(BRENDA'S POV)
"I know nothing about the photos!" I cried, tears streaming down my face. "I swear I'm telling the truth."
We were back at the mansion now, and I was kneeling in the sitting room, surrounded by Desmond's furious family–Desmond, his mother, his kid sister Harriet, and Skyline, pleading my innocence.
The party had ended in a mess, with the guests furious for being insulted with such amorous graphics, and leaving one by one until the hall was empty. I can't even recall how we got home because I was still reeling from the shock of what happened.
"Don't lie to us, Brenda. We all saw the photos. You're cheating on me!" Desmond bellowed.
His mother scowled. "You are a disgrace to our family. We took you in despite your pauper status, and this is how you repay us?"
Harriet looked at me with disgust. "I always knew you were trouble. You're not good enough for my brother."
Skyline on other hand just watched, an unreadable expression on her face.
"Please, you have to believe me..."
"Tell me, where did you spend the night last night? And don't you dare lie to me," Desmond commanded.
Left with no option since things I've gone south, and since I didn't want to compound things further, I opted to tell the truth. "I...I don't know what happened. I went for the reunion, and then..I don't know. I woke up in a hotel room, and I didn't know how I got there."
Desmond's mother scoffed. "You must take us for fools, Brenda. Even a toddler won't believe this lie "
"It's the truth, I promise," I pleaded, and in desperation, I pulled out my phone and tried calling Kenneth, placing the phone on loudspeaker. But to my consternation, the number was no longer in service.
"This number doesn't exist," the automated voice said.
My stomach leaped to my mouth in fear. How's this possible? That was Kenneth's number, I was sure of it.
"You're so pathetic, Brenda. You think your little stunt will convince us to think you're not the whore that you're?" Desmond's mother jeered, and I winced at her demeaning words. But then I willed myself to ignore her and focus on clearing my name.
I dialed another number again, and this time it was a classmate of mine who was a friend of Kenneth. I put the phone on speaker again.
"Hi, Roland. It's me, Brenda. Have you seen Kenneth? I need to talk to him, please."
"Oh, hi, Brenda. Kenneth? He's gone. Relocated out of the country."
My throat went dry. "What? When? I saw him last night at the reunion."
"He left this morning. Actually, I was going to call you because he left me a message for you–"
"Really? What message?" I interrupted, hopeful that the message will be what is needed to clear my name, but Roland's response shattered me.
"He asked me to tell you he will miss you, but he couldn't bring himself to wake you up at the hotel when he wanted to leave because he knew you wouldn't let him.
My head swooned with shock as I wondered what Roland was saying. What was he saying? "What are you talking about, Roland? I don't know what you're talking about."
Roland gave a mirthless laugh. "Oh why are you trying to act dumb, Brenda? Is anyone within earshot? Why didn't you mention you were dating Kenneth now? Is that why the both of you left the reunion earlier? Do you think it is okay to cheat on your husband? Tell me, does he know about your dirty little secret? What if he finds out?"
At this point, I decided I have heard enough. "I don't know what you're talking about! Stop telling these hideous lies. I'm not having an affair with Kenneth, nor am I cheating on my husband!" And without hesitation, I ended the call.
After the call ended, I couldn't bring myself to look up at the face of anyone in the room. The call was a mistake, one I shouldn't have attempted. Everything was happening so fast, and it seemed the odds were against me.
Desmond stood up, his face drawn in anger. "I've had enough of your lies. God, I can't believe this," he growled and walked away.
I crawled on my knees and grabbed Desmond's mother's legs, desperate to plead my case. "Please, Ma, listen to me. I'm telling the truth..I didn't cheat on Desmond..."
But she took my hands off, her face drawn in disgust. "Don't touch me, you piece of filth! I'll make sure I investigate the cheating scandal and find Kenneth to get to the truth." With that, she stormed out of the room.
Harriet followed. "You're a cheat, Brenda! A disgusting cheat!" She spat at me before turning on her hell and storming off.
