“But ma’am – ” she tried to plead with me.
“Don’t make me have to repeat myself!” I hissed at the maid and step forward as if I was about to hit her.
The maid fearfully flinched as she began to cry. She then quickly left the room after that. I then dismissed the head maid as well.
When only Marco and I remained I turned to him.
“Marco! How many times have I told you to be careful! Now look at the mess it creates!” I frustratedly yelled at him.
“I’m sorry mum!” he apologized fearfully.
However, I wasn’t having it, and I slapped him across the face. His head rolled to one side. He brought his hand up to his cheek and bit his lip as he fought back tears. He then slowly looked back at me.
“From now on you NEVER let anyone get near you under those circumstances when I’m not present, do you understand!” I yelled at him. He knew this rule more than anyone else. He wasn’t supposed to bath or change clothes when only servants were around. I had to be there. Even at school he didn’t do swimming class for this exact reason.
“Yes, mum!” he accepted my order in a shaky voice.
“Stop crying!” I said annoyed by his tears streamed down his little cheeks. He knew crying didn’t work on me, especially for something as serious as this.
“Yes, mum,” he said as he aggressively wiped them away.
I inspected his face and hair one last time and then let him go.
“Now go and do your homework with the tutor, he’s waiting for you in your study room,” I ordered him.
“Yes mum!” he said and quickly left the room.
Marco had to be the perfect son in order to impress Keith. He had to dress well, act well, he had to have outstanding grades at school. Everything had to be just right. He had to be the perfect the same way I had to act like the perfect partner for Keith. That way, no matter how hard Jasmine tried, I would always win. To everyone we would always look like the more deserving ones to be beside Keith. Marco was going to be Keith’s heir.
I sat back down at my dressing table and continued to do my makeup. Keith would be coming home soon so I needed to be ready. It was two hours later when Keith arrived home. He entered our bedroom and called out my name.
“Keith,” I said as walked up to him and hugged him.
“How was your day?” he asked me.
“I watched tennis with the ladies,” I told them. The ladies in question were all Jasmine’s former friends, but I had turned them against her.
“Sounds like fun,” Keith responded.
“Would have been more fun if you were there,” I then told him.
I wanted Keith to feel bad whenever I was with him. He had a weakness for me when I seemed helpless and sad. So, I always played it up a bit for him. So his attraction to me would grow.
“I’ll do my best to clear schedule this weekend we can do something together,” he said to me
“You promise?” I said to him as I looked up at him with puppy eyes. Trying to play up my innocent look.
“I promise. And to make up for not spending time with you I’d like to give you a gift to apologize. What is it you want?” I asked her. “Just name it and I’ll get it for you.”
“Mmhmm,” I started as if thinking hard. A thought then came to mind. Perhaps I could joke with him. “…To have your last name.”
His eyes widened in surprise initially but then; his lips curved into a smile. He then chuckled after moment. “Diana Acland…I like the sound of that. Don’t worry I’m working on it,” I assured her.
Hearing that put me at ease. Though I said the last name thing as a joke it really wasn’t. I just wanted to see if he was still planning on marrying me.
He grabbed my hand and stretched out my fingers. “Before long you’ll be wearing a ring you’re worried will break your finger from how heavy it is,” he told me.
“Mmhmm, that sounds nice,” I said to him with a big smile. “I can’t wait to finally be your wife. After so many years. I always dreamed of this.”
“I promise you things will be different this time,” he told me as he hugged me back more strongly.
I know he was planning on divorcing Jasmine, and it would take time but I was too impatient. I wanted him to divorce her this instant and for us to get married tomorrow. I had to remember good things take time. He would marry me before long.
I had worked so hard all these years to get to this stage. Keith you wouldn’t believe the things I had to do to get back in your life. All for that moment when I appeared at your birthday party with Marco in hand 2 years ago. This time you WILL choose me, Keith. You will be mine and that woman and all the other people that tried to keep us apart won’t succeed.
That weekend after my first week of work I had Tony and I go to the zoo and aquarium. Tony seemed to enjoy himself as we looked at all he animals. I realized I’d never taken him to zoo/aquarium in my past life. It was viewed as something for the working class. Which I know was pretty classist. I took plenty of pictures of Tony and myself as we enjoyed our day.
The following day which was a Sunday. Tony and I deep cleaned the home, I did the laundry and hung it outside. Basically, resetting for the coming week. Once we were done and just relaxing, I decided to take a look at the pictures we had taken at the zoo the day before.
A smile was on my face as looked at each picture. I was so grateful to be able to make these memories that I hadn’t in my past life. I could look at these all day.
I then looked around the house and noticed how baren and simple it looked. It kind of felt like a hotel no personality or quirk to it.
It could use having a bit more of a homey feel it by decorating the place. The pictures would make a wonderful decoration. In my past life I didn’t want to get comfortable in this house because I was intent on leaving and moving back to the main mansion. If only I could have told the me of the past to give up on that because I ended up staying here until I died.
I looked around the house looking for a good spot to put the pictures. There was a wall in the living room that was bare and seemed ideal to place the pictures.
I had Tony and I work together to put the pictures on the wall. We first framed them then put them up on the wall.
**
“Looks good,” I commented once we finished decorating the wall.
“We need to add more pictures the wall still looks empty,” Tony pointed out to me.
We will. We’ll take more pictures from the activities we do in the future and fill up the wall and rest of the house,” I explained to him.
That after I but Tony to bed I went to my bedroom feeling and excited over the good weekend we’d had. I then checked the calendar to plan activities for him and I to do the next weekend. I noticed the date of the next Saturday was circled in red. I read the note on the space underneath. It was then that I realized the next weekend would be the Acland annual party.
It was an important event that took place every year at one of the Acland hotels.
In my past life, around this time when I went to the event it was a complete disaster. As you already know my reason for going was to see Keith. I had planned to use the event as a way to pounce on Keith since he had been refusing to see me all the other times I tried to see him. I wanted to make him aware of the fact that Diana was mistreating me, and to get him to move us back into the main house.
Of course everything backfired, I made a fool of myself. Keith hated me more. I was banned from attending future parties and other events after that. Oh, and Diana was able to continue to torture me afterward in peace with no worries of Keith finding out.
In this current life, this time around I wasn’t planning on going. Though we were invited there was no point in Tony and I going. Keith had to attend the event with his family. Even though I was still currently his wife he attended the event with Diana and Marco. So if that was his chosen family why would we go? And say we didn’t go for Keith and just attended we wouldn’t have any friends to keep us company. All my former friends had turned against me and were Diana’s friends now. We would just be met with stares and side eyes if we went. I would have us do something else that was fun instead.
The following week went with no issue. I was getting more and more comfortable at work with each shift. I made friends with some of my co-workers as well.
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