I sat there nervous of what he may think of me after what I just agreed to. On an honest note, I don't think he's opinions about me mattered in the past, but we're not in the past anymore, we're in the present and both our parents had decided to arrange for us to marry each other since we didn't seem like we wanted to marry on our own will.
He could've refused, he did actually but I think he's greed to inherit the family business had him thinking otherwise. The Thompson's had treated to take away his inheritance if he didn't marry me, since he didn't seem to be looking for a marriage partner.
He had told me to refuse, expecting me to seem unfilial to my parents in front of their friends. So no, I agreed to the marriage and he's mad pissed right now and I don't blame him for being mad, I'd be mad too had my best friend said yes to an arranged marriage, but he has no right to be mad. Like I said he could've said no and lived his life in miserable sorrow of not getting his inheritance. He's stupid, he should've just built his own empire like his parents also did.
At best this is just a contract marriage I don't see why he's so pissed, I mean our parents are happy, those manipulating monsters , and Ryan had his inheritance like he wanted.
"You betrayed me!" He yelled at me and I had started feeling anxious, I had been around him for twenty years now, I know how he's temper gets and how violent and vulgar he is.
"I couldn't say no to my mother, you know I can't resist her pleading look." I said cowardly under my breath, but I think he heard because he threw the couch cushion at me, hitting me square on the face.
"I'm so pissed right now, I don't want to look at you." He roared visibly and audibly annoyed and irritated by me and my dumb ass self. He stomped out of the living and banged the door on his way out. He had called me and barged into my apartment still on call, complaining about how I betrayed him and stuff. Like dude pick a struggle, you agreed yourself because you're a greedy son of a bitch and I mean every word I say, but I don't ever voice my insults or objections his way. I've seen enough to know not to cross, I already did cross him by agreeing to this marriage, but it's not like I'm fully at fault here.
He's getting the company he wanted so bad and I get my nagging parents off my ass for a considerable amount of time because I know at some point not far from now they'd want grand children. I can assure you they won't even be shameful when they even suggest the atrocity of me adopting a child or surrogate one with that son-in-law of theirs.
***************************************
My mother and her best friend Mrs Thompson were seated across me after they had barged into my apartment still on the phone with me. They were talking about me and Ryan getting our marriage certificate. If the mothers are here, I'm pretty sure the fathers are with him, talking to him about it or maybe they're not , I'll just see when the time comes for me to confront him about the requests of our dear mothers. Because certainly these two old hags are going to suggest I talk to my future 'husband' about getting our marriage certificate.
These two imbecile women can't seem to grasp the fact that they're sending me into a lion's den. Mrs Thompson's dumb ass surely doesn't know the monstrosity she gave birth to, she gave birth to an absolute asshole, like I said I've been around the bastard for twenty years.
"Simon dear, you should get your marriage certificate soon lest Ryan changes his mind." See what I mean, my own mother is in it too. Practically these two goats are telling me to traps Anna Thompson's son in an unhappy marriage. These two women are beyond dumb and dumber, read the room ladies. Read the FUCKING ROOM!
"It's not like he'll change his mind anyway." I said under my breath. I'm vocal in my own mind but verbally I'm socially awkward. Of course the two dumb bimbos in front of me didn't hear that because they're giggling to themselves about how cute we will be as a couple.
"And Simon do tell him for us." Of course, what did I say. I fucking called it and it happened, I've just got ushered into certain doom.
"Why can't you tell him, he's your son!" I said a little bit too loud and dumb and dumber heard me and they both frowned while looking at me. I want to strangle these two monsters so bad, the only thing holding me back is the fact that they're both my mothers.
"That's no way to talk to your mother-in-law is it?" My mother said, bathing in the taste the word as she referred to her best friend as such. Kill me now.
"I hate you." I murmured inaudible under my breath and this time the two don't hear it.
The two witches of the west talked for a few more hours with each other, conversations I didn't understand or rather chose not to hear and understand as they sip away the tea I was forced to make because of their impromptu appearance at my house, that bitch Ryan did the same yesterday as well, calling me as he barged into my apartment like he owned the damn place. We're not even married yet and he's already made himself at home and comfortable in my living space.
Anyway the two witches of the west finally left after reminding me again I was to tell Ryan the two birthing demons that gave birth to us wanted us to sign away our bachelor lives. Never trust a witch, once a witch always a witch.
**************************************
I pace up and down my living room as I tap my phone on my palm thinking of a way to tell Ryan that the witches of the west were here and practically demanded we get our marriage license.
