Lily's POV
As I pushed open the door, the warm light from within welcoming me into the cozy room. I took my seat at the table, the sights and smells of the morning meal filled my senses. The aromas of coffee, pancakes, and bacon mingled in the air, while the chatter of my family and the clinking of silverware created a symphony of familiarity.
"Good morning Mrs Morgan," I smiled at her. No matter how much I hated this place and didn't want to be here Mrs Morgan was nice to me and sometimes reminded me of my own mother...I guess this was how a mother in law was supposed to treat her daughter in law. She did want her son to get married.
"Morning my sweet child...I hope you slept well?" she asked smiled back at me. I saw this as an opportunity to thank Chris for what he did for me...since I had been rude to him earlier,
"Yes Mrs Morgan...and it's all thanks to Chris," I noticed the confusion in her expression as it slowly changed to genuine happiness...I tried as much as I could to avoid making eye contact with Chris even though I so badly wanted to see the expression on his face...that is if he was going to make one.
"My son you say?" She grinned with a teasing look on her face as she turned to her son.
"Yes...your son," I answered. The table was quiet for a while, I allowed myself to relax, soaking in the warmth and affection that radiated from my loved ones...well it was just Mrs. Morgan...Chris wasn't exactly saying anything.
I decided to dig into my food, the soft, fluffy texture of the pancakes and the sweet, indulgent taste melted in my mouth, reminding me of lazy Sunday mornings from my childhood. As the syrup trickled down the edges of the fluffy stacks, a wave of nostalgia washed over me.
"Mmm, these pancakes are amazing!" I exclaimed, unable to resist the temptation to take another bite.
Mrs. Morgan erupted in laughter as some of the servants around joined in,
"I'm glad you like them," the cook said to me
"I love them," I smiled back at her
"I swear, Lily, you could eat Josie's pancakes every day of the week and still never get tired of them!" Mrs. Morgan said still laughing
As the laughter died down, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. While the others had clearly taken the time to prepare this delicious breakfast, I had simply stumbled in, half asleep, and taken my place at the table.
"You know," I began, clearing my throat, "I really appreciate this breakfast. It was so thoughtful of you guys to make it. I'm sorry I didn't help."
"Don't be silly!" Mrs Morgan chided, her voice full of affection. "If you end up making breakfast then what are the servants supposed to be doing,"
"Well I am married into this family after all...so I should be able to perform my wifely duties, shouldn't I?" Mrs. Morgan was speechless after that.
"I'll be helping out in the kitchen and chores after now," I said causing everyone to be silent for a few seconds.
"Chris my boy...you found yourself a fine young woman," Mrs. Morgan whispered to her son but I'm pretty sure everyone in the room could hear her
"You know I can hear you Mrs. Morgan," I giggled.
"Oh dear...stop calling me Mrs. Morgan...I'm your mother in law for goodness sake,"
"Sorry.....Mother," I found it a bit more strange calling her mother but it wasn't such a big deal since I called my real mother, Mum.
"That's more like it," her laughter echoed. Speaking of my mother I wanted to seek permission from Chris so I could go visit her again...the doctor was saying something about taking care of her yesterday and we couldn't finish our conversation and it was his fault.
"Ummm Chris..." I called out to him since he has been quiet...he didn't answer he just lifted his head so he could see me with that poker face of his.
"I....I'd like to go see my mother at the hospital today...I couldn't spend time... "
"No..." He cut me off.
"What?!!" What was actually wrong with this guy? Did he just tell me no?
"I said no," his voice rang
"But Chris..."
"...you went to see her yesterday," he shot back at me.
"You didn't even let me talk to her because of the stupid photoshoot and now you can't even let me go see her again! What's your excuse this time? I have to follow you to work? I was so stupid to think this could actually work," I muttered that last part to myself as I got up from the table storming up the stairs.
"Don't you dare walk out on me!!" Chris' outburst sent a shockwave of fear and confusion through me, his words reverberating in my head as if they had been shouted through a megaphone.
I froze in place, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. Normally my hands would have been trembling but something had shifted within me in that moment. Perhaps it was the pent-up frustration and anger finally reaching their boiling point, or maybe it was the simple fact that I had had enough. Whatever the reason, I was no longer cowering in fear before Chris' rage.
"I've had enough of this," I replied firmly with my back to him, my voice strong and steady despite the trembling of my hands. "You can't keep treating me like this... nothing everything's about you know," I said in a calm tone before climbing up the stairs.
"You know...you could have just let her go see her mother," I heard mother say to him.
"Please mum," he exhaled "With all due respect please stay out of this....this is between me and her," and that was the last thing I heard before entering our room and bolting the door behind me.
Few minutes later I heard Chris banging at the door asking me to open it, "Lily...open this door now!! Open it! Unless I'm gonna break it down! And trust me you won't like what's gonna happen next,"
Maybe it was cause the door was locked or maybe it was cause I was angry I don't know...but for some reason I still had guts to talk back to him.
"You can't keep treating me like this Chris...I'm not some slave or robot that's supposed to do everything you want and not ask for anything or ask questions!"
"Lily!! Open this door now or you're gonna regret what happens next!!"
"Don't you think I already regret all of this Chris..." a tear rolled down my cheek.
"I mean to can't even let me see my mother again...so what was the use of all of this, it's just like..."
"Bam!!!!!!" I was cut off when the door fell to the floor and Chris stormed in...like a wave crashing upon the shore, the fear came rushing back, flooding my senses and drowning out all other emotions. The room seemed to spin, the air growing heavy and oppressive around me.
The sight of Chris' face, twisted with rage, was enough to send shivers of terror racing through my body. I felt myself shrinking, becoming smaller and more insignificant with every passing second.
My heart was pounding so hard it was like a jackhammer in my chest, each beat louder and more painful than the last. As the fear enveloped me, my mind began to race, searching for a way out of this situation, a way to diffuse the anger that was boiling over. But every thought, every possible action, seemed to only make things worse.