Chapter 11
***LARISSA***
6 YEARS AGO.
As the ladies finished scrubbing me, I climbed out of the bath and I was given a towel. My body felt so relaxed and better than it had been in a very long time if I was to ignore the nagging headache and my hurting stomach.
As I dried my body, one of them went to the closet and picked out two dresses for me.
"Which one will my lady like to wear?" She asked.
I looked at the clothes. One of them was a blue gown with elegantly styled stones. The waist was very thin and there was a big flair towards the end.
The other one was a red silk gown. It was simpler than the blue one yet more elegant.
"Where am I dressing to?" I asked.
"You're having breakfast with the General soon," one of them replied and I gulped nervously.
I was gonna have breakfast with who? I felt my heart begin to beat faster and I faked a smile to hide my anxiety from the ladies.
"The red one," I said.
"Good choice my lady," she replied and went to hang the blue dress back in the closet. I felt like she would have said the same thing if I picked the second one.
I got dressed in the red gown and they directed me to the dressing mirror where I sat on a chair. They had washed my hair during the bath and now they were styling it.
All these treatments were already beginning to make me so nervous and scared. Was it because I was the General's mate?
Was he going to accept someone like me? Maybe he was playing games with me and toying with my emotions so he could laugh when he shatters everything.
Two of them stood by my side and held my hand up, applying a soothing balm on my wrist where the Rogues tied me with ropes.
There was a faint red scar there on both wrists.
When they were done, they stepped back and waited on me with their hands in front.
I stood up, figuring it was time for that breakfast with the General. I followed them out of the room and looked at both sides of the hallway.
It didn't look as if we were in the same building we came into yesterday. While it was loud and filled with hormonal men then, it was completely quiet and there were only a few rooms.
"This way, my lady," one of them said and I followed them down the hallway on the left.
We soon got to a large dining room at the end of the floor. There was a long dining table that was filled with several dishes and fruits. I looked up and saw the General sitting at one edge of the rectangular table.
He looked up as he noticed me and I think I saw a faint smile on his face. I looked over my shoulder and saw that the ladies accompanying me left, leaving me here with him.
I gulped, raising my head as I summoned a bit of confidence. I walked closer to the dining table and I sat down at the opposite ends of the table.
"I was beginning to worry that maybe you won't wake up early," the General said with a smile and he plucked a berry from the fruits on the table.
***
PRESENTLY.
I drove into the garage and pulled up my car. I was finally home after a long day at work. I climbed down from the car and walked up to the door.
I tried to open the door, but it was locked. I realized I didn't see Jack's car in the garage.
Jack wasn't home. He always closed early so he could pick up the kids at their schools every day. Since he took over the hospital, he was more involved in the administrative work.
He barely ever had to wear an overall so it was easier for him.
I reached for my keys in my bag and I opened the door. Right now, my kids would have been running to hug me.
A sad smile formed on my face as I closed the door and went to drop my handbag on the couch.
I took a shower and wore clean clothes before climbing back down. It was past 7 and Jack still wasn't home yet. I went to pick up my phone from my bag and I dialed his number.
The line rang for a while before he picked up the call.
"Hi babe," I said.
"Hi," he replied and his voice sounded blank.
"I just wanted to check up on you. It's late already," I said, sounding a bit worried.
"I'm busy, I'll come home when I'm done," he replied and cut the call before I got to say, "Alright, don't be late."
He was still mad at me. I didn't even listen to him and I rushed the whole process of putting the kids in boarding school.
I dropped my phone and went to the kitchen.
I checked the fridge and saw that I had the ingredients I needed to make his favorite food. The only thing I can do is try to make it up to him.
I took out the frozen chicken and began to slice it when I heard someone ring the door. I immediately dropped the knife and hurried to the door, thinking it was Jack.
I opened the door, but no one was there. I looked down and saw a flower bouquet dropped at the doorstep. I looked left and right, but no one was there so I picked it up and closed the door.
It was a bouquet of tulips, my favorite flowers. Curious, I looked around it and saw an envelope tucked at the side.
I opened the tulip again and saw that it was from Logan again. He was apologizing for threatening me over the phone and that he was simply desperate to save his father's life.
He mentioned that he regretted betraying me and claiming Alvina as his mate and how she ended up cheating on him.
Then he ended it by reminding me how he always picked tulips in his mom's garden for me because I liked them.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I dropped the bouquet and letter to the floor. I staggered to a couch and held on to it to keep my balance as I began to sob.
Memories of the past with Logan began to flash through my mind. How could he do this to me?
All of the sweet memories I kept buried came back up and I couldn't stop crying knowing what I lost.
"Who do you think you are?!" I sobbed, hating the effect he still had on me. I don't love him! I do not!
I heard the doorbell ring and I immediately stood up and threw the flowers and letter in the trash. I washed my face in the kitchen quickly and wiped it.
I couldn't let Jack see me like this.