Chapter 120 Huge Mistakes
MELISSA'S POV
There was a different kind of joy that came from buying different shoes. That was exactly what I was feeling. Turns out that it wasn't a bad idea keeping the cheque that my mom had given to me.
As soon as I got the most expensive clothes and shoes that I had gotten in a while, I headed straight for her house. I wanted to build back what I had. Or maybe get back into modelling.
I didn't miss the smile that covered her face as soon as she saw me. She wrapped her arms around me this time, and I felt my heart skip a beat. I didn't know what I was thinking, wanting to take the family heirloom. Especially for a man like James.
Maybe if he acted like he even gave two bits about me, then I would have handed the cheque over to him. Instead, all he cared about was the fact that I didn't get what he wanted, done. It was a shame.
As I tried to pull my bags into the house with me, my mom smiled. “I can see you made good use of the money. Just as I expected you to.”
I shrugged. “I was long overdue for shopping. But that wasn't the only thing that I did. I also ordered some foodstuffs for the house. We were quickly running out of food.”
She nodded, checking the clothes and shoes that I had bought. “Yes!” She squealed like an excited schoolgirl. “This is my daughter's style.”
My thighs were pressed together as I spoke my next words. “I wanted to apologize for what I did the other day. It was stupid of me to want the family heirloom.”
My mom nodded, but she didn't say a word more. The both of us spent the evening, talking about food, politics, and fashion. By the time I was ready to go, she squeezed another cheque into my hands. My eyes were immediately tearing up. I blinked the tears back in.
I was taken back home by her driver. I swallowed hard as I pulled into the driveway, and saw James' car there. I tipped my chin. He wasn't going to do anything to me. They were just clothes. They were my clothes.
As I struggled with my bags, I saw him sitting on the couch. I heaved a sigh of relief as I finally pulled them in.
“What are those?” He asked, narrowing my eyes at me.
“My mom. She got me clothes and shoes.”
He threw his head back. “The same mother who refused to give us money to save our lives?”
My hands were immediately balled into fists at my side. “Maybe you're forgetting that my mother actually cares about me, James. And that's the reason why she asked me not to get married to you in the first place.”
I bit my tongue, but it was too late to take the words back.
“What did you say?” he asked, standing up as he walked towards me with his jaw locked. His hands were balled into fists.
“You heard me,” I said, and he slammed my back into the wall, with his hands around my neck.
“What did you say?” His eyes were bulging out, and I could tell that he had been drinking previously.
“Please let me go, James. I don't have any energy for this.”
“Then you should have known before you went ahead to run your mouth. Tell me, where's the heirloom that she gave you?” He asked, looking around my body like the family heirloom was suddenly going to fall out of somewhere.
“She didn't give it to me,” I stuttered. “She only got clothes for me. She didn't like what I was wearing.”
Practically, that wasn't a lie. He finally let go of my neck, and I crumbled to my feet as I tried to catch my breath.
“You think I'm an idiot? You think I'm someone that you could just lie to?”
“But I'm not lying!” I screamed.
“We'll see then,” he said, and I watched as he took my bags of clothes and shoes outside, before grabbing the keg of kerosene and a lighter. I watched him pour the kerosene over the things that were making me happy for the first time in months. I remained on my knees the whole time. The flames suddenly started, and everything was burned to ashes.
“Now,” he said, heading inside as he shut the door behind him. “Where is it?”
When he saw that I wasn't talking, he grabbed my purse, and that was when I got on my feet. “You don't have the right to go through my things!” I screamed, but he didn't even care. He pushed me to the side like I didn't weigh anything.
That was when he grabbed the cheque. He laughed, throwing his head back. A shudder ran through my spine.
“Come on, Melissa,” he muttered. “Did you think you were smart? You want to enjoy your mom's riches alone?”
“My mom gave it to me!” I screamed, reaching out for the cheque. He raised it out of my reach, before sucking on his teeth.
“This is enough for what I want to do.”
I watched him slip the cheque into his pocket as he headed out of the house. I was at a loss for words. I did the only thing that I could do at that point.
Cry.
I let out a low guttural sound. I was finally able to push myself to the bathroom. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I noticed the blood that was dripping from my nose, and the angry marks on my neck.
I had made a mistake abandoning everything for this man. But it was too late to leave.
I wanted to call Anna and ask if he had ever put his hands on her. But then, he was the reason why she even lost her child. The question answered itself. And I was there. I watched it all happen. I supported him, because it seemed fun. The wealth was supposed to stay forever. Who would have prepared me for the fact that he was going to end up taking money that belonged to me? Who would have told me that I would go back to my mom after so many years?
Mistakes had been made.
Huge mistakes.
I turned the tap on slowly, as I wiped the blood that was spilling from my nose. There was nothing that I could do about the angry marks. My face, which had turned white was slowly returning to its normal color. And so were my purple protruding lips. James had never put his hands on me before. That could only mean that he was desperate now. He had started threatening me. What if there wasn't going to be an end to it?
He was never mine. He was always Anna's. She was the only one who knew how to handle it. The only one who knew how to handle him.
I didn't need anyone to tell me that she wasn't going to take him back. It was my cross to bear now. I had to support him until all this was over. Maybe… just maybe he would go back to the James that I first fell in love with.