His Mask

"I'll always treat you like a queen."

He sounded so sincere that anyone could have believed him. But to me, it felt like my heart was being crushed all over again. Every word, every trace of concern he showed me was part of the lie he'd built. I used to trust him with everything I had.

"Is something the matter, Rachel?" The mask of agony I wore made him panic. He stood up. "I'll get the doctor. Wait for me. I'll be back in a minute."

He rushed out of the ward, leaving his phone behind. Silence swallowed the room, broken only by the soft hum of the machines.

Then, his phone rang, slicing through the quiet.

Slowly, I reached for it and answered.

"What took you so long, Samuel?" Meredith's voice dripped with sweetness. "Don't forget to talk to Rachel about adopting Riley. She can't have children anymore anyway.

"You don't need to keep taking those pills. And bring Riley to her once she recovers. She'll raise our child, I'm sure."

My hand tightened around the phone until my knuckles turned white. So that was why I never had a child. I'd worried about it for years, and Samuel always brushed it off. "It's not the right time," he would say. "Just wait."

Tears trickled down my cheek and drenched the pillow.

Meredith was still talking, and everything she said ripped deeper into me.

"Why are you so quiet, Samuel? Come over tonight. It's boring being alone in the ward. Play with me." Her voice was soft and needy, the kind that could melt anyone.

I grunted quietly, but just enough for her to hear. Meredith suspected nothing, so she kept on talking.

"You promised we'd go to see the aurora once I get better. We can go on vacation once you hand Riley over to Rachel."

That was it. With a shaking finger, I hung up. The screen went dark, and silence rushed back in.

Moments later, the door burst open. Samuel hurried in with the doctor, worry written all over his face. "The doctor's here. Just hold on, Rachel." He clasped my hand tightly.

My heart turned colder by the second. I watched him quietly, watched the performance unfold.

He picked me up the day I was cleared, and he was nothing short of caring the whole way.

…

The sounds of a child's laughter came from the living room.

I stood at the entrance, my eyes resting on the boy playing with his toys on the rug. He was about three, fair-skinned, and shared some resemblance with Samuel.

He looked like the kid version of the man.

Samuel stepped beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Softly, he said, "This is the boy I told you about. Riley. He's a good kid. He's ours now."

My chest tightened, but my face stayed calm. "He looks like you. You don't see that kind of resemblance often. Let's keep him."

Samuel let out a breath of relief, and his smile softened.

Adopted

"You're the best, Rachel."

The boy looked at me with innocent curiosity. I smiled back, but my heart felt frozen.

Samuel held a grand welcoming party that night. He said it was to celebrate my coming home safely.

"Samuel's a good husband. You're so lucky, Rachel."

"Yeah. He stayed with you even through all that. Not all men could do that."

The guests lavished praise on me, but I was numb. Still, I smiled at them while my heart was getting sliced to pieces.

Samuel's parents were there too, gazing at Riley with affection and calling him their precious grandson.

Of course, they knew the truth.

Charlotte, Samuel's mother, sneered at me. "Some women are just barren. Years go by, and still no child. Completely useless."

Samuel's expression darkened. "Stop it, Mom. It's not her fault. It's mine."

I clenched the hem of my dress, and humiliation filled my heart. I wanted to snap and tell them the truth, but I swallowed my words.

One little rant couldn't possibly tell them the enormity of my pain and suffering.

Every smile in that room felt fake, thin masks hiding rot beneath.

The air grew suffocating. I needed to breathe.

Just as I reached the stairs, Meredith followed me.

She wore an elegant gown, lips curled in a venomous smile, eyes glittering with malice.

"Just because everyone's stroking your ego doesn't mean you've won. Samuel wouldn't have married you if George hadn't threatened him with the inheritance. You're a replacement, and a defective one at that. You have no right to be his partner!"

I met her gaze coldly and refused to answer.

Meredith's voice sharpened. "Let's see who he loves more."

She grabbed my wrist and yanked me ahead. Caught off guard, I fell forward, while she fell backward.

Meredith let out a scream and fell down the stairs.

I grabbed the banister as tightly as I could and barely caught my bearings. Even so, my knees hit the steps.

"Meredith!" Samuel's voice thundered behind me. His footsteps rushed past. He shoved me aside and ran straight to her. Lifting her into his arms, he asked frantically, "Are you hurt? I'm taking you to the hospital!"

I leaned against the banister, pain twisting through my abdomen. The wounds from surgery still hadn't healed.

Samuel didn't even look at me as he went off in a hurry.

I forced myself upright and staggered back upstairs. Quietly, I packed a small bag. I was leaving this house built on lies.

Right after I tossed my luggage into the trunk, something hard rammed into my lower back.

…

Two hours later, Samuel received a call from the police.

"Are you the owner of the vehicle with the license plate STO 123? A gas tanker collided with it on Goodrich Avenue and exploded. We found a body inside. We need you to identify it."

All the color drained from Samuel's face. His phone slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.