Their Wife

Chapter-21

TWO YEARS ONE MONTH BACK

Listening in on a conversation was completely justifiable when one's survival was at stake. That was the justification I gave myself as I stood outside my father's office, staying as close as possible without causing any noise. I had noticed Stefan's arrival just minutes before, and my curiosity had driven me to quickly descend the stairs as soon as the office door had shut. The intensity of their voices made it sound like they were engaged in an argument, and I couldn't resist the urge to eavesdrop.

"This engagement is over, Morris." The deep current of Stefan's voice flowed with tension. My heart did a strange dance. Stefan was backing away from the e hegemony? What about the things he said that evening? Not that I had any expectations, but it was painful to realize that he was merely pretending when he expressed his desire to marry me. Regardless, I had no hopes attached to him anyway.

"What are you saying?" my father responded with a higher tone. "I suggest you send your father here for that matter. This engagement is an alliance between two families, does your father know you want to break the engagement?"

"Yes, he does," Stefan said lowly. There was a pregnant silence before he continued. "And I can not marry her. Allowance or not, I do not care. I'm breaking this engagement." There was a loud thud as I jumped startled.

"You let me decide if this engagement is off or not." A notable undertone of frustration and irritation seeped through, colouring his words with a hint of displeasure. It was as if the very essence of his being had become infused with the consuming emotion of anger, manifesting itself in the timbre and intonation of his speech. "We agreed on the upcoming winter, you will marry my daughter."

The determination in my father's voice was hysterical. I stood there against the door. My thoughts scattered as a tinge of tension bubbled inside me. Why was Stefan withdrawing from the engagement? Another bone-chilling thought ran through my head. Did he know I visited Ralph? The painting, did he know about that?

Despite my calm exterior, I was panicking inwardly. In a moment of panic, I was standing against the wood when the door swung open and I stood face-to-face with Stefan. My breath caught in my throat and my heart began to race.

An adrenaline-fueled surge of fear crashed over my being as my father trailed in his wake, his gaze narrowing on me like a predator closing in. I felt my heart race as his face flushed crimson - a clear sign of his rage - casting an ominous shadow over the room.

Unbeknownst to me, the lingering tension had eluded my calculations altogether. Its presence rendered me utterly speechless, incapable of conjuring even the faintest trace of an alibi. My mouth hung open, revealing a mixture of astonishment and bewilderment, while my eyes expanded to the size of saucers. In this unexpected quandary, I found myself floundering, completely at a loss for words, as the penetrating gazes of two men bore down upon me.

"My apologies, Stefan. It appears my daughter has forgotten her manners." My father slowly side-stepped him, eyes spitting fire in my direction. A surge of tension rippled through Stefan's jaw, his eyes deliberately straying from the contours of my face. In response, my chest constricted, its grip tightening with an indescribable intensity. He knew, didn't he?

In a fleeting moment, his eyes darted from me to my father, as if tracing the invisible threads that connect our lives, only to be met with a careless wave of dismissal. "It's natural for her to be curious," he said, voice dripping with indifference. "I'm glad she's here. You need to tell her that the engagement is-"

"Excuse me, Stefan. I need to talk to my daughter for a moment." His eyes cut to Stefan then slid to me. I remained motionless, my heels digging into the marbled floor, hoping beyond hope I'd finally learned to become invisible.