CH.9
1141 Words
The sun was starting to set, illuminating our peaceful neighborhood street with long, golden shadows when I arrived home.
I fumbled with my keys while juggling the grocery bags I'd picked up after my visit to the Blackthorns before finally managing to unlock the front door.
I headed straight inside, kicking off my flats by the front door and heading to the kitchen.
The house still smelled faintly of fresh paint and new furniture, a reminder that we'd only moved in only a few hours ago.
I entered the kitchen and immediately set about preparing dinner. My movements were automatic like I had been programmed to perform this ritual without fail.
Our kitchen had a charming balcony overlooking the backyard and the neighborhood behind our new house.
The fading sunlight filtered through the half-open blinds, throwing long shadows across the tiled floor.
Whenever I turned to look out the window to my right, I couldn't stop myself from staring at the Blackthorn manor towering majestically in the distance.
Its grand architecture, with its soaring turrets and gleaming windows, made our modest two-story home look like a garden shed in comparison.
The neatly polished grounds surrounding the manor were a far cry from our lawn, still littered with moving boxes we hadn't gotten around to unpacking.
My mind kept wandering back to him as I began chopping vegetables for a stir fry - the knife rhythmically tapping against the cutting board
The mysterious Mr. Blackthorn!
A single look into his piercing eyes was enough to permanently engrave his striking features into my memory.
His thick, dark locks that danced effortlessly with the breeze, falling just so across his forehead in a way that made my fingers itch to brush them back.
Those rare, jewel-toned eyes - a mesmerizing deep blue framed by thick, lush lashes that seemed to smolder whenever he looked at me.
His perfectly sculpted nose, straight and proud, led down to those full, carefully painted lips that curved into a devilish smirk when he caught me staring.
His strong jawline could have been carved from marble by God himself.
I didn’t realize I had stopped chopping a while ago with the knife suspended in midair while I got lost in my daze.
A drop of water from the freshly washed lettuce splashed on my hand, startling me back to reality.
My mouth go dry due to my wandering mind.
I unconsciously swiped my tongue across my lower lip to wet it, then shook my head vigorously.
"Why the hell are you drooling over a married man, Emmeline?" I muttered under my breath, scolding myself. "Get it together, you idiot."
I forced my attention back to the cutting board and resumed slicing with more vigor than necessary. The knife came down with sharp, angry chops.
As I worked, I reminded myself of an important lesson my mother had ingrained in me since I was a young girl: All men are alike, deceitful snakes hiding venomous cores under their handsome faces!
"Maybe I shouldn't generalize based on one bad experience," I mused aloud to the empty kitchen. "But I've had enough of their mind games and crap to know better by now."
The vegetables were thoroughly massacred before tossing them into a sizzling wok. The satisfying hiss and pop of oil momentarily drowned out my troubled thoughts.
My eyes drifted to the microwave's clock as I stirred the colorful recipe. It was only a few minutes or so until my husband Richard returned home from his job at the hospital.
Almost on cue, I heard the familiar rumble of his car pulling into the driveway.
My shoulders tensed involuntarily.
I could already smell his musky, overpowering cologne wafting in before he even stepped through the door, making my nose wrinkle in disgust.
The scent reminded me of mothballs and stale cigar smoke which was a far cry from the subtle, intoxicating aroma that had clung to Mr. Blackthorn's tailored suit.
The sound of Richard's heavy footsteps stomped through the living room and into the kitchen.
He stormed in like a dark raincloud, his presence immediately sucking all the warmth and light from the room.
"I'm back," he announced gruffly, not waiting for me to respond before immediately launching into a rant. "You were supposed to be waiting by the door to receive me like a good wife when I get home, Emmeline. It's impossible you didn't hear my car pull into the driveway. What's the point of having a wife if she can't even perform the simplest duties?"
I turned towards him slowly, my hands stilling on the wooden spoon I'd been using to stir the vegetables.
Seeing his scowling face, with those beady eyes narrowed in perpetual disapproval, was enough to make me forget about the charming Mr. Blackthorn and fill me with a familiar cocktail of fear, resentment, and hatred for the male species again.
"You mean my car that you took from me under the pretense that your precious BMW was in the shop again?" I shot back despite my efforts to keep my irritation level. "When are you going to return it to me? You know I need it to get to my work at the restaurant. I had to walk three miles in this heat today!"
His sarcastic smile spread across his face like oil on water, making my heart skip a beat with fear like it always did.
That smile never meant anything good was coming.
"Everything you own belongs to me, including that car, woman," he hissed. "I can borrow it whenever I want, for as long as I want. I don't think your little waitressing job is nearly as important as my work saving lives at the hospital daily, Emmeline. Don't be so selfish and short-sighted."
I gritted my teeth so hard I thought they might crack, forcing myself to take a deep breath.
I wiped any signs of resentment off my face with great effort, schooling my features into a neutral mask before giving him my most empty, placating look in an attempt to change the subject.
"Anyway, I didn't hear your car when you pulled up," I lied smoothly. "I was busy in here making your dinner, see?" I nodded at the wok sizzling on the stove behind me and the cutting board littered with vegetable scraps.
"I didn't want my effort to go to waste because I had to stop everything to come welcome my hard-working husband who left me to oversee this entire move alone."
I shook my head in mock disappointment, unable to completely keep the bitterness from seeping into my voice. "By the way, those movers you hired were completely reckless - they even forgot to load that beautiful framed photo of our wedding into the truck. You know, the one where we actually looked happy together?"
- Writer
