James walked into our room "You aren't ready yet?" he asked looking pissed that I was still laying on the bed instead of being in my hiking gears.
"I don't think I am up for it today." I replied not moving from my position. Yea I don't think I am up for anything today or even forever.
"What is going on? We do this every week!It is our thing" he replied, looking confused. Ever since we got married, we go hiking every weekend since it is James favorite pass time activity.
"Really? These days I don't even know what our thing is again" I responded
finally tuning to face him. I am pissed and ready to pick a fight, I just want to let out what I saw and how I feel but my darling husband has been the nicest for the past two weeks.
"Don't start. It is almost six, we are going to be late" he said, tapping at his wristwatch, still very pissed. When he saw I wasn't ready to move,sighting he said "When we get back we can sit down like adults and talk about our issues. Can we just pretend to be okay and have a great time please?" he pleaded. James and I met in my second year in college,we dated for two years and got married after I graduated. In all the years I have known him, he has never begged for anything, this is the first time he has ever pleaded for anything to me at least, but I am getting to understand I know close to nothing when it comes to my husband. "You promise?" I asked. I knew it was a bad idea to trust him but seeing him beg just makes me want to give him the benefit of a doubt. Maybe, just maybe I can still find the man I love inside this mess.
"Of course, now please get up. I will be waiting in the car" he said smiling at me and taking his backpack, slinging it over his shoulders. With the promise of having a conversation when we get back, I got up and quickly grabbed essentials. Doing this every week also helps with preparation. I always have a bag packed for hiking even when I don't enjoy it, I only agreed to this to show James that I can be a devoted wife having no idea back then that it would be a routine.
We arrived at the hiking camp exactly six am after a twenty minutes drive from my house to the camp. When James found this campground for hiking, he made sure to convince me about the benefits of having a house close to the camp ground. One more thing I did for him.
"You made us late," he said, taking my hand before dragging me forward towards the camp instructor who was already reading out the camp rules and explaining the details of the games for today, and after the explanation, James need up picking scavenger hunt.
"Can you pick something else?" I said angrily staring at the map James handed over to me.
"Come on, it will be fun. Besides it is a couple games so you don't have to pretend to like my friends, it will just be us." He replied, already making his way towards the direction on the map.
Like that gave me any kind of relief. I do not want to be around him right now.
"You knew I didn't like them and you still made them tag along?" I asked, I was a little surprised he caught on with my act around his friends. They are just horrible people who take pleasure in mocking me and every other rich person they know.
"Going alone with you won't be fun. What would a rich, privileged girl know about hiking? All you ever did was sit pretty in your father's mansion." He answered, rolling his eyes as he looked back at me.
"Rich, privileged girl? You sound exactly like your friends right now." I picked up my pace to look at him directly.
"Is it supposed to be my fault I was born into wealth? You of all people should know I wasn't privileged especially after I met you." I said standing in front of him. How can he say that to me? I got kicked out of my family for him. If it wasn't for the inheritance I got from my grandma, we wouldn't have a place to stay.
"I didn't force you to leave your family for me." He looked at me like I was stupid to have done that. Yes I waswas, but I am too angry to accept my mistakes right now.
"Of course, the same way you didn't force me to use half my inheritance to pay and make your company." I replied. The bastard just ignored me and kept moving up the trail.
"What have you ever done for me?" I shouted at him
"I married you. That was for you and you should be grateful." He answered with so much conviction. Is he serious?
"For what? The only time you ever commit to this marriage is when you want my money. You don't even sleep with me anymore." I felt so pathetic right now. How much value and self esteem have I lost because of one man?. I am relieved nobody is here to witness this or I would probably die of shame. It was a silent path and we were alone.
"You are just not good enough" That was his reply as he kept on walking like he wasn't even affected by what I just said.
"And she is?" I finally let out what has been eating me up for the past two weeks. I had wanted to surprise him and rekindle the spark I thought we once had in our marriage only for me to be the surprised one.
"What are you talking about?" He finally turned to look at me. Looking a little shocked.
"I caught you, you know. In my own house on our bed, I caught you cheating." I could feel the tears threatening to fall out but I wanted to be strong, I had to be strong.
"You couldn't even respect me?" I asked, still marred by what I saw.
"You saw that and kept it to yourself?" He asked, looking surprised, then he laughed, turning around to walk away again. That's it?
"Is that all you are going to say?" The nerve of him.
"So what?. You saw me cheat, it wasn't the first. You know if you were half as smart as you claim you should have known" He said arrogantly.
"What?"
"Since all this charade will be ending soon, I will tell you the truth. I never loved you, it was always about the money for me. You just didn't fit into my standard of a strong woman"
"I was looking for someone to invest in my business and I met your friend Vennessa and she came up with this brilliant plan" He said. I was steel, I just couldn't move my body.
"What?"
"I had nothing to lose, no collateral, no shareholders. Everything would still be mine. I only had to share a bed with you" He continued.
"I took it and here we are" He said like he just delivered an award winning speech.
"You never loved me?" I asked
"You aren't that loveable rich girl. I loved your money but it looks like you are running out of it these days so you won't be of any use to me." He concluded with a devilish smirk.
"Good bye rich girl" He said as he gripped my shoulders and pushed me down the Rocky trail. As my body rolled down I knew I wouldn't survive the fall. Was this why he was so excited about going hiking? Was it planned? Did Vennessa know about this too? I hated the life that I lived, hated that I was so gullible and blinded by love.
Vennessa and I have been friends since high school. Her father was my Father's bodyguard, we were always around each other since she lived with her father in my house. I knew she got jealous of my life sometimes but I made sure I shared everything with her. Mum always bought us the same clothes whenever we went out shopping, she tagged along to every vacation we went for. She was always there even after I got disowned by my family, she still talks to them. I can't imagine her harbouring such hatred for me enough to ruin my life. She planned everything from meeting James to this very moment as I rolled down the cliff, it was all Vennessa. I wish I had made better choices and decisions for my life. I wish I had never met James, I wish Vennessa didn't hate me so much, I wish I was back in my parents house, I wish I hadn't gone broke helping James fulfill his dreams, I wish I had fought for my life.
I could hear James shouting and begging for the paramedics to save me like a devoted husband, the shouting and yelling from the hikers. I knew my body was lifted but I felt nothing.
"She has so many broken bones and fractures I don't think she will be able to make it to the hospital" I heard a voice say
"Just do everything you can please, I can't lose my wife" I was drifting in and out of consciousness but I recognized that monster's voice.
"There's an impact to her head also, you should prepare yourself for anything" The voice said again
"You are just standing there, aren't you supposed to move her to the hospital already?" I couldn't agree more, I thought paramedics were supposed to be smart and rapid? These ones just seemed to love talking.
"Of course, we were just informing you"
"You can come with us since you are her husband". I could hear the sirens faintly
"Are you sure she won't make it?" That was definitely James; he would be the only one concerned about that now. I'm sure he knew once word got to my parents, they would move heaven and earth to make sure I survived. His best bet would be me not making it to the hospital at all.
"The chances she would survey this are very slim"
"How slim" To anybody else he would sound like a caring husband who wants to know how his wife is doing but now I knew better he was desperate to know I won't make it.
"20 percent" The voice said.
"Just die and stop being a nuisance even on your deathbed. Just Make me happy just this once," I heard him whisper.
All the will I had left in me was gone. And I let darkness consume me totally.