SHAWN’S POV
Since the incident, he had vowed to make life unbearable for her. Maybe, that was the only way he could clip her wings.
He would frustrate and torment her to the point she would regret ever cheating on him.
“I can’t find the key to the laundry room. Have you seen it?” She said to him one evening, while he was watching the news.
“What do you want to do in the laundry room?”
“To do my laundry of course.”
“Henceforth, you will no longer use the washing machine to wash but your hands.”
“Is this a prank or a joke?
“Do I look like a clown to you? This is my house and decide what goes on it.”
“You can’t be serious, are you?”
“Well I’m sorry, I am. You have two functional hands, so use them to wash your clothes.”
“You can’t be doing this, please. You know how hectic and time consuming that can be.”
“I don’t care. You will have to adapt. And oh, the cleaning agency will no longer send people to clean the house again.”
“Why?”
“Because you will be doing that henceforth.”
“I want to believe that this is actually a joke. You can’t mean what you have just said.”
“Oh yes, I do. You will do the house cleaning henceforth.”
“Why are you doing all of these?”
“To discipline you. You are married to me now and should be able to perform your wifely duties.”
“I should do that by becoming a slave? This is preposterous! You can’t ask me to clean this big house all by myself.”
“Well, I just did. Take note.”
“You can’t do this, please.”
“This is my house. May I remind you for the umpteenth time?”
“You are unbelievable!”
“I know. You have said that to me a lot of times in the past.”
“I hate you!”
“Be rest assured that the feeling is mutual.”
She momentarily stared at him in anger before walking off. He returned his attention to the television and a few minutes later, she appeared wearing a swimming trunk with a towel around her waist.
“And where are you headed?”
“To the pool.” She answered curtly and walked past him.
“My pool you meat? Unfortunately, you have to come back because that pool is now out of your boundaries.”
“H…how do you mean?”
“You are no longer allowed to use the pool until further notice.”
“I don’t know why, but I think you are pulling my legs with all of these rules.”
“Then I will keep telling you that I’m serious about them. No more using the washing machine to wash your clothes, the cleaners will no longer come to clean the house and you won’t be using the pool until I say so. Do you need another explanation?”
“Yes. I want to know your reasons.”
“Because it’s my house and I decide what goes on in it”
“You are despicable! I hate you!” She said and ran upstairs.
He stared after her and a feeling of guilt tugged at his heart but he pushed it away and returned his attention to the television.
She deserved these and everything else she would get as a result of unfaithfulness and dishonesty. But still, no matter how hard he tried, the feeling that he was being hard on her could not leave his head.
Desperate to get some relief, he walked outside to take a stroll in the compound.
TIFFANY’S POV
She ran up to her room sobbing. The hurt was too much for her to bear. He now treated her like a slave and she could do nothing about it.
She wanted to go back to her father and end the marriage. She was gradually losing her peace of mind, and it scared her that she might break down soon.
But on second thought, she decided to endure after weighing the options. She had come that far to saving her father’s company from bankruptcy to want to give up. She agreed to the marriage and she would see it to finish
With that thought in mind she got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom to wash her puffy face.
The next day in school, she was having lunch with her friends when the principal’s voice sounded on the speaker. “Miss Dion, report to my office immediately.”
“Is everything okay?” Freya asked. They reconciled a few days later.
“I don’t know. I guess I will have to go and find out.”
“Let’s come with you.” Timothy said, already on his feet. “And you can’t say no.” He added, as if reading her thoughts.
She nodded as she was in no mood to argue with them. The trio walked to the principal’s office. They got there and waited outside the door while she knocked and went in.
“Good day Ma.” She greeted, and Mrs Campbell looked up from her laptop.
“Good day, Miss Dion. Kindly seat down.” She said, motioning her to a seat.
“So, it has been to my knowledge that your grades are reducing drastically. What can you say, Miss Dion?
“No.. nothing, Ma.”
“Nothing? I thought we had an agreement about your grades?
“Yes, we did. I’m sorry, Ma.”
“Saying sorry will not fix anything. You and I had a deal. Care to remind me?”
“We agreed that if my grades don’t improve this term, I will no longer be a member of the students body committee.”
“That’s correct. So if you were in my shoes, Miss Dion, what would you have suggested I did?”
“I’m sorry, Ma. I promise this will be the last time my grades will fluctuate.”
“I’m sorry, but You have made too many promises that you didn’t keep to. I’m sorry, but we will have to let you go.”
“Please, Ma. I will put in more effort.”
“Easier said than done. I’m sorry but you are no longer a member of the students body committee.” She shoved a paper to her. “That is your termination letter. Kindly return anything you have in your possession that belongs to the committee.”
Tiffany stared at the letter and immediately knew there was no point fighting because it was a lost battle. She picked it up, gave a slight bow and walked out of the office.
“What happened?” Her friends asked anxiously as she walked out of the hospital.
She shoved the letter into Freya’s arms and continued walking.
“I’m sorry, Tiff. This is disheartening.” Freya said, running to catch up with her.
“I want to be alone, guys. Please, don’t argue with me. I will join you later.” And with that she walked away, her favourite spot in school on her mind.
She got there and did not bother dusting the seat before sitting on it. She let her mind wander and tried to process the new reality. She was out of the students body committee and that means the chances of getting into the college of her dreams has been altered because the termination has weakened her portfolio.
“Hey, I knew I would find you here. You can vent on me.” Timothy said and joined her to sit. He had arrived without her notice.
She turned to look at him, contemplating her next line of action, and without further thoughts, she leaned on his shoulder and burst into tears.