ONE SHOT
The breeze caresses my face, and my hair whips freely as Marcus drives with the top down, making the trip more fun and exciting.
I’m happy because I have everything I’ve ever dreamed of: a successful business that I’m passionate about; my parents are healthy and living comfortably in their large house near the mountains; I can eat without guilt because I have a fast metabolism and love to exercise; plus, everyone says I’m beautiful and intelligent. I’m also healthy, rarely even catching a cold.
And as if life couldn’t get any better, I have Marcus. We met a year ago while I was vacationing in Paris. The spark was instant, and we spent the entire month together. After returning home, he contacted me a week later, and that’s how our romance began.
Marcus is attractive, intelligent, chivalrous, and very sweet. He’s also a talented businessman and the sole heir to his parent’s company.
We’ve made our relationship official and will soon announce our engagement, which is why he’s taking me to his parents’ house. My beloved boyfriend lives in the same city as I do, in a bachelor pad, but he usually visits his parents every few months, spending a whole month at their mansion.
Huge gates swing open, revealing a long driveway lined with trees and gardens. I can’t believe this is the entrance to the mansion! I come from a good family and have a comfortable life, but this place is on another level. Apparently, Marcus is even richer than I imagined.
Well-dressed servants greet us with courtesy and elegance. After saying hello, I glance to my right, where a beautiful garden makes me sigh. But something catches my eye. It’s a gorgeous maid with long, brown hair, big eyes, and an attractive figure.
She’s watching me with a look of sadness and disappointment. I also sense bitterness and hatred in her eyes. A shiver runs down my spine as our eyes meet, and I instinctively hug myself, feeling threatened.
After settling in and taking a well-deserved bath, Marcus enters the luxurious room that the maids prepared for me. He finds me on the balcony, admiring the stunning view of the distant mountains.
“Are you comfortable?” My boyfriend wraps his arms around me from behind.
“How could I not be?” I turn around and put my arms around his neck. “I feel like a princess in a fairy tale.” We kiss.
The kiss is tender and lacks passion, but it’s okay with me. I hungrily savor his mouth. I love this man, and I feel like the luckiest woman in the world.
“I’ll let you get ready. Dinner will be served soon, and you’ll finally meet my parents.” He breaks our embrace, and a wave of melancholy washes over me. It’s strange, he’s felt different since we arrived. But I chalk it up to nerves; after all, I’m finally meeting his parents in person.
Dinner was exquisite, and Marcus’s parents were lovely. I can tell how proud they are of their son, and rightfully so. Marcus has done an excellent job of upholding the family name.
After the meal, my boyfriend walks me to my room.
“Stay with me tonight,” I whisper against his lips, my voice filled with longing.
“No, darling,” he caresses my cheek. “It wouldn’t be proper for us to sleep together at my parents’ house. Rest, it’s been a busy day, and we have a lot of family activities planned for tomorrow.”
I nod reluctantly and we share one last kiss. He kisses my forehead and then leaves. Once I’m in my room, I sit on the bed and sigh.
I want to be with him so badly. Not that we’re used to having sex. Come to think of it, we’ve only done it three times in our relationship, and only when he wasn’t feeling well. Sometimes Marcus gets depressed for no reason. It worries me, although I understand his mood swings are probably due to the stress of all the responsibility he carries on his shoulders.
Attending various social events and having to meet so many people stresses me out, but I’m willing to endure it all for Marcus. I look at him and smile, and he mirrors my gesture. Marcus is so handsome and elegant that I’m aware of how envied I am right now, since he’s like the dream prince of any girl, both for his chivalry and good taste as well as his attractiveness.
His black hair is thick and always styled back, his eyes are as dark as ebony, his lips full, and his nose small and well-defined. He looks imposing in his black suit with a white shirt, a true businessman dressed in designer clothes.
After dinner, I go to look for him in his study. He takes a while to open the door and seems a bit nervous. I’m going to kiss him, but he turns his head, avoiding the kiss.
“Go get some rest,” he says. “My aunts from Europe will be visiting us tomorrow, and you should know that they’re very intense, so it’s best if you’re fully energized.”
I nod, a little uncomfortable, but I don’t complain. I return to the bedroom, and he closes the door quickly as if he were hiding something important behind it.
I’m so tired!
I feel exhausted from so many meals and social gatherings, introductions to family, friends, and people I have no interest in meeting. Marcus and his family proudly show me off to everyone; I feel like the perfect woman with their comments and the way they treat me, but something isn’t right. In front of everyone, Marcus acts proud and shows me off like his best acquisition; however, we no longer have any alone time as a couple. I feel lonely, and I’m afraid he’s losing interest in me.
Knocks on the door pull me from my musings, and in an instant, I wipe away my tears. The maid enters when I give her permission and begins to do her chores without looking at me. That woman intrigues me; she seems to hide a great sadness, and the way she sometimes stares at me irritates me. Whether in the dining room or the garden, I often find myself under her penetrating scrutiny, as if she were trying to decipher something about me.
“What’s your name?” I break the strange silence, and she stops doing her task. Still not daring to look at me, she whispers something I don’t understand. “I didn’t hear you. You should look me in the eyes when you speak, as the opposite is bad manners.”
I know I’ve sounded harsh, but her behavior bothers me.
“Aura,” she says louder and turns to face me.
I can’t decipher her expression. A feeling in my chest puts me on alert, but I prefer to ignore it; everything is fine, and I have no reason to feel this way.
“Can I ask you something?” She nods, while I take a deep breath. “Why do you wander around this hallway in the early morning? I understand that the servants sleep downstairs.”
