[Mandy's Diary Today]
Crazy. I could die standing just looking at the new house Peyton gave us to live in. My jaw nearly fell to the seat as The Bedingtons' limousine pulled up to a large lawn with a Cupid statue sitting in the middle of the garden. I swallowed hard. Even though The Bedingtons' mansion was much prettier and grander than this, I still admired the building that spoiled my eyesight now. Even the so-called wedding gift home from Peyton Bedington is five times bigger than mine.
Holy cow.
"Th-that's… the house your mother gave you?" I asked hysterically, then looked at Justin who took it easy as if Peyton's gift wasn't anything out of the ordinary.
"My mother has become your mother, Mandy. Please, get used to thinking of her as a mother too," Justin rebuked me.
"Oops..." I put my fingers on my lips while my two fingers were crossed behind my back. "Sorry."
"And…" Justin took a deep breath. "Yes. From now on we will live there. You don't mind? Or is the house too small?"
The house is too small he said?! Even the house can fit dozens of elephants and buffalo for God's sake. But that's what I like about him. Even though he's a conglomerate's son, Justin never thought that whatever he had was something to be proud of. Perhaps the effect of the He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named doctrine.
The door of the limousine was opened by The Bedingtons' private chauffeur. I waited for Justin to circle the car and carry me like in a romantic movie. When he was in front of me, I stretched my hand forward followed by a meaningful smile, hoping he understood what I meant. Instead of understanding my body language, he sighed softly.
"You can walk alone, right?"
Lips pursed sideways. Why at a time like this indifferent disease relapse?! I feel like I'd be banging his head if his nonchalant attitude were to show up again. The angel on my shoulder shook her head in a low whisper,
"If you bang your head against the wall until you die, you will become a widow. Do you want to be a widow after only a few hours of marriage?"
I'm just kidding! Think of it as an allusion. Following his orders, I got up independently from the limousine with long legs stepping on the asphalt road first. Only then did I pull myself out and walk ahead of Justin with a frown on my face.
Just a few steps forward, suddenly from behind someone bumped his body against my back, then carried my body into his arms, making me laugh softly in surprise. Damn Justin. I wrapped my arms around his neck, watching his face fill with happy gleams in his eyes as his hazel eyes collided with mine. Luckily, I've lost a lot of weight now from the first time we met face to face. Although I can say I'm not too heavy. It's just that I often feel that my body is not as thin as the models in fashion magazines. Now I don't have to worry about that anymore since Justin forbade me to diet so hard even though I've gained a proportionate weight. Bulimia is a bastard.
He took me into the house. Surprisingly, there is no one in this house. There was not a single maid on standby to open the door and serve us as in The Bedingtons' mansion. Noticing my confused face, Justin chuckled.
"There's no one here, Mandy," he said, climbing the line of stairs to the top floor.
This is my wish. I don't want anyone to disturb us in our new house, including the presence of the maid. He understands my will.
"May I bring Angus here?" I asked with wide eyes. "He and our family have lived together for a long time. Even since I was in high school."
"He's too old for you to bring here, Mandy. A new environment for a cat can be stressful." Justin stared at me for a moment, seeing the frown on my face.
"Then I'd like to buy a new one, a kitten." I bared my teeth at him.
Justin's low sigh was his response, as he opened the door and led me into our new room. Mmm… soothing aromatherapy. There are Kasturi and rose essentials combined. And I feel that this is the second most comfortable place after my room. I love aromatherapy. It can help me relax and reduce stress.
"I can't take Thumbelina with me. So to be fair, it's best if you don't bring any pets here either." He smiled slyly. Irritating.
I pursed my lips in annoyance at that fact. Justin lowered me onto the bed, letting me lie down looking at him who was busy unbuttoning his shirt.
"I need to take a bath," he said.
"Sure, go." My hands fluttered in the air, pretending to shoo him away. Replying to my sentence, Justin shook his head. He then disappeared behind the bathroom door leaving me alone in this place.
For the umpteenth time, I raised my hand, observing the Cartier ring with an expensive diamond on my finger. Now there is no worry in my mind about letting go of the purity ring that was on my index finger for as long as I lived as a teenager until I finally officially became someone's wife. The smile on my lips faded remembering that one thing. I swallowed hard. Oh no. Should it happen? I never show my body to other people!
The devil on my shoulder chuckled softly, calling me naive over and over while the angel on the other side smacked her wand on the devil's head, telling her to be quiet, so I could control my breathing properly. The sound of dripping water in the bathroom sounded so loud in my ears. Every second the dripping sound seemed to have pierced the eardrum. I bit my lower lip, then rolled my body left and right in anxiety. Until finally I lay with my arms outstretched looking up at the ceiling.
Damn, my mind was racing just thinking about what Justin was going to do in a moment as soon as he came out of the bathroom. I secretly sniffed my scent. Only the essential aroma of Bulgarian rose lingers on my body.
The bathroom opened a few seconds later, causing me to immediately turn to the side and find Justin standing in the doorway tossing his wet hair and rubbing it with a small towel. My wild eyes scanned his body from top to bottom, then gulped.