The Billionaire's Second Wife

Chapter 2

“Where is this lazy girl?” Diana muttered looking around the mess in her daughter, Victoria’s room. “Ella, you lazy swine.” She yelled.

Ella dropped the last utensil that she was washing with a loud clank and made her way out of the kitchen. “Yes, mother.” She stood holding her palms together.

“Did you clean Vicky’s room?” Diana asked crossing her hands over her chest.

“Y-Yes..”

A loud slap resonated in the corridor after that. “How dare you lie to me? Why is it so messy if you have already cleaned it?” She roared at her causing Ella to flinch back.  

“I-I swear, mother. I did clean the room.” She stated cupping her burning cheek that had turned red with fresh finger prints on it.

“Stop arguing with me and start cleaning my daughter’s room before she comes back home.”

“Okay mother..” Without another word, she began cleaning her step-sister’s room.

This was not new to Ella, in fact she had gotten used to this kind of treatment. She had spent twenty one years of her life in this house and there was not a single day that her step-mother hadn’t beaten her. She was glad that today she had stopped with just a slap. She had to endure it to achieve her goal.

Ella never got to see her birth mother because she passed away the day she was born. From the day she started to speak, Ella had been calling Diana as mother but Diana could never accept Ella as her own. She loathed her beyond imagination.

Ella always reminded her of the woman whom her husband was still crazy about. Richard had told Diana so many things about his ex-wife and how madly in love he was with her, even after so many years. She had seen some of her photos that he still had in his room. With her lean and tall frame, Ella was a splitting image of her mother. She even had her straight black hair and hazel brown eyes.

When Ella was a child, she used to wonder why her parents hated her so much when they loved their other two children but as years passed, she learnt to live with it.

When she entered her teenage years, Diana taunted her by saying that her father blamed her for her mother death and that’s why he could never bring himself to love her like he loved his other children. It was painful for her at first to think that she was the reason for her mother’s death but eventually she began to accept the harsh reality.

When Ella was about to finish cleaning the room, Vicky walked into the room and threw her shopping bags on the bed. Ella silently picked up those bags to place them in her cupboard.

“What do you think you are doing?” Vicky questioned narrowing her eyes at Ella.

“Mom, asked me to clean your room.” She mumbled in her weak voice.

“Well don’t touch my things without my permission.” she spat at her before snatching the bags from her hand and shoving her out of the room.

Ella silently made her way back to the kitchen and noticed the sink was once again full. She had Anatomy exam the next day. All she wished was for the household work to get over soon, so that she could go and study for her exam but her mother made sure that never happened. She kept on giving her work after work.

Diana didn’t like Ella getting to medical school when both her children, Victoria and Aiden were failing all their exams. Ella got a full scholarship after her high school and started pursuing MBBS. Surprisingly, Richard allowed her to attend college along with a condition that he wouldn’t pay a single penny from his earning for her college fees. It broke her heart when her father refused to pay her college fees when he could pay for Vicky and Aiden’s studies and other expenses.

Diana was elated thinking Ella wouldn’t be able to survive in medical college without their financial support.

Even though, Ella had got a full scholarship, she had to pay her exam and book fees every semester. So, she had to take up a part-time job in a nearby diner. With little support from her maternal Aunt, she could successfully complete the first four years of her college.

‘Just another year..’ Ella kept telling herself every day. She hoped that she finished her final year successfully so that she could run away from this house and begin a new life somewhere away from her family.

“Make sure to wash all the utensils and clean the kitchen before you go to your room.” Diana ordered before leaving out of the kitchen.

“Sure mom.” Ella began to quickly wipe the slab clean before washing and drying the utensils. By the time she reached her room, it was already nine thirty in the night. She hurriedly opened her book and began to revise the chapters. She hardly had an hour’s sleep that night.

The next morning she made breakfast for everyone before she got ready for her college. Her siblings were still sleeping and she was glad about it because that brat Aiden would demand her to make him something entirely different for breakfast. And she didn’t have time for his tantrums this morning. She prayed he didn’t wake up until she left home.

At eight, she walked out of the house with her coat and stethoscope in her hand. She half-ran and half-walked down the street to catch her bus. She took out her book once she got into the bus.

“Did you study?” Her friend, Sophia asked as soon as she saw Ella walking with her face still buried into the book.

“Not really.. I just want to pass, nothing more than that.” Sophia nodded at her understandingly. She was aware of her situation at home and she tried to help Ella in all the ways possible.

They went inside the examination hall and came out after three hours.

“How did it go?” Sophia asked walking along with Ella.

“It was okay. How about you?”

“I would pass..” She hooked her hand in Ella’s elbow and pulled her out of the corridor. They spent some time talking to each other when they heard someone call Ella’s name.

“Hey..” Liam, their senior stood in front of her panting. He was the college’s heartthrob and girls went crazy when he was around but he was crazy about Ella. He was smitten by Ella the moment his eyes fell on her but he could never gather the courage to express his true feelings to her, fearing that he would lose his three years long friendship with Ella.

“How was your exam?” He asked her. Sophia cleared her throat and decided to give them some space. She had always wanted Ella to date him. He was really a nice guy and she believed her friend would be happy with him.

“Good..” She replied with a smile. “How was yours?”

“Not bad..” He answered.

“Ella, I forgot to collect my lab notebook. I will be back soon.” Sophia excused herself before running back into the building leaving the two alone.

“Ella..” He hesitated a little but continued anyway, “Would you like to go out with me?” He asked which made her look at him with shock.

Ella wouldn’t completely deny the fact that she had a little crush on him but with everything going on in her life, the last thing that she wanted was to date a guy.

