My Dream Marriage

The meeting room isn’t packed. It has around five people. They seem to be discussing something but they stop as soon as they see us. I thought I was going to see people in suits and formal ties but their attires are too casual that they seem like they are going to watch a casual game or rather taking a walk in the park. There are two ladies and three gentlemen in the room.

“Hey guys, you are here already,” Edward says excitedly as he goes to hug each of them. They are genuinely happy to see him. The hugs with the ladies are too clingy for my liking and I think they are exaggerating it a bit.

“So guys, this is Neera, my wife. And Neera this beautiful lady here is Valen,” he refers to a curvaceous one, ” and this one is Rael,” referring to the other lady, “this is Martin, Garvy and Jones, my buddies,” he introduces all of them to me. They shake my hand cheerfully but Valen seems a little off and shows a bit of dislike towards me. I could understand it could be she has a crush over Edward. That is not my problem.

They get back to their seats and continue with their discussion. I can understand from their discussion that they have plans to start a project here in Manila Island, an oil and gas project.

I just sit quietly not daring to say anything since Edward instructed me not to. I feel like a fool just looking at the walls and occasionally looking at them as they go on with their conversation. I feel like a third wheel even. This is so boring.

I signal to Edward that I am leaving the room. He nods giving me a go ahead and I exit. I can make myself useful maybe by just looking at the activities going on outside through the glass walls of the building. I move nearer to the walls and I touch the cool glass walls. I can see the ocean from here and this view is the best. Some are walking in the water not minding the depths but their courage is shortlived when they reach at some point and the earth supporting their feet breaks and falls deeper in the water and they scream and swim back to the beach. I can see the ridges from here and I wish I could tell them when they reach the end but I am far from them and my voice can barely leave the building. So I just watch in silence as they fall and struggle to get back on top of the water.

“Enjoying the view?” A voice startles me and I look back to find Valen looking at me with disgust written all over her face. ” I am. Very much,” I answer her. “I see,” she says. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting?”

“I was just coming to see if you haven’t thrown yourself down the building,” she says making me crease my eyebrows.

“What makes you think that I would stoop to that level of killing myself?” I ask her.

“Look. I don’t like you and I don’t have your time. I just wanted to tell you that even if you are Edward’s wife, he doesn’t like you either,” she says and I laugh at that. “What? Are you Edward? How would you know that he doesn’t like me? Especially when he was willing and is already married to me?”

She scoffs and says, “oh, the wedding. I know your marriage is an arranged one. Edward did you a favour because no man can find you attractive. You have no class and nothing to your name. What can you give to Edward? Nothing. You are just but a gold digger and watch me as I place you where you belong.”

“Valen or whatever name you call yourself, Edward is my husband. I know you have a crush on him but wake up and smell the coffee. Edward is someone else’s husband and you have to live with that. He is already taken. Girl, get a life,” I walk past her and whatever she says next stops me in my tracks.

“Edward was with me in his villa yesterday. I know you might be wondering where he spent his night after leaving you alone on your wedding night, when he was supposed to be with you. So if I were you, I would already be processing my divorce papers already,” she says.

I have to admit this information got me but I am not going to let her win this fight. “I know that. You are just his business associate,” I tell her. “Okay, if you say so,” she says flipping her long brown hair over her shoulders as she walks back to the meeting room.

I was just putting on a serious face not to show my broken feelings but after she is out of my sight I feel like crying. Whatever I had pushed aside about yesterday night comes back crumbling my mind. I feel so bad that Edward made me not spend the night at the villa but he did himself with another woman. What breaks me the most is that he didn’t offer an explanation about it.

Grace told me about Edward spending the night at the villa but I felt like he didn’t want to bother me with work related issues so I could spend a wonderful night at the hotel. Maybe that is the reason. I am just overthinking things. Valen could just be wanting to make me hate Edward because from how she sounded she has a massive liking to Edward. No. I cannot let her win on this one. Women of her kind feels like everything has to work in their favour and all the good men belong to them. I won’t let her get to me. I am Edward’s wife.

We are back at the villa with Edward’s buddies. We are having dinner as the night slowly creeps in. Edward insisted that we have dinner at the house. I have come to know that Valen doesn’t live here but they came from overseas together with Garvy. The other guys are from the island.

“So Neera, have you travelled abroad before?” Rael asks. “This is my first time,” I say. “Oh, the literal homie,” she comments and everyone bursts out laughing and this doesn’t feel like a joke to me. I know what she meant by that but that doesn’t feel kind. “Edward, you should do something about this,” Martin says. “I have started already,” Edward comments.

