Chapter 3

She pulled him forcibly by the wrists down the stairs, uncertainty set inside him, he got anxious as to where she was leading him to and what she was about to do. Fear gripped him. He wouldn't want his four year old daughter to witness him being treated this way, he was being treated in the most disrespectful manner.

There have been many times he had been belittled before his daughter. What her mom tried to do was to make him a stranger before their daughter. It then flashed across his mind that she must have already gone to sleep, he got no worries now. Relief soothed him in that aspect but he was unsure of where Mara was taking him to, he followed in her direction as she kept pulling him by the wrists.

They entered the laundry, he gasped at the heap of dirty clothes scattered all over the floor, on the platforms and hanging from the suspensions on the walls.

"You see these?" She turned and glared steadily at him. "You're gonna wash all of them tonight. I give you just one and a half hours to finish. You should be back in the room by ten, thirty." She said with all authority, then walked out briskly.

When she left, Clinton fell to the ground with a heavy sigh. He was not gonna finish these by that time she gave, he knew this. He didn't want to lie to himself. The clothes are so numerous, how would he be able to finish all of these? He heaved heavily. Time was going. He rose up immediately and began to pick the clothes one by one, dirt, paint, blood stains from her period and other stuff were on the clothes. Stench filled his nose, it seemed that they had been unwashed for a long time now. Mara kept them specially for him, as punishment. Reluctantly, he began to wash them one after the other.

"When will I escape all these?" He spoke to himself as he washed, shaking his head in regrets. Someone cleared the throat behind him, he turned abruptly, it was Kate, the main devil. He almost dropped dead. She chuckled, and walked forward to him. Shame overwhelmed him that he was caught doing the laundry, not by his own will but serving a punishment. Kate grinned in a sinister style. He then felt the humiliation was too much, he was tired of them.

"Back off! Stay where you are." He screamed, at the moment, he was no longer afraid of what might happen to him but he duly had to stop her from getting a bit closer. Kate is shocked at the way he screamed at her. She tightened her fist, gnashing her teeth.

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson, that you dare not shout at me, in my daughter's house." She stormed out angrily, the morale in him faded off at this point, reality struck deep inside him. It was her daughter's house and she had some authority, he sighed and returned back to what he was doing.

He fought hard like the devil to make sure he finished before the time assigned to him by Mara. As he washed, he looked up at the clock on the wall, luckily for him, he finished ten minutes to the time. He leaped up in joy, he got so happy. He rushed upstairs, to his wife's room, so anxious as to why she asked him to return to her room. What was he gonna do there when another man was already in there? These thoughts flew into his mind, before he knew, he was already at the door of her room. He knocked and when the order to come in sounded from inside, he went in closing the door behind him.

Mara is shocked to see him back even before the time she kept, she was most certain he would not be able to complete it before then. To confirm her doubt, she asked him herself.

"Are you done?" Her lips and hands got loose in undesired amazement as he nodded a yes. The sight before him was not a good sight as she was squeezing Frederick's palms while facing him, he was pissed that his wife was giving special treatment to another man while he was molested.

"I'm so..so disappointed in you Mara, what do you hope to gain from all these?" He shook his head in fury. "I can no longer tolerate all of these!"

"Then pack your things and leave my house!" She growled, making him shriek. This is the last thing he wanted to hear, each time he heard or imagined it, it always made the little joy in him fly off. He can't imagine this happening to him, it's the greatest fear of his life.

"Oh! Oh! I don't mean it...I'm so sorry, please forgive me. I'll do anything you wish just to keep you to myself, don't just do this to me, please Mara." He begged.

He knelt pleading, when he raised his eyes to watch her face, it was hardened, it seemed she wouldn't even take it kindly with him this time around. There was no sign of pity that she might accept this apology of his. "If you aren't ready to endure all I bring to your face, then pack and leave, I don't need you in here again. I can take care of myself and my daughter, you don't even have what to contribute. I'm earning a lot from my company. Mom is well to do. My boyfriend here is earning quite a bit more from his business as well. We all match, we are all business people, you are the only odd sheep in the group. You are the only odd person in this house. I'm so sick and tired of you. I don't know what might happen between me and you tomorrow, but tonight, you're sitting on the floor here to watch as we go to sleep together. No sleep for you tonight."

He gasped. "No no no! This can't be possible. How can I sit and watch you both enjoying your night's rest? It's not possible. I got to sleep too."

"Hey young man," Frederick said in a deep, fierce voice. "You better do what your wife says or you pack and go away tonight!"

"Oh gosh!" He brushed his fingers through his hair in frustration, this was the worst of all humiliations he had suffered in Mara's house. He sighed, he had no choice but to take a seat on the floor facing them.

"Mind you, don't ever call me your wife."

"But we're married?" He complained.

"And so? What does that mean, of what significance is it? Yes, we are married but soon, that will change." This statement falls on him like a huge hammer knocking on his head.

Aggression rose and burnt like wild fire inside his chest, he wanted to leap and pounce on Frederick on the bed but he would just break his bones, he clearly knew he had no such power as him. He had thought he was a wrestler or professional body builder till Mara declared he too belonged to the business world. He must be a constant visitor to the gym though. Being a CEO now became like an identity, a sign of membership to belong to the family and then he did not have this mark of identity. This alone made him feel rejected aside the rejection of his wife and mother-in-law.

He was puzzled that till now Mara refused to take up his name, which name would she even take, he did not have a surname. He was kidnapped by some strangers as a kid, then his identity ceased to exist, he grew up to know himself as Clinton only.

Mara uses this as a constant mockery whenever something connected this in, she would often say she cannot continue in marriage with a man who had no identity, no surname, no asset to call his own. He was a burden to himself and others, he was a burden to the world. The worst he could remember her say was that he was a burden to their daughter. He would be seen as a thing of shame once she grew older.

Thoughts of suicide set in as he continued to watch the horrible scene before him, between his wife and her new lover, it seemed like he was dreaming but it was real. He stood up slowly in the heat of their passion, they didn't know he was going.

He was gonna end it all. He couldn't continue living this type of life any longer. A life of shame and hopelessness.