I felt like I had been hit by a truck; every part of my body hurt. I tried opening my eyes but found that only my left eye could do so; my right eye protested my order as it tightly remained shut.
"Finally awake?" I heard a female voice ask. When I turned towards it, I discovered that it was Pearl, the family doctor.
"You fainted; it has been three days now," Pearl said.
I was suddenly startled. Three days? I tried recalling what happened after I fainted that night, but nothing came to mind.
"Listen, I am only going to tell you this because you seem like an understanding girl. Don't get on Henry's bad side, I mean at all; the outcome will not be good. Here, these are your medicines. Take them regularly, and you will be set," Pearl said as she left the bedroom.
I was only left to sit in thought. The doctor didn't ask who did this to me; she immediately mentioned Henry. Meaning she knew Henry's character. I guess since she has been a family doctor for so long, she must know a lot.
It took almost two weeks for me to completely heal from my injuries, but the marks left behind by the belt hadn't disappeared yet. During that time, I didn't go downstairs, nor did I go to the flower garden. I now hated everything in this house.
Demilia would bring me breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, I didn't have any appetite. Every time I attempted to eat, I was reminded that this was Henry's food. I would have to pay for everything I put in my mouth or took from him at the end of the day.
I therefore lost significant weight in these weeks.
I sat on the rear balcony and started crocheting again. Since I was a country bumpkin anyway, I would do what I knew best, I thought. Suddenly, I thought about home. Although poverty struck, I was happy; my mother would teach me how to bake, and Swanti's head would always stick around the corner at the smell of food. Although my father seemed distant, I understood that he loved his family; losing his job was a major blow. Tears almost left my eyes at the memories.
My phone suddenly vibrated, indicating a message. I stopped my crocheting and picked it up to check. I already had social media accounts now; although my page was filled with hate comments from Henry's fangirls, there were some positive comments.
The message, however, wasn't connected to any social media but came from an unknown phone number telling me to quickly find an exit in this marriage before I became the next Sophie.
I immediately tried calling the number, but it was not available no matter how many times I tried. I had almost forgotten about Sophie; I really wanted to know who she was.
I tried searching for Sophie online, but I didn't get any results. It was obvious, as I didn't know her last name. I therefore typed in "Sophie, work staff at Henry Charpil's home" in the search engine.
Immediately after, I saw different articles talking about an incident. They stated that a young female servant at Henry's home had been taken to a mental hospital due to some traumatic experiences she faced as a child.
She had come to work because of the impoverished situation at her home; her parents also confirmed that she indeed had mental health issues, and Henry was really a savior to them.
Henry was applauded for being a caring boss who supported his staff in every situation, as not every boss would spend money to treat their servants for lengthy periods of time.
I was suddenly confused. Was Sophie mentally ill after all, or was there something odd behind the scenes? I now understand that, with Henry's connections, making up lies and making someone disappear was simple.
A shiver suddenly went down my spine.Suddenly, I remembered Tanti, my childhood friend. Was she also facing such a dilemma with Zire?
I therefore called her.
"Shiba, it's been a long time. I tried calling you a few days back, but no one answered. Is everything okay?" Tanti asked.
"I am okay. How about you?" I asked.
"I am also fine. I saw Henry praise you on national TV yesterday, saying you are the best wife in the world; he couldn't exchange you for anything, blah blah," Tanti said.
Yesterday? I didn't watch the news; thank God I didn't. So Henry went as far as praising me on national TV? What was he playing at?I pensively thought.
"I didn't watch the news," I replied.
"Shiba, what's wrong? I have been your friend for a very long time; I know when you aren't happy," Tanti said.
"Why wouldn't I be happy? I am surrounded by wealth, my husband loves me; you saw him praise me on TV, didn't you? I am very happy," I laughed as I said.
"That's good then. Don't hesitate to tell me if anything is bothering you, okay? You know I am here for you, right?" Tanti said.
"I know. How is Zire treating you?" I hurriedly asked.
"How is he treating me..." I heard Tanti rhetorically repeat as she suddenly became silent.
"As he should, listen Shiba, I have to go. I will talk to you later, okay? Remember to pick up my calls at any time," Shiba said.
"I will," I said before Shiba disconnected the call.
I was suddenly at a loss; could it be that Shiba was also having a hard time? I hoped that it wasn't as hard as mine. Mum always told me that marriage wasn't simple, as different people had to adjust to each other, but with Henry, I simply couldn't adjust to his ways.
Evening quickly approached. I took a bath and prepared myself for bed. I had just laid down when I heard the bedroom door open. Suddenly, I became stiff all over; I decided to pretend as though I was asleep.
"Already asleep? Demilia told me you were just preparing for bed," I heard Henry say as he undid his pants. I heard the belt hit the ground, leading me to shiver in fright.
"Now, I know I taught you not to raise your voice in this house, but that didn't mean that you should become mute," Henry chuckled as his footsteps headed towards the bathroom.
I sighed in relief as I tried not to extend to his side of the bed. The good thing was that the bed was huge; it could easily fit 10 people at once.
After a few minutes, I heard Henry's footsteps approach again. "Come help me with blow-drying my hair. I am tired from work. I had to give interviews everywhere I went. Did you watch the news?" Henry asked.
What could I do? I was scared of what my refusal would result in, so I left the bed and slowly approached him. Henry handed me the blow dryer while he was at it.
"Hm? Did you watch the news?" Henry once again asked.
"No," I slowly shook my head as I answered, starting to blow-dry his hair.
"Always watch the news. What if something happens to your family? You shouldn't want to miss that," Henry calmly said.
This led me to shudder. What did he mean if anything happened to my family?
"I am your family after all, right?" Henry said as he held my hand and smiled at me through the mirror. I simply nodded in agreement.
"Did you lose weight? Listen, I like when you are at a medium weight. I don't like you looking skeletal. I will hire a dietician tomorrow, follow his instructions, and add on some weight. You look sick," Henry said.
After I was done with blow-drying his hair, I removed the blow dryer from the socket and kept it in the nearby hair accessories cabinet.
"Let's go to bed then. I have missed you these past days," Henry said as he took my hand and led me to the bed.
As soon as we landed on the bed, Henry proceeded to undress me and fulfill his desires. What changed was that he covered me with a pillow this time around instead of having me in a death hold on his chest as he endlessly thrust into me.
I think I fainted; I can't tell. I had just healed from my injuries when he added such brutal actions. I wasn't left with any energy to spare.