CHAPTER 6

I woke up with a pounding headache. I looked around, breathing heavily. My vision was fuzzy. I couldn't remember much of what happened yesterday. I struggled to get up from the bed.
I turned to the other side of the bed and saw Liam lying naked.
"Did we?" I gasped. "No..no...no. It can't be. He doesn't like me, so why would he?" I got out of bed and walked into the bathroom. After having my bath, I got out of the toilet.
and into the sitting room.
The other day was hectic for me. Liam's rude behavior, his ill-mannered friends, and there was something else I was missing. I turned on the TV still trying to figure out what it was I forgot.
"Breaking News, Mrs. Smith gets drunk and throws a bottle at husband's ex-girlfriend." The reporter read. I turned off the tv and sat up on the bed.
"That's it!" I screamed. "Liam's ex-girlfriend. She's the one I forgot.
While I was busy sewing my torn gown, Liam held onto my dress firmly. I struggled to get my dress out of his grip but it was impossible.
"Liam," I whispered.
"Yes, baby."
Who did he think he was on the bed with? I pulled out my dress forcefully not minding what his reaction would be. He opened his eyes a little before blurting out my name surprisingly. "Who were you expecting? Oh, let me guess, your ex-girlfriend. What's her name again?"
"Diana?"
"Whatever." Was he trying to play innocent? I agree that I couldn't remember much of what happened the previous day but he could, so why was he pretending?
Once I was done with the gown, I placed it on the bed and got up.
Now he was staring at me like I had pooped on my body. I looked away to avoid falling. He had an embracing way of looking at someone. I pulled out another dress from the drawer and threw it on the bed.
"Do you have a problem with what I'm wearing? Don't worry, I'll change into that one on the bed." I snared.
"I'm sorry about yesterday." Did he just say sorry? Why say sorry after being such a jerk?
"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" His brows stood straight.
What happened yesterday? As much as I wanted to know what happened yesterday, I also didn't think I was prepared to hear it. In all things, curiosity is the worst enemy of every human. I bit my lips tightly before asking,
"What happened?"
"How could you forget such a thing?" I already said I don't remember so why stress me about this? Plus, if it was that important, I would have remembered it.
"I guess it isn't important," I replied coldly. "I'm not one to forget important things."
"It was a very hot night. Forgive me for underestimating you."
"What happened last night?" He jumped off the bed and entered the bathroom with his towel around his chest like a woman.
Who should I ask? I mumbled. What happened last night? Why start a story if you won't end it? I went to Liam's house with Liam and his friends, I was forced to drink, then what happened next?"
I kept on thinking and wondering what happened the previous night till I alighted the stairs.
When I got down, Liam's parents were already sitting in the dining room. There was someone else there. I couldn't see her face from where I stood.
"Hannah, if you are done standing, come sit over here."
"Yes dear," Mr. Smith added. "It's the first time we are having breakfast as one big family. If only your parents were here."
"Thanks." I always thought Mr. Smith to be the tough one but in reality, Mrs. Smith was the tough one. I heard rumors of him being all dangerous and wicked but everything seemed like fabricated words to just undermine someone's reputation.
I arrived at the dining table, and the lady glanced up at me. It was the same girl from yesterday. Although her face was blurry in my head, I could still identify her voice. She sounded a lot like Lisa. For a while, I wondered if she would be another Lisa in my life or if I was just overthinking.
What was Liam's ex-girlfriend doing in the house? I mean, I don't love him but, I think it's pretty rude to bring your ex-girlfriend over. I extended my hand to her but she sighed and turned the other way. Mrs. Smith looked up at me and smiled.
"If you were in her shoes would you be nice?" She asked. "Have you forgotten so quickly how you got angry and threw a bottle at her? She's hurt her left hand because of you."
I remember aiming a bottle at her head, so how could she have gotten hurt on her hand. Let alone her left hand?
"Mum, she's sorry. It wasn't intentional." Liam placed a kiss on his mum's cheek before sitting close to Diana. "How was your trip to Canada?"
"It was fantastic." She replied. "I wish you were there with me. Why did you get married so quickly without letting me know?"
"Hey, if I told you my marriage was a huge shock to me, would you believe it?"
"Yes. I know your type of girl."
I sat down in the living room and played the piano. I played one of Ed Sheeran's songs.
When I was done playing, the whole family except Diana got up and applauded me.
"Come have dinner with us." Mr. Smith invited me to the table.
"Thanks." I walked up to the table and sat close to Liam. Diana was already sitting on the other side. She had her eyes fixed firmly on Liam not minding if the family noticed.
"What brings you here to Canada?" Mrs. Smith asked with a sharp smile on her face.
"Well, aunt, I came here to see my sick aunt while I'm still searching for a good nursing school in Australia."
