Chapter 8 0008
CAITLYN'S POV
The Hayes estate was way bigger than any house I’d ever seen in my whole life. It looked like something out of a magazine with its tall white columns, perfectly trimmed hedges, and windows that went on forever. The driveway alone was longer than the whole street I grew up on and everything about it screamed money and power and coldness.
Collin’s driver pulled up to the front entrance and I just sat there staring at it. This was supposed to be my home now but it didn’t feel like home at all. It felt like a museum or a hotel or some place you visit but never really live in.
“Come on,” Collin said and got out of the car. “Let me show you around.”
I followed him up the marble steps and through the huge front door. The inside was even scarier than the outside. Everything was white or cream or fancy beige, the floors were so shiny I could see my reflection and there were paintings on the walls that probably cost more than my parents made in a year.
A woman suddenly appeared from somewhere in the back. She was older with gray hair tied into a tight bun, wearing a simple black dress and apron. She looked at Collin and then quickly looked down at the floor.
“This is Mrs Chen,” Collin said. “She manages the house and the staff. If you need anything just ask her.”
“Hello,” I said and tried to smile but she wouldn’t look at me. She just nodded and kept staring at the ground like she was scared to make eye contact.
“Mrs Chen will show you where everything is,” Collin said. “I have calls to make so I’ll be in my study.”
He walked away without waiting for me to say anything and I was left standing there with this woman who seemed terrified of her own shadow. Mrs Chen finally looked up and I saw something in her eyes that made my stomach hurt. It was fear mixed with pity and I didn’t get why she’d pity me.
“Want to see the rest of the house Mrs Hayes?” she asked quietly.
I hated being called Mrs Hayes but nodded anyway. She led me through room after room that all looked the same, it was perfect, cold, and empty. The living room had fancy furniture that looked like nobody ever sat on it. The dining room had a long table that could seat twenty people but I couldn’t imagine Collin throwing dinner parties.
“This is the kitchen,” Mrs. Chen said, pointing to a huge room with stainless steel appliances and marble counters. “The chef cooks all the meals but if you want something special just ask.”
There was a chef too, of course. I wondered how many people worked here and if they were all as scared as Mrs Chen seemed.
“How long have you worked here?” I asked.
“Five years,” she said then added quickly, “Mr Hayes is very strict about how things should be done. You have to follow his rules.”
The way she said it made me think there were bad consequences if you didn’t and I didn’t want to know what.
We went upstairs and she showed me the bedroom I already saw, then a walk-in closet bigger than my old bedroom and a bathroom with a tub that could fit three people. Everything was too much and I hated it all.
“Need anything else?” Mrs. Chen asked.
“No thanks,” I said. “I’m just going to rest a bit.”
She nodded and left quickly like she wanted to get away from me. I sat on the bed and looked around, this was my life now. This cold, empty house with scared people and a husband who barely looked at me unless someone else was watching.
I got up and decided to explore more on my own. Mrs Chen showed me most of the house but I wanted to see everything. I walked down the hallway and opened doors to guest rooms that looked like nobody ever slept there and a library with books probably never read.
At the end of the hall was a door different from the others made of dark wood with a lock. I tried the handle but it didn’t turn, it had to be Collin’s study, the place he vanished to as soon as we got home.
I stood there staring at the locked door and wondered what was inside. What did he do that needed so much privacy? What was he hiding?
I heard footsteps and quickly moved before anyone could see me. A girl about my age came up carrying fresh towels and her eyes got wide when she saw me.
“Sorry Mrs Hayes,” she said, looking down. “I didn’t know you were up here.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “What’s your name?”
“Maria,” she said quietly. “I’m one of the housekeepers.”
“Nice to meet you Maria,” I said trying to sound nice but she just nodded and hurried past like I might hurt her or something.
Everyone here acted the same. They were all afraid and I couldn’t figure out why. Collin was controlling and cold, but was he really so bad to the people who worked for him?
I went back to the bedroom and lay on the bed. The ceiling was tall and white and boring, i thought about the locked study and what was inside. I thought about Mrs Chen and Maria and how they wouldn’t look me in the eye. This pretty house felt more like a prison than a home.
My phone buzzed and I looked. It was a text from my friend Rachel asking how I was. I wanted to tell her the truth about being pregnant with another man’s baby and trapped in a marriage I didn’t want and living in this house that felt dead inside but I couldn’t.
“Everything is great,” I typed back. “The house is beautiful.”
I put my phone down and tears spilled out. I didn’t want to cry but I couldn’t stop, everything was messed up and I didn’t know how to make it right. I was stuck here with Collin, his locked study, and his scared staff and there was no way out.
I got up and went to the window. Outside was the huge backyard with a pool and gardens and perfectly cut hedges. It should have been beautiful but it looked empty like everything else here.
Collin appeared walking toward the pool house on the phone. Even from here I saw how tense he looked, he was always working or on the phone or hiding in that study. What kind of marriage was this going to be?
I watched him go into the pool house and wondered what he was really doing and who he talked to and why he needed so many secrets.
The sun was setting and I knew I had to do what I planned. Tonight I’d go to him and start the lie to protect my secret. The thought made me sick but I didn’t have a choice.
I went to the closet and picked a nightgown fancier than anything I wore before and changed. My hands shook as I brushed my
hair and tried to look nice.
This was it, when everything really started.