The Stand In Wife's Revenge novel Chapter 11

The Stand In Wife’s Revenge

Chapter 11

The sight of everything I had constructed was a dull sight tonight as I entered the mansion through the enormous front door. Every detail including the marble floors, the chandeliers and the high ceilings served as a reminder of both my accomplishments and how empty everything now felt.

As I passed I hardly noticed the dozen maids in uniform standing in perfect formation with their heads bowed in greeting. They waited in silence for recognition but I had nothing to offer.

Not tonight.

I was thinking about something else. Ava’s mystery, the day’s events and the weight of everything looming over me dominated my thoughts.

As my life seemed to be falling apart I was unable to concentrate on the little details of my mansion. I lacked the strength for formalities and the likes as I

went up the grand staircase, my footsteps echoing in the silence of the mansion.

After Fiona’s unconsciousness, the mansion had become eerily quiet once again. The same silence that had given this place a tomb–like feel.

I let out a long sigh as I got to my room and placed my briefcase on the bed. The business issues that awaited me didn’t concern me so I didn’t bother to

unpack.

I was emotionally as well as physically worn out. Although my body felt exhausted the most painful part was the ache in my chest. Fiona’s absence When she wasn’t here everything seemed to fall apart.

The weight of the whole situation was pressing in on me as I got up and walked to the mirror. I stared at my reflection and I could barely recognize myself.

The man in the reflection face was hollow and marked with pain giving the impression that he was older.

The dark circles beneath my eyes had become a permanent feature.

I could not avoid the effects the grief and loneliness had taken on me.

My stubbled jaw served as a reminder that I was neglecting my health and I was just too occupied in the darkness that was closing in on me.

1 had forgotten this man’s identity. The man who stood tall next to his wife who was so certain of his position in the world. The day Fiona slipped into the cold hands of unconsciousness, that man passed away.

This ghost was now all that remained wandering around a life that no longer felt like his own. I reached into my nightstands drawer in the hopes that doing so would help me escape my reflection and the agonizing reality that had taken over my life.”

I gently pulled the velvet box out as my fingers touched it. As I opened it I felt as though the entire world was resting on my hands. Inside was her silver necklace which gleamed subtly in the dim light. Fiona’s necklace.

The tiny delicate pendant glistened in my hand. I touched it with my fingers hoping to revive a piece of her. Wearing it daily was a part of who she was. It was now only a piece of jewelry. It served as a harsh reminder of my losses.

‘I’ll get someone to fill in your space so we won’t lose everything.” I muttered with a heavy tone. Even as they were leaving my mouth they felt wrong.

I had to keep the company safe. I had to hide the fact that I was losing my mind. But it made my stomach turn to think of someone else taking Fiona’s place, in meeting’s and in the life we had created.

D

SUN

1/3

01:56 Sun, Mar 8

Chapter 11

Nobody could replace her. She had been everything to me my love, my anchor. The void she left behind could not be filled by anyone etce

Deep in my chest the pain was more intense than before. My heart seemed to be constricted, gradually suffocating under the weight of everything and i

could feel it getting tighter.

I was having trouble breathing. I had trouble thinking. All that was left of me were these void memories that were slipping through my fingers like sand and

my body seemed to be rejecting the fact that Fiona was no longer with me.

“But she won’t occupy your space in my heart I completed, my voice hardly audible above a whisper.

All I was talking to was myself. No matter how hard I tried to keep going, no one could ever take her place. Herself had been my heart. And it had vanished…it was empty.

1

My chest constricted even more as I placed the necklace on the nightstand with a sense of finality. Now that I was so deeply hurt I couldn’t bear to hold it any longer.

With a trembling hand I reached for the drawer once more and opened it. Something was needed by me. A fragment of her. Something to help me cope with this sense of emptiness.

I took out the handkerchief as my fingers touched the comfortable fabric. She’d owned it. Even after all this time there was still a subtle scent of roses and lavender. Her scent was still in it.

The one who had always occupied the area around her and who had comforted her when I held her in my arms. As though it might bring her back to me I held the handkerchief to my nose and took a deep breath.

Her gentle laughter in the background and her touch against my skin gave me the impression that she was right next to me for a brief moment.

The smell was a whisper from the past, a ghost. It wasn’t real though. Its not possible. I was simply clinging one breath at a time to memories that were vanishing. It was inhumane how something as basic as a smell could cause such intense pain and rip open the wound that would never go away.

I sighed and closed my eyes attempting to allow the memory of her to envelop me. Even for a brief instant I wanted to sense her presence. But it was not enough. Nothing was enough

The pain inside of me increased until it became unbearable. I folded the handkerchief and put it back in and closed the drawer more forcefully than needed.! clutched the necklace in my fist as I reached for it once more.

It was uncomfortable to feel the cool metal against my skin. It was only one more reminder that she was no longer with me and that she would never return no matter what I did.

For a moment I just held the necklace and allowed the pain to consume me. I had no way out of it. There was no escaping this emptiness. There was no diversion that could take her place in my life.

‘Fiona… I’ll get you the justice you deserve soon. I whispered.

Although I was unsure of how or when to do it, I would ensure that whoever had taken her away from me paid dearly. Until I learned the truth, I would not give up. I made sure that everyone was aware of their actions.

And I whi

spered again in the silence of my bedroom. “Just you wait.”