“Yeah, I can see,” Martin adds.

I am the only one on the table who have never been out of my country- well except now that I am on this island- this is the first time.

Dinner is done and I proceed with the dirty dishes to the kitchen.

“So, tomorrow, what are your plans on the project?” I can hear Garvy asking and I can’t hear the answer as I am far in the kitchen. I place the dirty plates on the sink and decide to wash them. I have nothing to do right now and Grace might be tired by now I mean she has been here since Saturday. Edward is busy with his buddies over the new project.

“Oh no. You shouldn’t be doing this. I am here. I will do that. Just go and rest,” Grace tries to stop me but I have decided. “Don’t worry Grace, I am okay with this. Besides I don’t have anything to do right now,” I tell her. “Do you know how to do it? I would be in trouble if the boss finds out about this,” “that won’t happen. And I do this most of the time at home. I will manage,” I assure her.

I am done cleaning the dishes and I decide to head upstairs. I will take a nap before Edward retires to bed.

The bedroom is huge and I hadn’t taken a good look at it. Elegance together with luxury complement each other in this room. From the thick dark curtains to a grey rug on the floor to grey covers of the bed all scream wealth. There is a shelf covered with books and that piques my interest. I draw nearer and look at them one by one. ‘The River Between’, yeah this one will keep me occupied. This project makes me feel like Edward came for work rather than his honeymoon.

I place the pillows under my neck such that my head is resting properly and it is raised and now I can read properly. I pull the duvet over my legs. I can feel the cold creeping in. I stretch my body to a comfortable position and open the first page of ‘The River Between’.

The light shines bright making my eyes to open slowly. The curtains have been drawn and I wonder why someone would do that. The door creaks open and Grace enters. “You are up. I was wondering what was making you sleep soundly. Did you take sleeping pills?” She asks and I get surprised by her question. “What do you mean?” “Oh, I see. You were too tired. It is eleven in the morning,” she says. “What! Have I slept until this late?” I can’t really get it. How now?

“Sir Edward must have made you so tired that you could sleep until eleven in the morning. It is almost 12 pm.” I blush, but not because what she said is true. I don’t even know if Edward came to bed or not. Hell, I don’t even know if he slept here or not.

“I will let you freshen up, then I will go make your breakfast, okay?”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“Okay, thank you Grace.”

I am in the shower, not even bothering to scrub my body. I just let the water splash over my body. My mind is really overworked this days. Now I am thinking if I should ask Edward if he slept in our bedroom or not. Or he stayed awake over their so called project.

I am seated devouring my breakfast. It is so delicious. Grace brings me a glass of juice and I feel a bit uncomfortable. “Hey could you join me? This is enough for another stomach apart from me you know,” I say referring to the sausages and toasted bread. As much as they are delicious, they are enough not just for me alone.

“Oh, no thank you, besides I will eat when you are done,” she says.

“What? You haven’t eaten yet? Why?” I don’t get why she hasn’t eaten until now. It is 12 noon now. “I can’t eat when you haven’t yet,” she answers. “Who said that? You could have and now I could be taking mine. So this is not a request. Please sit and join me. Whoever made this rule will have to pardon us today,” I tell her and she hesitates before pulling and sitting on one of the seats.

“I miss my mom. So you being an elder kind of fills the gap. So don’t worry, you have been kind to me,” I say.

“Oh, you are the kindest soul. Sir Edward is the luckiest man to have found a wife like you,” she says and yes, I haven’t seen Edward. “Where is Edward by the way? I haven’t seen him since I woke up. “He left for the office with his colleagues. He said they have meetings with the investors of their project.” “I guess my sleeping habits need to change,” I couldn’t even hear when he came or when he left the room.

“I guess he couldn’t wake you up because you were tired. So he might have left to let you rest fully, you know,” she says.

I haven’t talked to my friends since Saturday and they didn’t call either. I only sent them texts telling them where I was. Knowing my friends well, they are only giving me time to enjoy my honeymoon. Azila told me she won’t call me unless I have a problem. She claimed that she didn’t want to be a hindrance to a romantic holiday. I miss them. I will have to talk to them after calling my parents. Grace is in the kitchen and I am just sitting here watching TV which I am not even paying attention to.

I run up the stairs to get my phone. I know they are missing me too.