His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows - Chapter 3: Chapter 3
You are reading His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows, Chapter 3: Chapter 3. Read more chapters of His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows.
No matter what I'd suffered, Emeric showed not a shred of remorse. Not even a flicker.
"Madam, we're here..." The driver's voice jerked me back to reality.
That's when I noticed my clothes were drenched in cold sweat again.
I needed a moment—just to catch my breath before facing them—but Belize's razor-sharp voice sliced through the air before I could move.
"Milo! Side entrance! How many times must I tell you? One more slip-up and I'll deduct your entire month's wages!"
Her venomous gaze then turned to me, lips twisting into that familiar smirk.
"Still lounging in there? What dignity does a woman like you even have left? Next time, use the service entrance like the disgrace you are."
To the Jacobs, I was nothing but a stain on their perfect family. Especially to Belize, Emeric's mother.
There was a time when only thoughts of Emeric gave me the courage to walk through these doors.
But now, as the rich tones of a cello floated from the grand hall, I felt the last ember of hope inside me die. Almost as if summoned by the tension outside, Emeric and Marie materialized in the doorway.
Marie's face lit up when she spotted me. She practically skipped over, looping her arm through mine with saccharine sweetness.
"Flora! Perfect timing! Emeric's playing is divine tonight. Such a pity Remi missed it. Come—let's make him play another piece!"
I turned to Emeric. Just for a heartbeat, I caught something raw flash through those unreadable dark eyes.
"Another time, Flora," he said smoothly, already turning away. "Dinner's about to be served—the cello can wait."
My lips curved into a bitter smile. So even with an audience... I still wasn't worthy of hearing him play.
The birthday banquet unfolded like a well-rehearsed nightmare.
Before the main course arrived, Belize's icy pronouncement cut through the clinking silverware:
"Dr. Lacan forwarded your medical records. Sterile. Permanently. Your own recklessness brought this upon you. So tell me—what exactly do you propose we do with you now? My son won't chain himself to barren trash forever. File the divorce papers soon."
After everything, her words still hit like a physical blow.
Beside me, Emeric wordlessly shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shaking shoulders. His sigh was almost theatrical in its resignation.
"Mother, must we do this now? Flora's young—we'll find a solution. Besides," his voice took on a lighter tone, "you've got Marie. She and Remi are practically glued together. Your grandson will come soon enough."
Marie instantly clung to Belize's arm, giggling like a schoolgirl. "He's right, Mom! Remi and I are... very dedicated to the cause." She even managed a convincing blush.
From my periphery, I saw Emeric's knuckles whiten around his glass as he drained it in one go, his eyes shadowed with something dangerously close to grief.
The rest of dinner passed in a blur of Marie's syrupy compliments and Belize's doting laughter—giving me my first uninterrupted meal in months.
As plates were cleared, Belize gestured grandly at the wreckage of half-eaten delicacies, her stare boring into me.
"Jacobs don't feed useless mouths. If the hen can't lay eggs, she'd better earn her keep. Clean this mess. That pathetic face of yours is bad enough—must you bring us bad fortune too?"
Emeric was three drinks past coherent by then. No defenders remained.
I nodded silently and reached for the nearest plate.
Arm in arm with Belize, Marie paused at the doorway. Her wide-eyed innocence was almost convincing. "Mom... how low must a woman sink to destroy herself like that? Tsk. Poor, poor Flora."
A scalding tear hit my hand.
The congealed leftovers and picked-over dishes stared back at me—discarded, unwanted, forgotten.
By the time I finished, the moon hung high over the Jacob estate.
"Madam, we're here..." The driver's voice jerked me back to reality.
That's when I noticed my clothes were drenched in cold sweat again.
I needed a moment—just to catch my breath before facing them—but Belize's razor-sharp voice sliced through the air before I could move.
"Milo! Side entrance! How many times must I tell you? One more slip-up and I'll deduct your entire month's wages!"
Her venomous gaze then turned to me, lips twisting into that familiar smirk.
"Still lounging in there? What dignity does a woman like you even have left? Next time, use the service entrance like the disgrace you are."
To the Jacobs, I was nothing but a stain on their perfect family. Especially to Belize, Emeric's mother.
There was a time when only thoughts of Emeric gave me the courage to walk through these doors.
But now, as the rich tones of a cello floated from the grand hall, I felt the last ember of hope inside me die. Almost as if summoned by the tension outside, Emeric and Marie materialized in the doorway.
Marie's face lit up when she spotted me. She practically skipped over, looping her arm through mine with saccharine sweetness.
"Flora! Perfect timing! Emeric's playing is divine tonight. Such a pity Remi missed it. Come—let's make him play another piece!"
I turned to Emeric. Just for a heartbeat, I caught something raw flash through those unreadable dark eyes.
"Another time, Flora," he said smoothly, already turning away. "Dinner's about to be served—the cello can wait."
My lips curved into a bitter smile. So even with an audience... I still wasn't worthy of hearing him play.
The birthday banquet unfolded like a well-rehearsed nightmare.
Before the main course arrived, Belize's icy pronouncement cut through the clinking silverware:
"Dr. Lacan forwarded your medical records. Sterile. Permanently. Your own recklessness brought this upon you. So tell me—what exactly do you propose we do with you now? My son won't chain himself to barren trash forever. File the divorce papers soon."
After everything, her words still hit like a physical blow.
Beside me, Emeric wordlessly shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my shaking shoulders. His sigh was almost theatrical in its resignation.
"Mother, must we do this now? Flora's young—we'll find a solution. Besides," his voice took on a lighter tone, "you've got Marie. She and Remi are practically glued together. Your grandson will come soon enough."
Marie instantly clung to Belize's arm, giggling like a schoolgirl. "He's right, Mom! Remi and I are... very dedicated to the cause." She even managed a convincing blush.
From my periphery, I saw Emeric's knuckles whiten around his glass as he drained it in one go, his eyes shadowed with something dangerously close to grief.
The rest of dinner passed in a blur of Marie's syrupy compliments and Belize's doting laughter—giving me my first uninterrupted meal in months.
As plates were cleared, Belize gestured grandly at the wreckage of half-eaten delicacies, her stare boring into me.
"Jacobs don't feed useless mouths. If the hen can't lay eggs, she'd better earn her keep. Clean this mess. That pathetic face of yours is bad enough—must you bring us bad fortune too?"
Emeric was three drinks past coherent by then. No defenders remained.
I nodded silently and reached for the nearest plate.
Arm in arm with Belize, Marie paused at the doorway. Her wide-eyed innocence was almost convincing. "Mom... how low must a woman sink to destroy herself like that? Tsk. Poor, poor Flora."
A scalding tear hit my hand.
The congealed leftovers and picked-over dishes stared back at me—discarded, unwanted, forgotten.
By the time I finished, the moon hung high over the Jacob estate.
End of His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows Chapter 3. Continue reading Chapter 4 or return to His Staged Abduction, My Broken Vows book page.