CHAPTER 5

       I stared absentmindedly at the rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate my thick curtains, sighed, and turned back to the walls. Liam had already gone out. My body ached from the previous night. It was my first time sleeping on a couch.

       Getting up from the couch and jumping on the bed, At least I would be able to sleep for 25mins before anyone comes in. I assured myself. Not long had I closed my eyes, I heard the sound of our room door open.

       "Hannah."

       Who is it this time? Haven't I done enough acting for a week and a day? "Yes, aunt." Mrs. Smith was staring down at me. "Good morning, aunt. I was going to come down but I just, well..." It was a good thing one couldn't read the construction of the heart on the face.

       "It's okay." She smiled. "It's okay to make mistakes. I just want you to know that laziness won't be tolerated in this house. I hope you don't make this same mistake again. Come downstairs, Liam is waiting for you."

       Isn't this my so-called husband's house? Was I kidnapped and taken to his family home or what? Huh! Waiting for me? Her words played in my ears again. I haven't had any rest since we got married. Now, where are they taking me again? I sluggishly got out of bed and grabbed the towel before staggering to the bathroom. "How long do I have to pretend? This family was driving me nuts." I whispered, glancing over my shoulder to be sure she didn't hear me. The last thing I wanted was to get into a dispute with her.

       "How long are you going to stay inside the bathroom?" She echoed.

       I got out of the shower and dried my body with the towel. When I was done drying my body, I grabbed a random dress and wore it. Packing my hair in a ponytail, my legs scurried out of the room, my hands clutching my sandals. How long does she take to bathe? It's not like she's a dude. So many unbearable rules in this house.

       "What's this rubbish?" Her question threw me off, guard. The cloth I was wearing rubbish to her?

       "Aunt, I...."

       "You are a Smith now. Don't do anything that will embarrass us. Get changed and come downstairs. I'll send one of the staff to bring one of my gowns for you."

       I can't even dress the way I want to. I rolled my eyes and sat on the bed before unzipping my gown. She's impossible. It's like they're trying to frustrate me. I didn't ask for this either.

       "Ma'am, here's your gown. Mrs. Smith sent it." The staff, Mrs. Smith had sent said, politely. She dropped the gown on the bed and turned to leave before I stopped her.

       "Don't call me, 'ma'am'. Just call me Hannah."

       "I'm sorry, ma'am. We are not allowed to address the owners of this house by their names."

      So many dos and don'ts in this house. I picked up the gown and wore it from my legs. Fascinating. Did she gift me the gown she wore on her engagement day? How come it fits perfectly?

       When I was done dressing up, I applied my makeup and fixed my hair again.

       I adjusted the gown again. It was so uncomfortable. The gown was probably made with a lot of love and care seeing as all the stitches were intact.

       When I got out of the room, closed the door behind me and alighted the stairs. For every step I took, I adjusted the gown.

       It wasn't anything like the clothes I wore at home. My size but tighter than a pantyhose. When I got to the last stairs, I noticed Liam and his friends staring at me. They were whispering something into his ears. The gown reminded me of Lisa's wedding gown. Was my size a curse or a blessing? That seemed like a rhetorical question to me.

       One of Liam's friends behaved in an inebriated way. "It's okay," I assured myself. "You've got this. All you have to do is introduce yourself and get back in." How hard could it be?

       By the time I approached Liam, the smile on his face had already disappeared.

       "Hello." I greeted.

       "Is she your wife?" One of his friends asked.

       "Doesn't look like a Liam thing." The other friend backed him up.

       Liam stood there as if a spell had been cast on him. He had his eyes fixed on the gown I wore.

       "Liam, where are we going?" I tapped him gently. Please just tell me not to come along. I would be grateful. I can barely walk in these very expensive cloth.

       "Who gave you this nonsense you are wearing?" He snapped. He didn't seem happy with the gown I was wearing.

       "What's wrong with the gown?" I knew the answer to that but I wasn't going to offend my mum-in-law. To be fair, the cloth I wore was better than the ones those pictures of ladies in his room wore.

       "Go and take it off!"

       The guts. "Why? Your mum had given me this dress."

       "Liam, how dare she raise her voice at you?" His friend asked. "Pathetic loser. This is why I don't help the destitute. They forget their place easily."

