HOMECOMING
894 Words
I got up from the bed. The nurse had already cleared me to leave. Mr. Black’s assistant waited at the door, her hands folded in front of her, avoiding my eyes. She had brought me clothes earlier and said they were from him.
I dressed quietly, feeling the weight of Mr. Black’s last words.
“The choice you made.”
That sentence repeated in my mind, feeling unfinished.
“Ma’am, are you ready to leave?” the assistant asked gently.
I nodded. She signaled to a guard, who picked up my small bag.
I was being taken to a place they said was my home a house I supposedly lived in, and a marriage I was part of.
As we walked down the hospital hallway, nurses glanced at me. Their eyes whispered:
“She survived.”
“What’s your name?” I asked the assistant.
“Anna,” she said with her voice cold
Outside, a sleek black car waited. Anna got in the front, and I slid into the back. A guard followed in another car.
The car was nice, but the silence felt heavy. The driver kept glancing at me in the mirror, like I was a puzzle to solve.
Maybe I am, I thought. Nothing about me felt real not even my name.
The drive ended at a grand mansion tall gates, marble steps, and windows that shone like ice. It screamed wealth and control.
As I stepped out, it felt like I was entering a beautiful prison.
At the entrance, a line of staff stood waiting.
“Welcome, Jade,” an older woman said as she stepped forward. Her eyes were kind, and her voice felt warm against the coldness around us.
Jade. She called me by a name my name?
She must know me.
“I’m Jenna, the housemistress. It’s good to have you back home.”
Her hands took mine gently. Unlike the others, she felt warm. I wanted to hold on, just for a moment longer, but she pulled away and gestured toward the grand hallway.
The others nodded and greeted me, but their eyes remained distant.
No one looked happy to see me.
I looked around the large living room high ceilings, elegant art, perfect furniture but nothing felt familiar. Nothing told me I belonged here.
“Sam will take you to your room,” Jenna said, nodding to a slim girl standing nearby.
I followed Sam up a wide staircase. The room she led me to was tidy and clean, but it didn’t feel like the master bedroom. It felt more like a guest room.
Wasn’t this supposed to be my house too? Why was I being placed here like a visitor?
“If you need anything, just press this,” Sam said, pointing to a remote on the nightstand. She avoided my eyes as she set my bag down and quickly left.
Now alone, I walked around the room slowly. My reflection in the mirror showed a pale, thinner version of myself than I expected.
I stepped into the closet. Dresses and shoes were lined up elegant, expensive, and unfamiliar. None of it felt like mine.
Evening came quietly.
A soft knock at the door announced one of the maids.
“Ma’am, Mr. Black asked you to join him for dinner in thirty minutes.”
Before I could answer, she turned and left.
I went into the bathroom to freshen up, then put on some makeup I found on the vanity. I slipped into a sleek black gown elegant, unfamiliar and stared at my reflection.
I didn’t feel like a woman going to dinner with her husband. I felt like a stranger dressed for a role I hadn’t auditioned for.
My stomach churned as I went down the stairs.
I wasn’t ready to face him.
Not after yesterday.
The dining room was perfect a long table, crystal glasses, silver cutlery shining under golden lights. He sat at the far end, dressed in a black shirt that fit him well. He didn’t even look up as I walked in.
Cold. As always.
Dinner was served, and we ate in silence. The only sound was the soft clinking of cutlery.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Why did you bring me here?” I asked, my voice low and tight.
He paused and slowly looked up at me. Something flickered in his eyes brief and unreadable.
“Because this is your home. Whether you like it or not,” he said flatly, then returned to his food.
I stared at my untouched plate, blinking back tears.
I forced myself to eat, pretending I didn’t care. Pretending I was okay.
A few minutes later, he stood up.
“I’m done here,” he said simply, then walked out. The maids quickly cleared his place at the table.
I hadn’t even touched my food. I wasn’t hungry. I only came because he asked.
And I hated myself for that.
As I turned to leave, I heard a voice low and hurried, somewhere in the hallway.
“She doesn’t remember anything… and that changes everything.”
I froze.
Were they talking about me?
I tiptoed quietly down the hall, my heart pounding. Then I slipped back into my room and collapsed on the bed, my mind spinning.
There are secrets here. Dark ones.
And I need to find them.
- Writer