"Wow, that's a good profession. I hope you become the best nurse ever recorded."
"Thanks, aunt. If you all won't mind, I'll like to stay here till I finally find a good school and gain admission."
"It's Liam and Hannah's home, so you have to seek permission from them."
Why did she want to stay here with us? I rolled my eyes in annoyance before stuffing my mouth with sushi. Liam wouldn't let her stay. He already apologized for whatever he did yesterday so why would he want to hurt me again? I sipped my tea so confidently expecting Liam to say no.
"I think that decision would be made by my wife." My fork in my hand dropped. I stared at him angrily. Why leave the decision to me? He knows too well that I wouldn't want her to stay. If I say 'no' his family will be against me. They would think I'm just being jealous.
"If it's okay with you, then I have nothing else to say." I got up from the table and walked out of the house
I'll find a job. I'm running out of money. I sighed at my foolishness. I'm married to a billionaire and I don't have money in my account. Mum was right about me. My pride made me lose out on many things. Pride is humans' greatest enemy. I walked down the street with my headphone plugged in.
I stopped at the nearest coffee shop to order coffee when I noticed their flier. They were looking for a new waitress. They didn't just sell coffee but food as well. I walked over to the counter and asked the nice blonde lady and greeted her.
"Hi, I saw......"
"You must be here for the job?" She cut in. "Our boss would be pleased to hire you. Congrats! We are going to be best friends."
"Don't get too overwhelmed. How positive are you that your boss will eventually take me?"
"99℅ positive."
"What happened to the 1℅?" I asked cautiously. She scanned me from head to toe before throwing me a gentle smile. I could see the big gap in between her lower teeth.
"Unless you are married. But it's ok. You aren't married, right?" Not many people knew I was married probably because I had make-up on my face on the day of my wedding but now I looked simple with my jean gown, big shirt, and rolled up hair.
Why trouble myself with such things? I was going to leave Liam one day. I just hope her boss didn't watch the news this morning. I trembled. If he did then he would find out I'm married and whose wife I am.
"Take me to your boss."
"Sure." When we arrived at her boss's office, she turned the doorknob but it was locked. She reached out her hand to the wired phone and placed a call to her boss. After the long discussion, she dropped the phone and smiled again. "You got the job!"
"Thanks." I felt my heartbeat rapidly. I was so excited that I nearly hugged her. "Can I resume work today?"
"You can start now."
"Sure." I grabbed one of the aprons hanging on the door and wore it.
"Order for table 7!" The girl yelled from outside. She winked at me before continuing with her work. I carried the tray out to table 7.
"You've got this." She assured me.
"Your name?"
"Rosie."
"I'll remember that." I dropped the tray on the table and moved back a little. This wasn't the life I dreamt of, but, I guess this is what destiny has decided.
When I was done with my shift, Rosie and I chatted for a long time, she got to know the truth about me. It wasn't what she was expecting because we were the same age. She thought me to be a college graduate looking for a job. She wasn't wrong, it would have been that way if Lisa didn't run away.
When we were done chatting, we walked home together. She was the first friend I made since I arrived in Canada. When we got to Liam's house, it was already 9:30 pm, we bid farewell and went our separate ways. It turned out that her house was a few buildings away from Liam's home. If she lives so close to us, how is it possible that she doesn't know we are married? I exhaled as I walked into the house and shut the door behind me.
When I got to the kitchen, Diana was in there. She said she hurt her left hand but she looked perfectly fine to me. She had already taken off the bandage on her hand.
I walked up to her and grabbed her by the shoulder. She jerked back a little. There was fear written on her face. I picked up the fake bandage and threw it at her angrily. Did she lie just to gain sympathy or what exactly was her reason for coming to this house? Those were the thoughts that ran through my mind. When she noticed I was the one, the fear on her face disappeared. She had a sharp grin on her face. She walked around me in circles before returning to where she stood before.
"Why?" I struggled to find the right words. The person at fault wasn't feeling bad, so how could I correct her? She wasn't a child you could spank.
"What did I do wrong?" She confidently asked with her brows up.
"Really? You lied to this family."
"Oh please," she interrupted. "Look who's preaching to me about honesty. The very one that deceived this family. Your sister should have been here instead of you." How did she know about the circumstances behind my marriage? A few hours ago she asked Liam why he got married without letting her know. "You are the biggest cheat in this house."
"Did you just hear one side of the story? My sister......"
"Your sister ran away. That's the lie you came up with. I'm sure you were very pleased to announce that your sister was missing."
"Get your facts right before opening that big mouth," I yelled. "Wait, till I tell this family about your dirty secret. God knows what other secrets you've hidden from us." I stormed out of the kitchen shouting Liam's name.
