Chapter 2 Wren
CHAPTER TWO
WREN
“Wren? Are you listening to me?”
My head snaps up from where I’ve been staring at my yogurt parfait to see Robert frowning at me.
Shoot, what did he say?
“I’m sorry, I guess I wasn’t paying attention.” I set down my spoon and make sure he knows he has my full attention now.
“Make sure not to make a habit of that. Especially since we’re likely to have company for the next few weeks.”
“Company?” I ask, hoping that someone is coming to stay with us who I can be friends with. It’s been years since my only friend left for University and never returned. I’m itching to talk to someone again.
If it weren’t for the letters to my penpals over the past nine months, I’d probably be pulling my hair out from lack of contact with the outside world.
“What did you think of Ivan?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Ivan? He seems like a good business partner.” Robert huffs out a small laugh before taking a bite of the eggs Benedict I made him.
I’ve never been allowed to try it, but based on the taste of the hollandaise sauce I made, I have a feeling it’d be my favorite breakfast food.
“He’s going to be around a lot in the coming weeks while we work out the details of our deal. I want you to treat him with the utmost respect. Do you understand?”
“Of course,” I reply easily. Didn’t I treat everyone with respect? What was he so worried about?
“I’m going to have you join us on occasion. Not to discuss business, of course, but when we need a break, I expect you to join us and be on your best behavior. I wouldn’t want you to cause any embarrassment to our family.”
“Robert,” I say carefully, feeling insulted but knowing I can’t exactly call him out on it. “Have I ever embarrassed you before?”
He looks at me for a moment before letting out a deep breath, his shoulders dropping as he reaches over and squeezes my hand.
“Of course not, Wren. You’re the most perfect sister I could ever ask for.
I love you, you know that, right? I’m doing all of this so that you can be properly taken care of and have the life you deserve. ”
By all of this, I knew he meant his work and keeping me locked up in this gigantic house.
He was always explaining how everything he did was for me, so I could live in luxury and never have to work.
I didn’t exactly agree with him, though, since cooking and cleaning felt like work to me, but I knew he was giving me way more than I was giving him.
And if cooking his favorite meals was what I needed to do on my end, I was happy to do so.
Sometimes I wondered if women could have jobs of their own, instead of relying on their husbands or family. I wish I had some female friends to ask. But since our entire household was made up of men, I assumed what he told me must be true.
Why would he lie? He loves me.
That thought reminds me of another problem: my dating life, or, more accurately, the complete lack thereof.
I’ve brought it up a couple of times to Robert, but he told me that young women like me don’t date.
We’re courted. I asked how I was supposed to find someone to court me if I was stuck at home all the time, and he said not to worry, that he would handle it when the time was right.
The last time I asked, he got so furious with me that he left the dining table. I felt terrible, since I knew he wasn’t dating because he needed to take care of me first, at least that was what he told me.
I wasn’t planning to ever bring it up again, but three days later, when I woke up in the middle of the night with a dry throat and headed downstairs for a drink, the opportunity literally sauntered into our kitchen.
“Who are you?” The unfamiliar woman asks, eyeing my silk pajama set up and down with a cocked brow, like I’m the one out of place here.
Did she not realize she’s in my kitchen at two a.m., wearing nothing but a man’s dress shirt? Wait—Wasn’t Robert wearing that shirt earlier today?
“I’m Wren. Who are you?” I ask, quickly looking around to see if there’s anyone else close by. For all I know, she could be robbing us. Strange to do it dressed like that, but I’ve never met a robber before.
“Lily,” she says curtly as she reaches past me into the fridge I’m currently holding open and grabs a bottle of orange juice.
She uncaps it and starts drinking the entire thing. My eyes travel down her body. She could be a model; she’s tall and gorgeous, and her legs seem to go on for days. I’m not exactly short, at five-foot-five, but she dwarfs me, and she’s not even wearing heels… or pants.
“Are you homeless?” I ask, suddenly realizing she may have broken in here for the food and clothes.
She coughs, practically choking on the juice as she pats at her chest to get her breathing back under control.
“Homeless?” she splutters, looking enraged. “Of course not, I’m—”
“Leaving,” Robert says, making me jump as he steps into the kitchen, a scowl on his face as he takes us in. I close the fridge door, not wanting to get in trouble for holding it open for too long as he speaks. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I—” I start to respond, but Lily starts talking at the same time, and I realize his attention is on her, not me.