Luckily for me I didn't need to come up with an elaborate plan, because the spawn of witch number two rings me up and as I answer the phone, my door is violently shoved open and you guessed it. Ryan Thompson a.k.a Demon Incarnate, Spawn of Witch of the West II enters my safe space and makes me ridden with anxiety and fear for my life.
He looks for me from the moment he entered my apartment, upon locating me startled and frozen because of the endeavor he just pulled, he glares at me.
"Our fathers suggest we get our marriage certificate." He says, clearly frustrated. He's acting like he's the only one pissed and angry at the situation we're in at the moment. I am too I just don't go around like a donkey in labor, yelping and blaming people who are in the same predicament as me. I'm better than that and I definitely deserve a better man in my life than what I'm being offered.
"The witches of the west came by too." I muttered underneath my breath fiddling with my thumbs scared shitless.Don't judge me, I'm not trying to get myself killed.
"What was that?" He asks clearly annoyed that I was talking inaudibly.
"Nothing." I said my anxiety making me well aware I'm in dangerous grounds. I should feel safe, given this is my HOME, but I feel far from safe because of his sudden appearance, I feel sudden impending doom and chaos.
He should really start calling when he's like a few minutes away from my apartment so I can deny being here and actually rush out or something.
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop murmuring when talking to me!" He exclaims getting more pissed as the seconds ticked by and I stood there awkwardly frozen to my stance.
"You haven't said that before." I murmured still and this time he did hear me and he rushed forward and smacked my cheek. The action almost straining my neck from the shear force applied and received from that slap.
"I said speak up." He flared as he gripped my chin with such force, the flesh stung from the pressure of his fingers.
"Nothing." I said my voice cracking, I'm sure my eyes were brimming with tears. He was never ever violent with me, he never had a reason to be, but it seems like he found a reason to start assaulting me.
"You brought this upon yourself." He said shoving my chin away and I fell because my knees gave out from fright. He had been holding an envelope all this time, I hadn't noticed it because of my sudden almost panic attack at his presence into my safe haven which wasn't safe anymore.
"Here sing those." He said as he threw the envelope my way. It's contents flying out of the brown paper, I pick them up, given I was already on the floor. They were pre-nuptial agreements and the said marriage certificate.
I picked the papers up, read them and signed away my freedom, I was a married man now. He disappeared as fast as he entered my apartment. I sat there shaking, having difficulty in breathing and nausea.
******************************
I had signed away my freedom the day before and now I was asked to move in with my husband, more like ordered if you ask me. The prenuptial agreement I read yesterday had detailed that I don't get a cent of anything Ryan will be making and neither did he mine and honestly I didn't care, unlike him I'm not some bastard who opened up his hands and expects a family business to be dumped on him.
Because unlike him, I solely own a shopping mall, something I'm still surprised I own by myself. I'm not a social person and I don't do well with talking to other people, but I own a frickin mall. I had taken a loan from the bank and built the damn thing from scratch. The shop tenants rent helped me pay back the loan I got from the bank.
Obviously I didn't start off big right from the start, I had made small developments on the little small shopping complex I had built from the bank loan, I further bought more commercial plots around the complex and built a bigger mall on them and transfered every shop in the complex to the new mall, demolished the shopping complex and rebuilt something bigger in it's place and got more shops in there.
So it meant I had two malls under my name, named The Constant and The Constantine respectively, bad names I know, but they'll do.
I was thinking of expanding again or maybe building another mall elsewhere. I had done it before with the small loan I got from the bank, I could clearly do it again now that I have the millions to spend on it. So I'm pretty much thankful that Ryan made me sign that prenuptial agreement because I'm not fond of him reaping the seeds I sown. A man shall eat from the sweat of his forehead and darling I'm enjoying my sweat, but now since I'm a married man, I can't take long vacations like I used.
The moving company I had hired had already took most of stuff to my new 'home'. I mean now as we got into the gated community an idea dawned upon me, maybe I should've just took my wallet and went to Ryan's mansion and bought new stuff and settled in. Or maybe I should just keep my shocking wealth to myself before he gets ideas, the bastard was a sly and greedy fox.
Besides we've already arrived and calling off the move seems like a waste of the movers time and my money, I may be rich but I'm still humble and a human.
He wasn't 'home' when we pulled in at his mansion, why have a mansion when you live alone and literally have no thoughts on marriage and family. Luckily enough he was kind enough to let the security guards at the gate let us pass and escort us to the house. I had expected him to be petty and not say a word to the guards.
The moving company had moved everything in the west wing of the mansion. The housekeeper had been left to show me around and show me my new quarters, of course we live in separate wings of the mansion. What did I expect, honestly, we're not lovers, we're just bound by a paper that says we're a couple. A paper that'll definitely kill me one day.
