How To End This Marriage-Chapter 108: Imprisoned in Shadows

"Wife!"

"Wife!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Can you hear me?" Soon, I realized it was all in my mind. Nothing happened. I didn’t shout. I didn’t express what I wanted to but just stood there in front of him while he called me.

"No, nothing! I want to drink water," I said and tried to walk out of the room when he stopped me.

"Wait, I will get it for you," he said and left the room, making me even more confused. I’m not sure why he’s doing all of this when he doesn’t think of me as one of his responsibilities. Why?

"Here! Sit on the bed; I will help you," he said, guiding me toward the bed, which made me even more uncomfortable.

"Drink!" he said while gently holding the back of my head and trying to help me drink, but I pushed myself back.

"W-what? Are you uncomfortable?" he asked.

"Yes, I am," I said, expressing what was on my mind.

"Duke, as you said, we are married under weird circumstances, and you are not acquainted with me, nor am I with you, so it sure is uncomfortable," I said, taking the glass from his hand.

"Yes, I guess that is the case."

"And I apologize for how ever I behaved with you that day. I know I shouldn’t be coming out that way, but still it happened," he apologized, making it even weirder.

"It is okay. If it weren’t for my father’s greed, I don’t think I would be here," I said, smiling, but from inside, I’m hurting like hell.

"I do-" Before he could say anything, I said, "It is getting late, Duke. I think you should return to your room. I know you are not used to this room either. You always make weird expressions whenever you enter this room, so I’m not going to force you to stay. It is not like no one knows about our relations. So you don’t have to act all secretive. I understand," I said, sliding myself down and covering myself in a blanket without even bothering to check if he left or not.

I closed my eyes. My clenched my fist, imagining how the Duchess hit me with the metal rod, but the Duke not once mentioned this, nor did he even say sorry for her mistake. Why? Or is he justifying his mother’s work and now behaving sympathetically with me? It can happen.

***

As I opened my eyes, the sun’s rays were already falling on my face. I opened my eyes with pain, making myself aware of yesterday’s incident. The pain was still there, only the bleeding had stopped because of medicinal herbs and cotton wrapped around my head.

"Duchess, the mistress is waiting for you at the dining room," the maid said with a sad expression.

"Okay, I will be there," I said.

"Madam, if you wish, I could make some excuses to the mistress. You don’t have to go there; you’re not healed. What if something happens once again? Please cherish yourself, madam!" she pleaded.

"I know, but I have to," I said, and the maids started dressing me up.

As soon as I was ready, I walked downstairs and moved toward the dining room, where both the Duke and his mother were having their breakfast. I noticed their food and my food were drastically different.

"Greetings, mother!"

"Greetings, Duke!"

"Wife, why did you come all the way? The maids could have sent you whatever you require!" he said, rising from his place.

If you think that option, why didn’t you make it work? Waiting for my approval? Such a liar! Such an act!

"I’m fine. I can come here on my own," I smiled.

"Yes, look, she is fine. I told you, you are worrying for nothing," the duchess smiled, making me glare at her angrily, but I still had to sit between them, making it hard to breathe.

"I told you not to do that work. Why did you do it? Did you see what happened now? You were bleeding so much," the duchess said with her fake sympathetic behavior.

Ha! That is such a nice act. You beat me, and now you’re saying it’s all my fault? Wow! I will never forget this act ever.

"Yeah, you should have listened to mother. She always thinks what is good," the duke agreed, making my eyes fill with tears.

"Yeah, I told you to listen to me, but you didn’t, and the consequences are so bad," she said, and I couldn’t even utter a single word anymore. I had lost trust. No, the trust was never there for them, and now I’m sure.

"Wife, you should go to your room once you finish eating. Have a proper rest," he said and left, as did the duchess.

I soon left for my room, finding the duchess there on the couch, looking at the ledgers.

"Finally, you have done a nice job, Bernice. I wasn’t actually expecting this from you, but you have nailed it," she said, as if she were mocking me.

"The ledgers look exactly like before. How did you make it? Do you have some kind of magic or what? No, how could you, or your father wouldn’t have sold you to me this easily," she mocked me.

"Mother, whatever you want to say, say to me, not my father. What has he done to you that you always bring him into the fight, which was never there? What have I done to you? I never went to you to marry your son, so why are you doing this as if I’ve taken your son? Why?" I said, but calmly.

"What? Just seeing your face makes me feel puke!" she said, looking down on me.

"This is your worth. You are just an object to me, which I bought here to keep my face up in pride. If people know I’ve bought a lowly family’s daughter, they will think how generous I am. Then my status will grow. There will be more of my name roaming across the empire. Isn’t that such a proud conversation?" she said.

"You could have gotten any girl, why me?" I asked.

"And how dare you think I will answer your question? Do you have the worth? I don’t think so. You are nothing but a lowly person who I even regret bringing to this mansion. You smell, making me unable to breathe the moment you are in front of me. So suffocating," she said, making me remember how the duke always makes faces when he’s with me.

"As you wish, Mother," I replied, my voice laced with subservience, a role I had grown accustomed to in this oppressive household.

With her final commands, the Duchess left the room, taking the ledgers with her and trailed by her ever-present maid. I was left standing alone, momentarily free from her watchful gaze.

The storage room beckoned, a vast and eerie expanse. Its oppressive darkness dissipated as I ignited a lantern, revealing the disarray within. Dust hung heavily in the air, provoking a fit of coughing, but I pressed on, my determination unwavering.

Tying a cloth around my nose to shield myself from the stifling dust, I set to the grueling task of cleaning and organizing the room. Time seemed to blur as I toiled, but eventually, the storage room stood immaculate. My efforts then shifted to organizing the workers’ attire, neatly arranging it, and separating male from female garments.

One-third of the labor was done, but the greatest challenge remained—sorting through the scattered food supplies. Uncertainty plagued me as I assessed which items were still usable and which should be discarded.

With a notepad and pen in hand, I meticulously cataloged the groceries, detailing quantities and the need for disposal. To my relief, it appeared that no items required discarding.

With the groceries neatly packed in a bag, I prepared to exit the room. It was then that I discovered I was locked inside, my panic mounting with each futile attempt to open the door.

"Who’s out there? Open the door! I’m trapped inside!" I cried out, pounding on the unyielding barrier.

Desperation echoed within the cramped space, but it seemed my pleas fell on deaf ears. Fear gnawed at me as I realized the chilling truth—I was trapped in this forsaken room, alone and at the mercy of the Duchess’s cruel whims.

My frantic search yielded a heavy wooden plank, which I hoped would serve as a makeshift lever. Wedging it between the door and the wall, I strained with all my might, using it as leverage to force the door open.

The door resisted, creaking in protest, but determination fueled my efforts. With a final, gut-wrenching groan, it yielded, and I stumbled into the corridor, gasping for air and overwhelmed by the profound sense of relief that washed over me.

"I’m alive! Yes, I’m alive!" I whispered, relief flooding over me as my eyes slowly closed, the pain from the wound on my head intensifying.