CHAPTER 2: House Arrest

Maria's POV

"Come back here”. I heard a voice say behind me just when I was almost out of the house. A shiver ran down my spine and my legs felt so weak that I couldn't turn around.

I already knew who had that voice; it was no other person but Ethan. His voice was ice cold and dripping with so much venom.

"What did you just say?" he asked me, and before I could speak, he raised his finger in warning. “Don't even try to lie."

I swallowed hard, sweat beads forming on my head, and I glanced up at Susan, who had her arms folded across her chest with a sly smile on her lips.

I had wanted to leave peacefully without any trouble but now I guess that peace was far from me.

"She threatened me, Ethan," Susan said, and in seconds, she was already beside him, holding his arms and casting a hateful glance my way.

I felt so small, so insignificant my life had changed in just a few minutes.

"She threatens to kill me, Ethan," Susan said, and without even waiting for confirmation, Ethan's hand sliced through my face, making me reel back from the hot slap.

"So, this is what you plan to do, huh? I thought I was married to a human being all these years. I never knew I was married to a demon." Then he looked me over from head to toe and back again. "And where do you think you're going with that lousy baggage of yours?"

Tears streamed down my face, and I could hardly breathe; the pain and betrayal cut through my chest like a hot knife.

"You asked me to leave”. I managed to say in a small voice hoping he wouldn't give me another slap.

"Now, you listen to me, you fool,” he said, holding my jaw in between his fingers and pushing my head backward.

"I know what you are planning but I'm smarter than you. I know you have plans of going out there telling all bloggers that I treated you badly and have you divorced."

I tried to shake my head that I wasn't going to do much, but his fingers deepened into my cheeks, almost drawing out blood.

"You will go in there and pretend like nothing happened. You will be on house arrest until I toss you away."

"Until our wedding, baby." Susan chipped in, smiling at me.

"Now, take all this nonsense inside”. He said kicking the luggage and pushing me away. My purse fell out of my hands, spilling out the contents.

"And what is that paper for?" he asked as I bent down to pick up my purse. And then he snatched the paper from my hand, his eyes going through it, his face expressionless, then mad anger danced in his eyes.

"What nonsense is this?" He said, waving the pregnancy result, and Susan snatched it from his hand, shock, and surprise plastered on her face.

"Are you trying one of those stupid tricks of yours?" He asked, approaching menacingly.

"No,” I swallowed, fear crawling down my chest. "I'm preg—"

But I couldn't complete my sentence as he cut me off with another slap.

"She is lying; do not believe her, Ethan”. Susan yelled at the top of her voice. She squeezed the pregnancy result, roll into a ball, and threw it at me.

It was at this moment that I knew that my life wasn't mine anymore.

"You will have to remain indoors, imprisoned by these walls until you give birth to that child, which I know isn't mine.” He said with so much venom in his voice. "I do not want the world to see me as a bad person."

They turned around and walked away, leaving me outside. The sky grew dark, and it began to rain.

The next few months came rushing by, and I lived like a fugitive, always hiding from the bitter, icy remarks about me and Susan’s hateful glances because she had come to live with us.

She had become my husband's mistress and made my life worthless.

The only time I got to leave the house was during my antenatal and I was drawing nearer to my due date.

My child was the only thing that kept me alive, which kept the hope in me. I had turned to a maid and had to wake up very early to prepare breakfast for them.

"Grrrrrghhh”. My phone rang that morning and the caller ID almost made me disappear in fright. There was no other person but Aunt Maggie.

Ethan had given me a stern warning that no one should visit me.

"What am I going to do right now?” I said to myself in a small voice before picking up the call.

“Hey, Maria, how are you doing?" She asked in her usually excited voice. " I'm outside the gates”. My eyes began to spin in my head as the phone shook in my hand. The call ended, and before I could leave the kitchen, I heard Aunt Maggie's voice.

"Why does she have to come today?" I asked myself one more time, glancing down at my protruding stomach and then out of the window; the sun was already hiding on the horizon.

I walked quickly to the living room and met the shock of my life, there exchanging hot words with each other was no other person but Aunt Maggie and Susan.

"I still can't believe that my sister raised you”. Aunt Maggie spat.

"I do not care about whatever you are saying. I want you to leave now.” Susan yelled, pushing Aunt Maggie's luggage to the ground and stamping at the contents that had spilled out.

'Susan, please don't do this”. I implored.

"You and that stupid bastard you are carrying in your womb should stay away from this. You have no right to allow visitors into my home”.

"Your home?" Aunt Maggie laughed then turned to me questioningly.

"Yes”, Susan said when I couldn't say anything. "I'm getting married to Ethan soon. Get that into your skull, old hag”.

Anger flushed through Aunt Maggie's face, and she raised her hand against Susan's cheeks; just immediately, Susan retaliated and tried slapping her.

"Susan, please, no, don't do this,” I said, running to stand in between them, and in blinded anger, Susan pushed me.

I felt myself falling, the pain running through me. The last thing I heard was the cry for help, and then I fell into nothingness.