[ Rain ]
I don't remember when I fell asleep after Elle helped me to walk back inside my room and treated my bruises. She insisted me on eating something but I refused. Nicholas' blank face appeared in the back of my mind whenever I try to close my eyes.
His coldness broke me to my dead end.
I woke up by a panicked Elle who was summoned by the Devil himself to help me in getting ready for the press conference. I too lost my shit when I looked at the watch, it showed eight thirty in the morning and I was supposed to be present before the conference starts.
I am wearing a rose gold midi dress with quarter sleeves and a deep halter neck. It fits me on my curves but I've seen Roselie carrying more bolder dresses elegantly and the look of adoration in Nicholas' eyes for her and here I am, nothing but a nervous wreck.
"How do I look, Elle?" I ask Elle who has been assisting me with the dress and the accessories as she knows better about the Blackwoods and their standard.
"You're looking like a Blackwood lady, that's all I can say, Rain." Elle says with a bright smile on her face. By looking at her expressions, one can say that she really adores me.
"I am nervous, Elle. I mean there will be a lot of people and media, I don't know how to deal with them. My parents never brought me to their eyes and now I am regretting why I chose to stay low profile all these years." I sigh in despair.
Elle places her hand on my shoulder and gives a light squeeze of reassurance," My dear, I have full faith in you and I am sure that you're going to carry yourself with pride of Nathan Blackwood's daughter-in-law and Nicholas's wife. You'll shut their mouths by your wit. Don't be scared and prove your husband that you're not a shame for him but his ultimate pride." Ellen's words replace my anxiety on some level by confidence.
"Thank you so much, Elle for always supporting me." I feel gratitude towards this woman who accepted me whole heartedly when most of the people in this household loathe my mere existence.
A knock on the door diverts our attention on the intruder. One of the maid is standing at the door step.
"Mrs. Blackwood, Mr. Blackwood is waiting for you downstairs. He want you to meet him there in next five minutes." She informs me.
"Okay, Nina, you may leave now." Elle dissmisses her.
"You're looking very beautiful, Mrs. Blackwood." Nina compliments me with a small smile before scurrying back to inform Nicholas.
"Am I missing something?" I ask Elle for the last time as I don't want to embarrass myself and the Blackwood family at any cost.
"No, my dear, you're perfect. Shall we go down now?" Elle assures me and helps me to find nude pumps to match the dress.
Taking my phone and a small clutch, I make my way out of my room to the downstairs where the devil of my husband must be fuming in anger. Cautiously, I descend down the stairs only to find him already dressed in his work suit, he looks dead drop handsome like always. No doubt why he is famous as lady charmer but only if they know that he doesn't possess a tender heart. He's busy reading the newspaper so he doesn't acknowledge my presence.
"Umm Nicholas, I am ready." I speak in low voice to grab his attention.
His eyes finally raise above the newspaper and when they meet mine, I feel myself getting lost in them. They hold so many indecipherable emotions that I fail to read. He doesn't move his eyes from me or say a word. A naive part of my heart wants to hear a compliment from my husband, but whom am I fooling? For his eyes, I'd be looking the ugliest woman in the world.
Sudden blaring of his phone snaps him out of his trance and the same icy coldness reappears on his handsome face.
"Wait in the car." He instructs me in a commanding tone and moves away to answer the call.
With a heavy heart, I make my way out of the house to the garage where his driver is already waiting for us.
"Good morning, Mrs. Blackwood." He bows and open the door of backseat for me.
I pass him a polite smile in response. Five minutes later, he comes and slides inside from the other side. The driver ignites the engines and slide on the partition.
His jaws are stiff and the veins under his ears are popping out while he's tapping his hands on his thighs. I might be wrong but the call worsen his mood and it's better for me to avoid disturbing him. So, I shift to the far end and focus my gaze out of the window. The air is thick with suffocation but I must adapt myself to it.
The sooner the better.
Thirty minutes later, the car enters in the Blackwood Inc.' Headquarters. The shiny tall building stood high in the sky is screaming the success of my new family. It is my first visit, I really wished to walk inside with him, hand in hand when he introduces me to his staff but I guess, I am just a wife on papers.
The car enters from the private entry and halts in the underground private parking lot. I guess they design it to insure the privacy and security of the family. Nicholas, without waiting for me, climbs out of the car while the driver opens mine.
Overwhelmed by the sudden change of environment and what is coming next, adreline rushes in my blood. I straighten the creases on my dress and walk towards Nicholas who looks bored in my presence.
"Remember, do not talk to anyone unless it's necessary. I have a image to maintain and your family has caused enough damage to it. Now it's your responsibility to clean it if you do not want me to take severe measures against them." He says in a hushed tone as his bodyguards surrounds us from all four sides.
