III. Disgrace
1030 Words
Skye is in distress. I cannot see her like this.
"Skye," I call her out to help me. I was stuck to the ground. I wanted to stand up, be held by her and hug her to my chest. But I keep failing to restore strength in my legs.
"Hmph! You can't even stand up. You're nothing compared to the man who saved my life." Skye was speaking out of despair. I know she doesn't mean it.
"Skye, help me stand up-"
"Help from a woman!? That's ridiculous, Holden! You have to stand up by yourself! I wasn't given crutches or any help when I raised the company to billions. Help yourself, Holden. You're not a weak man. Not after what you keep hearing from my family every day. I keep wondering how You're still alive after all those taunts." I shook my head.
"I'm not asking for help because I'm weak, Skye. I need your help because I want to hug-"
"Just stop it. Stop talking. Your voice is making me angrier by the second. Just leave. Crawl out of my office for all I care." I closed my eyes, my head held down.
I struggle to stand up, like a newborn fawn in the grasslands. It was pathetic. The pain that came with it would make any normal man scream in agony. A woman would let out blood-curdling screams and faint. That was the extent of pain I was bearing, just to stand back up.
Skye sat back in her swivel chair, throwing insults at me mercilessly.
"Watching you struggle is just pathetic. You should do something better and crawl out of my room quickly because I'm starting to lose patience." I was sweating profusely, fighting battles in my head and with my own body. I was pushing myself too hard. But my pain tolerance is exceptional, thanks to the rigorous military training every warrior undergoes.
"You know what? I've got something for you." Skye wiped her tears. I sat back down, stopping the struggle temporarily. Skye pulled out a chequebook and tore a leaf. She scribbled down with haste as if to get done with it quickly. Turns out, she wanted to get rid of me with that haste.
"Here," She throws the cheque leaf in the air and it falls close to my limp foot.
"Every adult child in my family receives 10 million to start a personal venture or do something beneficial. I'll do something for myself and get rid of you. That'll be beneficial for me." Skye smirked, thinking she could send me away with the money.
"1 million? Skye, this isn't enough to keep me away from you. I love you." I was just as adamant. I felt the burn in my legs shooting up again. I held back curses that could make a sailor blush. The pain was too much.
"One million should and will keep you away from me. Money is all you want and care about, I know that. This sum will get rid of you from the Browne Mansion. No one can stand to even look in your direction for a reason. You're the sore eye to our family. The black sheep." Skye said, sighing to calm herself down. In my desperation, I looked at Skye and spoke.
"One...just one day more. I will protect you, my love." She scoffed at me, close to laughing.
"We both know you can't. For the love of God, leave me alone!" Skye yelled and walked out on me. Just like that, I lost the love of my life. I watched her storm out of the room. Her words could be cold enough to cut diamonds, but her heart was just as warm to melt them. But now, I had no way to bring her back unless I could stand on my feet again, literally.
Suddenly, my left foot, neatly wrapped with cotton bandages, twitched. I couldn't feel it but caught the movement in my periphery.
The sensation was returning to my legs. It felt unreal, I thought I was imagining it. My mind could be playing tricks on me. But I knew what I saw.
"Argh..." I let out a low growl, realizing the sensation was returning quite uncomfortably. Wait...sensation?
My left foot...it could move on its own?
"What...?" I was just as confused, but I realized quickly enough.
Meanwhile...
Diana Browne, my mother-in-law, glared at the staircase. Her daughter's voice was muffled but loud from her office room. Diana recollected me going up there. 'Did he go up there to taunt her? To pick a fight with Skye again?' She thought to herself.
"I'm going upstairs," Diana announced to her sisters and mother who sat in disappointed silence. She walked upstairs, the voice of her distressed daughter getting clearer.
She was screaming and crying at me. When Skye walked out, dashing past her, Diana was convinced to never forgive me. How dare I hurt her baby when it was the other way around, right?
But I, feeling the sensation back in my legs, was feeling overwhelmed. The rehabilitation was working. It was secretive and was thought to not have results. At all. But my body went through all odds and I was there, smiling at myself and looking into the mirror.
"How dare you, Holden Smith!? You made my precious daughter cry again! You've been an eye-sore to our family ever since you married my beautiful daughter! Hmph! You can never stand on your legs again, Holden. That is why you're treated worse than a lowly creature in this house. Everyone tramples over you like an insect. You deserve it. You keep hurting Skye and claim to love her but-"
Her words were cut short. She was speechless at what she was witnessing.
My back was facing her, the clouds thundered outside through the gloominess.
"Holden Smith you..."
A shiver ran down Diana's spine.
She was witnessing a miracle. I was exuding a prodigious amount of aura. It covered around me, thick like a blanket of flame. It thundered again, and she witnessed my silhouette, standing in the middle of the room.
Does Diana still want to believe I was disabled?
- Writer
