Chapter 2
Upon arriving at her spot, Julius noticed that she appeared dazed. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and wondered if she was still in shock from nearly being hit or simply being foolish. He folded the first finger of his right hand under his thumb and brought his hands up to release a sharp click on her forehead.
"Ouch…" Well, that worked.
Judy turned to face the man when she heard his deep voice.
"So, willing to die?" Julius asked the small figure as he held her by the elbow, gently dragging her to one side. However, when he turned his back to leave, he felt something tugging at the lower part of his shirt. From the texture of the fabric, Judy, a fashion designer, could tell it was a high-quality shirt.
"Does heaven accept people so willing to die?" she heard her own light voice.
"What?"
"No, no, no, no. I don't think I want to die yet. Take me with you, just for tonight, or maybe forever. Do you…perhaps need … a wife?"
Judy spoke from her almost depressed state of mind; rather than marrying a monster like Charles, she would much rather end up with a sane stranger.
Julius wondered if the woman was drunk, but she didn't reek of alcohol. And Why did she smell familiar? Passing her a sharp glare, which didn't seem to affect the girl, he shoved her hands off his shirt and made for his car, wondering what the crazy woman was doing in front of his fashion institute.
"Women," he muttered.
After expressing a bit of her mind to a stranger, Judy felt a little saner than she had been. She couldn't avoid going home, could she? Finding her way home, she drove into the Wilsons' compound. In the garage, she stared into nothing, the brown envelope still in her hand. She sighed for the 109th time, trying to muster the courage to step out of the car.
"Maybe I could just spend the night in the car again," she concluded and was about to pull the lever on the side of the seat when a light knock came from the side window.
Startled, as she hadn't expected anyone to be there, she rolled down the window to be greeted by the cheerful face of the butler.
"Welcome home, Missy. You can't park here tonight; the renovation of the garage started today."
"Oh, I forgot," she said. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice the empty spaces when she drove in.
"I'll take it from here," the butler said, still wearing his cheerful smile, and on cue, he opened the door as though not giving her a chance to protest. She couldn't sleep in the car if it would be parked in the open, so she gathered her things and made for the mansion, leaving her car in the care of the butler. The cheerful smile on the butler's face changed to a sad one once she was out of sight.
Judith walked into the mansion and up toward her mother's room. She pushed the door wide open to see her mother's back as the older woman sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the night stars through one of the open windows.
"Mum," she called to get her mother's attention. Elizabeth Wilson turned at the sound of her daughter's voice, standing up with a broad smile.
"Congratulations on getting your certificate," she said as she reached out her hand, taking her daughter's.
"You've heard?"
"Of course, I have ears everywhere." She pulled her daughter's blonde hair, tucking it behind her ear. "I am proud of you," she smiled, her hand gently moving to Judy's left cheek. Judy leaned into her touch. "My Judy, all grown," she whispered amidst smiles.
"Come, your father has returned from his trip. We have to let him know," she said, gently pulling Judy toward the door, her back to her daughter, failing to notice Judy roll her eyes. Elizabeth's excitement dampened when she felt her daughter's hand slip from hers.
She turned in silence.
"Until when will you keep avoiding him?"
But her daughter's response left her in shock.
"Until when are we going to stay here, Mum?"
"What?"
"Can't you see it?"
"Judy."
"We have better options than staying here, Mum."
"Judy."
"Just you and me."
"Judith Wilson, how can you say that?"
The atmosphere was turning tense.
"This is your father's house, and I never taught you to give up on things that are rightfully yours."
From the light emitted by the table lamp, Judy could see her mother's eyes glistening with unshed tears, and she sighed internally. Elizabeth was in a state of shock; she knew life in the mansion had not been comfortable for her daughter for the past ten years. Every day, the invisible line drawn between her daughter and her husband grew thicker, but this was the first time Judy mentioned LEAVING. Has it gotten to this extent? She was overwhelmed with emotions she couldn't identify, but deep down, she felt sadness.
In silence, the duo stared at one another, void of words, when they heard the approaching sounds of heels clicking sharply against the hard floor.
Elizabeth quickly tried to fix her expression, and Judy, seeing this, rolled her eyes again, a deeper frown settling on her face.
"Speaking of the witch," she murmured, but Elizabeth heard it, and her eyes widened at the version of her daughter she was witnessing tonight.
A feminine figure soon appeared at the door. She was lean and of average height, standing in her very short dress as she always preferred, a part of her raven hair pushed behind one ear while the other ear was covered.
"Oops, why the silence? Hope I didn't spoil your little fun," Agnes let out a fake chuckle and continued.
"Heard some sounds and decided to see if someone was perishing sooner than anticipated."
"You horrible woman, be careful with your words around my child."
"Child?" Agnes pretended to look surprised. "Please, lower your voice for heaven's sake." "Who is the child, are you referring to your little slut?"
A frustrating stillness enveloped the room. Among the trio,
one wore an astonished look,
Another, rage,
and the woman at the doorway grinned at the others in ridicule.