Chapter 8 Billionaire's Lies

Sabrina jolted awake, her heart racing with a raucous laugh echoing down from downstairs. It was 1:00 AM by the clock on her nightstand, and something was creating an unsettling knot in her stomach. That kind of laughter made her skin crawl, an unsettling mix of joy and something darker. She crawled out of bed and rubbed her eyes for the sleep as she took steps one by one, with each one becoming a source of tension leading up to herself. Just as she was turning into the living room, that's when she first saw the sight. This tore apart whatever heart was still left for her. Benedict, her husband, lay sprawled across the sofa, surrounded by two beautiful women who laughed and leaned into him, their faces flushed from what Sabrina could only assume was alcohol. His laughter boomed out, and the warmth he had always kept for her was now being liberally dispensed upon these strangers. "Benedict!" she shouted, working at keeping her voice even, though it shivered under the load of fear. "What's going on?" He angled his head to one side. A flicker of irritation in his eyes. "Ah, great. Look, the lovely maid is here to pay her respects, no doubt. I thought I'd introduce you to Jenny and Rea here, the girls who can really appreciate me." Sabrina's heart sank even further as she took in the scene: his arm carelessly flung over Jenny's shoulder. "Benedict, please, let me help you get upstairs, you are drunk!" she urged, stepping forward to take his arm. He shrugged her off, the gesture casual yet brutally dismissive. "I want you to meet my maid, Sabrina," he repeated, his voice mocking. "Get their things and serve them drinks, will you? We're parched." The two women were laughing. Their sound pierced the air like a blade. Sabrina felt humiliation well up, deep and all-consuming. "Serve them drinks? They're your guests!" she snapped, forcing herself not to laugh. "You should be taking care of them.". Benedict sneered and stood up from the couch, a swagger that had her stomach churning. "Oh, please. The last thing I need is you acting like you're the lady of the house. Just do as I say and stop trying to play the doting wife. It doesn't suit you." "But Benedict—" "Just go, Sabrina!" he snapped harshly, the tone of which made her wince. "Just because you're with me doesn't mean I have to give you anything, and I don't feel love for you." She looked at him, each inch of her belief across her face. How did they come to this? The man she loved with such ferocity, who she thought would protect and honor her, was now acting as if she was some unwanted burden. "I'm not just your maid," she whispered, in every word agony; "I'm your wife." He raised one eyebrow and smiled cruelly at her. "Wife? You can call it that? This is a joke. I didn't marry up to this kind of deal--living with some glorified housekeeper who can't even take a hint." "Benedict, please," she begged desperately.“Can’t we at least talk about this?” "Tàlk? About what? Think I should be worried because of your feelings?" Rea and Jenny were riveted to the scene before their eyes, with bright gazes and mischievous grins. "And all this is why I should never take her seriously : playing housewife instead of working as a partner." He left her feeling heartbroken. Every word was like a hammer pounding at her fragile spirit. "I'm trying to be a good wife," she said softly, her eyes pricking with tears. "I care about you." "Caring doesn't make you any less pathetic, he retorted, his tone ice-cold and scathing. "You really believe you can win me over with breakfast in bed and cleaning up after me? Newsflash, Sabrina: I don't need a maid. I need someone who can match my energy, not someone happy to be a doormat." She had turned away when the words echoed in her mind. She felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as she stood there. She felt small, so insignificant. As if he had taken her heart and stomped it into dust. "You don't mean that," she whispered, desperate to cling onto a fragment of hope. "Don't I?" he retorted, a greasy grin curling across his mouth. "It's me stuck with you, after all. Now I'm killing hours playing nice with you instead of sowing wild oats." He leaned over, placing a kiss on Jenny’s cheek and Rea laughing her head into him. Sabrina's throat was filled with a bitter taste of bile as she watched him. That was not the man to whom she had been wed. That person was a complete stranger, as if he enjoyed her pain and twisted her love into a weapon against her. "You really don’t have to do this," she said, her voice filled with emotion and trembling slightly. "We can work on our marriage. I can