The woman plays with her hands and avoids eye contact; for some reason, her nervousness scares me, but I wait anxiously for her answer.
“It’s… part of my duties to stand guard at night, in case any of the masters need my assistance.”
She looks at me defiantly. I don’t believe her at all.
“You can continue with your work,” I say with a trembling voice since there’s no point in questioning her if she won’t tell me the truth.
Marcus and I are in the garden, having a cup of tea and talking about trivial matters. I’m very relieved that today we’re staying at the mansion and not receiving any visitors.
I look at a group of trees in the distance, but that’s not what catches my attention. It’s that look of rage, of pain, of disappointment and helplessness. Why does that girl look at me in such a chilling way?
“I don’t like the way your maid looks at me,” I comment, annoyed by the situation, but Marcus confronts me, confused. “That girl with the brown hair; I don’t like how she looks at me, nor her strange attitude towards me, Marcus.”
“Why? Because she’s a servant? Maybe she’s watching you out of mere curiosity, or because she admires your beauty and the elegance you display. Don’t be unpleasant, as I don’t like arrogant or classist people.”
I try not to cry at his words. Arrogant? Classist? I look him in the eye, showing my disagreement, and then I let out the suspicion that has been torturing me since I began to notice the girl’s strange behavior.
“It’s not because she’s a servant, it’s that her look scares me, I feel harassed. But I think I know the reason; she’s in love with you.”
Marcus laughs humorlessly and shakes his head.
“Stop imagining things; you should write a novel, you’re very creative.”
I roll my eyes at his stupid conclusion, but I calm down when he squeezes my hands. I don’t know why I do it, but an external force prompts me to get up from my place and sit on his lap; immediately afterward, I kiss him passionately, making it clear to her that he is my partner and that I will not allow an intruder to come between us.
I’ve seen Aura walking the halls at midnight several times, and today I decided to spy on her earlier to see what she’s really up to. I open the door slightly and wait.
The brunette walks stealthily while looking around; I notice suspicion and fear in her stride. All the alarms in my body go off when she stops in front of Marcus’s bedroom door, but when she enters, I feel like my reason is clouded.
It’s been two days since I discovered my boyfriend’s infidelity; two long days without saying a word while I suffer in silence. I still question whether I should confront him or leave things as they are. After all, she’s just a servant, so it’s just a passing affair without any value. Or so I think…
I hug myself at these masochistic thoughts. I cry from frustration and jealousy. His betrayal hurts so much, but it hurts even more that Marcus prioritizes her, since he stops spending time with me to roll around with that intruder.
With my dignity on the floor, I walk towards his study to ask him to fire her, to remove her from his life. I always thought I would act differently if something like this were to happen to me; however, now that everything I’ve built with him is threatened with destruction, perhaps I’m not acting in the best way, since he is the one who owes me fidelity.
I’m so confused.
Although the door isn’t locked, Marcus isn’t here, so I sit at the desk to wait for him, but the voices sharing whispers fill me with cowardice. Then I jump from the seat with a start and hide behind the thick brown curtains that cover the walls.
I recognize the female voice arguing with my boyfriend.
My heart beats frantically when I perceive them inside the study since I’m not prepared to know the truth. I’m so scared.
Now I can be sure that they are arguing, and although they do it in a low voice, I can understand what they are saying.
“I love you, baby.” My heart breaks into a thousand pieces when I hear that declaration. Does Marcus profess love to that woman?
“You love me?” Her voice sounds ironic and hurt. “You’re going to marry that other one.”
“I have no choice, love.”
“Yes, you do, but your reputation and your business are more important to you. You trample on our promise of love; you told me that I would be your wife no matter who opposed it. You lied to me.”
I hear her sob, and he hisses to calm her down.
I feel so jealous…
“Back then, we were just dreaming kids; but this is reality, baby. She is a facade, but you are and always will be my great love. Nothing will change between us because I’m married. I’ll buy you a beautiful house and we’ll start a family. I’ll use the excuse of my business trips to be with you, my love. Furthermore, I promise I’ll give you everything you deserve. You’ll see, baby, you will be the mother of my children.”
What?
Is this my Marcus? The man who vowed to love and protect me when he proposed? With whom I planned my future and to whom I gave my heart on a silver platter? Why did he do this to me? Why did he deceive me in such a vile way?
“I don’t want to be in the shadows and be your shame, Marcus; I don’t want to share you with another woman. I have given you everything; my first kiss, my virginity, my heart.”
The sobs become louder. I come out of my hiding place and see them embracing. I scream with rage, impotence, and pain. They both look at me terrified and not knowing what to do or say.
Marcus tries to approach me, but I step back; it hurts so much, this raw truth is so unreal that I want to wake up from this horrible nightmare. He, my boyfriend; the person to whom I have entrusted all my secrets and shames, with whom I have been honest all this time, with whom I dreamed of starting a family. The man I fell in love with and gave him my fears and sighs, whom I endured and encouraged in his worst moments, with whom I shared so many things; he has used me in such a despicable way.
I run desperately out of there, as I feel like I’m suffocating, unable to bear the knot in my chest. My heart hurts, in fact, everything hurts. Tears soak my face as I continue running. I ignore the voices calling me and the confused looks of the servants. Instead of looking for the exit, I head towards the trees, the ones that surround the mansion. I continue my run and cry freely.
It hurts so much.
That bastard used me, used me to maintain his social status, to protect his family name. However, it is her whom he loves; it is that woman who steals his sighs, it is her whom he thinks of, it is her whom he makes love to every night, and I have had to settle for smiling and waving. She had him, and I had his disguise. She is the real one, and I—
I am just the intruder.
