It was very cold that morning, the type of weather that could freeze an extremely hot liquid.
It was time for me to perform the routine I have been doing for the past five years.
Drops of my sweats dribbles down to the floor as I scrubbed the bathroom floor.
The echoes of my pants bounced around in my ears as the sound kept being slapped back into the air.
It felt like yesterday, when I was filled with many dreams, fanciful ones...
"We leave in twenty minutes time, are you still not ready?!" I heard his growl from the bedroom.
I gasps, rising up to my feet before sprinting out of the bathroom.
When he saw me, his brows creased up in a dirty frown.
"Why are you still in that?! The party at Eleanor's house start in thirty minutes time, didn't I tell you to dress up on time?" His words were like a sprinkle of cold water on my face that got me chilling on the spot.
"You..said to clean this up before we leave?" My throat was itchy, yes, I was that scared of replying him.
He pulled his nose in frustration.
"You should know to work around chores when they collide into each other!"
I dragged a breath in, fearing pressing further but for the first time, I wanted to quite the "two statements, one reply" rule that has been on for the past years.
"You asked me to prepare dinner, that Eleanor was gonna come after the party, you asked me to restock the fridge also. You.." I swallowed hard, feeling a big pin rolling my intestines like pasta.
"You should have timed yourself then!" He barked.
"And, you're growing some wings now, aren't you?
You never give more than a reply! What? I'm I being too lenient with you these days?"
"I...I am sorry, I...I will get dressed immediately.." I rushed to my bedroom that was just beside his, a trauma I have had to bear with, since I could hear, every night, the sound of the girls he speaks to on the phone, how they promise to meet at hotels, sometimes fix the living room as their rendezvous.
He doesn't seem to care about me listening in as his phone was always put on loud speaker.
I grabbed the dress my hand made the first encounter with.
It was until I ran out of the room in a bid not to keep my husband waiting that I noticed how awkward that was as his eyes trailed the dress, his lips jerking in uneasiness.
It was the dress I had worn on the first day we had spent together after our wedding.
It was casually picked up by the old housekeeper with good wishes.
She told me she had worn a kinda dress like that back in her days, how her husband loved it and how they ended up having five kids.
I didn't know why I'd agreed with that, but maybe I've rested and ended my dreams on him?
"You should move since you're this dressed up like Cinderella." His words left spite in its wake.
..
The car pulls off in front of the house and I breathed out heavily.
"Who do I say you're to me?"he turned to me, his eyes daring me to fail that simple test and see the hell he would make me go through.
"Your.." my lips got stuck together as I struggled to let air into my lungs.
"Your...a.. maid in your house."I replied.
A rush of hot air seeped into my throat and I gritted my teeth to prevent myself from yelling out to Mama Nature for help.
"Good. No one must know you're my wife. I don't want you in the public eye, but couldn't resist Eleanor's request to bring you down to her birthday party.
You've been around her for quite a while, she is a nice girl, isn't she?"
My slippery fingers curled into a fist as I threw my head to the side, looking out at the young girls that troops out of the house, each holding a cup of... alcohol, maybe.
"Yes, she is young and vibrant." My voice cracked.
"Don't mess things up, is that gotten? Eleanor is nineteen years old and I am thirty one...
She isn't done with school yet, plus the age gap, her parents will not easily hand her over.
I have to make a good impression tonight while pretending to be her maths tutor." Each plate of his words fly around my ears.
I made eyes contact with him and nod, quickly looking away.
"Y-yes." Jealousy crept into my veins.
If only he could pay this much attention to me or profess such care.. if only.
My face paled when Eleanor's figure hovered over the car at the driver seat's side.
Peter looks like the happiest man on earth as he unlocked the car's door and she pecked his cheeks cautiously, afraid they might get caught.
Her eyes traced over to me.
"You..came, Jessy!" She doesn't look that delighted, not as if I expected her to be.
But if she's gonna be that sour - face with my presence, why bother to extend an invitation?
"Excuse us, we wanna talk." Peter uttered and I silently got out, then stalked inside where the party was about getting started.
I watched the poor parents of the girl as they smile and welcomed their guests.
What would be their reaction if they get to know that their daughter is tangling herself with an older Mafia boss?
A mocking chortle bursts out of my lips when I saw the cross sign, signify they're christians.
Heck.
I grab a glass of wine for myself and downed it.
The room soon got a waft of both their mixture of cologne and I felt like puking.
When I looked up, Eleanor's hand came around my arm, showing me towards her parents.
"Mom..dad, meet my mathematics tutor - Peter, and his sister, the one I spend time with during all those sleep overs." She introduced and my mouth was left hanging in the air.
What?
Oh, never thought she would be such a smart liar.
