Chapter 37 Espresso
CHAPTER 37: Espresso
Vera
The air in the mansion felt different as I stepped through the foyer. It was lighter. Finally, the suffocating weight that had been pressing down on my chest for several days had finally been lifted. I could draw a breath without tasting the metallic tang of fear.
I had lost the money I had been banking on for our future, but it didn’t matter. There was no price too big for freedom.
Damien had gone back to the depths of hell where he had come from.
I had no answers concerning the father of my child.
But we'd be okay.
As I moved deeper into the house, about to head for the stairs, the distant sound of laughter and a thumping bassline began to vibrate through the floorboards.
The bright, infectious rhythm of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” was blasting from the rear of the house, the upbeat pop melody clashing violently with the usual museum-like silence of the estate.
Was Silas home, entertaining some guests?
Still, I couldn't picture him entertaining his guests with a Sabrina Carpenter song.
Slowing my pace, I beckoned a passing maid who was carrying refreshments towards the pool area.
“What is that noise? Is my husband home?”
“No, madam. But Miss Lily has guests, ma'am. By the pool.”
First I was surprised, then I felt a small prickle of anxiety.
I followed the maid, walking out towards the terrace, squinting against the onslaught of the afternoon sun.
As soon as my vision adjusted, I stopped short at the scene.
Lily was there, wrapped in a rose pink bathing suit, hair pulled up in a messy bun, eyes shielded by a pair of shades…surrounded by a handful of friends, the picture a vivid representation of a vibrant, carefree tableau of youth.
Some of Lily's friends were playing in the pool, splashing water around, while others lounged by the poolside in their bathing suits, tanning and helping themselves to the refreshments the maids were serving.
I waited by the glass doors, my heart sinking slightly.
When Lily noticed me, she bounded over, her face flushed with excitement
“Vera,” she squealed. “You’re here.” She hooked her arms in mine. “Come meet my friends.”
I followed her over, hesitantly.
After exchanging a few greetings with her friends and she told them that I was Mrs Rutherford, and they all looked at me with widened eyes, I led her a few steps away from the music.
“What's up?” she asked, pushing the shades into her hair.
“Lily, sweetie,” I began, my voice soft and carefully measured, “why didn't you tell me you were having people over? I would have liked to know.”
Her smile faltered, her shoulders dropping.
“Oh. I didn’t realise I had to ask your permission to hang out with my friends,” she folded her arms across her chest, her tone dour.
I twisted the rings around my finger. “That's not what I mean—”
“What then, Vera?” She snapped. “I just wanted to feel normal for a second. Is that so bad?”
“It’s not bad at all,” I assured her quickly, reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. “It’s just... Silas. The house has always been quiet… orderly.”
I sighed.
“And…?”
“If he comes home to a party he wasn't informed about, he might get upset, and I don't want you to be on the receiving end of that. That's all.”
Lily’s face changed. She looked away, her voice laced with a sudden, sharp guilt-trip.
“It's fine.” She turned to me. “I thought this was our home too, that I was welcome here. But I guess I’m just a guest who needs to ask permission to breathe.”
I gasped, horrified. “Lily….no—”
She cut me off. “It's okay, Vera. I get it. I’ll tell them to leave. I'm sorry for disrupting the natural order of your husband’s mansion.”
“Lily, no, please don't say that,” I said, my heart aching.
The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like an outcast. Everything I had ever done was for her.
I grabbed her hand, desperate to make her believe me.
“I’m sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. Truly. Keep your friends here; just... just try to wrap it up before evening. I just don't want him to get upset with you. That's all. I promise.”
Her mood swung back instantly, her eyes lighting up as she sensed my retreat.
She drew me into a hug.
“Thank you, Vee. You're the best sister ever.”
I hugged her tighter, my heart growing lighter, as a breath of relief escaped me.
Drawing back a little, but still holding my hands, her eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
“How did it go? With Damien?”
I let out a long, shaky exhale, a genuine smile finally breaking through.
“You don't have to worry anymore. It’s over, Lily. I handled it. We’re finally free from him. He won’t bother us again. You’re safe.”
Her face melted into a mask of pure, radiant relief.
She threw her arms around me again. “Oh, Vera! Thank God. Thank goodness,” she breathed. “Thank you for being the best sister in the world. I don't know what I’d do without you.”
I hugged her back, feeling a surge of protective warmth.
We were safe.
We were okay.
Lily could finally keep hanging out with friends, and having a normal life.
After a while, I left her to her friends and headed back into the house, my mind calm with a strange, grounding sense of peace.
On my way to go and take a nap, I passed by the kitchen and the rich, savory aroma of roasting herbs caught my attention.
Stepping inside, I saw the chef and his staff in a flurry of motion.
They were surprised to see me in the kitchen.
“Good evening, madam. Do you want anything?”
I smiled warmly…genuinely.
“No. I was just passing by,” I replied, stepping closer. “Are you making dinner?”
“Yes, madam.”
I don't know where the thought came from, but I suddenly had an idea.
“You can finish up what you're doing. Leave the main course to me,” I announced, stepping up to the marble island. “I’m going to make my husband's dinner myself tonight.”
The maids were surprised.
The chef paused, his knife hovering over a bunch of leeks.
“Madam. That really isn't necessary. This is my job. The boss might get upset if he learns that—”
“Don't worry. I’ll take care of it.”
I didn't know why, but I just wanted to do something for Silas. To thank him for being kind to me.
One of the maids chimed in. “You should be resting. The boss might get upset—”
“I feel wonderful, really," I interrupted with a gentle, insistent smile. “What is your name?”
She was the same one that had cleaned up the flowers and the honeymoon decorations.
“Elena, ma'am.”
“It's fine, Elena. I want to do this. At least doing the cooking for my husband will make me feel useful. Please, let me do this for him.”
They eventually stepped back, yielding the space.
I threw myself into the task, the familiar rhythm of chopping acting as a balm.
Still, they hovered, particularly Elena, helping me organize whatever I needed.
Soon we eased into a free light hearted conversation.
“It’s so sweet of you, ma'am,” Elena murmured as she handed me the spice. “It reminds me of how the house used to feel when ma'am Simone was here. She loved to cook for the boss too.”
I paused, the wooden spoon frozen mid-air.
I turned to look at her, my brow furrowing. “Simone? Who is Simone?”
The kitchen went deathly silent.
Elena’s face drained of color, like she had realised that she had said what she wasn't supposed to.
She looked frantically toward the head chef who had gone still.
I dropped the spoon, genuinely curious.
“I asked you a question, Elena,” I said, my voice firmer as I wiped my hands on my apron. “Who is Simone?”
Elena swallowed hard, her voice barely audible. “She was... she was the boss's first wife, ma’am.”
The world seemed to tilt.
Silas had been married?
Why had I not known about this?
What happened to their marriage?
“Where is she now?” I pressed, my heart hammering.
Elena looked down at the floor. “She's dead.”