change." He stood tall over her, looking down upon her as if she was something to step on. "Change? What, so you can become an even bigger burden? Tough luck, Sabrina. I really don't give a crap. You aren't going to play this victim here. You lured me into this life." "That's a lie! She shouted out, her voice cracking. "You consented to marry me!I love you Benedict!" He rolled his eyes and waved his hand over the words, "Love? Save me the fairy tales. This is reality, and in reality, you are just my last resort. I married you because there were no better options left. You're lucky that I decided to give you a chance at all." "Lucky?" she parroted back, her voice heavy with incredulity. "You think that's it? That I am lucky to be treated this way? Benedict shrugged, utterly unmoved by her distress. "You want a trophy for being my wife? Sorry but this isn't a game, and you've clearly lost. Now stop whining and serve my guests like a good little maid.". As the laughter of the two women continued to reverberate in her ears, a part of Sabrina died inside. This was her life now: filled with contempt, jealousy, and unbearable loneliness. She walked to the kitchen, heart heavy with despair, to prepare drinks for the three of them. Every clink of the glass sent a wave of anger through her, reminding her of how far they had fallen. She turned around and went into the living room, leaving him his drinks in a shuddering hand. "There you go," she said, forcing out something like a smile onto her lips. "Enjoy.". "Finally!" Benedict said in an impatient tone. "I thought you'd never get here." He glanced toward the girls, who were already giggling and whispering, not noticing the confusion in Sabrina's head. "So, girls, what do we need to do next?" Jenny leaned in closer, oozing flirtation on her voice. "What I think is that let's have some fun!" Maybe a game? Think you can join us? Sabrina? Her chest grew tight. "I think you should leave," she said, her voice firmer than she was. "You're not welcome here." Benedict shot her a look of utter disbelief. "What did you just say?" "You heard me!" she argued, anger flaring inside her. "This is not a party, and I am not going to sit idly by while you're disrespecting me and our marriage.". He suddenly erupted into uncontrollable laughter, the shrill mockery and contemptible tone unmistakable. "Disrespect? Oh darling, you're disrespecting this marriage thinking you'll play me for a chump. This is my house. I will do as I please. If you cannot handle it, then probably you should rethink your attitude here.". Sabrina's hands trembled as she fought not to let her composure show. "I am asking you nothing to command you, Benedict," she said. "I am asking for respect. You are always treating me like I am a ghost that doesn't exist in this place, as if my purpose here is to fulfill your whims. I think I deserve better.". Benedict leaned forward, his face inches from hers. For a second, she thought he'd give in. But his smile was cold, a glint in his eye that made her shiver. "You think you deserve better? Look around you, Sabrina. You're living in fantasy. The sooner you understand that, the better off we both are.". He turns and walks away from the room, returning to sit on the couch again while she stands there in all her misery. "What's the point anyway? You've made your sentiments pretty clear: that nothing matters. So what do you have to gain out of this? Because I care!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "I love you, Benedict! I just want you to see me, to treat me like a partner, not a maid or a burden!" His laughter resounded once more, brutal and heartless. "Love? Ha! You think love conquers all? Look where that led us. You think your love can change me? You're delusional.". She felt the weight of his words crush her. This was not the life she had envisioned. She wanted a partnership, friendship, maybe even love; but all she found was rejection and disdain. She stumbled back into the kitchen as laughter danced in her ears, and her heart twisted with the thought that she had lost the man she loved. She got herself a glass of water, poured it into a glass, and sat down, trying to quell the storm inside her. Sabrina took a deep breath, steeled herself. She was not going to let Benedict's cruelty define her. She would find a way to rise from the ashes of this broken marriage, to reclaim the woman she once was, and to find the strength to move forward—whether he wanted her or not. But as she looked toward her living room once again, she knew the journey was going to pain her, with laughter sounds and earlier gaiety hauntingly reminding her now of her helplessness.