Lisa's POV

I wiped my tears with my right palm. I felt I'd cried so much and I didn't want that anymore. Yet, the pain I felt inside remained. It was so much that I was starting to lose my mind.

"Would you be kind enough to tell me about your family?" Hugo asked. "Perhaps, we could figure something out together."

I was sceptical about it. I mean, I only just met him. It was true that he saved my life but I couldn't tell why. He could have done that to use me for his selfish reasons, although he didn't seem to be that way. I decided to tell him. What was the worst that could happen?

"Yeah, I can. I must warn you though, it's a long story," I said, sitting back down.

"I don't mind," he replied, this time, walking to the sofa where I sat and sitting right next to me. "I'm all ears, Lisa."

"Well, Johnny and I were friends from childhood. We went to the same school and it didn't take long for us to become friends. Our friendship blossomed into something very beautiful as we got older and we began to notice that we were attracted to each other. One day, we went to the zoo together with Mandy, and when we had a moment alone, he proposed to me. I was overjoyed. I couldn't believe it because as much as we loved each other, I felt he was never going to want to get married to me in the end."

"Why did you think so?" He asked, with a very concerned look on his face.

"Well, Johnny was from a very wealthy family. Much like yours." We both chuckled at that point and I went on. "I wasn't. I was barely able to pay my fees in school. So I felt like in the end, he wouldn't want to marry someone like me. The rich folks always found a way to get with people like them. But Johnny was different. After our graduation, he took me to his mom and told her that he wanted to get married to me. My heart kept pounding so hard as he spoke to her, especially because of the disdainful expression on her face."

"And what was her response?"

"Well, she spat on the floor, right in front of me. That was her response. She swore that she would never accept me into her family and called me a gold digger. I was left speechless. I prayed to the goddess that the land should swallow me up. Well, she didn't listen."

"That was so cruel of the woman. It can never be okay to treat someone that way."

"Well, she did and there was nothing I could do about it." I scratched my hair, trying to remember what exactly I said last. "Well, Johnny didn't listen to her. He was under a lot of pressure but he insisted on me. We did get married, even though Mrs Sarah wasn't happy about it. She promised to make my life a living hell and she did. I did my best to treat her well but nothing I ever did was good enough for her. She always found a fault or two and I didn't know how to change her mind. Thankfully, Johnny was always on my side, defending me against his mother. Surely, you can see why I trust him, can't you?"

He nodded.

"I didn't get pregnant until this year. This is the third year of our marriage. It seemed it somehow made Mrs Sarah a bit more accommodating. Everything seemed fine to me; to everyone else. We were all happy."

"So what could be the problem?" Hugo asked.

"Well, I never said there was a problem, did I?"

"No, you didn't. Yet, you must have noticed something unusual, even in the slightest way. Have you?"

"Well, if there was ever anything unusual, it was the arrival of Mandy, my best friend," I explained. "She returned home from studying abroad for three years. She travelled after my wedding with Johnny. Her return coincided with a time when my husband's business had some issues and she could help. She asked if she could come to stay with us for a while and I obliged. After the help, everyone loved her, Mrs Sarah too, and even when she left the house for a few days, she'd always call her to see if she could return to our place soon. She was nice to everyone; always cheerful, there was no boring moment with Mandy."

"From all you've said, I think I know what the problem is."

"You do?" I asked.

"Sure. I think you must know that"

He was cut short by a knock on the main door. "That must be my mom," he said. I heard footsteps of someone heading toward the door in a hurry so I assumed it was one of the servants.

I was nervous. I didn't have a great experience with Johnny's mom, so the nervousness was bound to happen. Hugo tapped my hand a little, probably so we could continue our talk, but I was more concerned about knowing what was going on with his mom, so I ignored him.

I listened carefully and heard the maid speaking to her. "Master just saved a young lady," she said. "They're inside the house."

"That can't be true," the woman replied. "We both know that my son hasn't felt a thing since his sister died. Don't tell me rubbish anymore or you'll pay for it."

"Yes, ma'am."

I heard footsteps approaching and I knew she was about to come in. I sat up, moved away from Hugo a bit and adjusted my dress, waiting patiently for the opening of the door to the room.

She pushed the door open, a bit aggressively and I saw a woman, supposedly in her fifties, judging by how she looked facially but was she fit! She had red hair, just like mine and she was very beautiful. As soon as she set her eyes on me, she froze and called out a name.

"Melissa!"