       "Destitutes?" I folded my arms. "Looks like Liam helped one and he's forgotten his place."

       Liam pulled back a little before gripping me by the wrist. His fingers pierced through my skin. "How dare you talk back at him?"

       In a split second, the Liam I thought I knew disappeared. The guy standing in front of me was the Liam his family tried to hide. He took his friend's side over his fake wife. After everything I did at the hotel for him. Maybe I wasn't expecting a reward but I also wasn't expecting to be treated that way either. "Let go of my hand." I moaned.

       "Does it hurt? That's how I feel whenever I look at you."

       "Liam!"

       "What's going on here?" His dad came out of his reading room with his wife. He had in his hand some documents. When they came down, he picked up the bottle of wine on the table and poured himself some drink while looking at Liam and me simultaneously.

       "My son, what's wrong?" Mrs. Smith sympathized with him. Her son was the only person who mattered to her.

       "Send this girl home. I can't stand her."

       "We'll do no such thing." Mr. Smith sipped the last drop of wine in his glass before turning back at us. "You are a man now. You need to take responsibility for your wife."

       "My wife? I married her because you lied to me that Mum had a heart attack. After all, I refused to marry her. Plus, she's not even the girl I was meant to marry. And to be fair, it wasn't my mistake that got me here."

      What does he mean by that? So, he was also a victim of emotional blackmail. I freed my hand from his firm grip. Mum told me I'll adjust with time, how could that happen when the guy I married was ruthless? He didn't care if he humiliated his wife or not. He's the one involved in a rape case so why is he glaring at his dad like there's a twist in this story? "I'll be in my room." I blurted out angrily.

       "You are going nowhere." He pulled me close to him. "Dad wants us to live as a couple, we will do just that. Mum, please take your husband and leave my house. The wedding is over." He pulled me forcefully out of the house. When we got to the car, he opened it, pushed me in, and shut the door.

        "Let's go, dude." One of his friends said before entering the car.

       "Liam Smith! I am not your puppet. I didn't want to be here as well." I screamed back at him, nursing my bruised arm.

       Taking one sharp look at me, he replied, "But you are here. Do yourself a favor and run far away from here. A place I wouldn't see you."

       "Good one, bro." His annoying friend threw him a thumbs-up. "Where could she go aside from her hometown? It's like she has the money. Be alert. She might try to steal from you."

       "Do you always talk this much? I'm starting to wonder how you got this far with that extravagant mouth." The use of grandiloquent words to describe his mouth was to get on his nerves and it worked. He fumed.

       When a message popped on the screen of his phone, Liam read it and smiled. He drove quietly.

       "Is she coming?"

       He nodded."

      "Good. Let's see how long you keep that attitude of yours." His friend smiled deviously.

       Who was she? And why did he say that? I pondered. I felt a rising tide of fear from my head to toe as I gazed at the car driving past ours. Going to a place with Liam and his toxic friends. My big mouth had to be tamed if I didn't want to be left behind.

        When we arrived at his friend's house, we alighted the car and walked in. Liam clung to me the whole time.

       "Hi," one of his female friends greeted warmly. She had a pleasant smile on her face. I extended my hand to return her greeting. Mrs. Smith had warned earlier that the reason for our marriage shouldn't get out. After exchanging pleasantries, Liam and I entered the house. It looked exactly like Liam's house, just that it was smaller than his.

       I scrutinized the house, there were many half-dressed ladies. One was on the chair making out with a guy. Another was smoking and stripping on the pole. Some of them walked around while some danced to the rhythm of the music.

       I spotted an empty sofa in the corridor then walked over to the chair and sat quietly.

       "Hey beauty," a tall blond guy waved from behind. He walked up to where I sat and sat very close to me. "Are you here alone?" he winked.

       "Well,"

       "Don't worry. I'm here for you."

       "Thanks?

       He placed his hand on my thighs and stroked them gently. I looked up at Liam but he didn't seem offended by it. Did he hate me this much that he was willing to let his friend mess with me?

       "Is something bothering you?" The blonde guy asked with his hand still in between my legs.

       "No." I removed his hand and placed it on his leg.

       "Where are my manners? My name is Philip. So sorry for not introducing myself earlier."

