The band on my finger continued to taunt me, a sign of my submission to another, and a man at that. I was a proud feminist, fighting for our cause of equality. I didn't per se hate men, I just believed they didn't treat us with respect. No, instead, men treated us like children bearing fuck dolls that are too stupid to make an educated decision.
To my left was the man in question, Blake Sinclaire. Blake was a smart man, believed in femininity and not to mention drop dead gorgeous. Most of my girlfriends believed I was the luckiest girl in the world. I told them I felt differently, that marrying Blake was a betrayal to all the things I stood for.
I turned to face my brown-haired lover, who had magically won me over. Honestly, if it was a real thing, I would believe he had me under a spell. Part of me wanted it to be that way. A spell would keep me believing I was happy and everything was perfect instead of this unbearable self doubt I've continued to let plague me with since our first date.
A loud sigh freed itself from my lips, catching Blake's attention. He turned to face me, a look of concern painting his face. I stroked my hand against his cheek tenderly, giving him a trademark pretend smile of mine. It was the one way I knew to ease his worries. Blake smiled back, turning his attention to the road in front of us.
After I insisted on not having a honeymoon, we had instead decided to move into his home. I was moderately excited to see his place. Technically, it belonged to his parents. When they passed away a few years ago they left the house to him in their will, hoping he would raise a family there one day. Blake never enjoyed coming here, he told me; too many painful memories. I wasn't exactly sure what made him change his mind about moving in.
My red alarm inside my head blared when we turned off the turnpike. Normally that wouldn't be a cause for concern, but when the sign said "Hamptons Exit" that changed things. Blake was by no means rich enough to afford a house here. I guess it was technically plausible that this was where his parent's home was; we never really talked about his childhood.
Ten minutes later, Blake stopped the car and looked past me to the right. I followed his gaze, resting on the three story pearl colored building that was just a few feet shy of being a mansion. Spotless windows and deep red drapes covered a good portion of the second and third floor. As for the first floor, I could make out a few rooms decked out with luxurious couches, tables, and kitchen appliances.
"Um, Blake? This house looks insanely expensive. I don't think we can afford this place," I commented, not yet turning to face him.
"It's fine. Parents paid off the mortgage a long time ago. Just gotta pay taxes now. With my salary, we can manage. Don't expect any servants though," Blake laughed.
"Not funny!" I shouted, playfully punching my husband on the arm.
"Alright I'm sorry," Blake chuckled, "We didn't have enough for a proper house, so for now this can do. You want to move out, I'll sell the house and find us something smaller."
He said that with such sorrow, like he was regretting having to sell his parent's home. We really didn't have anywhere else to go. After being fired from my job, I couldn't afford my apartment and I felt bad living rent free in his apartment. A quick turn away from the elegant home and into the eyes of my husband was the end of my resistance. Those damned puppy dog eyes got me every time.
"No, we'll live here for now," I finally replied.
"You sure Brittany?"
"Yeah, it's fine. I mean it. Let's get to unpacking, huh?"
Blake drove the car into the driveway and we got out. I didn't have many belongings that I brought with me. Personal hygiene stuff, like my toothbrush and makeup, made up the bulk of my stuff. There was a hidden plushie among my stuff, I hoped to hide from him. Blake would always tease me about the damn thing.
No matter how much I hated how girly it was to have the toy, especially at this age, I couldn't just get rid of it. The stuffed squishy toy was a gift from my mother when I turned two. It's helped me through many nights of heavy tears from breakups and betrayals. I valued it as my most prized possession.
Hopefully, the movers arrived soon, or by the latest tomorrow. In my bags were only a handful of outfits that wouldn't last me more than a day or two. Blake hauled most of the heavier boxes inside while I took some lighter stuff. I didn't really prefer that; I was in terrific shape, but I still didn't have the strength to lift over a hundred pounds. Thankfully, I was faster on my feet, allowing me to get more brought in than he could have. It wasn't a competition to him, but I guess I was a competitive girl.
Blake told me to wander the house, figure out where stuff is while he unpacked some necessities among his stuff. Before I could argue against the idea, he tossed me my plushie with a laugh. Furious, I stomped off with undoubtedly a burnt red face.
The house wasn't as confusing as I thought it would be. The first floor mostly comprised sitting areas and entertainment spaces. Only one room was unique from the rest, and that was the large kitchen that amounted to every housewife's dream. It wasn't a dream for me though; I hated cooking with a passion.
Stairs up to the second floor were easy enough to find. It helped that there were three sets of stairs from the first floor to the second and each set went all the way up it seemed. I would have to investigate further another time. Starting my exploration of the second floor, I found that the layout was rather simple again. Guest rooms and more entertainment spaces, mainly entertainment for men such as pool tables, ping-pong tables.
My favorite room on the second floor was the library. It was like every rich home had to have an obscene library; not that I minded much. Some shelves were barely filled and a good portion were empty. Not that a full library was important to me anyways. I always preferred reading on my tablet over reading from a hard or soft cover book.
Much to my confusion, I found a room that was locked. There was a keyhole, but I found no such key around. Figuring Blake would know about it, I pushed the frustration away and headed up to the third floor.
