"Good evening, ma'am," a loud voice like a bolt of lightning caught Diana on her mission to walk stealthily into her house. Out of shock, everything in her hands had fallen out and sprawled across the floor.

The kitchen lights were turned on almost simultaneously to reveal a middle-aged woman who had an apron around her waist and a look of disapproval on her face.

Diana sighed deeply. It was so much relieving that she was face to face with Rachael, the housekeeper, not one of the other staff who only enjoyed lousy gossip. And definitely, the issue of her returning home past midnight would have made for some juicy conversation.

"Hey," Diana offered as much greeting as she could before proceeding to bend and pick up her purse and the file that had dropped, struggling to hide the fidget in her hands. The existence of that document was not to be known by anyone else.

As she remained with her head fixed on the ground, she contemplated making conversation with Rachael to get rid of any suspicion, but on second thought, it didn't look like a good idea.

Over the years, she and the fifty-five-year-old woman who happened to be Harry's oldest staff had developed some kind of bond and even with its boundaries, she knew Rachael was no fool to be swayed by light talk.

Diana finally got up and smiled at the woman who returned her gesture and watched her in a manner that seemed to question where she'd been all day. She could not give that reply. Whether or not this woman was the closest thing she had to a friend, she could not trust her.

For decades, she'd lived without having anyone to trust or share her burdens with. Although It had molded her into a strong woman, she couldn't deny the fact that it was sometimes distressing.

Diana took a few steps forward and then stopped again. "He's inside, isn't he?" She asked and even though she knew it was very unlikely, she hoped for a non-affirmative response.

Rachael's silence said just as much as words could've and with a deep sigh, Diana took brave steps out of the kitchen, towards her bedroom.

The white-painted gigantic chamber looked spotlessly breathtaking. It was already a habit to look around and ensure everything was in place. Considering the fact that Harry was sitting there in his bathrobe, everything was surely well arranged. Just how he liked it. Perfect.

Diana forced a smile on her face. She would've given anything to come home to an empty bed or worse still a snoring husband. She didn't want to deal with him or any other issue.

There was only one piece of information constantly ringing in her head and causing her heart to drum against her chest.

She took quick steps towards her jewelry chest and took off her diamond earrings and the 3k dollars wristwatch Harry bought for her two days after valentines. She put them into the jewelry-filled box with the file and locked it.

She wasn't even thinking straight. Maybe it was due to the alcohol in her system or the fact that she'd barely had a wink of peaceful sleep in 72 hours. She could only hope Harry would not notice the file till morning while she shut out the thoughts of what content it held. She hadn't the nerve to find out yet.

"Where are you coming from by this time, Diana?" Harry asked as he put away his laptop and adjusted his glasses to take a better look at her.

"I..." She turned to face him and could not believe she'd find herself tongue-tied. Lying came so naturally to her that these days, she did not even need to think twice or plan.

"You?" He got up from the bed and took gentle strides towards her, his eyes peering at her as though he was looking right past her body and into her soul. To whom she was behind all of her grace and grandeur — an ordinary, wretched, homeless girl.

Diana knew she had to act fast.

"I was upset so I went on a long drive to think and clear my head," she said as she moved sideways, her back glued to the wall.

He shook his head. "You didn't look upset to me yesterday," he said causing her to roll her eyes.

As if he noticed anything. She could literally die lying next to him and he wouldn't know.

"Yeah," she muttered as he got even closer.

"Have you been drinking?" Harry asked as he placed a hand on her waist, which caused her to hitch her breath while she nodded.

She would've told him it was just one bottle, but maybe that was just the excuse she needed to evade his questions.

He ran his other hand on her cheek and rested it on her chin, before asking, "Did you drive yourself home?"

"Yes," she replied with pride.

"I heard you got rid of your driver. Again." He sighed and if she was grateful for anything today, it would be the disappointment on his face. She loved to show him even if with little nuances that she was not his puppet.

"He was-"

"Diana, it's not safe for you to drive yourself around in this town."

She wanted to yell at him that she was perfectly fine. Harry did not care about her and the only thing that made her sick was his several attempts to control her life. Knowing better, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "He was disrespectful," she said and although both of them knew that it was a blatant lie, it was better to close that chapter there.

Before she could make any further move in her defense, Harry bridged the gap between them, leaving her stuck between the wall and his body without an inch to breathe. He worsened the situation by bringing his lips to hers and planting a dissatisfying kiss.

All she longed for was to push him away and run. She hated to be touched by him or anybody. It felt like going through torture and trauma all over again, but she stood still like the good wife she was supposed to be and endured it all.

These were the moments that reminded her that she was nothing but a prisoner.

Diana tried her best to block out the feeling of him lifting her from the ground and carrying her to the bed. She tried to ignore whatever he was doing or saying. Willing herself to stay numb and empty, she echoed the words, 'Flowers, diamonds, chocolate,' in her mind until those were the only things she could see, perceive or feel.

The trick of holding onto her favorite things worked most of the time. However, it was particularly difficult at that moment. The thoughts of her son, as well as pain, were persistently knocking on the door of her illusion. It was so frustrating that she couldn't even tell if Harry was the cause of her pain or it was residual from something else in her past.

In barely ten minutes that felt more like an eternity, Harry rolled off her, pulling up his boxers without bothering to clean up even though he'd released his empty load into her and partly on the sheets. She felt sick to her stomach as she watched him move to his side of the bed, turning his back to her.

Diana sighed and with the last bit of energy she could muster, she got up from the bed and dragged herself to the bathroom.

The first thing she came in contact with was the unwelcoming image of her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was tousled, her make-up smudged. She was shivering and scared as she moved hastily towards the bathroom sink and threw up all the contents of her stomach. Looking up at her image again, she felt her eyes sting with tears, but she struggled to blink them back.

There was no need to cry over a man as cold and heartless as Harry.

She could remember vividly how on their wedding night, he'd replied with the words, 'we can't have children,' when she asked if they wouldn't be using any protection. He could've just easily said, 'welcome to the rest of your miserable life.'

She had to stay strong for herself because there was no one else that would be strong for her.

After taking another deep breath, she slipped out of her clothes and turned a little to take a look at the reminder at her back in the form of a large, ugly black scar. It would always be there, just as much as the burdens in her heart. These were the ugly parts of her that Harry and everyone else preferred not to see.

Diana stepped into the shower which she would ordinarily not do so bravely because it always brought back the feelings and memories of jumping off a bridge and almost drowning. But right now, all she wanted was to drown and disappear.

How and why she'd been rescued that night were still questions that lingered on her mind.

A/N

Hello, dear readers, it's been a while I posted. I'm struggling so hard to not give up writing because college is so tough. I have to keep fighting 💪

I feel like the book is going really slow, but the foundations are important for you to truly understand my character and I am still learning that. I hope you enjoyed this chapter nevertheless.

Don't forget to vote, comment and share 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