“I needed a drink. What’s the big deal, baby?”
Baby?
She steps forward, biting her lip as she places her hand on his chest.
Oh. Ohhhhh!
He slaps her hand away as if she burned him, his brows pinching in anger. “I think it’s time for you to leave.”
“What, why?” she asks in confusion, a pout on her lips.
“I told you to stay where you were, and you disobeyed me. Come on, you’re leaving.” He grabs her arm and gently pulls her toward the front door.
“I—I can’t go out dressed like this!” she shrieks, suddenly acting panicked at the idea of leaving. We live in Arizona, so it wasn’t like she’d freeze out there or anything. She probably should have worn pants if she’s so worried about it.
“Wren,” Robert says, looking over his shoulder at me. “Go to bed, we’ll talk in the morning.” There’s a tone of warning in his voice that tells me not to question him right now, so I nod and grab myself a glass of water before heading back to bed.
It takes me a while to fall asleep. I keep thinking about Lily, and how easily Robert threw her out for getting a drink.
I’m lucky he’s never done that to me. Is that what happens in relationships if the woman disobeys the man she’s with?
He’ll throw her out for insubordination?
Thoughts of living on the street plague me as I fall into a restless sleep.
The next morning, I eye Robert’s eggs Benedict longingly, hoping he’ll let me have some, today of all days, but he just cuts into it and takes a large bite as I watch the egg yolk ooze over the plate.
I lick my lips and sigh, then look at my oatmeal. It’s not like I’m stuck eating the same thing day in and day out, but Robert wants me to be healthy, and women have different nutritional needs than men. I get it, even if I don’t like it.
I wonder if Lily eats oatmeal, too. The reminder of her has me looking at my brother as I ask, “Robert?”
“Hmm?” he replies, not lifting his head from his phone.
“Who’s Lily?”
That gets his attention. He puts his phone away and takes another bite of his delicious breakfast before answering. “She’s a new cleaner; she was supposed to work the night shift. I’ve fired her, though, you won’t see her again.”
“Why was she just wearing your shirt?”
“She’s a thief, that’s partly why I fired her.”
“So she stole your shirt, then came downstairs for a drink?” I could tell he was lying, but I wasn’t sure why.
“Yes,” he says, not looking at me.
“If you’re dating, you can tell me, you know that, right?” I ask gently, placing my hand closer to him on the table in support.
“I’m not,” he says adamantly.
“Maybe you should.”
He lifts his eyes to meet mine. We look similar—same straight black hair (though his is kept very short), same blue eyes—but there’s so much more depth to his, like he’s seen a lot more than I have, which must be true since he’s sixteen years older than me.
Not only that, but he’s not stuck in this house all the time like I am.
“We’ve already had this conversation, Wren. Once you’re married, I’ll date.”
“Then I should start dating,” I tell him boldly.
“And who, exactly, do you plan on dating, little sister?”
“I don’t know. Maybe if you let me leave this house once in a while, I could meet someone.”
“Out of the question.”
“But why?”
“I said it’s out of the question!” he practically yells, his voice rising with anger as he narrows his eyes on me, making me shrink in my chair. Calmer this time, he continues, “It’s been a while since I’ve had to show you what happens when you don’t follow the rules. Do you need a reminder?”
My heart hammers in fear. It’s been over a decade since my rebelliousness earned me what he liked to call the silent treatment.
But the mention of it is enough to have me shaking my head as an apology rushes from me.
“No! No, I’m sorry, Robert. I didn’t mean to upset you.
I promise I won’t break any rules, I was just… curious.”
He watches me for a few moments before he finally speaks. “There’s no need for curiosity, Wren. You should know by now that I will tell you anything you need to know. All you have to do is follow the rules I’ve set out for you, and I’ll do the rest. Understand?”
“Yes, sir,” I answer quickly, my eyes glued to my plate.
“Good. I hope you don’t ruin dinner for me too, since I seem to have lost my appetite.” He shoves his chair back and storms from the room.
I swallow nervously and sit back in my chair, staring down at my oatmeal, willing myself to stay strong. I hate upsetting him, but this makes no sense to me at all.
I glance over at his plate, and disappointment fills me. He finished the whole thing; I can’t even sneak a bite of it.