Another chapter for you guys because the last one was too short. I hope you enjoy it. The next chapter will be even more thrilling.
Happy reading!
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Lacey P.O.V
"Mum, I'm not sharing a room with Richard. We're not together anymore, remember?"
I hated visiting my mother. It was the same thing every time. She would force me to spend the night and force me to sleep in the same room with Richard. Before, I wouldn't have put up much of a fight, but I've had enough. She was my mum, and I loved her, but she needed to understand that I was not getting back with Richard. Whatever we had between us was over.
"Lacey, Richard is still your husband. You two are not divorced, so it's only natural that you share a room. And besides, there's no other spare room."
Rolling my eyes, I sighed. We've been over this before, but no matter how much I tell her that being married doesn't always mean being together, she never seemed to get it.
"Mum, we're separated."
She slammed the book that she was reading on the table, rattling it. Her blue crystal paperweight and silver letter cutter fell to the floor, landing on her cream rug. Looking at it made me sigh. I knew that I'd have a problem with it getting dirty because my kids loved to sit on the rug because of how soft it is. Every time we visit, I'm always left to clean a stain that the kids made on the rug.
"I don't understand why you're being so stubborn, Lacey, after all that this family has done for you. Richard loves you; he would do anything for you. Why would you want to end something so great?"
Her words hurt and angered me. I hated that she was using my adoption to try and guilt me into staying in a relationship with Richard. I was happy that she took me in and give me a family. I could never repay her for that. However, trapping me in a relationship that I didn't want was just too cruel.
"Mum, you're being unfair. I give Richard most of my life and it didn't work out. I tried to make it work with him even when I didn't want to. But I can't be with him anymore. He's abusive, mum. He hits me."
She snorted, sitting back in her favourite chair, folding her arms.
"You're too sensitive. Richard gets angry sometimes, it's your job as his wife to make his life easier when he gets home. If you were fulfilling your duties as a wife, maybe he wouldn't have to hit you."
I gasped at her words. I couldn't believe that she was blaming me for her son's evil ways. She was looking at me like I should be grateful that her perverted son chose me as his f**k toy. I was upset and disappointed in her. But most of all, I was pissed off. In an instant, my head was flooded with images of all the hateful things I read in my diary, and before I knew it, I was yelling.
"So, it's my fault that your son is a woman beater?! Then I guess it's also my fault that he raped me when I was ten?!"
Her eyes widened in shock and a hint of fear, but I was too far gone to stop. I had a lot that I wanted to say to her, and I wasn't going to stop until I said it all.
"You call yourself a good mother, but what good mother would adopt a child so that her son could f**k her?! You took my innocence from me! You robbed me of my childhood! You are the reason Richard is f**ked up!"
The shock and fear in her eyes were replaced by anger. She narrowed her eyes at me as she rose from the chair. Her eyes levelled with mine.
I opened my mouth to continue, but I never got the chance. She raised her hand and slapped me hard, splitting my bottom lip.
"How dare you, you little bitch?! I should have sent you to rot in an orphanage!"
Wiping the blood away with the sleeve of my blouse, I chuckled. Did she expect me to feel remorse?
"You should have, maybe I would have been better off."
She raised her hand to slap me again, and I braced myself for it. However, Richard walked into the room just then.
"What the f**k is going on here, Lacey? Why are you raising your voice at mum?"
She turned, a sweet smile on her face as she greeted her son. I rolled my eyes at the scene. The bitch couldn't be more fake.
"Richard, darling, you came just in time. I think you need to discipline your wife. She has too much freedom and time in her hand. She needs to get back to being like she was before."
Richard cold eyes bore into mine. I tried my best to keep my composure, but I started to squirm from his gaze. Walking over to me, he grabbed my upper hand, squeezing it. I hissed in pain as his grip increased.
"We are going to talk about what you just said to my mum later, but first you're going to tell me why you stopped going to your therapist and haven't been in to the doctor for your last prescription?"
I jerked my hand away from him, taking a step back. My anger at his mother and my new growing anger at him took new heights. I've had enough of them using me for their own gain.
"Let go of me, Richard! I don't need to explain myself to you like I'm some child!"
He stepped forward and grabbed me again, this time he held both arms, tightly. I tried to fight my way out of his grip, but he was just too strong for me. Or I was just too weak when it came to him. My anger was there, but so was my fear. So much fear.
