Chapter 23

His eyes lifted when the office door was opened violently by Harriet. "Are you serious, Luther?" She asked him as he placed the phone back on his desk. "You've starting monitoring my daily movements?" She furrowed her brows angrily. 

"You left me with no other choice, darling wife, Harriet," he said, getting up from his chair. 

"You left yourself with no other choice." She walked towards him as he placed his fist on his desk and held his waist with his other hand. "Is this what your insecurity has led you to?"

Luther chuckled. "Insecurity?" He twisted his lips with disbelief.  "Why are you bothered that I have my eyes on you twenty-four seven when you don't have a single Insecurity, huh?"

"I'm not bothered, Luther," she stated, blinking her eyes and shaking her head rhythmically.  "I'm not used to people watching me like a criminal. I am the wife of the senator of this county, so I need to be respected by you, especially, and the citizens at large!"

"Of course you are respected, Mrs. Blade," Luther said walking past her to the door. "You are just not trusted especially by me, and that would eventually lead to the citizens, at large, not trusting you, madam senator's wife." He opened the office door. "I need to spend some time by myself. Please." He gestured outside the door, though her back was turned to him. 

"You are ruining the name that I built so many years ago based on perception." She wasn't in the mood to fight the two fights they had before, but she was downright ready now. "That's intellectual stupidity," she said, turning to face him.

"What difference does it make for your name to be ruined based on perception when it was built based on the same goddamn perception?" Luther tried hard not to raise his voice at her. 

"That's a bloody lie. You know it!" She frowned at him. 

"I don't even know you anymore, Harriet. What have you turned into?" His voice was sharp, not harsh or loud. 

"I should be the one asking you that question. What have you turned into?" Harriet stared deep into his eyes. 

"I don't know. But I'm sure that whatsoever that I have become was created by you. And you will keep getting the negative effect of what you developed until you succumb. Now, get the hell out of my office before you regret the moment you walked in here."

Harriet was out of words. She asked herself what Luther was turning into. She didn't even know what to tell him. 

She stared at him at the door before walking out of the room. She passed by Thomas who had been watching them. Her heart was heavy. She wanted to give in and tell Luther everything, but that would drop her into a much bigger trouble. 

Luther stared at Thomas apologetically before closing the door. He slumped in the chair; sighed. His eyes were focused on the ceiling in his office. 

*****

Michelle spent the entire day alone at the house. She wanted to run away, but Henry trusted her once without locking the doors and windows, and tying her up. She couldn't break his trust. 

Her escape had to be postponed. 

Even if she'd ran away, where would she had gone? If she had gone to her parents' house, she would have explain why she ran away, and that would have caused a lot of trouble. 

It was better she kept it all to herself. It was better that she suffer the consequences of her actions on her own. She made the choice to marry Henry without being forced because he was an angel. Now that he had turned into a demon she had to stay without being forced.

Karma, she guessed. 

All she could do was hope for the best. 

Michelle was awaken by the sound of the door bell.  She held her head as she put her slippers on. 

Though she took few painkillers and antibiotics, she still felt sick. The pain never seemed to go away for good. It would subside then get worse like it never left. 

She opened the front door after composing herself. 

Chris was carrying a very drunk Henry whose hand was wrapped around his neck. Michelle rushed to him. She put Henry's other hand around her neck and helped Chris take him into their bedroom. They put him on the bed

Chris watched her change Henry messed-up clothes and tucked him in bed. He noticed her holding her head every now and then when she was cleaning Henry. 

"Thank you very much, Chris," Michelle said when she was done. "I really appreciate." She smiled at him shyly when she saw him looking at her in a way she could not apprehend.  

"Don't mention. Chris and I are like brothers, so I don't mind. I've been knowing him since childhood," he explained to her. Michelle was surprised his breathe didn't stink with alcohol like Henry's. "He has helped me a lot."

"Oh...that's nice," Michelle said, amazed. 

They remained silent along the way to the front door. Michelle opened the door. 

"Have you every heard of women abuse?" He asked her.

The question hit differently. She didn't expect him to ask her such a question. For a moment she didn't know what to say to him. She did know what to say, but she decided to be mute. 

A word from her would give rise to another question. 

"He did this to you, didn't he?" Chris asked the second, main question that he wanted to ask. They stared into each other eyes. "How long has he been doing this?"

"What are you talking about?" She asked him, faking an innocent face which looked more like a confused face. Her voice quivered. "I told you I was attacked by burglars, didn't I?" Michelle said, trying to make him remember what she told him at the very same door. 

"Did the burglars tie you with ropes on your hands and feet?" Michelle put her hands behind her when Chris asked her. There was no way to hide her ankles. "I've known Henry for so long, Mitch. If you think that you can make him stop, you're deceiving yourself. I guess he only told you few things about himself."

Now he was scaring her to the core. What did he mean? Was there something that Henry was hiding from her?

"What do you want, Chris?" She asked him.

"Justice. I want justice for you and every other woman out there who has been, or is being abused in anyway by a man," Chris replied. He looked so cute when he was serious.  

Michelle didn't want anyone meddling in her relationship. She didn't want the man she loved to get hurt or, worse, go to jail. She didn't want him to hurt her when her plot to put him behind bars is sabotaged.  

"I don't mean to be rude, Chris, but you are putting your nose where it doesn't belong. I can sue you for invasion of privacy, can't I?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "I already have justice. I don't want you preaching to me about what I need or don't need. I'm a grown woman."

Chris smiled. For a second Michelle wished she could kiss his beautiful lips for eternity.  "I could go to jail for not reporting violation against a woman's right when I'm aware." 

Michelle rolled her eyes. "That's none of my business! And you should normalise not making other people's personal businesses yours. Doing that makes you appear like a gossiper." She made sure not to yell at him; nevertheless, the harshness existed in her voice that was beginning to crack. "Why are you so concerned about me? Why would you even want to have your good, good friend put behind bars?"

"I have conscience."

"I don't think you do. If you had the tiniest conscience, you won't want to betray Henry." Now, she was saying too much. "You know what? I'm going to tell Henry about this," she said, angry and scared at the same time. At least she didn't have to make it vivid to Chris that Henry was abusing her than she already had.

"So you go about telling people that your husband beats on you? You even had the audacity to tell his friend who is a lawyer? What are you trying to do, Michelle? Sue him?" Chris laughed when he saw fear overcome her. It wasn't a humorous laugh. 

Why are lawyers diplomatically cunning? They are people who bring justice, even if they have to twist justice. They're group of people who are hard to understand, because, for example, they be standing with someone who the whole world sees as a criminal that needs to be convicted. That's not just it. Only they understand. In few words, lawyers are bizarre. 

"Henry won't believe I told you anything," she said with gnashed teeth, pointing her finger at him. The bone in her neck expanded when she spoke. "I've never did."

Chris chuckled. "You know how Henry is, Michelle. Stop fooling yourself," he told her.

Michelle wished she could chew him raw. The fuck he had to beat her down to everything that she did. Chris wasn't being a gentleman at all.  

"I just want you to know that I'm here when you need my help, Michelle," he said, stepping outside. "I'm willing to help you, but you have to take the bold step first. Call me when you need my help, OK?" Chris talked to her like she was a kindergarten student who didn't want to stay at school on his first day. 

"Never!" She slammed the door without saying goodbye. Michelle walked with so much anger back upstairs that the floor would have been crushed if she would have been a giant.