Chapter 24

Was this really love? Was what Ace and Christina shared called love? Because if it was, then I was glad I was spared from feeling it.

I did not ever want to taste love if it had so many faces to it. No doubt that it had some beautiful dimensions that were irreplaceable but the ugliness that underlined those cherished feelings made me wonder if it was worth it.

Hate was much better than love. At least it was blunt, raw, and truthful. It was not twisted and pretentious like love. Hate was hate. But ugly love that stemmed from hate was the most lethal form of both these entities. The spectrum between them was not as clear-cut as we thought it was. The lines were blurred, and one could easily cross them without intention.

Last night, Ace had violated me in front of Christina.

To think that a woman had been a mute spectator of another woman's deepest trauma and even an enabler of it was a mirror of the reality of this world. It was easier to make enemies than friends.

They had stolen my dignity, my privacy and all that was sacred to me. They had shred away every ounce of respect that I had for myself. And then they had left me lying vulnerable and bare on the bed. They had left me to face my demons.

The thoughts clawing at my mind had been harrowing. I wanted to run away and hide from them. But how could one hide from the monsters that lived inside them?

I had been too scared to close my eyes. I knew that if I did, I would be reliving every single second of that ordeal again. There was no escape in sleep.

The morning sun had risen again. Another day was here. Another day of hell.

I had to escape from this place. I had to find a way fast or I would lose the last bit of sanity left within me. My soul would die. My spirit would shatter. I would be broken.

And I could not let that happen. That was a place I would never be able to come back from. That would be my end.

My body ached in multiple spots. I was sore and bruised. Every little movement hurt.

I sighed, closing my eyes.

The scenes of Ace first forcing himself upon me clouded my mind. I had been just as broken then. This pain never got old.

Irene had been there with me that time. She had heard everything. She knew what was going on. She understood me.

I smiled at the picture of her smiling face in my mind. She had been a good friend and a great supporter.

I wonder what she's doing now. Is she still at that house? Did Ace fire her? Did she still think of me? What had Ace told her regarding my disappearance? Did she believe him?

Irene was smart and kind. Mom had done a wonderful job by hiring her. She had made my last few days in that house bearable. Without her shoulder to cry on, I would have shattered long ago, even before reaching this place.

Wait.

Irene.

Mom.

My hand flew up to my mouth. A wild idea had just lighted up in my mind.

I bit back a joyful cry, the excitement making my heart race.

It was a farfetched plan, but it could work. There was definitely no guarantee. It was a gamble of probability and extreme luck. But the chances of it working were not zero. And that was good enough for me.

I just had to think this plan through, plan my steps and calculate my moves. Then I had to wait for the perfect opportunity. And, by Lord's grace, that opportunity was very near.

***

As anticipated, Christina came to my room with Evelyn. She brought my phone along with her. It was time to call my mother again.

Christina launched into a lecture of what I was supposed to say. She laid down the usual threats again and then told Evelyn to give me the phone.

Evelyn stood close to me as I made the call, ensuring that she would be able to act fast in case I was defiant and physical force needed to be exerted.

My heart hammered as I waited for mom to pick up the phone. Since the call was on speaker, the ringing reverberated in the room.

This is it. It's time. Act cool, Dalia. You can do this.

"Hello?" said Mom, picking up the call on the third ring.

"Hi Mom," I said, wearing the best sad expression that I could muster up. Christina did not need to know how excited I was.

"How are you, Dalia?" she asked. "Too busy to even call this old lady regularly?"

I laughed a little. "You're not old, mom. I'm sorry for not calling enough. Anyway, how are you? How's Dad?"

Cristina stiffened at the mention of Dad.

"We're fine. Coincidentally, we were just talking about you. I was showing your dad the pictures that you sent last night," she said. "He's very happy to see that you're both happy together."

It's time.

"Yeah," I said. "Ace is really good to me. The dinner was such a surprise last night. He had very little time to plan it all, you know. Irene, the maid that you hired, is such a lousy maid. She burned the dinner at the last minute."

"Oh my," said mom.

I continued. "Yes. And earlier in the day, she even burned my favorite dress while ironing. I don't understand what's wrong with her, Mom. Seriously, please just fire her. I can't handle her anymore."

"Come on, Dalia, don't be rude," said Mom.

I bit my lip, carefully watching Christina's reaction. She did not seem to be suspecting anything.

"Easy for you to say, Mom." I sighed. "You know what I always say. People like her are only there for the money. They don't care about their job. I'll find a better maid myself."

"Okay dear, fine." Mom sucked in a sharp breath. "By the way, why have you been ignoring Sabrina's calls? She's upset about it. Are you angry with her or something?"

"No, I'm just busy," I said. "I'll call her soon."

"Okay," she said, but she did not sound convinced at all. "What else? How's Ace?"

"He's good too," I said. "We had a great time at dinner yesterday."

"The sushi did look delicious. Enjoyed it?" she asked.

Sushi?

Mom knew I despised sushi. The one time that I had convinced myself to try it for the sake of being fair, I had vomited it out.

"Yes, I especially loved the sushi. It was delicious," I said.

"Listen, Dalia, I've got to go. I'll call you later, okay?" she said.

I nodded, though she couldn't see me. "Sure, Mom. Bye."

She bid goodbye and the call ended.

As I handed the phone back to Evelyn, my stomach knotted.

Mom was confused. She was doubtful and suspicious. She knew I would never speak like that about anybody, especially not about my employees. And she had asked about sushi even though she knew everything.

Mom was definitely suspicious, and this knowledge gave me hope that my plan had a good chance of working. It had to work. There was no other way.

Evelyn started to wheel Christina out.

Until now, Christina had seemed unsuspecting. But I couldn't be sure that she wouldn't mull over what I had just told Mom. If she thought hard enough about it, she could easily figure out what I was playing at. She was too smart.

So, I decided to distract her.

"Christina," I said.

Evelyn turned the chair around again so that Christina was facing me.

"Did it hurt to watch Ace with me last night?" I asked.

She smiled. Her expression was cool. But the smile did not reach her eyes and I knew that I had hit a sore spot.

"It doesn't matter what his intention was or how he treated me, you know. I can still forgive him because he's my husband. He did it with his own wife. Me." I smirked.

The smile was now gone.

"Last night, you were the third person. You were an unwanted presence invading the privacy of a couple. I'm sure Ace felt that at some point too," I said, "or he wouldn't always be so eager to force himself upon me."

Her lips were set in a tight line.

"It might have all been an act, but back at our house, Ace truly did show sweet love to me. He kissed me, caressed me, and we shared some feel-good conversations." I smiled. "It must hurt, right? To know that no matter what, I will always be Ace's first wife and that you will only get him after our divorce."

"You can't incite me, Dalia," she said, smiling. "This is childish."

"That's what a sore loser says," I said, matching her smile. "But the fact remains that I'm his wife and you're nobody but his mistress."

Her jaw clenched and she motioned Evelyn to move.

The door shut behind them and I heaved a huge sigh.

To distract her mind, I treaded on dangerous land. Her mind was completely diverted away from my conversation with mom. But this new war that I had waged would be a bloodbath if my plan did not work.

All my hope rested on Mom and Irene now. If they didn't connect to the meaning behind my words, then I would have to prepare to face the worst of hell imaginable.

Time was running short. Christina would tell everything to Ace. The question was how soon.

Mom and Irene had to act fast…before it was too late for me.