       "It's okay." With Liam's strange behavior this morning, how can I turn his friend down? What if I raise my hand at Philip and Liam yells at me at home? He had the behavior of one who abused ladies. And the rape incident. There was no telling if indeed he was innocent. I gulped down the saliva in my throat as Philip formed a circle around my breast with his finger. He was at my nipple, I could feel my insides burning with desire. I hadn't done this before, but even if I was to do it someday, I had hoped it would be with someone I knew.

      This is crazy! I'm not some cheap girl. Hardly had I gotten up to leave, Liam pushed me back to my seat and whispered into my ear.

       "Where do you think you are going?"

       "Is this all fun to watch? I'm your wife!" I screamed back at him. "You are the biggest idiot in the world and an embarrassment to men."

       "So?"

       So? That was it? That's how he felt about me. I wasn't someone he saw worthy of protecting. Even at the hotel, I could have let those people say trash about him but I stood up for him. Now he was going to let his asshole friend play with me like I'm some kind of optional piece.

       "Be a good girl and get back into your chair or I'll have to teach you a lesson my way." He added.

       "Hey dude, I'm next after Philip!" Another of his friends yelled from the crowd with a glass of wine in his hand. There was a girl with him. She was sitting on his lap. I glared at Liam to know if he would change his mind but he had a smile on his face.

       "Sure. You can have her once he's done."

       "Make her drink so she will be high as fuck! A tall brunette girl suggested. She wore a short gown with no underwear. One could easily see her hard nipple from her shirt.

       When she walked over to where we sat, she kissed Liam on the lips.

       Oh my! Isn't she? That's exactly why he had her pictures and magazine in his room.

       After keeping her pack of cigarettes in her silver handbag, the girl lowered her preoccupied face across Liam's lap, expertly releasing his zip with one hand. She began to work systematically at his manhood with both mouth and hand, spreading her arms comfortably across his knees.

       As she brought it to life I looked down at her. Encouraged by what she was doing, his left ring finger moved towards her skirt.

      She got up and dragged her hair across his eyes.

       "Kiss me," he moaned. She lightly bit his shoulder. She was lowering herself more. She was brushing her breasts across his face. He wanted to take one of her breasts into his mouth, either one. He was frantic. He wanted to get as much of one of her breasts into his mouth as he could.

       Philip poured the wine into a cup and offered it to me. After many refusals, I was forced into drinking 4 cups. Feeling very dizzy and irritated, I pushed Philip off me and staggered my way into the bathroom with the leftover wine in the bottle in my hand.

       "What's wrong with me? Why do I feel affected by what he's doing?" I stared at the reflection of myself in the mirror. "I'm not letting Philip mess with me. I have to call Mum. I can't do this anymore." I pulled out my phone and accidentally dialed Lisa's number. "What's this?" The sane ringtone? Gazing around the bathroom in confusion, I took notice of the girl from earlier, checking me out.

      "If you're done being a baby, get out there." She said brashly.

      "Lisa?" I'm sure I heard her phone ringtone here. Opening and closing each toilet door, I echoed her name.

       "Is this some childish play or what? You're a real fun killer and an attention seeker."

Fun killer? "Hey, where did you hear that?" I blinked twice, determined not to fall asleep.

"Go back inside now!"

       "Don't you feel any shame?" I asked.

       "Shame? Why should I?"

       "The guy you were with is my husband!"

       "So?" She smirked. "He is Liam Smith. World's famous billionaire and my ex-boyfriend."

       "Ex-boyfriend?" I couldn't see straight. The alcohol had already taken control of my brain. I shut my eyes tight and opened them. Was it an illusion or hallucination? I could see six of her standing around me. "I need to get out of here."

       "No, sweety, you must have sex with Philip She gripped my hand firmly. "He's waiting in room 3 for you."

       "Let go of me!" I jerked back. Before I could leave, a fight broke out between the two of us, propelling me to throw a bottle at her.

"That's the only way Liam and I can be together." While trying to avoid the bottle, she pushed me and we both fell to the ground. I closed my eyes and opened them. I couldn't see much of anything except a man staring down at me.

       "I have no interest in Liam," I whispered before shutting my eyes again.