Three days passed by, but Henry hadn't called me once. I would normally go for yoga with Kelly and Julie, then head back home. Sometimes, I would chat with my sister, brother, and Tanti to pass the time.
Today, early in the morning, I decided to call Henry and ask about his whereabouts. "Hello?" I said after the phone connected.
"Who is this?" a woman's voice asked. I didn't want to guess who the woman was because I was aware that Henry was a busy man; she could have been a secretary or staff.
"I am Henry's wife. I wanted to talk to him. Is he around?" I said.
The woman was silent for some time before I heard some rustling sounds.
"Henry! Your wife is on the phone!" the woman yelled on the other side. I couldn't hear what Henry said, but I heard sounds of laughter and a chuckle from the woman on the phone.
"I am sorry, Henry is somewhat busy," the woman tried to sound apologetic, but her tone wasn't.
"Okay..." The phone was quickly disconnected as I was speaking.
After the call, I went to the flower garden. The gardener was an elderly man called Kodi, whom I had also gotten to know. He would teach me how to trim and take care of flowers.
"Do you know that taking care of flowers calms and relaxes your mood?" Kodi asked.
"Not really," I gently answered.
Kodi smiled, and folds showed on his face. "You remind me of my grandfather," he sighed as he said.
"Oh, where is she now?" I asked.
"She passed away last year," Kodi answered.
I blamed myself for my rushed words. "I am so sorry, Mr. Kodi," I hurriedly said.
"No problem; things happen," Kodi replied.
"Let me teach you how to prune now," he suggested before explaining to me how to do so in detail.
After that simple lesson, I sat down on a nearby stool as I watched Kodi continue his gardening.
Evening quickly approached. I had integrated with the staff, so I usually helped the chef in the preparation of some meals, especially my dinners.
The chef seemed to like the way I cooked traditional dishes, so he was usually attentive during cooking hours.
I completed cooking my dinner, and the chef immediately noted down all the necessary procedures I took to make it.
After supper, I washed up and prepared myself for bed. Deep in the night, I felt another person sink into bed. I was slightly startled and turned back, only to find it was Henry.
"I am sorry, Shiba. I couldn't answer the phone this morning. My friends told me that you called?" Henry said as he immediately hugged me from behind.
"Did you miss me that much?" Henry asked.
"You weren't in contact for three days; I wanted to check up on you," I answered.
"I am lucky to have a wife like you, Shiba," Henry said as his hand slid into my nightdress, pulling it apart.
Before I could tell what Henry was up to, he immediately thrust into me roughly. It was painful but not excruciating like the first time.
"You are so warm inside there, Shiba. I also missed you," Henry chuckled as he spoke.
The elder aunt had told me to always play along with what my husband suggested in bed, so I simply allowed Henry to do as he pleased.
Henry rammed into me at an unimaginable speed as he tightly held my waist.
He then turned me over and climbed on top of me, holding both my arms tightly above my head. He roughly inserted himself into me again.
I eventually had a reaction, but I didn't feel any desire in Henry's eyes as we shared this intimate moment.
I felt shame and embarrassment, as it seemed like I was just a tool he was using for his relief and pleasure.
"Why are you so shy and blushing now?" Henry laughed as he asked amidst his thrusting.
Suddenly, Henry slightly lifted me up and held my face close to his chest as he continued his actions.
At some point, I felt suffocated and tried to tap Henry's back, but it felt like he didn't sense my indication at all as he continued his thrust and held my head tightly to his chest.
When I almost thought I would die from his actions, Henry let me go as he had finally reached his peak of pleasure.
"You are really the best Shiba," Henry smiled as he left for the bathroom.
I was left coughing and breathing heavily, a reaction to the lack of oxygen. It felt like I was deep underwater and finally able to come to the surface again.
Maybe I was underwater and didn't even know it yet? I pensively thought as I parted my chest and covered myself up.
I headed to another bathroom and cleaned myself. I was now truly terrified of Henry.
His lack of empathy and concern really evoked a sense of fear deep down in my soul.
I finally made the decision to investigate what the fired staff had said. I wanted to truly know who the real Henry was.
When I left the bathroom, Henry was also done with his shower. Although I was slightly afraid of him, I pretended to stay calm as I blow-dried my hair.
"My friends insisted on meeting you, Shiba. Let's go meet them tomorrow, okay?" Henry asked from behind me. It wasn't even a question; his tone suggested that he couldn't tolerate any negative answer.
"Okay," I answered.
"I knew you would agree! You are always supporting my decisions, Shiba," Henry pecked my cheek as he said.
We headed to bed, but I couldn't sleep. My mind was filled with different thoughts. I couldn't talk about this matter to anyone close to me because I didn't want them to cause a commotion or get in trouble with Henry.
I finally discovered that I was stuck in this marriage alone; my father wouldn't tolerate any complaints about Henry, as he had now turned his life around.
I didn't want to burden my mother, brother, sister, and friend with my issues.
It was therefore only up to me to solve my problems now, but I didn't even know how to achieve that.