JOANNE-
“Miss Joanne…”
“Joanne!”
One of the maids behind me gave me a small tap on my shoulder, which revived me.
I turned to my side to see Trinity beside me, her mouth slightly parted open and her eyes craving my attention.
“Yeah,” I managed to say, adjusting my weight on the chair.
“You’ve been spacing out more than usual; is everything okay?” Trinity asked.
Nothing about my life was okay as long as I was under Hardy’s custody.
I said nothing, but my eyes said more, and Trinity grabbed it.
Trinity instructed the maids to excuse us after they had finished brushing my hair.
The room emptied in one go, leaving Trinity and me alone.
As the head maid, she got more respect than every other person, including me.
She sighed. “I heard Master Hardy come to your room last night.”
“Mmm hmm..” I nodded, taking a chance to stare at my reflection in the mirror in front of me.
“And I guess he must have said something that’s become a bother,” she sighed again. “What did he say?”
I scoffed. “His presence itself was a bother. And I wouldn’t have had that stupid visit from him if you hadn’t run your mouth about me killing the baby.”
Trinity’s jaw dropped. “I told him for your and the child’s safety; it’s still four days old; anything can happen; I was scared.”
“Yeah, anything can happen, but I don’t actually mean it.” I shook my head.
It was my first pregnancy-literally not how I planned on getting pregnant-but killing another life growing inside me was literally the lowest I could go, and I can never forget the millions of words my mother used to drop about the joy of seeing your own child.
Well, I don’t think there will be any joy in this, since I don’t particularly “own” it, but I am simply an incubator for my own child.
Never forgiving Bailey for this.
“Good… but you seem out of it today. What did Master Hardy say last night?” Trinity leaned her lower part of her body against the mirror table.
I turned to her, my voice calm. “Well, thanks to you, he threatened me.”
I swallowed, recalling how I felt the previous night.
“I am so sorry.” Trinity frowned, taking my hand in hers, her usual habit.
I pulled my hand away from myself.
“You don’t have to apologize. There was no big deal in what he said; he just went on about how I live and breathe for him, how he could end me whenever he wishes to, how I’m just being a surrogate and nothing more.” I gulped silently, preventing myself from saying more.
The look on Trinity’s face screamed nothing but sympathy. And that was the last thing I needed.
“Oh Joanne. I am so sorry. I did-
“You didn’t know he would say that? It’s okay,” I interrupted.
“No, I meant to say I didn’t know you had to hear all that. I know, Master Hardy,” she sighed.
“Look.” She grabbed my hands again, and this time I just let her have it. “Hardy isn’t a bad person.”
“Yeah, he isn’t.” I glared at her.
Noticing my sarcasm, she sighed. “I am telling the truth here. I’ve served him all my life. I know what I’m talking about; he never used to be like this.
I threw my eyebrows up, letting Trinity continue.
“He used to be more than soft.”
“So what happened to him?” I asked nonchalantly.
“Master Hardy is just broken. And that’s why I need you to endure all these.”
I immediately pulled my hands to myself and got on my feet.
“Endure all these? Are you joking? He is broken. I don’t care; just because he’s broken doesn’t mean he has to drag someone else down that dark path with him. I did nothing wrong; why do I have to suffer?” I threw my hands up dramatically, my voice taking over the entire room.
Trinity looked out for me; sometimes I appreciate it, but sometimes I have this urge to just…
explode right beside her.
“Take a seat.” Trinity titled her head towards the chair I had gotten up from.
I hesitated before giving up and taking a seat.
“Now before you go on, know that I am on your side.” Trinity tried to smile, but her lips just crinkled and dropped.
“Yeah, right,” I scoffed.
“This is not my tale to tell, not that I know the entire thing, but because you don’t deserve this, I should highlight you on some part.” Trinity squatted in front of me; she looked a little serious, so I immediately paid more attention.
“I don’t know how you and your friend Bailey lived, but she must have lived a really hard life. The reason Hardy is being hard on you, the reason he wants all this, is a child, by all means. It’s because four years ago, he lost his wife, who was just a month away from giving birth, and believe me, she had the healthiest pregnancy ever.”
For some reason, I found myself pausing before taking a breath, unsure of the reason behind this hesitation. The idea of facing death so close to the end of a healthy pregnancy evoked feelings of unease and sadness.
“What happened to her?” I found myself asking.
“Oh, Lisa was murdered.” Trinity whispered the words like she was trying not to cry.
“Murdered. . .” I mumbled under my breath.
“And I don’t know how it went, but I know it happened and I know one way or the other, Parker Lockwood, Bailey’s father, was involved.
I don’t know how it happened, Joanne, but he kind of deserves a life. And Lisa, Lisa was everything to Hardy; he was in love, and you know they say love could define a person; Hardy was that person. When she was still alive, he was like another sun, he wasn’t this way, but after her death, he changed and grew hostile, and I don’t know the agreements he made or what went down. But it came down to Bailey actually paying for her father’s sin, which is giving him the life, her manipulated.”
I didn’t know what to say at that point; I just blankly stared at Trinity.
Who was in the wrong? Was it Bailey’s dad who actually murdered a pregnant woman, or was Hardy trying to get his child back from an innocent girl who later turned out to not be Bailey but her, and who knows nothing about the death of Lisa?
But still, why did she die? And how was Bailey’s father involved with this? Where was the edge and beginning of the string?
My head fell to Trinity’s lips as she began to speak again.
“And Hardy, knowing he can’t ever bring Lisa back, is trying to at least own his child, the child you’re carrying.”
I said nothing, feeling sorry for myself and for Hardy.
My head gathered up the theory that Mr. Parker must have consciously sold Bailey to Hardy, who wanted nothing more but a family.
And then Bailey tricked her into walking on her own thorns.
Looking at it, Bailey and I could be victims.
“I-I…
I sighed, not finding my words.
Trinity got on her feet. –
“But telling me all of this won’t stop Hardy from being mean to me or the fact that my life is still a mess and still not under my control.” I finally managed to say.
“I know.” Trinity smiled.
Why would she smile?
I grimaced.
“I’ve been thinking, and I know what we can do. We can’t bring Lisa back, but Joanne, you can do this.” Trinity beamed.
“This is the only way out. This is the only thing that could work, and the only thing you can do, Joanne. This will be all you. And I want to believe you can do this, you do not have to suffer here anymore?”
“Do what?”
I would be glad to do anything;
Anything to leave, all I just needed to hear was for Trinity to breathe the words.
She grinned.
.
…*