married, right?”
My lashes swept up and I stared at her with confusion swirling inside of me.
“Before I get deposed as Luna, let me make a proper introduction. I am Luna Neriah according to what everyone said since I had just woken up from a coma and can’t remember anything about my past. Soon, you will become the new Luna. It is nice to meet you” She stood, stretching her hands towards me for a handshake.
My hands shifted from her stretched-out hand to her face as I was conflicted about what to do or how to even react because I was still in shock.
She was his first wife?
The woman that Atticus loathed badly.
Wow.
As much as I wanted to hold a conversation with her, Atticus' warning flashed through my mind and I quickly typed. “I have to leave”
Before I could take a step, she blocked my path, shaking her head. “You bumped into me and spilled my things over the floor. If you want to make it up to me, then you have to help me in arranging it. Then, I would let this slide, "she said with a smile on her face.
Neriah seemed like a genuinely good person so why did Atticus hate her this much.
I wanted to help her but associating with her meant going against Atticus. And since he clearly didn’t like me and just saw me as a tool, disobeying him would be a bad idea.
I typed immediately. “I am sorry. I want to help but I am not in the best situation to help. I am starving and need to go to the dining room”
She read the message before her eyes flickered back to mine and she chuckled. “You are so funny. I don't know what I have done to everyone in here but everyone avoids me like a plague. So since you already struck up a conversation with me, you shouldn’t do this to me” The glint in her eyes broke me.
She seemed confused and lonely.
Someone who just woke up from a coma didn’t have to be ostracized.
“I have food in my room. No one feeds me here so my parents have been the ones in charge of my feeding. Plus, I have a bowl of pho. If you are interested”
My eyes widened and she grinned. “So, I would take that as a yes”
I darted my eyes back to my phone, typing. “But, Atticus, he has warned me to stay away from you”
When she read the text, her face fell and I felt bad for her.
But before I could type another text, she grinned. “Don’t worry, he is never going to know. Plus, he isn’t around and even if the worst happens, I would cover up for you”
She was so sweet.
In the next few minutes, I was in her room and the state of her room shattered my heart into pieces. It was small, and plain and it had just a scrawny bed in the corner.
Why was she being treated like this? Like a prisoner.
Tears welled in my eyes at the state of her room and I was tempted to offer to share my room with her but that would mean disobeying Atticus and it would result in my death.
Since I couldn’t share my room with her, I helped her design it—arranging the books, putting stickers on the wall, and placing flowers in the vases.
As she cleaned the dusty table, our eyes locked and she laughed. “What is your name?”
I moved over to her, typing. “Marisol”
She smiled. “Nice name…” Her words trailed and she heaved an exasperated sigh.
“I don’t know why everyone hates me here. Everyone stares at me with disdain and at the same time, fear. But if there is anyone who hates me the most, it has to be Atticus”
She stared at the ceiling. “Maybe I should have never woken up from my coma. I don’t know what my life was before I slipped into a coma or how bad I was but I would take this as a second chance at life. If I regain those memories, fine but if I don’t, then this me is the new me” A tear rolled down her cheeks.
The urge to comfort her overwhelmed me as I placed a hand on her shoulder while she turned, smiling at me.
“You are such a sweet soul, Marisol…” Suddenly she gasped. “How could I have forgotten that you are starving? Wait here while I bring the bowl of pho and steak but in the meantime, feast on these chocolates”
My heart broke and I smiled, typing. “Thank you”
She bobbed her head and in the next second, she went into the closet. I guessed that was where she kept the daily food sent to her by her family.
How could Atticus be so evil?
He couldn’t even offer her food?
All of a sudden, my heart almost leaped into my throat when the door swung open and Atticus stood at the entrance, staring at me with anger blazing in his eyes.
Dark clouds rolled through his eyes as I jumped to my feet, a shiver skating down my spine.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was cold, terrifying.
I shuddered.
Fear gnawed at me and the only sound that I could hear was that of my heart thudding hard in my chest.
My eyes blinked continuously and with trembling fingers, I tried to type but before I could do that, Neriah came out of the walk-in closet.
Relief flooded through me. She promised to cover up for me.
There was this indifference in her eyes as she stared at Atticus before fixing her eyes back on me. “Who are you?”
I froze.
For a second, I was confused, glancing at Atticus because maybe there was a high chance she was referring to him and not me.
“I am talking to you, woman. Who are you?”
What!
She dropped the bowl of pho on the bed, squinting her eyes at me. “Are you the maid?”
What the hell?
“You are that maid. That maid that has been stealing from me because why in the world are you holding my chocolate?”
- Writer
