The Substitute Wife

Chapter Four

"Ms. Amara, the bathroom was ready for you. You can go inside and take your bath, please, call us if you need anything." Sandy hugged herself while staring at the pitch black surroundings around the terrace. Her day had ended faster than she had imagined. But the confusion and weird feelings inside her didn't leave. It kept lurking deep down her mind which created to question herself about what was going on.

"Thank you, but I can manage myself." Another thing that confused her was addressing her Ms, when she was already married to Alexander. 'Do they not know that we were already married? ' It's the reason her mind came up with, perhaps they were new maidservants who didn't know about her.

" Okay, Ms. Amara. We will prepare the clothes for you. Excuse us," both of them obediently bowed their heads and walked away in front of her. Once again, she let out a deeper sigh and decided to get inside. A warm bath and chocolate coffee was all she needed to get through the night. Her husband, Alexander, had told her earlier after dinner about his emergency back to the city. He was gone for almost three hours already since he left her alone in his villa. She couldn't complain, although the uneasiness inside her was creeping. The fact that she had always been an obedient wife for him, she never opposed even a tiny bit of her husband's decision. Sandy was living together with him without hearing her own opinion and thoughts. And he was too mysterious and intimidating to be interrogated by her. She had to act like there's nothing wrong with everything even if it was screaming that there was.

She clearly saw her reflection on the mirror in front of her. And the birthmark beneath her left breast was very void to look at. Sometimes she wondered if Alexander had ever noticed it. It was sized like a coin with a color of dark green. Sandy instantly remembered her mother who adored her birthmark. She's been saying it would give her good luck and guidance in life. Partially, she did have the good luck of meeting her husband. Not just an ordinary man, but a powerful and intimidating one. She had it all in one package. 'Well, sometimes things just happen I guess. But I'm going to bathe myself now.' Right after, she slid her feet in the warm tub with petals of red roses inside. The fragrance of the candles was overflowing inside her nostrils. It helps her calm down before she fully dips herself into the water. She didn't know how long she would stay but she thought of enjoying it until she got bored.

"Here you go, I prepared them personally for you. I know you would like it." Sandy's eyes were looking at the nightgowns Freya had prepared for her. She could tell those fabrics were very soft and chilling. But there were some unfamiliar scents on them.

"Thank you, ma'am. I appreciate it, but where does this scent come from? Are these clothes weren't new?" It's not like she was complaining. She was only curious and triggered. There were plenty of ideas and suspicions inside her heard, perhaps she could get some answers.

" Oh, don't worry. They were new, so I washed them quickly after your husband called to pay for a visit. I love to organize and prepare things in advance."

"It's okay, thank you again. I'll get this white one." She took the silky nightgown and levelled it to herself. The white color had always been matched with her skin tone, it added more appeal to her persona. Pure and simple.

"You look beautiful as always, Amara. I'm done with my job now, I'll see you in the morning when you wake up. Goodnight," she thanked her for the service she had given and slid the clothes afterwards. Later on, she was relaxed and was heading to her favorite spot which was in front of the fireplace. And there was a cup of chocolate coffee placed on the table next to the comfy couch. But before she could settle down, her eyes instinctively traveled to the bookshelf built on the right side. It was somehow a perfect timing for her, just as she loved reading books. ' A lover from the past?' she mumbled as her curiosity grew wider. She picked it out of the shelves and went her way onto the couch. Her plan was to read the book before going to bed, but first, she will have her chocolate coffee.

"Hmm. This is beyond my expectation, this is the sweetest one I have ever tasted." She let out of admiration. It was the first time her chocolate coffee blended perfectly. Usually, back at the mansion she sometimes wasn't satisfied with the taste her maidservants had made. But what she had now was extremely impressive.

Elle has been living alone for a long time now. Both of her parents were already dead when she was 21 years old. She had no siblings or cousins to look for. Her life was completely but and lonely. Ironically, one night had changed it all. When she was to meet this dangerously handsome stranger inside her house, who was sitting comfortably.

"Don't move! Who are you? How did you get inside my house? Are you a thief?" The woman said in a hysterical expression. She was breathing so fast where she couldn't blink her eyes.

"No, I'm from the past." The stranger answered which fully startled Elle. Her laughter followed and echoed inside the living room. She looked at him like he was a patient who had escaped from mental health care. Since that unusual thing happened, her life has been changing. It surprisingly created a big wave of her lonely days and left confusion on her.

Sandy's fingers flip the next page and continue reading. The story makes her want to read all the pages overnight just to see what happens next. She has been reading for almost two hours, the time was late and the night was deep. But she knew she couldn't sleep without tiring her mind. She would just miss her husband if she had to sleep early. Unexpectedly, after flipping the following page there was an old paper that was being folded inside the book. Her brows arched out of curiosity, she could tell that it was an old hand written. ' If I were like Elle, I would surely follow you in the past just to be with you. I love you so much, mi amore.' It took her a long pause to get back on track. She shrugged her shoulders after realizing it was a random letter from someone. 'Perhaps it came from the owner of this book, or someone else who had read it.' She couldn't tell if it was from Alexander, she never saw him touch one of the books they had back to the mansion. Sandy folded it back and placed it where it was, she continued to read and leave the matter behind.