“Liam, you know what I am going through right now. I cannot think anything other than completing my degree. You are my good friend and I want to keep it that way. I’m sorry if I hurt you..” She declined him in a polite manner.

His heart broke but he tried to conceal it in front of her, “That’s alright but I will wait till you are ready for this.”

Ella nodded at him with a smile but she knew that it would never happen.

“What did he tell you?” Sophia asked when she came back.

“He asked me out..” Ella noticed the spark in her friend’s eyes.

“And what did you say?”

“I turned him down..” She said coolly.

“What? Why would you even do that?” She yelled.

“Sophie, you know me well. I have too much on my plate already. All I want for now is to get out of that house as soon as possible.” She tried to make her friend understand and Sophie couldn’t say anything after that.

“Are you not going to the diner today?” She asked Ella.

“I have to go but I need to meet my aunt first. I still have an hour.” Her Aunt Natasha lived on the next street. She had a son and a daughter who were a few years elder than Ella. Her aunt was her only moral support, in addition to Sophia but she wasn’t welcomed home since no one liked her presence in that house. So, Ella often visited her at her place and she loved spending time with her cousins who were like her real siblings.

“Okay see you tomorrow then.” Sophie waved at her as she dropped Ella at her aunt’s place. She rang the bell and when her aunt opened the door, Ella was surprised to see a woman sitting with a small baby in her arms.

“Ella, what a pleasant surprise.” Natasha pulled her into a tight hug. “How was your exam?”

“Good..” She muttered taking off her shoes.

“Sandra this is my niece, Ella. Ella meet Sandra, my high school friend and this here is little Bobby, her grandson.”

Ella smiled at her. “Nice to meet you Sandra..”.

“Is she Nicole’s daughter?” Sandra asked getting up from the couch to have a closer look at Ella.

“Yes she is..” Natasha replied with a proud smile.

“She looks just like her mother..” Sandra complimented without taking her eyes off Ella. Natasha and Nicole went to the same school. Most of Natasha’s friends were friends with Nicole too. They had the same circle of friends and when they heard of Nicole’s death, it came as a blow to everyone.

Ella waved at Bobby and in response, he hid his face into his grandmother’s chest shyly.

She went to freshen herself before she came back and sat beside them on the couch. She slowly brought her fingers near his waist to tickle him, making him wriggle in his grandmother’s hands and giggle loudly. He looked so adorable to Ella that she wanted to carry him, “Can I hold him?” She asked Sandra.

“Of course, you can..” She gestured with her hands to take him. Bobby was a little shy at first to go to Ella but after staring at her for a minute, he leaned forward into her arms to everyone’s surprise.

“That’s new. He doesn’t go to anyone so easily.” Natasha said. “He has seen me so many times before but he still hesitates to come near me.”

Sandra looked at her grandson and then at Ella. They both seemed to be getting along well with each other. She had never seen Bobby becoming so friendly with anyone in such a short span.

“Where is his mommy?” Ella asked out of nowhere and noticed the sudden gloom on both their faces.

“She passed away last year..” Natasha answered in a low voice. Ella felt like her heart was ripped apart. She suddenly felt sad for the little boy. He had no clue about his mother’s death and looked so carefree. This was how she must have been when she was a baby, she thought. But what would happen when he grew up. Would he grow up to be like her, broken and alone? No one to care for? She wondered.

She didn’t know how long she spent with Bobby. She knew it was getting late but she just did not want to leave him and go home. She stayed till they heard a car honking outside the house.

“I guess Justin is here. I should be going now.” Sandra picked up bobby in her arms. “It was nice meeting you Ella.” She patted her arm.

Ella smiled at her then turned to Bobby who looked like he didn’t want to leave. “Bye Bobby.” She said kissing the back of his palm softly while he babbled softly.

It was almost eight in the evening when she left her aunt’s house. She was so involved in playing with Bobby that she had missed going to work at the Diner as well.

She quietly opened the front door to their house and tried to slip in as silently as possible but she froze when she saw her parents sitting on the couch with a cold expression. She popped her knuckles nervously. She knew right away that something was definitely in store for her by the looks on her step-mother’s face.

“Where have you been?” Her father asked her in a murderous tone, getting up from the couch and walking in front of her. She knew he wouldn’t like it if she said she was at her aunt’s house so she decided to lie.

“I-I was at the diner..” She stuttered.

“Diner? Are you sure you were at the diner?” He quirked him brow at her.

“Y-Yes dad..”

The next thing she knew, her father’s palm landed on her cheek causing her to hit her head on the ground.

“Aiden was at the diner and he claims to not having seen you there.” With a swift motion, he pulled out his belt from the pant that he was wearing and whipped on her back, “So tell me whom were you spending your evening with?”

Ella whimpered as she begged him to stop, “Mom, please ask him to stop..” She pleaded looking at her step-mother but all she did was to enjoy the show in front of her with a satisfying smirk. ‘This was what she was supposed to get for not returning home on time.’

Finally her plans had worked and her good for nothing husband had decided to listen to her for once. There was no way she was going to let Ella complete her studies. That way she would become too independent and she didn’t want that.

 “I was at my Aunt’s house..” Ella spilled the truth when she couldn’t take his beatings anymore but that didn’t cease him from beating her. He stopped only when the belt tore into two halves.

“You will not be going to college from tomorrow.” He declared throwing the belt on to the ground.

Ella gasped at that. She wanted to stop him and beg him to let her attend college but she was drained. She could not even move on the ground. Her whole body felt like it was on fire and she kept on whimpering with pain.