Without another word, he stormed out of the room, and closed the door behind him.
Jasper usually worked until the late hours, mostly in the home office. Sometimes when I woke up to drink water past midnight, I’d see him lying beside me in bed, but tonight, when I woke up at around three a.m., Jasper still wasn’t in bed.
Strange.
Maybe he had a lot of pending work that needed to be taken care of. I pushed the comforter away, slid my feet inside the cushiony slippers, and pulled on a night robe as I walked out of the room to find the pitch black darkness leading down towards his office. I switched on the passage light and walked to his office.
Softly, I knocked on the door. “Jasper, are you still busy?”
There was no answer.
“Look, I said I was sorry. I shouldn’t have lied to you.”
I opened the door and peered inside to find him nowhere in sight. The Gramophone sang a soft Opera song. I walked into the room and stopped the song from playing. The room basked in an eerie silence. Feeling like a little adventurous, I closed the door behind me and tiptoed towards the imposing wooden mahogany desk.
The drawers wouldn’t budge. If the drawers were filled with office work, why would he have to keep it locked?
“Do you need something?”
Jasper stood at the doorframe, his eyes darting from the drawer to my face.
“Just…just looking around. I was just going to ask you to come back to bed, and then I saw you weren’t here and the gramophone was still on.”
My heart was racing in excessive overdrive.
He regarded me suspiciously. “Come, sweetheart, let’s go to bed.”
When we lied down in bed, Jasper whispered. “Next time, Kiara, let the gramophone continue to play even if I’m not present in the room. And, in case you were looking for the keys to the desk drawers, I keep them with myself.”
He’d been watching me. I remembered the surveillance cameras in the office. How could I have been so stupid?
Chapter Twenty-Five
The honeymoon seemed less like a romantic getaway and more like Jasper’s business trip. We were staying at a resort in Cape Town, South Africa, and so far I hadn’t done any sight-seeing. All I did was sunbathe by the pool, dine in the hotel bar, and sometimes go for a swim. I was bored out of my mind. I always thought that turning into a billionaire’s wife was going to change my life completely, but in fact, it’d gotten a lot worse.
Working as a waitress, at least I had goals to achieve in life. I could go out freely and do whatever I wanted, but after getting married, I realized I’d lost sense of my freedom. Jasper controlled the reins. Sometimes he was charming and loving while other times, he was brooding over minor things. I’d tried to drown my loneliness by doing shopping and other things that rich wives did. Sometimes, I went out for lunch with Penny and Cecelia whose marital lives weren’t bright either; not when Cecelia had fresh marks over her arms and neck every time we met, but she liked to pretend she was fine.
Days began passing at a snail’s pace, and during the two months I’d been married to Jasper, I noticed how he would sleep at irregular hours, and when I inquired about it, he would shrug it off as being due to his pending work. He arrived home late usually and always failed to come up with a good excuse. When his mood was off, he went out for long walks after dinner and came back seeming cheerful. The most suspicious was his sweet behavior. Jasper had a way of talking and making the argument seem like it was my fault. He also said some really hurtful things, coated with extra whipped cream and sugar.
It was too confusing and exhausting to witness the mood swings and be at the receiving end of it. Jasper liked the control. . If I moved his things a bit, he’d go into a fit of rage and put it right back to where it used to be. I had to take permission to go anywhere outside. if I had to make phone calls to my friends, Jasper needed to know. He also checked my phone from time to time, and yet he never let me check his. If that wasn’t suspicious behavior, I don’t know what is.
My house was like a golden prison, and I was a prisoner with a fancy title called Wife to go with it.
Was Jasper having an affair? The thought of him having a lover tucked away somewhere made me ill. It wasn’t like he wasn’t capable of having one. Most rich men had a family wife, kids and yet still feel the need to screw around with other women.
On Monday evening, Jasper came home after work and stepped into the shower. I quickly checked to make sure the water was still running and picked up his phone from the dresser. I punched in the passcode that I’d usually seen him put in, but it didn’t work out. I tried putting in his birthdate and then reversed it, tried my luck with the numbers on the number plate of his favorite Lambo but nothing was working.
I needed to transfer the data into the computer, and check if it worked that way.
“Type in zero, three, ten, ninety-six.”
I spun around to see Jasper standing in the doorway of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair soaked. I had a chill run down my body as his azure eyes stared at me.
“I was…I was just…” I stammered.
“It’s okay, baby. I understand you’d want to check my phone too. Type the code. It’s your birthdate,” he said, grinning.
I punched in the code, and the phone unlocked. He laughed. “Please browse through to your heart’s content.” He added in a mocking tone, “Oh, and don’t forget Facebook Messenger. That’s where I get a lot of messages from ladies asking me out on dates, one-night stands, and they sometimes send me their nudes.” He chuckled.
I wasn’t shocked to see that Jasper wasn’t lying. He did have women messaging him all the time, and most of those conversations weren’t even viewed. After checking everything that I wanted, I handed him back his phone.
“Are you sure you got everything covered?” Jasper asked.
I nodded. “Yes. It was really stupid of me to think—”
“That I was having an affair?” He completed the question for me.
