Lys

I was all nervous and such, the moment the cab dropped me at the gate of the mansion the party is taking place in.

"Thank you say." Bowing a little, I walk to the gate.

The can driver didn't leave, he stayed there waiting for me to enter. Marli paid him a bit of extra money for him to make sure I enter the gate before leaving.

Should I not be allowed inside, the cab driver will take me back home.

Knocking on it, I stood back a bit as I patiently wait for the gate to be opened. There's no need to stand in front of the gate to avoid being hit on the face.

Looking at the black butterfly mask Marli got for me, I stifle a laugh.

Marli sure knows who I am. The butterfly mask is a pure definition of who I am. It shows exactly who I am, and what I like best.

Placing the mask on my face, I circle the elastic band around my head. Fixing the mask a bit, I turn to the gate.

Currently, I'm ready for the party. Ready to party my life out of my current life.

"Who are you?" A booming voice asked from the other side of the gate.

The voice startled me to the extent I would have fallen on my butt had it not been for the fact there's a sort of pillar behind me.

"Am…." I swallow deeply. "Am here for the party." I mentally clap for myself.

It's difficult to talk when you're afraid.

"Your identification?"

"Am Lee…"

"Not your name. The invitation card?"

"Oh." Fumbling for it in my suit's inner pocket, j I brought it out.

"Am with it." I smile unabashedly.

"Slid it through the hole near the key handle." He instructs, his voice still as cold and shivers worthy as it was before.

Being the bouncer suits him and his voice, as his voice is enough to make a person confess to a crime they didn't commit, all for fear he might kill them.

Sliding the card through the hole as he requested, I impatiently wait for the verification.

Tapping my feet to the beat of the music coming from the cab behind me, I wait for him to let me in.

The more I stood there waiting for him to open the gate for me, the more my fears rose.

What if he finds out am not the one the card was meant for?

What if he asks me to leave?

"Come in." He said at last.

"Phew." I breathe out in relief the moment he said those words.

Finally, I'm going to a party after a year of being cooped in, fulfilling my husband's every wish and whim without doing anything for myself.

Nothing at all.

The gate to the Mansion opened, and I walk in, striding as majestically as I can muster.

The mansion isn't like I envisioned, but it's more so like that. It might not be as opulent as Sly's own, but the owner of the mansion sure got some money speaking for him.

The large Victorian house looks like I cost real money to set up.

"Here." The males standing at the gate, those I didn't notice when I came in, as I was busy checking out the Mansion, said.

Pointing to a book on the table, one of them gave me a pen.

"Write your name on it." He orders.

"My name?" I look up in surprise.

"The name you're to answer here. Something like a secret name, one you'll only be known by when you enter through these gates." The masked guard explained.

" Oh. Thanks for the head up." Taking the pen from his hand, I thought of the name to answer.

"The name also helps in identification. After today, should you wish to come back, you won't need an invitation letter. All you have to do is say your secret name, and we'll have it searched in our database."

I nod at his words as I continued with my thoughts concerning the name I'll answer.

Had I known about this, I would have asked Marli for help, and she would have helped me.

Without much thought about it, I wrote Lys which is Sly's name in a scrambled form.

Sly might not like me, but that doesn't mean I hate him. After all, he's my husband, and I'm supposed to love him.

It's an in sickness and in health stuff. For better, for worse.

"Lys? It's a good name. Tell me, is it your real name?" One of the guards asked.

"No, it's not. It's a name I made up on the spot." I shrug.

"Wow. That's astonishing. The name is superb on its own."

"Thanks." Blushing, I allow them to tie a red thread around my wrist.

"You're free to go now."

"Have a nice time in there."

"I will. Thanks for everything." I smile at them.

"You're welcome." The one with the stern voice answered for all. His voice is still stern sounding, but a bit lighter around the edges.

*

Covering the distance between the mansion and me, I came to a stop in front of the fountain.

Unlike the one at home that has a cupid sculpture * Funny how possible it is we have a cupid sculpture, but there's nothing like love in our family. It's more as if we have a bad cupid and not the good lovey-dovey own.* this one has a sculpture of two naked men embracing each other, their bodies tight on each other.

Looking at them, and how intimate the hug they're sharing is, made me wish I had something like that.

If only my husband can love me as much as I love him. If only he can see me as more than the gold digger he always refers to me as, things would have been better between us.

I wouldn't have had any need to disobey his stay at home order.