For the next hour Ally sits in the dining room testing dishes Dirk prepared. Every time he brings one out, he quickly explains how he prepared it and asked if she would like to make any changes. Ally was impressed with every dish. She did not dare to give Dirk as much as a knowing look, for Agatha was patiently standing in the corner of the room, watching them intently.Ally feels irritated with Agatha. Being watched like this is unnecessary.After Ally made her selection of the dishes for the dinner party, Dirk clears up the table and leaves the room.Ally excuses herself from Agatha and leaves also. She tried so many dishes, she is not sure if she will be hungry by dinner.As Ally moves through the doorway, she notices that Eric’s home office door is closed. She goes to it and hears him speaking inside. Ally stands in the hallway listening for a second. She cannot hear a second voice in the room. She assumes that Eric is on a phone call.She knocks on the door softly. The conversa
Ally quickly looks towards Eric, but of course he cannot see her plea for help.Ally returns her gaze to Bennet. She knows she is visibly upset. If ever she had a child, she would make sure that this man had nothing to do with it.“We are not in a hurry.” Eric comes to her rescue. Ally realises that she is still holding her breath and lets it out slowly. The expression on Bennet’s face is one of pure arrogance. Ally hates this man.She excuses herself and leaves the room. It has been another taxing day and she cannot really keep her emotions under control to deal with this man.It is almost ten when Eric joins her in the room. Ally is already in bed and barely awake.She feels when Eric gets into bed and moves closer to her. He pulls her into his arms and holds her close to him.“Did you want to tell me something now?” he asks her softly in her ear.Ally turns towards him and snuggles her face into the crook of his neck.“Yes, but I there is a lot to tell.” Ally whispers in his ear.“
Ally tells Eric about the medication swop. The medication that should be in the mix would actually help him regain his sight. Someone is deliberately causing a delay in his recovery. One of the side effects of the delayed recovery could be permanent damage. Ally cannot be sure how much damage was already caused by the medication. She can only hope that Eric would regain his sight, should the medication supply be rectified.Ally watches Eric carefully. He is livid. He thanks her for the information she gave him and asks her if they can go back to the house. Ally helps Eric to the house. Agatha is right on time, even though they returned earlier than expected, and takes over as soon as Eric enters the house. She had to be watching them all this time. Ally is sure she saw her using Eric’s phone.The whole week was taxing for Ally. It was drawn out and she was bored out of her mind. She did not see much of Eric. When she woke the next morning there was a security detail outside her bedroo
Ally rushes into the house to see Eric. She knocks on the door and enters his office without waiting for him to invite her in. Eric is on the phone with someone when he realises that she is in the room.“I will contact you shortly.” He says abruptly and ends the call. “Yes?”Ally sees that Eric has a difficult time switching between the way he treats her and the rest of the world. To him she is now something he needs to handle. It is in this moment Ally realises that she cannot tell Eric exactly what happened today. She quickly scrambles her mind for something else to tell him. Nothing seems urgent enough.“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have barged in like that. I wanted to tell you about my day.” Ally quickly tells Eric. Eric’s beautiful mouth spreads into a smile. He walks over to her and wraps his arms around her.“Did you enjoy your outing?” Eric asks Ally, he has now managed to switch to the Eric that does not need to handle Ally.“Yes. Thank you. I got four dresses.” Ally laughs softly
“Eric?” Ally asks. The uncertainty evident in her voice.“Good morning.” Eric says to Ally. He still has the look of confusion on his face.“Is it? A good morning?” Ally asks Eric. “You look worried.”Ally’s heart is beating at a rapid pace. Eric can fully see her now. She is sure of it.“Why are you covering up your body?” Eric asks her. “Did you always cover up before I regained some of my sight?”Ally stares at Eric. He still cannot see completely?“I…. yes, I did.” Ally tells Eric with an uncertain chuckle.“Well, that will have to stop.” He says in a soft drawl, pulling the covers from her. The confused frown has now gone from his expression. “And yes, let me show you what a good morning it is.” He tells Ally while pulling her against him, kissing her neck and letting his hands wander over her body.********* It is already well into the morning when they finally get out of the room. Agatha seems to have lost her nerve. The two security guards appointed to watch over Eric and All
Ally has never seen so many gems and diamonds in one place.“Oh, no. I cannot wear any of that.” Ally tells her quickly. Even the wedding ring Ally is wearing isn’t all that extravagant. The initial ring that she was given was chosen by Meg. It was big and bulky as if Meg tried to choose the biggest diamond, she could possibly get her hands on. After the wedding the jewellers came to see if the ring fit perfectly and the owner noticed that Ally feels uncomfortable with the size of the diamond. He gave her another ring that is equally elaborate but with more smaller diamonds. Even though the ring is still far more than Ally would have chosen for herself, it does feel more comfortable on her finger.“Of course, you can.” The woman replies with a friendly comforting smile. “There is nothing that can compare to your beauty but these will only make your eyes shine more brightly.” Ally cannot help but stare at the woman.“Let us try this one.” The lady says and takes out a black velvet box.
Ally looks at Eric. The way he stares at her tells her that he can see her very clearly right now.“I probably have.” Ally starts to tell him. Erik slams his fist on the desk.“Why the hell would you do this. Where is my actual wife?” Eric boulders at Ally. She takes a step back to get a little more distance between them.“I can explain everything.” Ally tries to tell Eric. He slams his fist on the table again and walks around it to come to stand directly in front of her.“I do not even want to hear it. You know the family rules. As a curtesy, I will give you the luxury of a choice.” Eric glares down at Ally.“A choice?” Ally stammers. She knows the family rules but she cannot think what choice she has to make.“Yes, Alicia. A choice. You can decide how you want to leave this family.” Eric seethes at her.Ally knows exactly what he means. He does not even have to say it out loud. The choice for the women in this family has always been to disappear or die. Only one woman could get the
“Oh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” The woman tells Ally. She has slightly greying hair that she has put up in a tight bun. She is neatly dressed and is standing with her hands clasped in front of her. “I am Ruth. I am in charge of running the household.” She says in a friendly voice.Ally stares at her. There is not much of a household here, is there?“I unpacked your things while you were in the shower. If there is anything not to your liking, please let me know.” She smiles at Ally. Ally nods at her.“Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. Would you like to have it in your room?” Ruth stays as friendly throughout the conversation, even though Ally does not respond much to what she says.“Yes, thank you.” Ally forces herself to speak. She is too tired and really just wanted to get into bed.Ruth nods and walks out of the room. Ally walks to the bed and sits down on it. There is a box on the bed that Ally recognises. She put the box underneath one of her pairs of sho