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you." I reply politely but I didn't like when he insulted my family.
"And yes, we must act like deeply in love with each other so the rumors won't get more wind than they're already flooding in the news. Do smile and answer them according to what my PR team will instruct you." He continues with his do and don't's list.
We take the flights of stairs to the ground floor from the basement where most conference room, meeting rooms and other common areas are located. I can observe his employees, dressed in high professional attires running here and there in urgency.
Suddenly, he pulls me dangerously close to him and places his hand on the small of my back. I forget to breathe for a moment, it is a signal for me to start my part of acting as a dotted wife who is madly in love with her husband.
We walk through many stares, some are judging me while many throws pitiful looks. I don't know what wrong did I do to earn only negative responses from everyone associated with Blackwoods.
A man in his early thirties rushes towards us with a terror dominating on his soft features. His eye balls dance between I and Nicholas.
"Good morning Sir, Good morning, Ma'am." He greets us.
I nods my head in acknowledgement but a rude husband of mine didn't find it necessary to response to the greetings he receives from the man.
"Is everything set up, Zachary?" Nicholas asks him in a baritone.
"Yes, Sir and your family is expecting for you in the waiting room. Mrs. Blackwood's family is also present with them." The man, whose name is Zachary answers in the same timid voice.
Upon the mention of my family, his whole posture turns rigid and his grip on my waist tightens.
"Give a last minute check on the reporter's list, just make sure that no reporter who isn't invited by us, enters by any chance. I do not want any mess afterwards, am I clear?" Nicholas orders him.
"Sure Sir." Zachary, who seems to be waiting to disappear from his sight, scurries away in the next second.
Why are you like this to everyone around you, Nicholas?
"Look, our families are waiting for us inside and I do not want you to act like a victim in our marriage and give your family another opportunity to let me down. Do Not, I mean Do Not let them get a whiff of our marriage's reality. We'll act civil in front of them, am I clear?" He again fills me with the same derogatory instructions for the hundredth time since the last night.
"You can trust me, Nicholas. I won't give others a chance to question our marriage. I would never let you down in front of anyone. You're my husband and most important person for me since the moment you put this ring on my finger." I flash him my wedding ring but he chuckles mockingly on my words.
"I will trust my biggest enemy for a second but not you fucking Andersons. Betrayal runs in your blood so drop this act of a dutiful wife and enjoy the privilege of being Nicholas Blackwood's wife as long as you stay wed to me and it wouldn't be much longer. I promise you." He says and masks his anger by a neutral expression when the doors of the waiting room are opened by his bodyguards.
We walk inside and my emotions break the dam I built when my eyes landed on my family. I freed myself from Nicholas's arms and run to my father first who has already spread his arms for me.
"I missed you, my little rabbit." Dad hugs me tightly and peppers my head with kisses. My eyes waters after feeling his fatherly warmth after one long week.
"I missed you a..a..lo..lot, Dad." My voice cracks.
"Hey, my baby don't cry. We finally met, now give me your best smile." He wipes my tears and kisses my forehead causing me to smile.
My mother comes forward and hugs me as well but I feel less excited than I was to meet my Dad.
"How are you, sweetie. I am sure Nicholas is treating you well." She inspects me for a honest answer. The regret of always preferring Roselie over me is written on her face.
"Yes, he's treating me like a true husband treats his wife." I reply with confidence so they won't read my mind as I was always an open book.
A wave of relief washes over her face.
Mrs. Sophia is the next to pull me into a hug and cuddles me in her arms.
"Oh my dear, you're like an angel." She scans me from top to bottom.
"Thanks, Mrs. Blackwood." I blush on her praise as I never do good with compliments.
"Oh C'mon, Rain, we're a family now and you can call me by my name or Mom would be much better." She rolls her eyes.
I steal a glance of my husband who silently forbids me to go with her latter option.
"Okay, Sophia." I smile in response though I really wish to call her Mom.
"I am looking forward to a family dinner on this weekend, Rain so we can catch up like a family." She says with a huge smile and through my peripheral vision, I can see Nicole scoffing whereas Nicholas remains unaffected.
His father, Nathan pats my head with a warm smile but doesn't say a word to me. He's opposite of my father but not as rude as his son.
"Alright, if we're done with the family reunion then we shall proceed in the conference room. The media people are already taken their seats." Nicole says putting a full stop on our moments.
Suddenly the doors burst open and the last person whom I expect to see today bargs in with blood shot eyes and before I could believe whether it's my dream or he's really here, a harsh punch lands directly on Nicholas's handsome face.
Oh shit! I am dead now.