01- You're Completely Useless

Audrey Taylor’s pov.

Every night, I prayed for his return, but I never imagined he wouldn't recognize me and that he would bring another woman back.

I had just managed to lay my tired body from working late at the office. The company was bleeding and I had been doing everything in my power to stop it from collapsing.

But my peace was rudely destroyed by loud rapid knocking on my bedroom door.

“Madam, you need to come downstairs!” Martha, the maid's voice rang.

What was so urgent to disturb my rest before facing the cruel reality in a few hours’ time? I glanced at the alarm clock.

“8 AM”? What could be up now?

I stumbled out of bed, even though my body cried for rest. “What happened, Martha?” I moaned, pulling my nightwear around me as I opened the door.

“It is Ms. Helen. She's arguing with the shareholders in the living room.”

The shareholders? Damn. My mother-in-law. My head banged with a terrible headache from the abrupt disturbance.

By the time I got to the living room, the room was thick with tension. Four of the company’s shareholders stood rigidly with their faces drawn while my mother in law hurled words at them.

“You think showing up here demanding answers will make me suddenly have a magic wand to fix your mess?” Her voice shook with anger, as she pointed at them.

“Mrs. Taylor,” one of the men began, “with all due respect, your family owes us answers. We've invested millions and the company is on the verge of collapsing.”

I stepped forward, raising my hand. “Everyone, please, calm down.” My voice rang with authority I'd been forced to adopt since Harold, my husband disappeared.

Helen turned to me with her eyes blazing. “Audrey, do you hear what they are saying? They are blaming us for everything!”

Why won't they?

I sighed. “Gentlemen, I understand your frustration and concern, but barging into my home this early morning is not the way to talk this out,” especially when I was supposed to fucking rest my soul.

But instead of listening, the leader glanced around the room, eyes narrowing as they landed on the ornate furniture. “If you can’t pay us back, then maybe we’ll just take what we’re owed.”

“Stop!” I interrupted, panic rising in my chest. “I’ve done everything I can to save the company.Please,just a little more time—my husband will come back, I know he will!”

"It's been almost two years, and he still hasn't come back! Stop lying to us!" he interrupted angrily.

I took a step forward, positioning myself between them and the rest of the room. “You have no right to touch anything in this house!”

“Rights?” he sneered. “We have every right.” He moved toward the clock, and I instinctively reached out to stop him.

“Don’t you dare touch that!” I yelled, stepping in front of the men. My voice shook, but I tried to sound strong.

“Move aside, Mrs. Taylor. This doesn’t concern you.” The leader said.

“It does!” I snapped, refusing to back down. “This is my home!”

Helen yelled furiously at them. “You vultures! You have no right to do this!” she bellowed, her face red with anger. “This is still my house! You will not take a single thing from here!”

The leader of the group responded. “ This house is no longer just yours. Your son’s debts have put everything on the line. If you can’t pay, we will take what we’re owed.”

“You filthy thieves!” Helen spat, lunging toward him in a fit of rage. I rushed to her side, grabbing her arm to pull her back before the situation escalated further and the man was ready to push her aside.

“Don't you dare!” I cried, stepping between her and the men. Before I could say anything more, one of them shoved me hard.

I stumbled, my leg hitting the wooden vase. Pain shot through it, sharp and I hit the floor with a cry, clutching my knee.

“Audrey!” My sister in law; Emma’s voice called out from across the room. She sat frozen in her wheelchair, unable to do anything but watch.

Her hands gripped the armrests so tightly her knuckles turned white.

I looked up, my breath hitching as I saw the men moving through the room, grabbing paintings, vases, and anything valuable. The house was falling apart around me, and I couldn’t stop it.

“Do something, Audrey!” Helen snapped, glaring down at me. “You’re completely useless! How can you let them do this?”

Her words cut deeper than the pain in my leg, but I forced myself to push up onto my hands. “I’m trying,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.

“Trying?” Helen scoffed. “You can’t even stand up properly, let alone protect this house!”

“Mother, stop,” Emma said sharply. “Can’t you see she’s hurt?”

Helen only huffed, crossing her arms.

Emma wheeled closer, her face softening as she looked at me. “Audrey, is it your old injury? Did it flare up?”

I nodded weakly, wiping at my face. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” Emma said gently, her voice steady despite the chaos.

The men kept taking things, piling them into boxes as if it were nothing. I couldn’t let this go on. My heart raced as I scrambled for an idea.

“Stop this right now!” I shouted, my voice shaking but loud enough to make them pause.

I pointed to Emma. “She’s already calling the police. If you don’t leave, you’ll regret it!”

Emma caught on quickly, picking up her phone and pretending to dial.

The leader froze, his eyes darting to her. “We are not in the wrong.”

“Really?” I said, tilting my chin up despite the tears streaming down my face. “Breaking into a private residence? Stealing from a grieving family? Let’s see what the police think about that.”

The men exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, the leader let out a frustrated growl. “You’ll hear from our lawyers,” he said before motioning for his men to leave.

They filed out one by one, taking some of the valuables with them.

I stayed on the floor, too tired to move. My leg throbbed, my body trembling from the stress and pain.

Helen turned to me with a cold expression cold. “You’re pathetic,” she said harshly. “If Harold were here, this would never have happened.”

I bit my lip, fighting back more tears.

“Mother, enough,” Emma said firmly. Helen walked away. Emma reached out, touching my shoulder. “Audrey, are you sure you’re okay? Your leg—”

“It’s fine,” I whispered, forcing myself to stand. I swayed slightly, but Emma steadied me.

“You need to rest,” she said.

“No, I need to fix this,” I replied, looking around at the mess. I called the servants and instructed her to clean the mess up.

The buzzing of my phone cut me off. I pulled it out of my pocket, my heart sinking as I saw my assistant’s message on the screen.

For a minute, I was skeptical to open it, fearing bad news, but I did anyway and a simple message took my breath away.

“We've found Mr Taylor, ma'am. We will soon be home.”

The phone slipped from my hand, and I stared at Emma, tears welling up in my eyes. “Harold… he’s coming back.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “Are you serious? Oh my God.”

I nodded, still finding it hard to believe myself. Two years. Two years of continuous crying myself to sleep and endless prayers. And now, he was coming home.

I didn't even bother to put on shoes as I rushed to the door, ignoring the pain in my leg.

I heard the sound of a car engine outside and my heart raced. You can't blame me for the skips my heart did.

I threw open the front door just as the car pulled into the driveway.

The driver’s door opened, and there he was—Harold.

He looked different, older in his wavy dark hair, his deep set eyes that drew me to him in the first place were still intact but lacked emotions. My husband. My Harold.

“Harold!” I called out as tears blurred my vision.

The welcome wasn't what I envisioned. I expected him to run to me and hug me and tell me he was finally back.

Instead, he walked around to the passenger side and opened the door.

My breath hitched as a young woman stepped out, leaning heavily on him for support.

She was petite, with long dark hair and she clung to him as if her life depended on it.

I froze on the porch, my arms dropping to my sides. Harold didn’t even look at me as he guided the woman toward the house, his focus entirely on her.

“Harold?” I whispered.

He brushed past me as if I didn’t exist, his arm firmly around the woman’s waist.

My chest tightened, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I stood there, rooted to the spot, watching them disappear into the house.