Forsaken betrayal

Episode

11

Gealic's eyes fluttered open to the warm caress of sunlight beaming through the open window. Her body protested with aches as she sat upright, a tell-tale testament to yesterday's adventure. She noticed all the cuts on her body had been cleaned and covered with bandages. With a soft groan, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, her feet dangling in the air.

She stepped out of the room and headed to the kitchen to get a cup of water and paused when she saw Lennox at the other end of the table, having his breakfast. Her heart skipped a beat as Lennox's gaze held hers, his expression unreadable.

"Sit for breakfast, you'll need your strength."

"Why do you care?" She retorted

"I don't," He answered, taking a sip of his coffee. "I give zero shit about you, you should know that by now."

"Why then do you come after me every time? Why don't you let me go?"

"Need I remind you?"

"You've said it already," she interrupted, "You own me."

She walked to the kitchen

"You owe me two months."

"What?"

"You owe me two months of dinner. I don't suppose you've forgotten all about our agreement."

"Woah," She explained in mock surprise, "Not only are you vile, you are also petty."

He ignored her words, "Your schedule for the rest of this month has been cancelled. You'll remain here in the mansion."

"You're locking me in?" Her brows raised in confusion.

"Yes, after what you caused yesterday, you should be locked up in your room."

"Oh, that's just barbaric." She sneered

"Call it whatever you want, Amelia." He picked up a napkin to wipe his lips.

"You can't lock me up here forever."

"I'm not, a month is not forever. Besides-" He turned to the terrace that opened to the wide scape of land surrounding the mansion, "-this place is large enough for you to play around in." "What do you want from me?" She screamed, her fist landing on the mahogany dining table with a brutal force that caused zero effect except shoot pain up her hand.

"Nothing," His stood up from his chair and walked over to where she stood. "You are of no use to me, I want you to always remember that."

"Why then won't you let me go. No one can be more useless than I am in your life right now."

"If you don't remember Amelia, the day you signed the marriage papers, you became my prisoner." He hands held her face, whispering as he bent to her height, "You said it yourself." With that, he left the room. Grealic slid to the ground, holding her face as sobs raked through her frame. Not only had she lost her name, her identity, but she was now a madman's prisoner.

Her life seemed like a joke to her, from being Grealic, a miserable woman dumped by her unfaithful husband in the most heart-wrenching way to being Amelia, a woman who is hated by everyone, and despised by her husband. When her tears ran short and her sobs became short heaves, she picked herself from the ground and trudged to where Lennox had sat and took a bite of his breakfast.

"Mrs Rachel," She called.

The woman who had been standing a distance away from the entire fiasco answered immediately.

"What do you need ma?"

"Get me more food."

"Right away ma'am." She answered

"And." Grealic continued, stopping the woman before she could hurriedly leave

"Ma'am?"

"Let me know what is one the schedule for tonight, I have a dinner to prepare." "Y-yes ma'am."

~~~

"Ma'am, you have a visitor."

Gealic rolled her eyes in disgust. "I thought this was a prison." She stood up from the bed and fetched a long shawl from a chair close by.

On getting to the stairs, she spotted Maggie standing at the entrance, holding a bouquet of chrysanthemums. A sigh of frustration escaped her lips at the expectation of whatever verbal abuse she was about to face from Maggie.

"I heard about what happened yesterday and came to offer my condolences." She handed the bouquet she was holding to Mrs Rachel who collected it and immediately disappeared from the living room. "You come bearing chrysanthemums," She chuckled. "If you want me dead, try again."

"You look good for someone who almost died. I bet Lennox thought it was one of your little tricks to get his attention."

"I did get his attention," Grealic smirked, she enjoyed pissing Maggie off. If she had to be locked in this place for a month, she might as well have some fun in the process.

"Yeah, and the attention of half the city." Maggie sneered, the taunt getting to her.

"Why are you here?"

"Your husband told our grandfather that you'll be resting for the month, so I came to cheer you up in this little cage of yours."

"I bet you'd do everything to take my place in this little cage, won't you?"

"Darling, you may have him now but-"

"If you want him, you can have him." Grealic interrupted

Maggie scoffed, "You bitch, are you mocking me?"

"Amelia must have been a miserable woman." She muttered to herself before turning to Maggie, "I don't want you here, walk out with your dignity in place." She answered in a bored tone. "Or?"

"Mrs Rachel, call the security." She glanced at the maid and gestured with her eyes at the entrance before heading to her room.

"You-" Grealic called from the stairs, earning a questioning stare from both women, "-I do hope that in your conversation about me, you don't let Lennox find out. Anything you have in your filthy little plans about me, forget them now. I'm his wife, not you, and he won't just stand there and watch you try."

Mrs Rachel gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in surprise. A few of Lennox's men rushed into the living room, surrounding Maggie.

"Ma'am, you've been asked to leave." One said to Maggie, putting out his arm in a gesture for her to lead the way.

"You'll regret this Amelia!" Maggie screamed and stomped out.

"Mrs Rachel,"

"M-ma'am?"

"Get me a cup of coffee."

~~~

Grealic paced around the room, wondering what had taken over her in the living room.

"I called myself Lennox's wife," She giggled in hysteria. "I've gone mad. I have contracted Lennox's madness."

She rushed back to the table and poured herself another cup of coffee, the sixth one that morning, hoping it would wake her up from whatever dream she had sunk into.

Gealic's mind raced with desperation as she weighed her options, her thoughts tangled in a web of fear.

She wanted to escape Lennox's clutches but the life outside of this prison was terrifying. She had no one, no life outside of this place. There were only two options, be miserable forever or become Amelia. She chose the latter, praying the real Amelia would stay wherever she was, oblivious of this deceptive imposter that was about to take her place in her life, in her home, with her family, and with her husband. It was her only hope.

"I'm taking your miserable life and making it mine. I'm sorry Amelia but I have no choice." She whispered.