"You need to calm down, Lacey. This is what happens when you're off your meds. You lose control and become erratic."
I continued twisting, trying my best to get out of his hold, but to no avail. Realising that I was not giving up, he shook me violently that it felt like my teeth rattled.
"Don't tell me what to do! I'm not taking any medication or going to see any therapist! You think I don't know what you did, what you're still doing?! I saw the government agents that were dressed like doctors, Richard! I know that you've been f**king with my memories! Giving me meds that will suppress them!"
He looked at me like I was crazy, and I fully well knew that I sounded like it, but I didn't care. I needed to get it off my chest.
"Calm the f**k down, Lacey! If you don't, I'll have you committed! I can't have a f**king mental case raising my children! Do you even f**king hear yourself? You sound like a f**king nut case!"
He snorted, "Government agents dressing as doctors and memory suppressant. You need to see a doctor, Lacey. Your hallucinations have started again, and you're not taking your f**king meds! I can't have you around my kids if you're going to be this unstable!"
At the mention of my kids, I slowly calm down. He loosened his grip on me but didn't let go. His eyes were still steel hard as he looked at me.
"That's more like it."
The fight had left me. I had nothing more to give. Feeling drained, I swayed on my feet. His hands that were on me held me up and guided me to an empty chair. I sat down and he sat beside me. His mother reclaimed her seat, eyes still boring into me.
"Lacey, baby, I love you and I only want what's best for you."
He brushed my hair away from my face, pushing the strands behind my ear. His touch was tender, caring even. However, I knew that it could all change depending on my reaction to him. So, I stayed calm and let him touch me, despite feeling the need to flinch away from him.
"You need help, Peaches, and refusing to take your meds will only harm you further. The triplet needs their mother. Without your medication, you will not be able to pass the FBI psych evaluation. You can end up losing your kids and your job. Is that what you want?"
He was trying to scare me, and it was working. I knew that he would take my kids from me, and have me unwillingly committed to some mental hospital under the guise of insanity. So, I had to make him think that I believe him.
I blow out a breath and swept my hand through my hair. I tried to make myself look confused and dejected.
"You're right, I don't know what I was thinking. I'll call my therapist tomorrow and make an appointment, and call the doctor's office to get my meds."
He smiled at me, but it looked more like a smirk. Shivers ran through my body as I looked at him and his mother. Both of them looked weirdly satisfied. I knew I had to figure out what they were trying to hide from me.
"I'll come with you to your appointments. You don't need to be alone during such a hard time."
I nodded my head, "Yes, I'd like that very much."
Laura came over and hugged me. It took everything in me to not push her off of me. I could tell that her touch held no warmth, but I hugged her back to further sell my story. I couldn't have them catching on to my act. I even went as far as to apologise, telling her that I didn't know what came over me and I didn't mean anything that I said.
She accepted my apology then excused herself to get dinner started. I told Richard that I was feeling tired and was getting a headache, so I needed to lie down. He told me that that was a good idea and escorted me to his old room.
After he left, I drifted off to sleep but woke from a nightmare of a house burning and being shot. I sat up on the bed, trying to recall exactly what the dream was about, but with every passing minute, the dream got vaguer. I give up and decided to go downstairs.
When I walked into the sitting room, no one was there, so I went to the kitchen because I could smell that Laura was still cooking. As I got closer, I could hear her and Richard talking. I was about to walk into the room but stopped when I heard my name.
"That's the best idea, Richard, by doing that we'll both be able to keep her in check. I think you should move them in this weekend. You're not working, and neither is she. The kids will love being here too."
I gasped, then brought my hands to my mouth. I waited for them to come out to me, but they kept talking.
"Yeah, I think this weekend is best. The triplet can stay in her old room and we can stay in my old room. I think my mistake was moving out and giving her too much freedom. I think it's time I put an end to this and remind her that I'm her husband for life. And besides, I'm sure you want more grandchildren."
Panic overtook me. My heart started racing, beating like a drum. Sweat collected in the palm of my hands, and I wiped them on my top. Slowly, I backed away from the door and made my way back to the bedroom. When I got there, I sat on the bed and started planning my escape, because there was no way that I was going to move back in with Laura and have her and Richard control my life.
I had every intention to take my kids and run. There was no way I was going to subject my children to that kind of life.