******************************************
Apparently the witches of the west were in the lounge in my new 'home' making themselves fell at home because Agatha, the housekeeper had told me that the two imbeciles I called my mother was here and requested my attendance.
I lived in the west wing of the mansion, while my dear husband lived in the east and it was apparent that it wasn't going to change anytime soon. He didn't care if our parents saw us coming from opposite directions of the mansion. I didn't care either it's not like I'm here by choice, if I didn't fall into my mother's conniving eyes I'd be a free bachelor at the moment.
But I am also to blame for having bad social etiquette. I couldn't speak up for myself against a five year old perhaps. That's how bad I am at speaking up for myself. The witches of the west seemed to have brought their lawless husbands with them and I saw my 'husband' too, scowl on his face as if someone snatched away his favorite chew toy and threw it in the toilet.
"Witches of the west. Welcome." I said, the first part obviously to myself and my personal bubble. The latter to the lot in front of me. My mother, witch number one, leapt from the vintage black leather couch she was seated on jumped at me. Cooing and being somewhat a little too fake for my liking, witch-in-law also joined her colleague and squeaked and squealed in my presence like they weren't grown ass women with grown ass sons and daughters.
Of course our sisters ran away from home, I'd run away too if I knew I'd be married off to my asshole best friend, I'd assume they were safe where they were travelling too. They would've have been married to each other or someone else had they not decided to run away and vacation until they either ran out of money or they businesses starts treading in mud.
"Mom, it's fine. I'm fine, it's nice here." I lied. I'm not fine, although it's nice here and all that. It's still the fact that Ryan is my husband that bothers me.
"When is the wedding?" Mrs Thompson asks looking at me before turning to her son. For a second there I thought she forgets her son was Ryan and not me. Before the whole marriage thing, I'd be happy and glad to receive her 'love', but these two conniving witches and the warlords disappointed me greatly.
"I don't know." I answered truthfully, I mean we still had to plan a wedding? With Ryan's attitude towards me these days, I'd say we already had our wedding, honeymoon and newlyweds vacation yesterday. All in the span of the fifteen minutes he was at my apartment the day before.
I doubt the man had thought about a wedding or anything related to it. So at the question imposed on me, I look to my 'husband' for help, but I only receive a glare in return.
So I face my parents and shrug, not knowing how more to express my cluelessness in this situation. The damn witches of the west.
*************************************
So the witches of the west and their warlords did end up deciding for us where and when Ryan and I will have our wedding day. At this point suicide seems like a nice option to get out of this life, I don't think I'll be missed by anyone honestly. I mean I already have a funeral plan and insured everything and everyone that needs to be insured.
My will needs to be renewed though, I've seen the true colors of my parents and my 'husband' Ryan, I mean I always knew the man was a bastard, but I was ignorant because I wasn't the one receiving slaps and punches because of his anger.
The wedding is at best two weeks away. Ryan apparently has already been given fifty percent of his inheritance shares, and the rest will be transfered after the wedding. There are two ways it's going to go down after the shares are transfered, one: he kills me right after the transfer, in secret of course or two: he divorces me immediately after he's got full control over the family business.
The witches of the west had wanted it to be a week away,but I told them to not be stupid and ask for too much. I didn't voice my refusal verbally, Ryan did and so the witches of the west looked at me for a glimpse of retort and I only nodded to show my agreement with Ryan's date. It's like this wedding was theirs and like they were the ones getting married and I hated that I had no stand in my own wedding. A wedding I didn't even want in the first place, but I'm being deprived of.
They hired a wedding planner the following day and the woman had wanted my opinion, because obviously it's my wedding, but I had told her to go with whatever the witches of the west were feeding her. Because obviously those two witches had more control over my life at the moment than I did. I didn't feel like telling them what my dream wedding was supposed to be like because I'm marrying my 'enemy', so why should I style the wedding to my liking when I'm not marrying for love.
I had matters to deal with about my mall so I didn't need to be out here worrying about a wedding that's not mine and was forced on my head by two people I trusted with my life. My mother and Mrs Thompson were trusted beyond explanation and they pulled this stunt on me and shame on the my father and Ryder Thompson, especially that snake Ryder for only allowing his son to inherit the family business only if he marries me.
I curse Ryan Thompson to an eternity of sorrow because he's greed ruined both our lives.
I'm currently trying to deal with a maintenance issue at my mall and I don't need wedding planners on my head.
"I hate you!" Ryan said as he kicked down the door to my spacious room, he scared the shit out of me, I hid my tablet very fast I don't need him up in my business. He seemed drunk, I mean the man just randomly kicked my door open.
