Nora sat in front of her vanity mirror, staring at her reflection. She crimped her lips as her palm roamed her face, feeling the ugly scars caused by an accident she had about three years ago.
She glanced at the wall clock and gasped, "Oh, Lucas will soon be home; I need to get his dinner ready before he gets back from work."
She glanced around the room; everywhere was in a mess. Her clothes were scattered all over the room; she had been a bit under the weather and had been unable to perform her usual routine of cooking, cleaning, washing up, and arranging the entire house.
Since she got married to Lucas, she had been more of a maid than a wife. Lucas sees her as a destitute who meant nothing to him. He only used her as an instrument of sexual pleasure.
Her marriage to Lucas has brought her nothing but pain and misery. Though the marriage was not built on love, she still wished and hoped that Lucas would love her someday.
Nora quickly picked up the scattered clothes on the polished marble floor and arranged them neatly into the luxurious wardrobe. She changed the bedspread and cleaned up the entire room before rushing to the kitchen to prepare his meal. Lucas had ordered her to prepare cheesy beef pasta sauce with fish tacos before he left for work in the morning. As she prepared the meal, her mind went back to three years ago, when she met Lucas.
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Three years ago, Nora worked as a waiter in a bar. Her meager salary was used to cater for herself and her irresponsible father, who always ran into debt due to gambling. She was about to close for work that fateful night when Lucas barged into the bar, trembling in fright, his heart racing at an alarming speed.
Nora sensed his fear, and her heart skipped a beat, but she maintained her composure. "Sir, we are closed for the day. What can I do for you?" she asked politely.
Lucas' eyes darted around the bar in fear. "Please help me, hide me somewhere; some men are after my life." He said in between gasps, trying to catch his breath.
"Ok... just come with me," Nora said without hesitation as she grabbed his hands quickly and took him to the restroom, pushing him inside. "Just stay here and don't come out; I'll handle it." She shut the door of the restroom and went back to the bar.
Some thugs barged into the bar, holding some weapons. They looked scary in their massive figures and deep red eyes.
"Where is he? We saw him run into this bar," one of the men asked in a stern, rigid voice.
"Who?" Nora asked, feigning ignorance. "Nobody came here; I am the only one here, and I'm about to close for the day," she said in a stern voice, masking her nervousness with a frown.
"Liar!!" he fired back at her. "You are hiding him somewhere; search everywhere for him," he ordered his men.
The men searched the entire bar, turning the chairs and tables upside down.
"Boss, he is not here," one of the men said.
The boss frowned, "that's not possible. Have you checked the backyard or the restroom? I'm sure he is within these premises." He said with an air of certainty in his voice.