After everyone left, I was left with just Skyline. She approached me, and cleared her throat. "Umm... I think you should come clean...if you really did, just ask Desmond for forgiveness..."
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. "I'm innocent, Skyline...I swear it..."
Skyline's expression was unreadable, and she nodded. "Alright, then," she mumbled and walked away.
I was left alone in the sitting room now, sobbing my heart out and wondering how my life changed so much in barely a few hours.
Just then, my four–year–old daughter, Aurora, ran into the sitting room. Yes, Desmond and I have a daughter, a daughter that was less of mine, and more of his mother's. I barely had time to spend with my daughter because his mother was always whisking her away for lessons. It was either ballerina dance lessons, karate lessons, music lessons, courtesy lessons, or any lesson she could think of. According to her, she wanted my daughter to grow up to act like the daughter of the nobles that she was, not not like her pauper mother.
"Mummy, why are you crying?" Aurora asked, her innocent worried eyes, peering at my face.
I didn't say a word, but opened my arms and she climbed into my lap, her small hand encircling my back in a tight hug. I held her close, because it seemed she was the only one who trusts me, the only one who has not turned her back on me.
*****LATER IN THE EVENING*****
I dragged myself to the kitchen, my feet heavy beneath me. Despite how tired and broken I was from the events of the day, I still had to prepare dinner, else I might have it as an offence added to my list of my atrocities.
No one has spoken to me since the confrontation, and Desmond's silence worried me the most. He had not returned home since he left, and he was not taking my calls.
I got into the kitchen and began taking out items I needed for dinner's preparation, when Skyline walked in. She sized me up, shaking her head. "You look a mess, Brendan. At least go shower and have a change of clothes before you cook."
I made to protest, but thought against it. She was right. "Thanks, I'll just change my dress," I said, before walking out. As I walked to my room, I thought about Skyline and how surprisingly nice she was. She probably was the only one aside from my daughter and the domestic staff, who treated me like a human since the whole photo saga. She was not bad after all, I decided.
I got to my room and peeled off my soiled clothes, before slipping into fresh ones. When I returned, Skyline was still there, standing by the kitchen island
"Thanks for being nice to me, Skyline."
She shrugged. "You haven't wronged me."
I nodded, and proceeded to make dinner and Skyline helped. After cooking, I served the food. The aroma of roasted chicken and steaming vegetables filled the air, but I was anything but hungry.
I sent Arya to call My mother-in-law and Harriet down for dinner. She returned a few minutes later, and informed me that Desmond's mother was coming down, but Harriet won't. I wasn't surprised, Harriet was fond of skipping her meals whenever she was upset.
Few minutes later, My mother-in-law walked into the dining room and took her seat. Just then, Desmond returned.
Relief washed over me, as I approached him. "Thank goodness you're home. I was so worried. Are you hungry, dinner is served."
But he raised a hand, warding me off. "Spare me niceties, Brenda. I will skip dinner, I have lost my appetite."
His mother tried to intervene. "Desmond, you can't starve–"
"I said I'm not hungry, mother!" And with that, he turned and walked up the stairs.
I tried to go after him, but his mother's voice stopped me. "Where do you think you're going? Get back here and serve us!"
I hesitated, but her glare made me back down. I lowered my head and walked over to the table to serve her and Skyline.
As I dished the food, she threw all manner of unprintable names at me. "A cheap whore, that is who you are. Just one night I granted you freedom, and you saw it as an opportunity to cheat on my son.
I bit on my lip to stop myself from challenging her. It hurts to be accused of a crime I didn't commit.
"You're not just a cheat, but a pathetic liar too," she went on.
I ignored her and finished serving the food before stepping away. She glanced at me scornfully before picking up her spoon and scooping her coleslaw. But something unexpected happened. Just after the second spoon, she began coughing and her eyes suddenly rolled back in her sockets. Before anyone could process what was happening, she began to convulse, and then she slumped forward, her face hitting the bowel of coleslaw with a sickening thud.