Chapter 4

I was startled awake by a soft knock on the door.

Pealing my eyes open, I glanced at the locked door from my hidden position in the large bathtub.

The soft knock continued on the door and I wondered what would happen if I just refuse to open it. 

The previous night, the door was tried twice more and I kept myself hidden in the bathtub as I watched the door knob turn. I was lucky enough to be left alone last night. 

Elijah didn't demand my return to the bedroom. I was not able to willingly walk out of the bathroom on my own, so I settled for the bathtub.

I slowly raised my head from my forearm and grabbed the back of my neck with my right hand. 

My muscles were sore from sleeping in an awkward position, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

The soft knock continued for a few more seconds before it stopped.

"Mrs. Smith?" A soft and frail voice called out from the other side of the door.

That is definitely not Elijah's voice.

"Mrs. Smith, are you alright? Should I get a  spare key if you need my help?" The woman asked before she gently knocked on the door again.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself to my feet and carefully got out of the bathtub before I walked over to the door. 

Turning the lock, I slowly opened the door and peeked through the crack to see who it was.

An old lady stood with her fist raised to knock the door again. When she saw me peeking at her, she shot me a very warm smile.

"Mrs. Smith, I'm glad to see you're alright. You were starting to worry me." The woman commented in a warm tone.

Her voice and the gaze in her eyes was so comforting that I couldn't stop myself from opening the door further.

The woman, satisfied with my action, smiled even wider before her eyes dropped to my neck. The warm smile vanished from her face the second she saw the thick scar running across my neck.

I quickly covered the scar with my right hand and turned away from her.

I forgot that I'd taken off the scarf the previous night before I hid in the bathtub. 

I rushed over to the sink and bent down to pick up the silk scarf from the floor. Standing up straight, I wrapped the scarf around my neck and covered the scar with my back given to the old lady.

After tying the scarf, I turned back to the old woman.

The lady had a grim look on her face but a second after I turned around, the smile returned to her face. But it was not as warm as the one she had before she saw my scar.

"You're suitcases have arrived, Mrs. Smith. I had them placed in the walk in closet. If you wish, I can help you unpack after breakfast." She commented.

I nodded my head before I gave her a tight smile.

"Why don't you get ready? I'll get you as soon as breakfast is served." She added. 

I caught her eyes wandering in the the bathroom, probably wondering if I'd spent the night here.

I once again nodded my head to let her know I'll do just that.

With a final smile, the old woman turned around and walked away from me. I followed her with my eyes until she stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.

The woman looked friendly, dare I say, motherly.

With her short gray hair and the pink mini-apron she had on, she looked like someone I could get close to.

Letting out a sigh, I looked in to the bedroom. I was relived when I saw no signs of the man I married yesterday.

Turning back to the bathtub, I walked closer and picked up my heels before I walked out of the bathroom.

My next target was the walk in closet, which was the room next to the bathroom. The other door was still closed while the walk in closet, which's directly on the opposite side of the king sized bed, was wide open.

I walked in to the walk in closet. Without giving myself time to admire the size of the closet, I made a beeline for my suitcases.

There were three large suitcases. Without opening them, I already knew that only two of them have my clothes in it, which is my entire wardrobe.

The last one will contain my weapons.

I opened the first suitcase and found dinner dresses and sundresses, which most of them belonged to my sister Elizabeth. 

A sad smile stretched my lips as I thought of her.

My twin sister and I have been inseparable since we were kids, especially after what happened to me when I was thirteen years old.

The though of living without her wounded me deeply. I'm used to being around her everyday except for when she has to go to school. Even then, she always made sure to text or video call me just to make sure that I was doing okay.

I already miss her.

Letting out a long sign, I closed the suitcase and reached for the second one. This was was filled with my day-to-day clothes, including PJ's, sweatshirts, hoodies, sweatpants, and most importantly my scarfs. It also contained a few shoes in plastics bags.

Picking out a black sweatshirt, a black scarf and a black sweatpants along with some underwear, I closed the suitcase and walked out of the walk in closet without sparing a  glance towards the third suitcase. Because I knew well enough that if I opened it, I wouldn't be able to make it out of the closet in time.

I rushed in to the bathroom with a mission to get out of the wedding dress. Pealing the expensive dress and dropping it on the floor was extremely satisfying.

I made sure to lock the door before I took a quick shower while I tried to mentally prepare myself for the battle ahead of me.

Just thinking about Elijah alone gave me nerves. It made my stomach twist and turn at the thought of the possibilities that might happen to me in this marriage.

It scared me to no end.

After the shower, I dried my hair and pulled it in to a messy bun at the top of my head. I then wore the clothes I chose, and gathered the wedding dress off of the floor before I walked out of the bathroom.

