The closet

LEAH

At the revelation of his affair, I expected a little bit of remorse, or even surprise.

He huffed his shoulders, placing his hands on his hips.

“Did you really not know about this?” He asked,

I was too stunned to speak.

Seeing the reaction on my face, he chuckled, “you actually believed I loved you.”

His chuckle turned into a full laughter.

He wiped his eyes, grinning, “let's be serious, Leah. You actually believed I loved you?”

I opened my mouth to speak, but I was at a loss for words. Wasn't that the point of a marriage?

“Give me my phone,” he demanded.

With no resistance, I handed it over. I was too stupefied to even think of words.

How was I just finding out? How did I miss the signs?

“How long has this been going on?” I asked,

He was putting on a fresh pair of clothes. “It's best you don't know,”

“I need to know.” I ground out, “how long has this been going on?”

He grunted. “Fine. If you want to know, Kate and I have been in love for three years.”

“Three years?!” I screamed. “We've been married for two.”

“It's impressive that you're good at maths.” He replied, picking out his shoes.

“Where are you going?” I asked,

“To be with my woman. What do you think?”

I blinked. Was Lucas really talking to me this way? No. It had to be a dream. My husband and best friend wouldn't betray me.

“Are you actually serious about this?” I asked,

“You saw the texts with your own eyes.”

The first tear dropped as reality hit. This wasn't some prank or misunderstanding. Lucas wasn't in love with me.

“If you didn't love me, then why did you stay?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It was the riches. Who would stick to a barren woman?” He laughed, “definitely not me.”

“But-”

“But what? You thought you'd find true love in me? Leah, look at you. You're pathetic. You're barren, you can't cook. How am I supposed to deal with that?”

“You knew all that before you asked me to marry you!”

“Yes, I did. It was Kate's brilliant idea.”

I clutched my chest, barely able to breathe. My own best friend had betrayed me.

She set me up. I couldn't believe it.

“What would you have done if my parents had lived longer?” I asked,

“Leah, you should be wiser than this. I'm honestly disappointed in you.”

“I asked you a question.”

He frowned, “watch your tone.”

“I asked you a question, Lucas. Don't mess with me.” I replied, with anger burning within me.

“Why shouldn't I mess with you? Who are you? You're nothing but a pathetic heiress with nothing in her bank account. No money, no assets. Nothing.”

“My child is in Kate. You can't do this to me!” I wailed,

“God, you're quite slow.”

I blinked.

He moved towards me, “let me explain something to you. Kate and I have been in an affair for three years. We ensured your parents passed on as soon as we found out Kate was with my child. There was never any surrogacy. There was no luck. I had convinced your father that you were mentally deranged, and even he was dumb enough to believe that. I guess I wasn't wrong. I am the mastermind behind everything. I have ensured that you can't leave or win. Where do you want to go? Who do you know? Your father's brothers hate you. Your parents cut off your mother's relatives. You have no friends. You are utterly alone. Read the signs, Leah. You are MY slave. Mine.”

I covered my mouth, trying to hold back the sobs. This couldn't be true.

I stared at Lucas. He wasn't the man I thought I knew.

“You're evil!” I spat at him.

“It's far better than being poor,” he replied with a wink.

Before I could think better, I smacked him across the face.

He gasped. In less than a second, I felt the weight off his palms on my face. I fell on the floor.

“Who do you think you're playing with you fucking fool?” He screamed. “Who do you think you are?” He asked,

I could see the rage in his eyes as he towered over me. I tried crawling, but I was too slow.

He grabbed my hand hard, yanking me up.

With tear filled eyes, he led me into the closet.

“You will remain here until you learn the consequences of your actions.”

Weakened, I sat down. There was no point trying to fight. I couldn't beat up Lucas.

I heard the door lock, and I knew I was finished.

THREE DAYS LATER.

For three days, I had been living in my closet. I had tried screaming, and clawing at the doors but nothing worked.

I wasn't with my phone either. After what felt like a day, I eventually gave up and tried to manage my energy.

As I sat in the enclosed space, I heard Kate's giggling sounds. Her and Lucas were having the time of their lives in my matrimonial room.

And as though that wasn't bad enough, at night, I could hear their loud grunts and moans. It felt like they were being loud on purpose, just so I could hear them.

I laid lifelessly on the floor, staring at my last empty bottle of water. The water bottles I had always kept in my closet had managed to help me survive for days, but it had run out.

“Is she still in there?” I heard Kate ask, and I sat up.

“She is. There's no way for her to escape,” I heard Lucas reply.

“Do you think she could be dead by now?”

“No, she has a mini fridge in that closet. She must have been feeding on that. Even if she was dead, who would care? She has no one to check.” He scoffed.

“I feel like we should give it a check,” Kate said.

“Oh, baby. You're so kindhearted.”

I heard her chuckle. “Please open the door so we can check on her.”

“Fine, but I'm doing this just because you asked.”

“Thank you,” she thanked him.

My eyes remained fixated on the door as I heard it unlock.

As soon as I saw them together, my heart dropped. They were holding hands, glowing and smiling.

“She's alive,” he snorted.

“That's good.” Kate added. “I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if she died,”

I held out hope. Maybe she still had a good bone in her body.

“A waste of help that would be,” she continued,

My heart sank.

She finally faced me, and there was no remorse on her face. “Ruth has been laid off from her duties, and you're the new help. I need you to clean the kitchen, and prepare breakfast for me and my husband.”

My eyes fell on her ring.

“I-I- can't clean. I'm too weak,”

“I don't fucking care, Leah. Get to work unless you want to spend a week in this closet. You might not be lucky enough to have a stocked refrigerator this time around.”