“Sorry. I just got a little carried away,” I admitted.
“It’s not your fault, precious. I’m too damn gorgeous. Any plain wife would have second thoughts.”
I laughed and hit him with a pillow. “I’m plain, huh?”
Jasper pulled me close, and drew my lower lip into his mouth. He whispered, “Oh, did I say plain? I think you heard me wrong. I said the most beautiful wife on this planet.”
I giggled. “You’re so corny.”
“You mean charming, don’t you?”
It was moments like these that made up for all the shit he put me through. Jasper had some control issues, and he’d told me before that he was different than most men. I didn’t know what he meant, but I knew it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Marriages included compromise and sacrifices for your loved one. I wasn’t perfect and neither could I expect him to be.
“Jasper, I want to tell you something. I know we hadn’t discussed it before but it’s something that just happened.” I said.
I’d been holding it in for the entire evening, and tonight he was in a good mood, so this was a perfect time.
“What is it?”
I wet my lips first. I felt like my throat was getting dry. What if he didn’t take the news nicely?
“I’m pregnant.” I broke the ice and tried to gauge his reaction.
He appeared so dumbfounded that I rambled on. “I missed my period this month and I asked Rita, one of the housekeeping staff for a pregnancy kit. It turned out positive. I know we hadn’t discussed children before, and I was on the pill. But I think I forgot to take it regularly, and yesterday morning I got a little sick and…”
Jasper placed his hand over mine. “Kiara, that’s the best news anyone’s ever given me.”
“Really?”
He pulled my mouth to his and kissed me long and hard. His palm slid towards my belly. “My precious little baby. Sweetheart, it’s the best gift and you have no fucking idea how happy yo
u’ve made me.”
“Shh…the baby shouldn’t learn your profanity. I think it’s high time you cut it down a little when you’re talking to me.”
He hugged my stomach and laid his head on my lap. “I love you so much, Kiara. I swear I will give you and our baby everything you both deserve.”
”I know you will, and I love you, too.”
I’d never seen Jasper this delighted before. “Tell me what you’re craving, and I’ll bring that for you.”
“Double chocolate ice-cream,” I said.
Jasper was on his toes, his hand raised towards me. “Come on, we’ll go on a long drive and have ice-cream together.”
“Jasper, I can’t go on a drive when I’m…”
He had an amused expression on his face. In a baby tone, he asked, “Do you think I would let Mommy into my Lambo and drive her one-eighty per hour? I wouldn’t do that because I want Mommy to be safe.”
I laughed about how he always found out what I was thinking. It was funny that Jasper did mind-reading sometimes.
“Come on, Mommy. Daddy’s gonna keep you safe.”
“Then let’s go on that drive, Daddy.”
***
Nine Months Later
After that day, Jasper took good care of me. I was on a strict diet, and the Cook only prepared meals that were nutritious and healthy for me and the baby. Jasper was so happy; he would take me out for drives, dinner dates, and even showered me with gifts.
He’d also decorated the room beside ours with a cute little white crib, toys, and children’s books. He had some of the best interior designers redecorate the entire room.
I was content. I couldn’t have been happier about my life at this point.
”I think the baby just kicked.” Jasper’s ear was stuck to my protruding belly.
I laughed. “How long are you going to sit like that?”
Jasper kissed my stomach, staring at it in awe. “I’m so excited to see my baby. When are you due?”
“In two weeks.”
“I wish it was today.” He placed his head on my lap, still hugging me, and I played with his hair.
It’s been nine months since I first announced my pregnancy, and nine months since I’ve been anywhere outside the property. During the first month, when Jasper realized I was pregnant, he was really sweet and even took me out for dinners and did everything I asked on a whim, but after that, his possessiveness towards the baby and me heightened. And even the most minor things upset him.
I was getting bored eventually of just watching TV, reading books and having nothing interesting to do. That evening, I was organizing our bedroom, putting things back into place when I noticed a pair of keys left on the dresser. Jasper had forgotten to put them back. I grabbed the keys and inspected it. They were keys to the third floor which I’d never explored in the year that I have been married to him.
I was curious to the point where I decided to take the elevator to the third floor. The last time I’d asked Jasper about the space, he said it wasn’t anything important, and mostly consisted some of the old furniture. Since I was bored out of my mind, I thought a little house exploration wouldn’t hurt, plus the doctors told me sleeping all day wasn’t such a good idea. My body needed some activity.
The mansion was enormous; I was yet to explore some of the other rooms as well. I stood in front of one closed room, but when I turned the knob, it wouldn’t budge. I tried the next and it was locked too, and the keys wouldn’t work for them. Now there was only one last room remaining. I approached the door slowly and turned the knob.
Surprisingly, it gave away easily.
I stepped inside and looked around, staring at it in awe. It was a lovely bedroom; a four-poster bed dominated the center with a matching dresser at the side and a lovely oval mirror. I reached towards the wardrobe and pulled it open. The wardrobe had beautiful dresses lined up.
I grabbed one lacey violet-colored gown that had studs embroidered all over the bodice. It was so pretty. There was also a red, navy blue, pink and various gowns of other different colors.
I wondered if I’d spoilt one of Jasper’s surprises for me.
