The Woman From Hell

I let out a shriek and backed away instinctively. “It’s me.” I was shocked for a moment, hearing Theo’s cold voice. Did he not head off to accompany Cindy? Why did he return so quickly? He did not say anything, and he leaned down to kiss me. I could not avoid him. A sharp stench of alcohol filled my mouth. Theo was drunk! I was afraid. The last time he entered my room, it was three years ago. He was drunk the last time as well. I could still remember his condescending look and his mocking tone of voice vividly. I panicked and gazed at him with a pleading look. “Please don’t…” “Huh?” He raised his head and looked at me. His dreamy eyes looked darkened. The baby in me was only seven weeks old. Remembering what the doctor said, I was afraid that I would be in danger. I forced myself to look up at him and pleaded. “I am not feeling too well.” He did not say anything, but I could sense the fire burning in his eyes. His expression showed me that he was furious. Very furious indeed! I had somehow forgotten that he was never gentle with me. He clumsily carried me out of the bathroom. The thunder and lightning outside the window complemented the situation within the room. After a while, he got up and left. I laid down, and the room door opened again. He entered the room again, but this time only with a towel draped around him. He was wet, and there was water slowly dripping from his hair onto his chest. It made him look seductive. This man, no matter what he did, was always so charming. When he noticed that I was staring at him, he threw a towel at me and said in a low voice, “Dry me.” There was no emotion in his words. I obeyed him and knelt behind him to dry his hair. “The funeral for your grandmother is in the afternoon tomorrow. Oldest Uncle had already gone to the old mansion.” I was not trying to start a conversation, but I was genuinely worried that he had forgotten about this as he was too distracted with Cindy. He turned to look at me. His dark eyes narrowed, and he replied with the same cold icy tone of voice. “The Grant family matters are none of your business.” Theo had lost his parents when he was young. It was his grandmother who had raised and trained him to become the successor of the company. He had the utmost respect for her. However, since she had threatened him with the company and with her own life to force him to marry me three years ago, he had rarely gone to visit her. Now that grandmother had passed away, he still had not let go of that grudge. That was why he hated me. In the past three years, other than work, he would take me as invisible. In his heart, I was just a thorn that he could not wait to pull out. Now that she had passed away, he could not wait to get divorced and wanted me to sign the divorce papers. He had never treated me as a member of the Grant family. In those three years, I did not manage to melt his cold heart with my warmth. I did not know what to say and just continued to dry his hair. Theo’s phone rang from on top of the desk next to the bed. I took a glance at the clock. It was almost 1 am. Only Cindy would call this late. Theo answered his phone and walked to the window, saying softly: “Turn off the lights, close your eyes, and go to sleep.” After his conversation with Cindy, he got up and left. I would usually let him be, but somehow tonight, I did not want him to leave. I stood up and grabbed him, begging softly. “Can you please stay for tonight?”