"What now?" I questioned audibly this time. I was irate that the man had zero respect for my privacy and he is getting too comfortable barging into my living spaces. First it was the apartment ,now it's this room, what's next? The bathroom.
*****************************************
I was getting tired of the constant beatings that have become a routine and I can't deny that I've become accustomed to them. It had been a week since the beatings started and honestly I'm just getting tired, because the man would beat me every time he got home, he went to work or when he had lunch at home. I'm literally a bruised mess at the moment and I had a party to attend to in a few minutes.
I know he's walking up to my room as we speak because I heard those loud ass shoes of his. I would be lying if I said I was starting to fear for my life. I remember a time when he posted on his page that he was out eating dinner with his 'girlfriend', more like gold digger. I had asked him about it via text and he told me to back off from his life and mind my business. As if the warning wasn't enough, when he came back home, I was asleep and he was drunk and he beat me to a bloody pulp.My ears and head rung for twelve hours straight after that.
It's hard to believe that this man was once my best friend. I just wanted to know how things got this worse in a span of two weeks. I had lost weight due to the fact that I couldn't swallow food and my body had resorted to using whatever fats and stored starch I had in me. I heard loud knocking on my door, followed by him yelling for me to hurry up and get my ass out there.
I was beat, tired and worse part is I don't even loathe him one bit, rather I hated myself for the predicament I was in. I mean who was to blame if not myself and my own stupid unwillingness to stand up for myself, I truly deserved death and I knew sooner or later I was bound to die.
It was a business party and I wasn't feeling like attending, but this bastard man would have my head.
I ended up getting my behind out of the room and into the car where the metal can drove off to our destination. The whole journey there I was quiet, so was he, I mean what could we possibly talk about? My impending depression? My bruised body? Ten minutes into traffic though, the bastard had started talking on a call with someone I presume was the girlfriend. He even chuckled or giggled at something she had said, I just sat there as the man I married was evidently cheating on me, a lump clogging my throat for unknown reasons.
The driver even snickered at my situation, I don't blame him, I'd snicker at myself too.
The party was rather lovely, but like I said I wasn't in the mood to be there to begin with and to make matters worse I didn't even know why Ryan wanted me there in the first place because the buffalo head didn't even introduce me as his husband. Was I expecting much, no, not really, but I was really looking forward to my comfy bed and hot cocoa, maybe a series or two. I don't know honestly maybe I'd be too depressed to watch or do anything, but I definitely didn't want to be at this party.
***************************************
When we got home, him drunk of course, I was given my daily dose of fists and kicks in the lounge before he went to his wing. He's never beaten me in front of the staff before, but I guess now I'm nothing but filth in his eyes, worthless garbage he gets to best in front of his maids and house staff.
The party had made me nauseous, I had seen him with the mistress he had posted the other day. I was so mad I ended up throwing up everything I had in me in the bathroom, Ryan had the nerve to get me out of the house only for him to not introduce me to his business partners as his legal spouse and for him to attend to his mistress in my presence.
The worst part is the bitch came up to me and poured drink on me and dared soak herself in the same liquid and called out to Ryan for help. Of course I received a slap and got dragged out by security and thrown out of the building like some plastic containing rubbish. I hailed a taxi and went home, it wasn't long after I arrived that he had hunted me down and found me in the lounge minding my own business, did he fuck my face and torso up.
I haven't seen or told my parents or his about this, because let's be frank those monsters don't care about me. My marriage to the Thompson's heir is living proof, I can't even tell anyone because I don't even have friends and I'm just some loner and a loser, but at least I own a mall.
That lizard looking mistress of Ryan had whispered something along the lines of 'he'll never love you' and I cried in the taxi because it seems like he never has loved me as his friend.
I may be bisexual, but Ryan is so not my type, everything about him doesn't appeal me and I'm not talking because I've been abused.
I was on my way to my mall, I had to go see how far along were the maintenance going. I had approved for the renovation of the third floor of The Constantine, it was the oldest between the two and needed fixing, I may have to demolish it and rebuild it or something, I don't want to responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. I would have to build a new mall before I demolish it.
I had seen the damage cause by the water leakage on the whole floor. The contractor and told me that they could fix it but it would be a temporary solution and I had to evacuate the tenants before the whole building gave out. Apparently the leak wasn't the only thing that needed fixing, the whole mall had reached it's expiration date.
After seeing the problems with The Constantine, I had issued a three month evacuation notice, since the contractor told me that the building would last at most a year, but just to be sure I had to clear out the mall just for precaution.
