Chapter 10 #2
A raspy breath slips past my lips at the memories, and I tap my cheeks, focusing on the present, and study my reflection critically once again.
Adjusting the straps on my shoulders, I grab the hairpin from the nightstand and clip the loose strands on the left side, giving at least the illusion that something can be done with my wild red locks, which refuse to be tamed no matter what product I put in my hair.
What a waste to wear it all at home.
After I got a notification that the authorities were investigating my building due to the hazard, I decided to focus on my teaching job for the time being, but they fired me the next day.
Apparently, too many reporters surrounded the school, wanting to get a peek at me, and the school didn’t value me enough to deal with all that. Plus, it was unsafe for the children.
So I’ve been stuck in this house with nothing to do but read the books from the huge library they have in here and wear all these clothes because they make me feel pretty. If I ever see my husband, I'd prefer to look good rather than pathetic in his eyes.
Which I think makes me pathetic anyhow, but I digress.
Sometimes, on rare occasions, I get to meet Psyche. She started working as a secretary for some big-shot architect, and he took up all her time. At least he’s all she seems to talk about, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think she has a crush on him.
Glancing at the full moon one last time, I spin around and stride to the hallway after closing my laptop. I snatch my phone on the way, and an unfamiliar bout of excitement fills me.
Being stuck has its bright side because I was thinking about this thriller story in my head and started writing it down.
And while it’s probably not that great and I won’t ever publish it, I decided to let the creativity flow until I can once again control my life.
Maybe I’ll move to another state and find a teaching job there or get my master’s.
My phone vibrates in my palm, and I smile, reading the message from my grandma’s doctor.
She’s doing fine, participates in some workshops, and tells all kinds of stories to the nurses from her youth.
She is still not allowed to have visitors after having the flu.
If you want, we can send you some footage so you can see how she’s doing for yourself.
Thank you for paying off all her medical bills years in advance.
We moved her to our best unit, where she’ll have a trusted nurse available twenty-four hours a day. Don’t worry about a thing, Diana.
“I can’t believe this. Dad really kept his word.”
After I ignored all his calls, I expected him to withhold the payment or try to threaten me with Grandma once again so I’d do as he asked, but he came through in the end.
I sigh in relief, thankful that at least this is worth it as long as my grandma has all the comfort she needs.
On a cue, I get another message, and my mood sours right away despite the good news.
It’s my father.
Silence has consequences, Diana.
We need more time to finish Grant’s design. Talk to your husband about extending the deadline. He won’t return any of my calls, and while I expect this kind of behavior from him, you know better.
Do not force me to show you my bad side. We both know you aren’t the strongest soldier when it comes to pain.
I freeze in the middle of the hallway, swallowing hard and scrunching my eyes as memories assault me. They turn quickly into a nightmare.
Father fists my hair, tugging at it so hard it draws tears to my eyes, and he pushes me forward until my head sinks into the bathtub, the cold water muting everything around me at once.
My throat grows tight, and my lungs desperately cry out for oxygen, causing me to struggle in his harsh grip. When the pressure in my chest becomes too tight, I’m yanked right back.
Gulping for breath and coughing on the water, I hear my father’s harsh voice in my ear. “Who are you?” I take too long to answer, so he pushes my head underwater again before pulling me back after a moment, though it seems like eternity to me. “Who are you?”
“I’m a nobody.” My hoarse reply is met with Grant’s laughter as Father lets me go and slaps me so hard, my cheek burns. It sends me flying on the floor, and I bump my head against a tile. “I’m a nobody,” I whisper again.
“Folded so fast.” Grant clicks his tongue, towering above me and forming a bubble with his gum. “It will teach you not to run your mouth, as it wasn’t designed for talking. Keep it shut at all times.”
Father picks up the towel and wipes his hands, his harsh stare still drilling into me as tears stream down my face.
I rub my throat, breathing in as much air as possible.
“If I hear you address yourself as my daughter again, your punishment will be severe. Learn your place.” He steps over me as I move to the nearest corner, wrapping my arms around my knees and watching them both.
“Useless and stupid girl. I wish you had died along with your mother in that bathtub.”
