Chapter 54 False Calm
CAITLYN'S POV
I stayed in my room all afternoon. I did not know what else to do. Collin knew everything, and there was no point in pretending anymore. I just sat on my bed and waited for whatever was going to happen next.
Around six pm Mrs Chen knocked on my door. "Mrs Hayes? Mr Hayes says dinner is ready."
I did not want to go down there, I didn’t want to sit across from him and pretend to eat but I also knew refusing would make things worse.
"I will be right down," I said.
I washed my face and tried to make myself look normal, but my eyes were red from crying, and my face was pale. There was no hiding how scared I was.
Downstairs Collin was already sitting at the table. He looked up when I walked in and smiled, like nothing had happened. Like we had not just had that conversation in his study.
"There you are," he said warmly. "I was starting to worry you were not coming down."
I sat in my usual chair and stared at him. Why was he being nice? This morning he threatened me. This afternoon he told me my time was running out. Now he was acting like everything was fine.
"Are you feeling alright?" he asked. "You look pale."
"I am fine," I said.
Mrs Chen brought out the first course. Some kind of soup, I looked down at it and my stomach turned. There was no way I could eat anything right now.
"This looks wonderful Mrs Chen," Collin said. "Thank you."
Mrs Chen nodded and left quickly. She did not look at me, she probably knew something bad was coming and did not want to be involved.
Collin picked up his spoon and started eating. "You should eat," he said to me. "You need to keep your strength up for the baby."
I picked up my spoon but could not bring it to my mouth. My hands were shaking, and the soup smelled wrong; everything felt wrong.
"I am not very hungry," I said.
Every word from his mouth felt like a threat. Every smile felt fake and dangerous; he was planning something, and this nice act was part of it.
"I have that meeting tonight," Collin said casually. "Remember I told you about it this morning?"
"Yes," I said quietly.
"I want you to come with me," he said. "It is important that people see us together. See that we are a united front."
"Do I have to?" I asked.
"Yes," Collin said and his smile got tighter. "You have to, this is not optional Caitlyn."
I nodded. There was no point in arguing. Whatever he had planned was going to happen whether I agreed or not.
Mrs Chen brought out the main course. The chicken and vegetables looked good, but I could not imagine eating them. My stomach was in knots.
"This looks delicious," Collin said. "Mrs Chen really outdid herself tonight."
He cut into his chicken and took a bite. "Perfect, just perfect."
I pushed the food around my plate with my fork. I tried to make it look like I was eating without actually putting anything in my mouth.
"Caitlyn," Collin said. "You are not eating."
"I told you I am not hungry," I said.
"And I told you that you need to eat," Collin said. His voice was still calm but I could hear the anger underneath. "For the baby."
"The baby is fine," I said.
"How do you know?" Collin asked. "Are you a doctor now?"
"No but I just know," I said.
"Well I want to make sure," Collin said. "So eat, at least a few bites."
I cut a small piece of chicken and put it in my mouth. I chewed, swallowed It felt like swallowing rocks.
"Good girl," Collin said. "See how easy that was?"
Good girl. Like I was a dog doing tricks for treats. I hated him so much that at that moment I could barely breathe.
We sat in silence for a while. Collin ate normally and I forced down tiny bites when he watched me. The clock on the wall is ticking loudly.
"I know you are scared," Collin said suddenly.
I looked up at him. "What?"
"I know you are scared," he repeated. "About the meeting tonight, about what I said earlier, about everything."
"I am not scared," I lied.
"Yes you are," Collin said. "I can see it on your face. You think something bad is going to happen tonight."
"Is it?" I asked.
He smiled. "That depends on you."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means if you behave yourself then everything will be fine," Collin said. "If you do what you are told and play your role then nothing bad will happen."
"And if I do not?" I asked.
"Then there will be consequences," Collin said simply. "But I do not think you want that, not with the baby to think about."
He was threatening me with my baby. Threatening the one thing I cared about more than anything and he knew it would work because he knew I would do anything to protect my child.
"I will behave," I said quietly.
"Good," Collin said. "That is what I wanted to hear."
He went back to eating as we had just discussed the weather, like he had not just threatened my unborn baby and me. Like everything was completely normal.
I sat there trying not to cry and scream. Trying not to do anything that would make this worse.
Mrs Chen came to clear the plates. She looked at mine, still mostly full, and gave me a concerned look, but she did not say anything. Just took the plates and left.
"Dessert?" Collin asked.
"No thank you," I said.
"Are you sure?" Collin asked. "Mrs Chen made your favorite, chocolate cake."
"I am sure," I said.
"Suit yourself," Collin said. "But I am going to have some. It would be rude not to after she went to all that trouble."
Mrs Chen brought out a slice of chocolate cake for Collin. He ate it slowly, taking his time and making small noises of enjoyment.
"This is really good," he said. "You are missing out."
I did not respond. Just sat there with my hands in my lap waiting for this torture to end.
Finally, Collin finished his cake and wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Well, that was a wonderful meal. We should go get ready for the meeting. It starts at eight."
I looked at the clock. It was seven fifteen, which meant I had forty-five minutes before whatever Collin had planned started.
"What should I wear?" I asked.
"Something nice," Collin said. "But not too fancy. We want you to look presentable but not like you are trying too hard."
"Okay," I said.
I stood up and started to leave but Collin grabbed my wrist. Not hard enough to hurt but firm enough to stop me.
"Caitlyn," he said. "I meant what I said earlier. If you try anything tonight there will be consequences. Do you understand?"
"Yes," I said.
"Good," he said and let go of my wrist. "Go get ready, I will meet you by the car at seven fifty."
I went upstairs to my room and closed the door. My wrist hurt where he grabbed it. I rubbed it and tried to think.
Tonight at this meeting something bad was going to happen. Collin had been too nice, calm, and in control at dinner. He was planning something and I was
Walking right into it.
But what choice did I have? If I refused to go he would hurt me. If I tried to run, his guards would stop me. I was trapped.