***************************************************
It's crazy how one minute you're fine the next, you'd literally be dead somewhere or on your way to somewhere. I had just wanted the way back to Ryan's mansion, but I woke up in a hospital ward. The taxi man had took me to the hospital after I had collapsed in his car. How sweet and considerate of him, the doctor however had pretty 'good' news to deliver.
Apparently I had a brain tumor and it was getting worse, honestly speaking I'm not sure how to feel about this new information, but what's worse is that he told me that wasn't the only thing he found that was bothersome. Apart from brain cancer, I had to deal with a heart disease, these combined, I had at most five months to live, that's if I don't get any complications during my treatment period. The tumor had entered the last stage and was dangerous to operate on, how I was able to develop such a thing without notice was beyond me.
Five months to live huh? Maybe death is better a nicer than I thought, I'm neither scared or emotional, I'm just numb. I had asked the doctor how long I was out and the man said six hours, I checked the time and it was past midnight. If Ryan were to look for me to beat and found me not there, I had a worse fate ahead than the two death sentences on me at the moment.
I managed to slip away from the hospital and hailed a taxi 'home'. That place was never my home and it never will be, my only home was my apartment, which by now was empty and I couldn't go back there at this time. When I reached the mansion, cold and shaking from the frost breeze outside, I was met with Ryan sipping what seemed to have been whiskey. He's eyes were red and I don't know if they were from anger or the alcoholic beverage he was consuming.
I don't have to go in to detail what he done to me because it turns out his eyes weren't red from drunkenness. I had passed out again and woke up the next morning to a slight kick to the jaw, I looked you to see my assaliant and saw Ryan.
"Get off of my rug, you're ruining it with your disgusting blood." He said looking at me with pure disgust. He could look at me with loathe and detest, but disgust was just unacceptable. I've done nothing to deserve that look, a contractual marriage isn't supposed to guarantee me such a look.
He had left after that, I looked to where I had been laying and saw blood, dried up blood. The staff didn't even help me, the cleaning maid had stood there and handed me a bucket and a mop, no cleaning detergent, water or gloves, nothing. I was to fend for myself and see where I got them from this hell hole.
********************************************
Five months had passed and I was still breathing, a surprise to both myself and Ryan. The man had expected me to die from his beatings and I expected the cancer and heart disease to take me out, but I'm still here and I'm still kicking.
Three months ago after most of the tenants at mall evacuated, I had started self harming, I don't know why because I was already in pain. Maybe it was an attempt to end my pathetic life, the life that refused to be taken by two deadly combinations of diseases. I had thought that maybe a fourth factor could make me go once and for all, but to no avail.
I must say I was thankful and still am for Ryan not resorting to sexual abuse, that would crush my soul, but then again I don't have much of that left to crush. At best I'm just a hollow vessel that just wastes air instead of dropping dead on the ground to free up space for the other important people to utilize the air I was wasting.
But I could feel death lurking in the back of my head and the bastard was creeping near with every second. My parents had checked up on us a month ago, and I'm surprised they didn't see how beat I was, from both Ryan and the two diseases that weren't seemingly doing their jobs as body defects.
My heart beat was faint and strained and I'd cough up blood every few minutes, my lungs would wheeze from time to time and my head would throb. I was bruised all over from the abuse and scarred from the razor I was using to cut both my wrists and inner thighs. I was running on low energy everyday and doing anything that required me moving a muscle of my body seemed to require a lot of will power, a power that I had none of. I couldn't even eat for the most of days and don't talk about using the toilet, since I hadn't been eating it seemed useless to go to the toilet since my body wasn't even producing any after effects of food at all.
Ryan wasn't making my days any less painful, I had stopped crying from pain six months ago and now I just took the beatings like a professional domestic violence victim, for that was what I was. One time I had a dream of me and Ryan being if not a romantic couple at least friends who cared about each other and we would be two weirdos in my opinion sharing a straw smoothie somewhere in a fast food restaurant booth at night.
Holding hands and eating popcorn whilst watching a movie at the theater or cinema.
Going shopping together looking around shit and goofing around like nobodies business, if we couldn't do these as a couple at least as friends, but that little dream was soon dunked with cold water every time I received a punch or kick.
I was quietly laying on my bed, lifeless and numb, thinking about my meaningless life as I stared into the void my ceiling had seemed to create. It was an endless abyss into nothing, my whole life was meaningless and painful. I felt a wet sensation running down my cheek and led my hand to it and looked at the salty water my eye glands had seemed to secrete. The end was really near, I hadn't cried in a very long time.
I took my last long breath before closing my eyes and letting go of everything.
THE END