"What's going on?" Mrs. Smith asked while coming out of her room. She was already in her nightgown. It was the first time I saw her hair down. Usually, she had her hair rolled up like the women during the Joseon era.
When she got down, she looked around to see if I was being pursued or harassed but she saw no one. Feeling very agitated, she sighed and turned to leave when I called out to her.
"Aunt, I have something to say about Diana."
"Diana?"
"Yes, aunt. That day at Liam's friend's house, I didn't hurt Diana. She lied to you all. She's not who we think she is."
"What are you saying? Diana told me everything."
"Huh?" How did Diana tell her everything that happened in the kitchen? I stepped out from there before her, so what was Mrs. Smith talking about? I turned and noticed Diana come out of the kitchen. She had that innocent expression on her face. What has Diana done? I mumbled.
"I know you don't like Diana, that's why you are trying to get rid of her. You are jealous because she's Liam's ex-girlfriend and she's living with us. You feel insecure about your relationship."
"Aunt," I was right. Diana was exactly like Lisa in every way. She had already bad-mouthed me to aunt before I returned. Was my finding out about her lies also part of her scheme? At this point, I had already lost all strength in arguing with Mrs. Smith. She had already made up her mind about me. She trusted Diana more than me. "You got it all wrong."
"No. The only one who's in the wrong is you. You've already insulted us by throwing a bottle at her in public. Your punishment is, you will have to do all the home chores tomorrow. No one will assist you. And if anyone helps you, that person will lose his or her job."
"But, aunt...."
"That's enough! Are you going to keep arguing with your mother-in-law?"
"I'm sorry." Diana walked up to me and smiled after Mrs. Smith had gone.
"Liam is still in love with me. I'll suggest you leave with your dignity before I take that away from you."
"I can't stand this family!" I screamed as I stepped into my room. Liam was on the bed with a bottle of alcohol. I sat down close to him, grabbed the bottle, and gulped down the wine at once. "What's wrong with your family? It's almost as if Diana has cast an evil eye on you people. And your mum, she hates me for no reason. How can you even hate a person who hasn't done anything to you?"
"Where have you been all day?" He asked worriedly.
"New job. Here, have another cup." I opened the second bottle and poured him wine. We drank till we both got drunk.
Liam brought my face close to his and kissed me.
kiss, unbearably fragile, a spike of sensation, shoulder the frame. Everything I thought about who I was. There were no words, only sensation. Tender, like the tickling lick of a kitten. I felt powerless, suddenly stoned. Liam is kissing me. A Long Kiss. fast, hard, long, and slow. We are tasting our lips, mouth, tongue. I put my hands to Liam’s face, the softness of Liam's skin; the absence of the rough scruff and scratch of a stale shave is so unfamiliar as to seem impossible. He was a billionaire after all. Taking care of his skin was easy.
Liam rubbed his face against my cheek, the high, light bones, muzzling the ear.
I drew back from him before rushing into the bathroom to throw up. The sound of my buzzing phone brought me back to my reality.
"Coming to work, tomorrow?" Rosie shouted in excitement from the other end.
"Did you call to tell me this?" I yawned looking at my pale face in the mirror.
"Did I disturb you? You can't possibly be sleeping by this time." I looked outside the bathroom at the ticking clock, it read midnight. I yawned again before replying to her.
"Don't you have a clock at your house?" I asked insensitively.
"My bad. I just thought I should remind you that......"
"I'm sorry." She sounded very sad over the phone. I knew I shouldn't have said that. "I'm just not in a good mood to talk. Had a couple of drinks and I feel intoxicated."
"Oh. Is it Diana?"
"Yes, it's....." I paused a little before looking at my phone to be sure I was talking to Rosie. How did she know Diana? I've never mentioned Diana to her before. Everything about this girl was weird. First, it was her offering me a job instantly, then her not knowing about my marriage and now it's Diana. Was she connected to this family somehow? I hope she isn't one of Liam's ex-girlfriends. I sighed. "Hello.......hello."
I put the phone to my ear again and answered. "Hi, I'm sorry. Network issue."
"Oh."
"How do you know Diana?"
"Well, um.......who doesn't know Liam? Diana was one of the girls Liam dated, so it's just very abnormal to not know her."
"Very abnormal, huh? But it's not abnormal to not know his current wife?" What was she trying to hide? I knew too well that she was hiding something, but what was it?
"I haven't been conversant with the Internet these days. "
"Alright. We'll see tomorrow. I need to go to bed."
"Sure, bye." CLICK.
I took off my dress, had my bath, and entered the room. Liam was already sleeping by the time I came in. He had his legs spread across the bed. I pulled out one pillow from under his head and sat down on the couch before falling asleep.