Bed Of Lies

CHAPTER 5

Lauren woke up at the hospital to see her best friend Jojo sitting beside her.

"You are awake, Lauren; thank God. I was so worried.

"Where is Mason?

"He is with the doctor, Lauren. What happened? You just cut me off, and I have been waiting to hear from you since your wedding day. What happened?

"How did you know I was here, Jojo?

"Your husband, Mason, called me. He said you tripped and fell from the staircase this morning while rushing to go out for a meeting.

Lauren was so confused and rolled her eyes.

''My marriage is a sham; Mason is a psychopath and a narcissist. He was pretending; I regret marrying him; I should have listened to my father. He forced himself on me on our wedding night. You won't believe Mason changed my father's nursing home for months, and he won't allow me to see him.

He instructed Owen to terminate all my contracts and wouldn't let me attend any interviews. My life is over, and my career is over, Jojo. Did I do something wrong by loving Mason?

I lost my baby, Jojo. I'm so hurt. I feel so much pain, and my world is crashing; everything is falling apart.

"Don't say that, Lauren; don't say that. God will bless you with another child, Lauren. I didn't know Mason could hurt a fly, not to talk of hurting you this much; he is a good actor, I must say, because I didn't suspect anything in character.

Did you slip and fall genuinely, or did he hit you?

"I was trying to escape him; he pursued me, so I fell.

"That guy is a wolf in sheep's clothing; you must run away from him, Lauren, before he does something crazy to you.

"You think I haven't thought about that, Jojo, but I can't. He has my passport and will kill my father if I ever try to run away from him; he made that very clear to me.

"Oh my God, this is worse than it looks; what will you do now, Lauren? Have you spoken to Owen about this?

"Mason won't let me see Owen. Owen came to the house to look for me, but Mason told him I had travelled to Greece.

"I will contact Owen when I leave her and let him know what is happening; I know he can solve this problem.

"I don't know, Jojo; I think the universe is angry with me. You cannot convince me otherwise. Jojo, I was going to be a mother, but the baby is gone. Barely 24 hours after I found out, the universe didn't even allow me to enjoy the feeling.

Tears rolled down her face, and that was when Mason walked in with the doctor.

"Your wife will be okay, Mason, but she needs bed rest and intensive care. Do not let her do strenuous activity; please have someone watch over her. The frequent fall is becoming alarming.

"You have nothing to worry about, doctor. I already hired a nurse.

The doctor discharged Lauren, and her husband Mason drove her; it was a silent trip home, but Mason was smoking nonstop.

''Can you quit smoking, Owen? I do not like the smell of that cigarette. It upsets my stomach.

"Stop looking for my trouble, Lauren; allow me to be. Mason ignored Lauren as he continued puffing his cigarette. They finally got to the house; Lauren opened the car and went upstairs without waiting for her husband.

"You cannot put this one on me, Lauren. I see no reason why you should be upset with me. The accident is in no way my fault. That was mine, too.

"Whose fault is it then? You were chasing me; why were you chasing me, Mason? It is your fault that we lost our baby.

"It is in no way my fault, Lauren. The baby died as a result of your disobedience. If you had listened to me, this wouldn't have happened.

I have a meeting. I have to head to the office. The nurse will take care of you.

Mason left the room, and Lauren fell to the bed as she cried and headed to the bathroom afterwards.

She stood in the shower as she washed her body and thought about how her life was perfect before marriage and how Mason was a darling before they married. I should have listened to my father.

She sat on the bathroom floor when someone opened the bedroom door. She thought it was Mason but was shocked when she heard Owen's voice.

"Lauren, are you there? Owen called out as he tried to look for her around the room.

"I'm here, Owen. Lauren puts on her rope as she rushes to hug Owen. She was in his arms for minutes. Their hug was like a warm, cosy blanket on a cold winter's day.

It felt like time had stopped, and they were the only people in the world.

"What happened to you, Lauren? You disappeared. I had to sneak in when I saw your husband leave. Jojo told me everything that has been happening, Lauren.

"I'm living in hell, Owen. I should have listened to you when you suspected Mason's attitude before I got married to him.

Mason is a monster, Owen. He ruined my career and hit me. I lost my child because I was rushing to meet you outside the other day. I tripped and fell from the staircase.

"That bastard—I knew he was up to no good. Let us run away, Lauren, somewhere far away where he can never find you.

"I cannot do that, Owen, even if I wanted to. Mason has my father and would kill him if I tried to run away.

Lauren broke down in tears and put her head on Owen's shoulder.

"You know I love you, Lauren, but you didn't see me more than a friend. I was hurt when you decided to marry Mason.

Owen lifts Linda's head and kisses her lips. The kiss lasts for a few seconds, and then the door opens, and Mason walks in with a gun.