Chapter 9

Thea's Point of View

I am unable to move. My body stiffens. At this very moment, I am driving very close to a steep precipice.

I can't stop the car. I tried to stop it by stepping on the brake a few times, but it continued driving forward. I attempted to shout for help, but no sound came out of my lips. There is a vehicle approaching from the direction of my front...

“Help!”

I am startled awake, and beads of perspiration are already forming on my forehead. I heave a sigh of relief as I quickly recover my breath. In a similar manner, I swivel my head to look at the worried expression on Craig's face.

He has made his way back.

He walked over to my side of the bed, grabbed for something, and then handed me a glass of hot water.

"Did you have a nightmare?"

I nodded.

When I thought back on my dream, I was driving in the dark when all of a sudden, my car's brakes stopped working. No matter how hard I step on the brake, it won't stop moving forward. As I was groping for something on the ground with my foot, I was completely unaware of the vehicle that was about to run me over.

As I gently touched the left side of my head with my trembling palm, I felt that it hurt.

Craig assisted me in lying down by removing the glass that I was holding. He helped me go asleep by pulling the blanket up to my chest and softly brushing my hair till I slept off.

The man's embrace left me feeling numb throughout my whole body the next morning. The weight of his arm was transferred to my well-toned physique. I carefully grasped his arm in my hand so as not to startle him out of his sleep.

The moment I lifted my hand, he drew my body toward his, which prompted me to hug him.

"Where are you going?"

"Ahm... since it's Sunday, I'd want to make you something to eat."

"The maids can do that."

"Today is their day off and I have been practicing a dish that I learned on YouTube. I want you to taste it."

He created a distance between us and stared at my eyes with amazement. "Really?"

"Yes."

***

As soon as I got into the kitchen, the first thing I did was open the refrigerator and start putting the ingredients in order. Coppa, Boston, Pasta with Ragù made from Lamb Large hollow pasta tubes are used and packed with pieces of lamb, tomato ragù, and grated Pecorino cheese. After giving the spaghetti a quick toss, I added the rest of the ingredients one at a time and stirred everything together.

"Smells good. What is it?" While I was setting the plating, he came up to hug me behind my back.

"Pasta with Lamb Ragù is what they serve at Coppa in Boston. I was able to learn it through its lessons on YouTube. Because he was bored with preparing pasta in the same old manner, a well-known co-chef came up with the idea for this meal. He thinks of yet another technique to make it seem more appetizing and taste better."

He was smiling while listening to what I was saying. And it makes my heart flutter because he seems to be interested in everything I say.

After I prepared everything, we sat at the table and he animatedly discussed the flowers that had been put in the garden.

We were laughing and I didn't expect that I would be this comfortable around him. As I was ready to open another topic to him the doorbell rang abruptly.

Because it was the weekend, no one would open the door.

When I jumped in my chair, he was on the verge of standing up too.

"I'll do it." I volunteered and strolled out.

When I opened it, I noticed a sophisticated lady who was wearing a pleated emerald green dress. A French summer flat-topped straw hat with a brimmed at the top of her head.

'A perfect accessory for a woman who looks fantastic with black hair.' I wanted to add that but I refrain myself.

"M-Mom. Why are you here?" The question came out in a stammer.

She just made a little expression of surprise, passed over me before asking, "Where is my son?"

The sound of her stilettos reverberated across the floor. She's my mother-in-law, Lily Holden, who happens to be Craig's mother. She had a tiny black bag in her hand and was going to make her way up the stairs when I spoke.

“Mother, Craig is in the kitchen."

"What?! You're making my son work for your fat stomach, aren't you?" She gave me a look that conveyed contempt from head to toe as she examined my whole body.

"N-No. Of course not! We were just eating because the maids are on their day off."

After I answered, she rolled her eyes and paid me no attention again as she made her way into the kitchen.

I decided to follow her with some trepidation. To my good fortune, I still have a dish that I prepared in the fridge. If my mother-in-law hadn't come, I may have had a snack later, but since she's here, I'll simply give it to her.

I didn't waste any time and went directly to the fridge to get it. I put it in the microwave to heat up.

The way Craig looked at me suggested that he was observing my movements. I was even dismayed by her mother's behavior in this situation.

After the food was heated, I quickly gave it to her. It has been a long time since we saw each other. The last time I saw her was when Craig and I were married.

She grabbed a fork and started picking the noodles up. Craig was the focus of her attention as her eyes lighted up.

"What a delectable treat! Wow, Craig, I had no idea you were such a talented chef!"

Before responding, Craig gave me a sideways look and responded, "Thea cooked that, mom. Isn't she talented in the kitchen?"

Mother-in-law's expression went through a quick transformation. Her eyes, which had been shining brightly before, now became icy. I was under the impression that she was going to compliment me, but I couldn't tell whether there was disdain in the tone of her voice.

"I see. You are skilled in the kitchen. You should be proud of yourself." She turned away from me and faced Craig again.

"Anyway. Felicity is going to return here!"

I could tell by the way his mother spoke that something terrible was going to happen because of that name.

“Felicity?” I had to interject.

“Oh! Of course. Even a little portion of your memory is completely lost to you.” She taunted while her knees were crossed, "Well, Felicity should be the one in your position."

She was staring at her long, freshly done nails rather than at me at the time.

“What do you mean by that, mother?”

She laughed with mockery before she gave me an answer.

"According to our tradition, Craig should've married Felicity. It's likely that Felicity would have ended up in this position if she hadn't been so focused on her profession and dream. Not you, whose marriage was under arrangements—"

“Mom!”

She was unable to finish what she was saying because the other person's voice was so thunderous.

"I will not tolerate anybody who comes into our house just to be rude to and insult my wife. If you plan on doing something like this again, never set foot here again!"

"But son. You and the lady you're married to have been together for just a month. Don't tell me that you already have a love for this woman," His mother whispered to me but I couldn't quite hear it.

“Please, leave! I'll get Mark to come pick you up. I would much rather avoid getting to the point where I have to drag you outside. Even if you were to flip everything on my head, Thea would still be my wife, and I hope you could accept that.”

"This lady already has you in the palms of her hands and is playing with you. She is like her mother! She's stealing everything that is owned by someone!"

Craig did not answer as his mother hurriedly made her way out the door.

"You will regret everything in the end, Craig. She's not worth it."