The Perfect Family - editing

07 . arthur worried

CHAPTER SEVEN
• ARTHUR WORRIED •

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She thought it would be easy. Acting, albeit not her forte, wasn't hard, but now Mickey was realizing the mental strain that came with submitting to these people. She had been perfectly good, but it was becoming harder to not fight. Niko touched her more, kissed her in bed and stroked her thigh under the table. Eve had gotten pregnant twice, Rosemary was pregnant (a horrible recent fact), Niko must've thought it was her turn. She couldn't. Her body couldn't not fight back, it was survival instinct, Mickey would kill Niko before she let him touch her in that way. No amount of brainwashing could change that.

Rosemary was detoriating. As horrible as that sounded. She shook more, scratched at things, talked less (not that she talked much to begin with.) The baby was stressing her out, Eve said. But Arthur worried.

This woman who had spoken down on Mickey when she first arrived was reduced to dust. Mickey worried that a gust of air may knock the girl over, and she would not get back up. She remembered Arthur announcing the pregnancy.

-

He was giddy. Mickey never cared much for Arthur, he was considered her brother in law by these peopled, but neither of them made effort to built a relationship. Mickey didn't want a relationship with any of them for obvious reasons. Rosemary closed her eyes, hunched over in her chair as Arthur kissed her and pet her like she was a dog. Mickey scrunched her nose in hardly disguised distaste. She snapped out of it when Niko pinched her thigh. Mickey turned back to Arthur when he cleared his throat, this time with a calm expression.

"I have great news, Momma, hurry up."

Eve laughed as she rushed from the kitchen, placing down a final plate of biscuits. "What's got you so giddy?"

Hugh nodded along, curious, eyes already trained on Rosemary.

"Rosemary's pregnant. I'm gonna have a baby."

The table erupted into cheers, but Mickey could only stare at Rosemary in astonishment. The other woman was looking at the table, biting onto her lip like it was the food being served. She stared intently at her hands like they had offended her. Not reacting to the commotion. She was pregnant, with Arthur's child.

Mickey was going to vomit, and she hadn't even touched her food.

-

Eve and Arthur doted on Rosemary. All Eve could talk about was her new grandson. When Mickey asked why she thought it was a boy, Eve brushed her off, 'I can just feel it,' she had said. Mickey didn't care enough to argue. Though it was scary to know that Rosemary's boy would only be another bystander to kidnapping and the rapist of his future 'wife.' This meant Arthur would become Hugh. It was an odd thought.

Sweet, calm Arthur, kidnapping an innocent girl for his son. It was no doubt that the man was overjoyed to have a baby. He fixated on Rosemary, holding her stomach, kissing it and inquiring on Rosemary's health. It would be sweet. Until you remembered the context of the situation.

Mickey knew how Rosemary felt. The way she stared ahead blankly when Arthur held her, how she only gave blank robotic answers when she was spoken to, Rosemary didn't even stroke her belly. The child inside was forced there by a rapist, no amount of love from Arthur could change that. Rosemary knew it and her health declined with each day, just as her baby grew. But Mickey could only worry about the couple so much, she had her own troubles in this malicious matrimony.

Niko's patience was growing thin. He had originally congratulated his brother, laughed and conversed about the pregnancy. But now he was irritated, envious of their condition. That their relationships didn't match.

They were going to have sex.

Mickey didn't think she could prevent it.

-

The mess of that days breakfast was forgotten as Mickey paced the kitchen. Her hands ran through her hair, catching in knots and effectively tangling it even more. Niko had kissed her long and hard that morning. Whispered, 'tonight' when he left. Mickey almost would've forgotten it.

Rosemary was tied up in their bedroom, threw some tantrum. Arthur worried she'd kill herself and left her restrained to the bed until he came home.

That would be her in a few months time. She'd go insane, there was no doubt about it. Her eyes flashed to the knife in the sink. Kill Niko. She needed to. Accepting her fate was slow suicide.

But what if she did?

What would Hugh do to her? She had killed his son. Killed Eve's baby, and killed Arthur's little brother.

If she killed Niko, could she kill them too?

If she didn't, they'd torture her, slow and brutal. There would be no claim to it otherwise, they wouldn't put up the illusion. These people didn't love her, and they'd make sure she knew it when she got rid of Niko.

Her life revolved around him, depended on him.

But he also depended on her.

After all, Mickey was the only person who could have his children. Hugh had already said so, Niko only gets one wife.

And it just had to be her.