Meeting My Replacement

LORAINE'S POV

 

I stuff my few rightful belonging into two travel bags after three hours of crying a river. I put on the simplest shoes and stride towards the door where I find Catherine surprisingly waiting.

"Mr. Ravenwood demands that you hurry. His new lover, Miss Aubrey Sinclair is already here to confirm her date with him." She informs in a humble tone.

I feel a surge of anger and envy. I imagine that if I had a gun, I wouldn't think twice before killing her. But then I recall the horrible things that Lucas said to me and my sense of envy vanish. It's stupid to fight over a man that already considers me utterly useless.

It appears that the actress is incredibly eager to become his girlfriend. I was probably wrong to think that making him happy wasn't her goal.

"I am on my way out." I say to Catherine and she steps out of my way.

I pull my bags along the wide hallway and halfway down the winding stairwell before hearing their honeyed voices inside the living room.

"Allow your mind to rest. I am not the needy type. I will love you endlessly. You will forever be flawless in my eyes." I hear an entrancing female voice say.

I scoff because I know that his money is part of the reason the actress hurriedly seized the opportunity to become his girlfriend. Her endless love comes with the necessity for more money. And Lucas is too blinded by her beauty to see it.

"You're an ideal woman, Miss Sinclair. You should have been mine long before today." I hear him praise in his husky voice.

"I am all yours now, body and soul." She replies.

I step into the room just in time to see her unbutton her trench coat to reveal the skimpiest outfit, a mini dress made of pure lace. She wears only a G-string underwear underneath.

Lucas smiles warmly, but it turns into a frown upon noticing me.

"Is this the worthless leech that claims to be your wife?" The actress Aubrey questions in a disgusted voice. "Why did you let her live in your house for so long?"

"Let her leave in peace. At least she isn't being dramatic about it." Lucas responds, pulling her closer to him. "You can have this house at a cost of a kiss." He generously offers her the home I decorated for the last two years of our marriage.

"I will give you more than just a kiss once the worthless wh*re is gone." She answers.

"I am not the one wearing net to seduce a man I just for his money. Did you just lose your job at the vintage brothel?" I spit back.

Lucas's eyes immediately flash with rage. He lets go of her arm and strides forward until he is standing right in front of me.

"Open your stupid mouth again, and I will destroy you in ways you cannot imagine. My orders we that you leave and never speak of ever knowing me. Unless you prefer having your loud mouth sealed permanently." He snarls, his voice sounding truly terrifying for the first time.

He can of course destroy me worse than he has already. He got the money it takes to control everyone and everything he wishes. I might even spend tonight in a cell if he decides to make it happen.

"How am I supposed to walk out when you're on my way?" I ask.

He steps aside and I grudgingly pull my bags towards the next door.

"You should have sought my help with kicking her out earlier. Something that ugly belongs in the streets." Aubrey says while wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing him aggressively on the lips.

I keep walking like a deaf person as insulting her back isn't worth infuriating Lucas who can ruin my life some more to impress her.

"You can now take me to your room. Hopefully, that vulture didn't stain your bedding." I hear her say loud enough for me to hear.

"I will have Catherine change the sheets." Lucas tells.

I pick up my pace to spare my ears from more of their slanderous remarks. Still I get to hear one last thing before stepping out of his magnificent mansion.

"My sweet parents would feel honoured to meet your perfect self." I hear him tell her in his husky voice.

Throughout our marriage he avoided talking to me about his parents. I assumed they don't exist. But now I know that he probably didn't consider me worthy of meeting them. He didn't want to be seen with me in public let alone meet his relatives. I wonder why he married me in the first place.

I stride down the long driveway with fresh tears rolling down my cheeks. The five thousand dollars he put in my account might keep me alive until I find a job, preferably inside a fashion house.

I may not succeed, but I am making a promise to myself that my heart will never fall in love again. I will not make the mistake of becoming a powerless, dependent housewife that can be easily discarded and replaced with another.

The guards at the big gates regard me with pity as they let me out of the huge estate I used to call home. My heart throbs with apprehension as I gaze out at the harsh world that I now must navigate in search of my own success.

From what I have heard, it never comes easy.