We pulled away gradually. I could taste mint in my mouth and our breaths caressed each other’s skin. For a moment there, he wasn’t the arrogant, self-centered, and emotionally absorbed man that I had interacted with for the past few hours. He seemed like a genuine man who was deeply in love, with Louisa. Before I could pursue my train of thought, a voice pulled us out of our mini trance. “I am sorry,” The voice was soft and timid. My eyes traced the direction of the voice and I was met with a blonde lady. Her hair was tied in a bun and her head hung low. “The Madame is waiting for you, Miss Louisa. She has something to tell you.” The woman informed us courtly and was out the door before we could respond. I stood up and ran my hands through my hair. My back still ached from the hits I had inflicted but Moore seemed unfazed. It was obvious this wasn’t his first time taking a belt to himself and I was dangerously curious to find out why he had done it. “Why?” Moore sat up and aske
“Has she woken up yet?” Moore asked and walked into Christine’s room. We had been here for the past few hours since I pulled her from the edge of the porch. She had passed out since then and was yet to wake up. I could sense that Moore was restless, but his face showed no emotion at all. His lips were pursed into a straight line and his eyes narrowed at me from where he was sitting beside Christine. I sighed and stopped pacing to and fro, for a moment. Being restless was not solving anything. I could not wrap my mind around what Christine had said while on the porch though. Whomever Louisa was; She must have held a special place in this family. From the way their mother had treated her to the way, the father reacted to my presence. Moore’s sudden burst of emotion when he thought I was her for a moment and the guilt in Christine’s eyes when she spoke about her. It felt like each member of the family was keeping a different secret and in less than a day — I was already feeling ov
The garden was a sight to behold. It was large and filled with unique flowers. The scent was calming and I felt my nerves relax from the conversation with Christine. It seemed like she genuinely wanted to help her brother and I felt obligated to do so because I knew what it was like to be in her place. I shifted my weight from one foot to another while we waited in the garden. We had been whisked here by Moore because apparently; his mother finally wanted to say what she had been holding back. Daisies were displayed all over the garden and Christine seemed too calm for comfort. “Don’t worry.” The blonde haired girl eased. “Mother only adds more daises to the garden when she is about to share good news,” at the same moment, Their mother, whose name I had learned from Christine was Amelia walked in. She had her long blonde hair tied in a French twist and a glowing smile spread across her oval face. Behind her was the man I had met earlier; he had a smirk on his face while he h
I wrinkled my nose for the millionth time and Christine approached me. She seemed too comfortable in her tight dress and had her blonde hair tied in a bridal bun. Even with all her makeup, I could still see the dark bags under her eyes and the tension on her shoulders. For the past three days; Everyone had been so focused on ensuring that the event was a success. Madame Amelia wanted everything at a particular time, position, and theme. I used to think planning for weddings was the most exhausting task after attending my aunt's wedding a decade ago; but this entire event beat that. I ran my hands over my chest and sucked in a sharp breath. I could barely breathe in the blue dinner dress Amelia had ordered; Of course, I had to explain when and how I had gained so much weight. Then suck it up and wear the tight dress with an uncomfortable corset. Whoever Louisa was; She was not eating right during her stay here. "Come, Louisa, Let me introduce you to some of our guests," Christine
The last time I felt so much pain was when I was five and my mother had locked me outside at night. The neighbor's dog had gotten loose and it attacked me. Mother was terrified when she realized that she had mistakenly left me out, but what could she do? Her three-month-old Alicia had always been more important. This time though; It felt like a dagger had pierced through my chest. I wasn’t sure where all the pain was coming from. All I knew was that my entire body was dead weight and I could barely feel my legs. “Louisa!” Someone shrieked and I heard a gasp. “Get it off her, It’s—“ I could barely hear them clearly over the sound of the chandelier falling; which replayed in my head even though it had happened moments ago. “Someone call 911!” Another person yelled and I felt someone grab my hand and squeeze it. I swallowed thickly and tried to speak but my jaw was stiff. As my view gradually turned black; I felt a tear slip down my cheek. I couldn’t hear Moore, had he also gotten st
I groaned. The sound of glass shattering from downstairs was unbearable. It felt like the glasses were being thrown in front of my ears. I sat up and let out a frustrated huff. Who in their right mind was constituting such a nuisance at three am in the morning? I returned from the hospital yesterday. I had insisted on returning home as soon as possible and the nice doctor accepted on the condition that I would use crutches. I wasn’t a fan of the idea; But at least I would be walking and I would be able to leave, right? I swung my sore legs over the bed, I glanced at my side and noticed Moore wasn’t there. Ever since Amelia forced us to share a room; I neither slept nor woke up to him. I wasn’t sure where he spent his nights and I felt guilty because I was taking up his room. Christine had told me to wait for the right time before I brought up the psychological sessions to Moore, but if he was not interested in getting better, why marry me in the first place? Why bind me to him for t
Moore and I stared at each other for a while before he brushed past me and returned to the house. I felt my shoulders go slack and let out a breath I never knew I had been holding. I wasn't sure if what happened today would positively influence him or take him one step in the right direction but I felt deep down; that it was the right thing. Feeling content with the final result of our mini rant, I made my way back to the house, but the closer got the more I realized that there was another figure standing in front of the door and it was not Moore. I frowned. Who could be awake at this time? I furrowed my eyebrows at the silhouette at the door and hesitated a bit before I swallowed my mixed feelings and proceeded. "Louisa," The voice was thick and sickeningly sweet. I blinked but registered the voice."Mr. Moore, you're out here?” I questioned softly and stopped in front of the man. He was dressed in a blue nightwear and had his sleek fringe hair styled to the back. His eyes were a
It was still hard to accept that Moore had agreed for me to continue working at Moore Hospitals as a psychologist. Being away from work; even though I had been working, was pure torture. Ever since the night I spent with Christine, she and I had grown closer. She opened up about the abuse she had faced from her father and how she had suspicions that Moore went through the same too. I could not help but feel uneasy at the thought that he could have gone through that too. I realized that Christine shared a rather intimate relationship with Moore, she didn't see him the way I saw him and it wasn't just a sibling thing, Christine had been practically forced to take on the role of being a mother for an elder brother. She felt responsible for him despite her own traumatic experience so far and the entire thing was disturbing."We are here." The driver spoke when the car came to a halt, I peeked out the window and sure enough, we were standing outside Moore Hospital. The grandeur of the i