Again, there was no sign of Elijah, which I was very thankful for.

I walked in to the closet and piled the wedding dress on top of my suitcases before I fished for some sandals and walked out of the walk-in closet.

After securing the black scarf around my neck, I finally walked out of the bedroom.

I looked down the hall to the left and then to the right, knowing that I would have to find my way downstairs. 

When Elijah led me up last night, it was pretty dark and not any lights were on. But now that it's morning, I could clearly see how magnificent the house is.

I wasn't worried about finding my way downstairs. All I had to do is retrace my steps, which I happen to be good at. 

I might not have been paying much attention to the house last night, but I always keep track of the turns I make while going to an unfamiliar place. That way, I would be able to retrace my step easily.

I slowly made my way down stairs and came to a dead end when I didn't know which direction to go to next.

I glanced left and then right. I didn't want to go in any direction and make the mistake of walking in to something I'm not supposed to see.

I recalled Elijah's warning from the previous night and it sent chills running down my spin.

Maybe I should just return to the bedroom and stay there until the old lady comes to get me. 

Actually, it would be better if she just forgets about me. That way, I'd be able to hide in the room and not run in to anyone, especially Elijah.

'But that is his room.' A voice whispered, making me sigh.

As I was contemplating my next move, the front door opened and in walked a man. I realized that he was the same man that drove Elijah and I to this house.

He's the driver.

The man looked deep in thoughts, giving me an opportunity to turn around and make my escape. But before I could even taken a step towards the stairs, he called out for me.

"Mrs. Smith?" He called out, making me cringe. 

I slowly turned around and looked at him without meeting his eyes. 

I still feel quite intimidated when I'm around men. How could I not after what happened?

"Good Morning." He greeted, to which I awkwardly nodded my head.

The man looked confused at my non verbal response and gave me a tight smile.

"Are you heading towards the dining room?" He asked.

I nodded my head again, hoping he would offer to take me there.

"Okay. Come on, I'll show you the way." He commented before he started walking closer to me. 

"I'm Cane. by the way." He said as he reached a hand out as soon as he was close to me.

My initial reaction is to step away from the man, afraid that he might grab me. Even though I knew he was only going for a handshake, my body was not willing to accept it.

The man looked at his hand, a bit startled at my reaction before he awkwardly withdraw it and turned to the left.

"This way." He said before he walked off. This is going to be harder than I thought it would.

Taking a deep breath, I walked after him.

I counted the turns we took until we finally reached the massive dining room. The size made me wonder just how big this mansion is.

There's a long table at the center of the room and it has a direct view in to the large and open kitchen.

I followed after the man but I suddenly froze when I looked up and my eyes clashed with Elijah's.

Elijah was sitting at the head of the table with his phone in his right hand. He looked at me with a black expression, giving me no room to guess what he was thinking.

That scared me more.

The man walked closer to Elijah and pulled out the chair next to the head of the table for me.

I really didn't want to sit that close to a man, especially Elijah.

I glanced at the open kitchen and saw that some of the staff were looking at me.

Would a scandal break out if I refuse to sit next to him a day after our wedding? If so, then he would be mad at me and I know very well how scary Elijah is when he's mad.

I still have the image of his hard expression painted in my head and the bruising grip on my arm.

Swallowing hard, I slowly walked over and sat down on the chair the driver pulled out for me.

I kept my eyes planted on the plate in front of me but I could feel Elijah's eyes on me. 

The driver walked to the other side and sat opposite from me.

"So, how was your night?" The drive casually asked, making me wonder if he was close to Elijah.

How could anyone be close to a monster like him?

The things I've heard about him... It sent chills running down my spine. 

"Cane is asking you a question?" Elijah suddenly commented, forcing my eyes towards him.

I could see a little bit of annoyance underneath his bored expression, striking my heart with fear.

I looked over at the man sitting in front of me and saw that he was staring at me, expecting me to give him an answer.

I raised both of my hands, thinking I should sign him my answer. But how do I know if he'd understand?

"Leave the girl alone, Cane." The old woman commented as she walked over to the dining table.

Some of the staff were following after her to serve breakfast.

"What? I only asked a single question." The driver commented as he crossed his arms across his chest.

"No talking at the dining table." The woman warned as she glared at him, making me wonder if they were related.

The glare in her eyes were motherly, making me wish that my mother would glare at me that way instead of sending daggers with her eyes.

The old lady dropped her eyes to me.

"Eat well, my dear. If you need anything, just ring the bell and someone will come." She commented as she tapped the little bell near my plate.

I looked towards the other plates and realized that each has a bell next to it.

I gave the woman a small smile and nodded my head, earning myself a warm smile from her.

I glanced at the men and saw that they were curiously looked at the old woman as she walked  back to the open kitchen.