Chapter 5

—ELEANOR.

—

My lips go pursed when I realize my jaw has been hanging open for what feels like an eternity.

I still can’t believe my eyes.

Could it be that I was chosen as Arthur's wife four years ago because I resembled Brianna Brown?

I remember the interview, not providing so much but yet, I was picked, without hesitation.

Now, as I gaze at Brianna, I'm left wondering if my likeness to her was the reason behind Arthur's choice.

My heart slows down and I tilt my head as my mind starts to hit another peak of realization.

The past four years with Arthur - dedicating myself to him, loving him, and longing for his love in return - all seem pointless now.

I've come to realize I'm merely a substitute, a stand-in to gulp down his illness while he waits to get better and get on with another woman.

I am truly nothing but a faint shadow of the woman he truly desires.

I don’t know the history he had with Brianna, or what they shared about how they were, but I can tell I am the third wheel here.

Cassandra instantly steps in front of Brianna and Arthur and she does not look pleased.

She crosses her arms and then darts her eyes at me.

“I thought you said Arthur went out to get pastry? Can someone explain to me what’s going on? And why is Ms. Wellington here.”

I try to hold my stance and the fact that Cassandra knows who Brianna is.

I make eye contact with Brianna and she tries to smile at me. I look away before it can happen.

Arthur sighs and brings Brianna closer.

“Grandma, Bree is sick she had no one to come get her at the hospital—

“And somehow that is your obligation?” Cassandra cuts him off.

And the way he calls her Bree… it’s just the most obnoxious thing.

“She has no one,” Arthur sighs.

“You left your wife home and cold, under my care to get another woman home?” Cassandra has no chill and sometimes I just love this side of her.

“It’s not like that Grandma and you know it. Go on Bree, take a seat” Arthur offers, and the woman who looks exactly like me steps forward to take a seat on one of the couches.

“You’re delirious,” Cassandra tells Arthur.

She kisses her teeth and turns to Brianna.

“You know, I was supposed to be sharing a warm night with my grandson and his wife. I’ll be honest, your presence is holding that back for us. I’ll send someone to take you home”

“Grandma please” Arthur kisses his teeth in annoyance

Brianna suddenly speaks up. Her voice is soft and broken, like someone at the edge of a cliff.

“I understand, I’ll take my leave, I am nothing but an inconvenience. And you’re right, Arthur should spend time with his wife, not with someone like me”

As the words spill from Brianna’s lips, she stares directly at me, with zero sincerity in her words.

Cassandra rather doesn’t sympathize with her faux words. She just grimaces at her.

Arthur speaks up.

“Grandma I get it, she gets it too, but I’ll take her home”

Cassandra's stern expression silences Arthur instantly.

“You’ll take her home?

“Yeah,” Arthur nods.

“You. Will stay here with your wife, and I’ll send my driver to take her home, is that clear?” Cassandra sneers.

Arthur nods unwillingly, knowing he cannot defy Cassandra and spike her emotions because of her health.

“Alright,” Arthur sighs, defeated, glancing at Brianna to give her a sympathetic look.

Arthur speaks again, "I’ll just walk her outside—

But Cassandra cuts him off, her voice firm. "You will do nothing like that”

Brianna's face pales, and she looks at Arthur for help.

Her voice trembles as she speaks in a soft, innocent tone, "Mrs. Arnold, I'm sorry if—"

Cassandra's interruption is swift and harsh. "I never asked you to speak!" The room falls silent once more, and I feel a sense of unease.

Arthur's expression turns dark, and he looks at Brianna with a mixture of concern and warning.

The tension in the room is palpable, and I sense a power struggle unfolding before my eyes.

Cassandra's stern behavior has created an uncomfortable atmosphere, and call me petty, but I love it.

—

After getting Brianna to leave, Cassandra pushes Arthur and me together, unaware of the splitting tension between us.

We reluctantly agree to share a room, a familiar space where we've spent many nights at Cassandra's. The atmosphere is strained, with Arthur uncharacteristically quiet. I retreat to the bathroom to shower and process the evening's events.

-

I come back to the room after showering to see it empty and it gives me time to change into a pair of nightwear before getting on the bed.

Arthur walks in later on and I noticed he went to shower elsewhere.

This is awkward.

He gets on the bed and we both just lay in silence.

We’re soon to be divorced, this is torture.

I hate how I’m noticing how he smells like lavender and plum leaves, I hate how I wish I could just reach out—-

What the hell am I thinking?

I pull myself together and sit up. With the excess pillows on the bed, I take three and fix it in between Arthur and me.

“What are you doing? What’s this?” He scoffs at the pillow barrier.

So he speaks.

“They’re what you think they are, goodnight Arthur,” I say and lie down again.

“Alright then, whatever fixes you right,” he says and I gulp, biting my bottom lip and wishing we could go back in time to when we just got married— even if it was a marriage of convenience.

I barely slept through the night, constantly tossing and turning as a terrible nightmare haunted my sleep.

With a sharp gasp, I force my eyes open, my body burning with heat as I regain consciousness. Relief washes over me—I’m just glad it’s finally morning.

I stop moving when I notice I am lying in someone’s arms.

I flinch the moment my eyes meet Arthur’s, his face mere inches from mine.

His body and limbs are wrapped around me, trapping me in a position far too intimate—one I definitely didn’t sign up for!

—*