Chapter 2
Serena's POV:
Morning came quick, much to my dismay. But I couldn't complain, it was I who had slept late last night. And the little time that I did sleep for, was filled with distressing dreams too.
But that wasn't what was bothering me right now. No. It was the fact that I had to actually wake up and face my husband. The same husband who claimed to love me and then so brutally broke my heart last night. I was absolutely dreading facing him.
Nonetheless, I got out of bed and took my own sweet time in finishing my morning routine. I had absolutely no hurry to get out of my room.
But when I did step out of the room however, I was met with complete silence; if, of course, one can ignore the clanking of the dishes.
A ball of anxiety formed in my stomach, thinking that Sam might be in the kitchen. But at same time, I was hungry as well. So, with little to no courage, I stepped into the kitchen, and much to my fortune, found Robert organising the dishes on the shelves. Though, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't feel a tinge of disappointment upon not seeing Sam in the house.
"Hey," I said.
Robert looked surprised to see me, but quickly masked it. "Good morning, dear," he greeted. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Scrambled eggs on a slice of toasted bread would be great."
Robert looked at me in apprehension. "Will that suffice?"
I was hungry. Yes. But after what I had witnessed last night, I didn't have a huge appetite.
"Sure," I said to him.
A flash of pity crossed his features before he composed himself. "Coming right up!" he chirped.
If I wasn't as observant as I was right now, I wouldn't have noticed the facade that he was putting up. But it was then that I realised that Robert knew. He knew of Sam's infidelity, and the only reason that he was trying to be oblivious right now, was for the sake of my sanity. Not that I was complaining though. I was thankful for that actually. An outsider talking to me about my miserable married life would've been beyond awkward anyway.
After having a brief conversation with Robert about things here and there, and having a small, but nonetheless delightful meal, I headed for my room.
Having nothing to do at all, I sat reading e-books the whole day. I didn't see Sam for lunch, neither did I see him for dinner.
Two more days passed in the same manner, and I never once saw him. By this time, I had realised that he was simply avoiding me. He'd wake up early in the morning to go to work, and return very late at night.
The fact that he didn't want to see me, bothered me a lot; in fact, it hurt me to the point that I cried myself to sleep those past two nights. But at the same time, I still didn't have the courage to face him. I knew I'd completely break down if I had to confront him about our wedding night. And I did not want to give him the satisfaction of seeing me so hurt after what he had done to me. To us.
Thankfully, I hadn't heard about Sophia in these past two days. Though it did nothing to lessen my pain, it did put my mind at ease nonetheless.
But perhaps I spoke too soon.
Few more days had passed and eventually, the weekend rolled in.
It was then that I finally saw Sam. But he wasn't alone. No. He had invited Sophia over to spend the weekend with him. Those entire two days of the weekend, she spent prancing around in skimpy clothes in 'our' house, having sex with 'my' husband, on the same bed that 'we' were supposed to share; whilst I was cooped up in my room, doing nothing in particular, and occasionally, crying.
I was thankful that Robert was bringing me three meals a day in my room and periodically checking up on me for the entirety of that awful weekend. At least someone cared about me.
Come Monday, I woke up right at the break of dawn, ready to seek answers from my so-called 'husband'.
I waited in the living room for him for a good hour. When he finally arrived, dressed impeccably in his office attire, I literally began to tail him.
"I need you to justify your actions for the past week," I told him as sternly as I could while he fidgeted in the kitchen, probably finding something to eat.
When he gave no answer, I prodded again, "are you even listening to me?"
Again, he gave no reply. It was as if he was really trying to completely ignore my presence, not just my voice. And this behaviour was surely getting on my nerves now.
When he finally found an apple in the fridge, he headed for the entrance of the apartment.
"Hey! I'm talking to you!" I exclaimed from behind him. But alas! It was of no use. He headed out the door, slamming it shut in the process, and never once looking back.
I was not only extremely disappointed by this, but also gravely hurt.
As I turned around to get back to my room, to wallow in self-pity, no doubt, my phone began ringing from the back pocket of my jeans.
I quickly fished it out and answered the call.
"Sister, dear sister, where the heck have you been?" sung my younger sibling, Crystal, on the other line.
"I've been to London to visit the Queen," was my lame, yet poetic response.
We briefly shared a laugh over our antics, and honestly, it felt good. I was really missing my family and it felt great to hear my sister's voice after a terrible week.
"So, tell me. How have you been?? How is married life treating you?" she asked excitedly.
"It's been well," was my short lie of a reply. I would usually tell her everything. She had been my confidant and shoulder-to-cry-on since childhood, but this tale of my marriage disaster was something that I simply couldn't share with her. She'd certainly tell my parents, and I didn't want them to stress because of me, nor did I want them to pity me. I was a grown-up woman and I could take care of my own matters. Besides, there was a small, naive part of me that still believed that everything would be alright in my marriage sooner or later.
"Is it so? You haven't contacted any of us in a week!" Crystal whined. "Is your husband keeping you that occupied?"
At this question, a humourless chuckle escaped my mouth. My husband could care less about my existence for all I know. But Crystal took my reaction for something that it clearly wasn't. "So, I assume that the lingerie I made you buy for your wedding night, has been put to good use?" she asked.
God, how I wished to tell her the truth. But I couldn't. I couldn't put her and my parents through the pain of seeing me suffer.
"We haven't consummated our marriage yet," I said.
"What?" she screamed from the other end. "And why is that?"
Because he wanted to sleep with someone else and not me, was what I wanted to say. But instead, I settled for something more suitable, "I wasn't ready."
"Wow. You've been dating this guy since like, forever, and now that he's your husband, you still aren't ready to sleep with him?" she asked with a hint accusation. "Damn sis, you're tough meat."
If only she knew the truth.
When I gave no reply, Crystal spoke up again, "he must be a real gentleman for honouring your wishes so aptly."
By this time, tears welled up in my eyes. I couldn't hear her praising Sam for something that he wasn't so, I hastily told her that I had work to do and hung up the call.
The very next moment, I ran to my room and dropped onto the bed, fat tears streaming down my already fallen face. I felt so defeated.
God, just what had my life become?
