I am conscious, though my eyes aren't open. I don't want to open them. Opening them would mean confronting the happenings of last night, which seem so terrible that I'm not sure if it was real.
I roll over expecting to see Negan still sound sleep, but he's gone. I am used to it, I drag myself up and follow my typical morning ritual.
On my way to breakfast, I notice a woman approaching me, its Amber.
Are bodies brush each other, she grabs my arms forcing me against the wall, "You're gonna pay for taking Negan away from us" she stares deep into my eyes.
I push her back, "Don't touch me, it's not my fault that he choose me over you."
She lifts her right arm and delivers a slap across my face loud enough that Dwight comes running.
I hold my cheek, completely frozen. Before I could retaliate, he is standing between us, "What the hell is going on?"
Amber says nothing and walks away with a vindicated smirk.
He looks at me with concern "What happened?" tears form in my eyes, I push past him.
The rapid thumps of my footsteps echo through the building. I frantically search for Negan, but I run into Simon instead "Where is he?" I stomp my foot with tears still streaming down my face.
"I don't know, probably in the conference room, Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I just need to talk to him" I wipe the tears from my face.
"Hey, wait up," Dwight yells catching up to me.
"What do you want?" writing him off, I keep on my way to the conference room.
"You're not gonna tell him, are you?"
My feet stop "Why the hell not?"
"Because there's already been enough shit going around here lately" he sighs "that man has no-self control especially when it comes into you."
"Not my problem!" I shout back to him, still determined to find Negan.
I burst through the door, "that bitch, Amber, she fucking slapped me and Dwight stood there and just let it happen" I explain to him crying.
He reaches his arm out holding me close, "It's alright, I'll talk to her" he reassures me, but I push him away.
"No it's not alright, I'm gonna fucking kill her" I go to grab Lucile, but he takes my arm stopping me, "I know you're angry, but you need to calm down" he looks like he's offended that I would even try to touch his precious weapon.
"Fuck you!" I scream at the top of my lungs before falling to the floor in a fit of rage. He bends down, holding my face in his hands "I promise sweetheart, I'll take care of it".
~
Standing by Negan's side, he addresses the large crowd as they kneel before him. "I know everyone's been on edge lately, but there are rules that have to be followed, and one of them is, you don't touch what is mine."
He turns his head to me then continues, "So today everyone is getting a reminder", he walks down the stairs with me following closely behind.
"Simon, got the iron ready?"
"Just like you asked" he raises it, everyone gasps wondering who the unlucky victim will be.
Negan takes the iron, "Now, I don't usually do this but it's always a good day for firsts!" an evil grin takes over his face, "Amber, you're up".
The other wives look at her mortified and in disbelief.
"No, you can't do this to me!" She takes off running through the crowd, but Negan's men catch her and strap her legs to the chair in the middle of the room.
Now standing by her, he watches as the smoke radiates from the metal instrument, "This is what happens when you go against the New World Order"
He glances down to Amber as tears soak her face, "Which hand did you slap her with?" She raises her right hand.
He nods, then presses the iron into her skin clamping her hand between the heated metal and the wood of the chair.
She lets out a gut-wrenching scream. He holds it for about thirty seconds then releases, "Dwight take her to the doc."
"Yes, Sir" he helps her up leading the way, her screams and cries ring through the room as they exit.
He hands the iron back to Simon, "I hope I made myself clear" his eyes dart over to his other wives.
"Now everybody gets back to work!"