I gulp for air when something drops and shatters on the first floor. Rubbing my throat, I welcome every breath I take.
As I’ve learned in life, it’s not always our given right.
I’m not a hopeless eight-year-old anymore, and as much as my father loves to threaten me, he can’t do anything to me now.
At least not while I’m still wearing Orion’s ring.
And besides, he's already paid for my grandma, so even if he pulls the funding, I’ll have that one million from the generous company soon to save her.
Either way, I won’t have to depend on all these men in my life to save my grandma, so I’m going to ignore these messages too.
Let him be brave with Orion, although my father is a coward. All abusers are cowards who could never face anyone stronger than themselves, preferring to prey on the weak. That’s one of the things my therapist explained to me during a session.
I go back to my room and leave my phone there, not wanting to read any more upsetting messages.
“Oh my God,” one of the maids says, and I hurry up, quickly going down the stairs, where Anna picks up the plate’s shattered pieces.
“Mrs. Wright.” She nods at me and nervously glances in the direction of the living room.
“The dinner hasn’t been served yet. Maybe you can wait upstairs until we’re fully prepared. ”
“Leon told me it’s done.” Panic crosses her face, so I add, “It’s okay. I’ll wait on the terrace.”
My eyes widen when she catches my elbow, stopping me from going inside the living room. “Maybe you should wait for Matilda. She was resting upstairs and should be down any minute.”
The staff acts strange on most days, that’s beyond bizarre even for them though. “I’m fine, Anna. Relax.” I free my arms and smile, hoping to ease her tension. She’s probably worried about the porcelain plate. God knows how Matilda reacts to such accidents. “Just call me whenever dinner is ready.”
I walk through the living room and out onto the terrace, going down the marble stairs toward the fountain of Orion. My fingers run over the orchid petals on the way as I wonder if I should take some and put them in my room.
I hate plucking the flowers from their natural habitats, but at the same time, some beauties are a must in this otherwise dark castle that reeks of coldness.
And while roses are nice, I’d really appreciate a change of scenery.
I lean forward to inhale the scent of the white orchid when a deep and husky voice stops me in my tracks.
“Diana in Orion’s garden, what an interesting sight.
” I look to the side, freezing at the sight of the handsome stranger as he cocks his head.
He runs his gaze over my form as he flips a lighter through his fingers.
“I would say it’s poetic, except she killed him.
That puts a dent in the whole poetic shit. ”
Straightening, I study the man. Shoulder-length dark hair against tan skin.
Mismatched eyes, one brown and the other gray, and somehow both colors look eerie on him, as if his stare alone warns you to stay away.
Leather boots, black jeans, and a shirt that showcases his muscular figure, which is more on the leaner side.
Various tattoos cover his neck, forearms, and chest, adding to the dangerous energy that oozes from him in spades.
I’m so stunned by the sight of this stranger that I answer him without thinking. “There are a lot of different myths regarding Orion. I don’t think we should blame Artemis for what happened to him.”
He smirks, flipping the lighter once more before sparking it up and staring at the flame.
It must burn him if the reddening skin of his thumb is any indication.
“Ah, women. You prefer to romanticize myths rather than accept a simple fact. Goddesses could be cruel too. In fact, they thrived in the act. Which makes them even more appealing to the masses.” A beat passes. “That thought must be scary.”
“Why would it be scary?” I ask, taking a tentative step back when a glint of something wicked flashes in his eyes. Growing up with a cruel brother taught me to be cautious.
He closes his lighter, shrugs, and steps closer while I retreat farther.
“Because women are taught to be good girls who must follow the rules and get rewards for it. When the truth of the matter is…they get nothing and instead waste their lives chasing perfected images. Goddesses lived their lives as they wished and eliminated anyone who stood in their way. They never got punished for it either. That’s a certain kind of power that one wishes to have, but rarely achieves in real life.
” He winks, and my skin grows colder. “Artemis is the epitome of that definition. Lived free, avenged her mother, secured Zeus’s promise to never get married, and escaped Orion’s obsession with her. Or so the myths say.”
I’m not sure even he understands what the hell he just said, but once again, arguing with a stranger isn’t my top priority.