3. Can you blame me?

Closing the door behind, Calvin walked in with a stern look on his face. He roamed his eyes over all of us, and an unamused look claimed his face. As his eyes finally landed on me, they narrowed with anger, holding within them an accusatory glare. 

“What’s happening here?” He demanded as he walked toward me. 

“Your wife has been bullying us since morning, Calvin!” Fiona said, earning a glare from me. What a liar she is! “She won’t let us live in peace. I guess she wants us to move out soon.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, “I never even mentioned anything like that.” 

“Well, why will she admit it in front of you?” Jen said, lowering her eyes in feigning nonchalance. 

I let out an exasperated breath. This was beyond me. I cannot be bothered to deal with their lies anymore. Having had enough, I turned on my heel and made my way upstairs into my room. Once inside, I finally let my tears flow down my cheeks. They were liberated from all the pent up frustration, anger and helplessness.

Ever since I married Calvin three years ago, my life has been like this. It wasn’t any rosy before this, but at least I had the freedom to do what I liked without facing rejection from all sides. Although I loved Calvin more than anything in the world, marrying him had brought me more grief than anything. Even when I was all alone in the orphanage in my childhood, I never felt this helpless. Now, as I lay amidst all the wealth and glory my husband earned, I couldn’t help but feel like I was utterly empty. I truly had nothing that I could cherish. 

I jumped as I heard the door open behind me. Frantically wiping my tears, I turned around to see Calvin enter the room. Before I could say anything, he headed straight toward me and wrapped his hands around my arms. And then, pulling me harshly against his body, he dipped his lips to meet mine. 

My eyes widened as his lips crashed onto mine, forcefully compelling mine to yield to him.

“Calvin, what are you doing?” I yelled.

Instead of replying, his hands caught hold of the hem of my tank top, pulling it up to reveal the skin underneath. What was wrong with him? Why is he removing my clothes? 

“Calvin!” I called in a stern tone, holding his advancing hands with  my own. “What’s the matter with you? What are you trying to do?” 

“Well, didn’t you complain to my mother that I haven’t been having sex with you lately?” He said, his brown eyes fixing me with an icy glare. “I’m trying to fix that.” 

I widened my eyes, stepping away in disgust. “No!” I said, “That’s not what I meant! Fiona said-” 

“I don’t care what she said, Cassie.” He said, stepping closer toward me. “I don’t want to look like an incompetent husband that can’t keep his wife satisfied.” 

He pulled me close to him again, wrapping his arms around my waist. Just as he was about to claim my lips again, I slapped my hand on his mouth. “No, Calvin! This is stupid. I’m not going to let you have sex with me like this.”

“Why the hell not?” He demanded, “You wanted a child to cement your place in the family, didn't you?” 

“I don’t want this!” I said in exasperation. Noticing the tears in my eyes, he loosened his hold on me, letting me catch a breath. “I don’t want to do it like this. Not when you’re clearly upset with me.”

“Can you blame me, Cassie?” He asked, jolting my arms, “You know I hate it when my mother meddles with my personal affairs. I value my privacy above all, and I trust you to respect it as well. But you still went ahead and told her about our private life.” 

“I’m sorry!” I said, tearing rolling down my cheeks. “I didn’t mean to expose you like that. Just-”

“Save it.” He said, releasing me at once. 

Stepping back, he gave me a disappointed look. Peeling his eyes away from me, he stared blindly at the wall behind me. “Don’t be late for the charity ball tonight. You know it’s an important event for me and my wife needs to be there.”

With that said, he turned around and left me alone in the room. I couldn’t help but feel awful for everything that happened. The last thing I wanted was for him to be disappointed in me when he was already unsatisfied with our relationship. Everytime I tried to get closer to him, it felt as though he went even further away. 

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something shiny on the couch. When I looked closer, I saw it was the gown I’d be wearing tonight.

I took special interest in picking it last week as I meant to look beautiful as I walked the red carpet with Calvin. The sight of it gave me some hope, as I still had tonight to turn things into my favor. As I reminisced about my plan for tonight, my chest felt lighter, an optimistic smile stretching on my face.