Apart from his brutal actions in bed, Henry hadn't taken any further actions towards me, that is, regarding the belt incident, so I was somewhat relieved.
I tried as much as possible to stay away from him and remain silent whenever he was around. The dietician did his best in instructing me; I finally added on some weight, but it wasn't that much. I saw the dietician smile in relief as he left for the day.
I went to the flower garden and saw Kodi, as usual, caring for the flowers attentively.
"Ah! Madam Shiba! It's been long; have you been around?" Kodi cried in surprise.
"Just call me Shiba," I remembered the way Henry mocked me for trying to establish any status in this house.
"How can I?" Kodi said.
I slowly sat on the usual stool I normally sat on as a ray of sunlight hit my face. I saw flowers of different colors shoot up as though receiving a rare gift.
"Why do you meticulously maintain this garden?" I suddenly asked.
"Haaa, I don't know. I have been taking care of this garden for 10 years now. I heard that Mr. Henry specifically picked each flower in this garden and wanted each of them to be healthy without any blemish," Kodi said.
I nodded in understanding; Henry didn't seem to me like one who liked flowers, though, I thought.
"Did you know anyone named Sophie in this house?" I suddenly asked.
Kodi's actions of watering some flowers stopped but then later resumed. "Madam, in this mansion, there are some things that we never ever talk about, and Sophie is one of them," Kodi said with a sigh.
I didn't want to burden the old man; he already had enough to worry about. I would find out all the details about Sophie myself.
The following day, the dietician didn't come, so I planned to go for yoga with Kelly and Julie; it had been a long time since I last went.
When I reached the parking garage, the driver was just sitting in the car as though he was heading somewhere.
"Are you going somewhere? I wanted to meet up with Kelly and Julie," I said. The driver opened the car door and got out.
"Madam, I was just going to deliver some documents to Mr. Henry; however, I was informed that you weren't allowed to go anywhere for the time being," the driver said.
"What do you mean? Who gave such orders?" I angrily asked.
"It was Mr. Henry, madam," he said.
I finally felt listless; this house was really a prison to me. It was tightly surrounded by security, the gates and walls were as high as the clouds. There was no going out of here!
The driver immediately sat back in the car and drove off. I went back into the house in a downcast mood.
In the evening, Henry returned from work. I was sitting at the dining table, drinking some green tea. The dietician said it was good for health, so the chef always prepared it for me every evening.
"I heard you wanted to go and meet up with Kelly and Julie?" he immediately asked as he sat opposite me at the dining table.
I was startled. So, the driver reported to him? He was his employer after all; he would report everything to him.
"Yes," I said in a low voice. Suddenly, the tea became bitter; I just wanted to get away from this table.
"Why meet up with the two? Kelly is a whore, and Julie is a class apart from you. What are you going to talk about?" Henry smiled as he said this, as though calling someone such a name was as normal as drinking water.
"I heard you love crocheting. I will hire an expert tomorrow; let her teach you new tricks," Henry said.
I immediately wanted to refuse; every offer he gave me would later be used against me. When I turned to face him and refute him, Henry was smiling as he picked up the coffee cup that the chef had brought him while looking at me.
Words of refusal stuck in my throat. I knew his smile; he had this smile when he was angry, sad, happy, etc. One couldn't know what he would do next. I really hated this smile of his so much!
I could only look down at the table and pick up my teacup, but the tea was already cold. I forced myself to take a sip.
"Please bring dinner over; let me eat with my wife today," Henry said.
Dinner was served; therefore, I couldn't leave the table even if I wanted to. We ate our meal in silence until the end.
"Let's go to bed, Shiba," Henry said as he held my hand, leading me upstairs. I really hated this time of the day—bed! Bed! That was all Henry needed me for in this house. He was also never decent in his actions. I really hated everything about the bedroom, but I simply followed.
"Undress for me," the dietician told me. "You've added some weight; let me see where it went," Henry said as he scanned me with his eyes.
I simply did as I was told. After all, no one could know Henry's next move when he was angered. He was a chameleon that changed colors wherever he stepped.
"Not a lot was added, but this will do, I guess. You will have to continue with the diet. Next week, there is a family press conference; you will be needed in attendance. We can't have you looking malnourished," Henry said as he approached me. I tightly held my shoulders as he pushed me against the wall opposite my direction.
He proceeded to part my legs and undid his pant zip and belt. His organ immediately came to life. He used his left hand to tear my underwear apart, which caused some pain in my lower waist before inserting himself in me.
"There is another thing I like about you: your body. It was just made for me," Henry said as he continued his intimate actions, leading me to the bed.
I let him do as he pleased.
"You are just like a dead branch; can't move? What did your mother teach you? But that's also good, I guess," Henry said as he tightly held my neck in a choke hold and roughly buried himself in me.
My breath was faint, and my head felt suffocated. My thoughts wandered: if I were given a second chance, would I still have chosen Henry? Probably. My brother is no longer working himself to death because of our family; my father has been nursed back to health and now has his job back. Everyone at home is happy.
I was truly willing to bear this sacrifice. Even if I were given a second chance, after all, my life started with my parents. If it were to be spent because of them, then it would be worth it.