I went home alone after being discharged from the hospital and stopped in place. I saw Nielson and Katniss kissing deeply in our wedding room; She even let out a soft, tempting moan.
Nielson seemed to notice something, slowly turning his head, a bit of worry passing through his eyes.
“Heather is back. How is your arm? You need to rest well, after all,” Katniss looked up toward the nursery upstairs, “you still need to take good care of my son.”
I looked at Katniss’s winning smile and answered with a cold laugh, “A woman who can heartlessly leave her newborn baby and now she talks about needing others to care for him. Sister, your motherly love is really something special.”
“Heather!” Nielson suddenly stood up, his face very dark. “Who allowed you to speak to Katniss like that? Say sorry to her.”
“Nielson, don’t blame Heather. She’s probably just upset. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have come back.”
Katniss’s words made Nielson even angrier. “Heather, get out and think about what you did in the wine cellar. Don’t come out without my permission.”
When the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind me, darkness and cold quickly closed around me.
I was only wearing light clothes; the cold sank into my skin, making the wound on my arm ache again.
I held my knees, curled up in the corner, my body shaking without control. It was cold, so very cold.
I did not know how long I was locked inside, until my arms and legs were almost numb from the cold and my mind was fading, before the heavy door finally opened again.
Nielson slowly went down the stairs, looked at me curled on the floor, frowned and lifted me up sideways. “Heather, behave, okay?”
I firmly shut my eyes, refusing to reply.
Nielson softly carried me into the main bathroom, personally filled a bath for me, picked up a bath sponge and gently cleaned me, slowly warming my body bit by bit.
“So cold, why be so stubborn?” His breath brushed my ear, as if we were just a couple having a small fight.
“Come with me to Katniss’s art exhibition opening later,” Nielson’s voice was gentle, but his hand movements carried a warning. “You know what to do, don’t let me down again, okay?”
I looked at Nielson’s big hand, moving over my neck with a clear threat and thinking about the plan that was slowly moving forward, I finally nodded quietly.
At the art exhibition, celebrities gathered. Katniss stood in the middle of the crowd, smiling brightly, while Nielson stood next to her, guarding her. I only wanted to stay unnoticed and endure this sick show.
But Katniss clearly did not plan to let me go.
She walked over holding a cup of coffee.
“Ouch!”
With her raised cry, most of the hot coffee spilled onto a clear painting nearby, the dark brown mark quickly spreading over the canvas.
“My painting.” Katniss’s eyes quickly turned red. “Heather, how could you ruin my hard work? This is a piece I prepared for a whole year!”
Nielson rushed over at once, standing up for Katniss, “Heather, what is wrong with you now? Say sorry to Katniss right now!”
Voices rose around us. “How cruel! Being jealous of your own sister doesn’t mean you should ruin a painting.”
“So this is how a dirty stand-in acts, small and mean.”
Seeing Nielson’s clear favoritism, the anger and shame that had built up for days finally broke my guard.
“I did nothing wrong.” I straightened my back. “She spilled the coffee herself. I will not say sorry.”
A hard slap hit my face, so strong it made my sight go dark and my ears buzz.
“I told you to say sorry, do you hear me?” Nielson’s voice was cold, full of force that could not be argued with.
I covered my face, stubbornly lifting my head, staring at him.
Nielson’s last bit of patience disappeared. He grabbed the cold champagne from the waiter’s tray.
The whole bottle of freezing liquid, with ice, was poured over my head without mercy.
Right after that, two bodyguards rushed up, one on each side and roughly grabbed me, kicking hard behind my knees. The strong pain made my legs give way and I fell to my knees in front of the coffee-stained painting.
At that moment, a familiar voice broke the dead silence. “Enough! Haven’t you shamed yourself enough?”