I opened one of the drawers from the dresser and found some jewelry sets, and decided to sneak some into my room. I was just browsing through all the contents when a few photos slipped out and landed on the floor.
I gathered the pictures which lay face-down on the floor and casually turned them over. A young woman was staring back at me, her glossy straight blonde hair grazing her shoulders, a radiant smile touching her beautiful green eyes. The next picture was of the same woman in a white bridal gown, a veil over her face.
The picture after that made my blood turn to ice. My hands started to shake as I stared in horror at the groom standing beside her.
***
It was past dinner time, and I was tired of waiting for Jasper. I’d been sitting for over an hour which felt like an eternity. I watched from the bay window as he got out of his BMW and made his way towards the mansion. I climbed to my feet and walked towards the railings, looking down as he made his way upstairs. My patience had already run out, and I knew he would make a beeline for his study and spend hours on end behind closed doors.
I decided to confront him before he does that.
”Hey, sweetheart.” Jasper greeted me as usual. He was smiling even though he seemed tired. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
I pulled out the picture I was hiding and showed it to him. “Who is she?”
I wasn’t going to beat around the bush.
The spark in his eyes went off in a second and turned into a hard stare. “Where the hell did you get that?” he asked in a mellow monotone.
Now I was the one who boiled with rage. I showed him the other picture I’d found in which he was the groom for the same blonde girl that was dressed in a white wedding gown. “How about this? I’m sure you’ve got another solid reason for this one.”
“Did you go to the third floor?” I hated how menacing his voice sounded.
“I asked you a question first, Jasper! Who is that woman?”
“How dare you?” Jasper’s jaw tightened. “How dare you go to the third floor without my permission?”
Tears began to spill from my eyes. “You are a liar and a cheat. She is the same as me, isn’t she? She’s also your wife! Where is she now? Tucked away in another one of your mansions?”
He didn’t utter a word. And that was even scarier.
“Am I a home-wrecker?” I shouted, tears spilling uncontrollably. “Answer me!”
Jasper just continued to stare like I wasn’t even crying or demanding answers. “Ava’s dead, alright? She committed suicide.”
Blood rushed to my ears, and I didn’t listen to a damn thing he said after that because I was making my way towards our room. I threw open the wardrobe and started pulling out all my clothes. I unzipped a suitcase and stacked it with my belongings.
I’ve had enough.
“Where are you going?” Jasper asked.
“Anywhere that I want, just as long as I’m away from you. I’m not living in this house for another fucking minute.”
“You don’t have a house, precious. Look, it was a long time ago, and the marriage didn’t even work.” I felt Jasper’s hands on my shoulders as he rubbed them, trying to soothe my anger. “Baby, I didn’t love Ava. She was quite power-driven, using my debit cards for careless shopping spree, and she was exceeding the limits. And when I told her to cut it down, she refused and became depressed. She was so far into her depression that she committed suicide.” He continued, “I didn’t tell you this because I didn’t want to upset you.”
“Well, you’ve already upset me. I don’t care about your excuses. I just don’t want to stay here anymore,” I said firmly as I picked up the suitcase and made my way towards the stairs. If I didn’t have a protruding belly, it would have made my flight downstairs a lot easier.
Suddenly, I felt a jerk from the back. Jasper had grasped t
he suitcase and was pulling at it. “Let the bag go, Kiara. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Leave me alone!” I said with tears streaming down my face.
And I didn’t remember how it happened later, but all I could recall was my body rolling down the staircase with a shriek from a housemaid followed by Jasper’s footsteps and his voice booming in the mansion. I felt the blood rush to my ears, my eyes registering Jasper as he ran towards me. All I could think of was my baby. I hoped my baby was safe.
“Oh god, Kiara…No!”
I was dazed, but I could see him chanting something to himself.
“Call an Ambulance!” Jasper yelled. I felt him pat on my cheek. “Kiara, wake up. Kiara…”
His voice began to seem distant, and then there was total blackout.
PART THREE
Chapter Twenty-Six
Kiara
Four Years Later
“Mommy, can we stay here longer?” Tyler pleaded with me.
I kissed his little hand. “It’s getting late, Ty. Daddy will be home in some time.”
“Please, Mommy. Please.” Tyler scrunched up his mouth. He was clearly annoyed. He hugged his favorite teddy bear closer. “I don’t wanna leave.”
“Sweetie, we can come again next week. I promise.”
Tyler climbed to his feet, almost destroying the sand mountain that he had made. He liked to call it a sand castle, and I didn’t correct him. He got hold of my hand and waved his friend George goodbye. George was a sweet boy living just down the street. He and Tyler had become really good friends in a short while, and I enjoyed the company of George’s mother from time to time.
I brushed the mud off Tyler’s pants. He liked coming to the park often, and I sometimes took him to kid’s amusement parks and aquariums. Jasper never had time for us, so I’d it taken upon myself to enjoy watching Tyler grow up.
I helped Tyler into the car while I took over the steering wheel and turned on the music. Tyler was looking out the window, and I realized he was sad to go home. He always hated going back home.
Psycho Billionaire: A Dark Romance Page 19