Chapter 6

• Richard
• “I don’t understand how the hell she managed to leave without being seen. The mansion is supposed to have surveillance on every perimeter. Since her first attempt to escape, I hired a security service to keep an eye on her, but it seems they are incompetent. At least the reason for my now-wife’s escape is not to run away with another man, or maybe it is a possibility. After all, I took away her freedom without knowing anything about her life, and up to this moment, I only know her name and how beautiful she is. However, I can’t help but feel somewhat frustrated to have her in front of me; her resemblance to Hannah is almost exact.”
• “Sir, the cameras recorded her leaving through the back of the house,” my security chief informs me.
• “My question is, why wasn’t someone guarding that entrance?” I ask without looking at him.
• “The guard said he was going to the bathroom at that moment. I saw no reason to send a replacement, as everything seemed in order in the house,” he replies stoically.
• “I don’t pay you to do as you please; your salary is to fulfill your duties to the letter,” I mutter, walking slowly towards him until I stand right in front of him. “You better pray that nothing has happened to her and that we find her in one piece,” I warn, giving the order for him to lead me to the others who have gone in search of my wife.
• We spend over half an hour following the trail that the dogs found, and with each step, I feel more scared about the direction we are heading. It’s just what I feared, towards the edge of the cliff. I never liked this mansion so secluded from everything, even though it’s a good business to have this property. The idea of buying it was Hannah’s; I remember how happy she was the day she told me she had found the perfect place for us.
• “Richard, my love!” my wife exclaimed, bursting into my office at the law firm.
• I stood up and smiled as I walked around the desk to greet her warmly. I wrapped my arms around her, feeling like the luckiest man alive. I thought no one had my luck; I found the perfect woman for me without having to wait long.
• “Tell me what’s the reason for your happiness,” I asked, not letting her go.
• “I found our home; it’s the perfect place. It’s huge, with a beautiful garden and a forest where we can play with our children and even have a dog, a big and beautiful one,” she squealed without any specific order.
• “I’m not understanding you; do you want a house, children, and a dog?” I asked, amused.
• Her eyes shined with happiness as she continued to describe the place she had found. It seems to be one of those mansion-like castles. She talked about the time it would take her to redecorate everything and make it more to her style, the views, and the size of the master bedroom. She still didn’t understand that I would be happy by her side even if we had to live in a matchbox.
• “What do you say? Will you buy it for both of us?” she asked after a while when her words almost ran out. I once read that women can say almost ten thousand words in a day, but with my beautiful wife, I thought that’s nothing.
• “Whatever you want, you will have it. You know I can’t say no to anything you ask for,” I replied honestly, looking into her beautiful eyes full of life and love.
• She started screaming and jumping around the office, causing me to burst into laughter at her natural spontaneity. She is everything I cannot be: outgoing, daring, fun, authentic. She was simply the love of my life.
• “Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you. You are the best man in the world,” she said, returning to my side.
• “It is you who makes me better every day. Without you, my life would continue to be monotonous and boring. You give me that touch of color that I was missing,” I whisper before kissing her, our lips coming together in a deeper kiss.
• “Sir, we have found her!” one of my men’s voices brings me back to the present.
• “Where is she?” I ask, directing the flashlight to where they indicate.
• My wife is lying on the floor with her eyes closed. I think she is asleep, but her body looks battered, and the dress she is wearing is torn. I observe the space where she is and realize that there are signs that she crawled to get to where she was. She probably fell down the small slope on the side; luckily, it is not steep enough to lead to a fall.
• I kneel beside her and examine her. Despite the bruises and dirt, she looks fine. Her breathing is steady as if she had fallen asleep. The universe stopped when she was born. Regardless of how she looks now, she is still beautiful. Now that I have the opportunity to see her up close, I realize that her face is very different from Hannah’s. The shape of her lips resembles those of a goddess incarnate. I feel ridiculous having these kinds of thoughts.
• “Sir, try to wake her up to know her condition,” Darwin suggests. I nod as I gently caress her cheek. Her skin is as soft as I imagined.
• “Claudia, please wake up,” I whisper, causing her to groan as if she is having a very pleasant dream and does not want to wake up. “Claudia, wake up. We have to go back home,” I say with some regret because I do not consider that mansion a true home.
• “Where am I? What are you doing here?” she asks suddenly, trying to sit up, but groaning in pain as she does so.
• “Don’t move, you are injured,” I place my hands around her to prevent her from hurting herself. “We are within the grounds of the property. I didn’t know where you were, and the cameras saw you leave, so I decided to go look for you and luckily we found you,” I say in a soft tone.
• “Yes, it’s lucky for you that I couldn’t escape,” she scoffs, trying to get up.
• She is ungrateful; after I saved her, she has the nerve to speak to me in that way.
• “How do I explain it to you, my wife? I am a man who takes care of his investments,” I reply. The men step back a bit, giving us privacy as they sense the tension in the air.
• “I assure you that sooner or later I will get away from all your crap. I never asked to be your wife; they didn’t even consult me if I wanted to get married. They simply decided for me, and that’s why I hate you and despise you. You disgust me,” her words are sincere and bitter, yet something tells me that fear is what makes her speak. Perhaps she thinks she will die in this place.
• “I confess that I am not a good hunter; however, I am going to enjoy having you at my mercy,” I say, trying to provoke her further.
• “Don’t touch me with your filthy hands!” she yells, giving me a slap.
• “A few hours ago it seemed like you wanted my hands to undress you if I remember correctly,” I replied.
• “You’re a miserable person,”
• It’s true that this woman drives me crazy, but I can’t deny how much I enjoy seeing her red with anger.
• Ignoring her tantrum, I carry her in my arms when I notice the swelling in her ankle. I could have had someone else carry her, but in my wildest dreams, I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to annoy her even more. Besides, I won’t allow anyone else to put their hands on my wife’s body. After a lot of arguing and shouting for me to put her down, she fell silent with a fixed gaze ahead. I wrap her in my jacket to help her warm up; her skin was cold when we found her. Suddenly she sneezes and holds her head; she probably catches a cold. She’s a very foolish woman; how could she venture to escape from a place where she knows nothing in the middle of the night?
• When Mrs. Clara sees us at the bottom of the stairs, she lets out a sigh of relief seeing me carrying Claudia in my arms. However, her concern resurfaces when she sees the deplorable state in which I bring her. She follows me up to the room where my wife stays and helps me settle her in the armchair. Before getting into bed, she has to take a hot shower; her body is still somewhat cold and dirty.
• “Mrs. Clara, please take care of cleaning her with hot water. She was outside for a long time, and her body still hasn’t regained warmth; she might be catching a cold.” I say before leaving.
• “Thank you,” she huffs without looking at me as I was about to close the door.
• “It’s a pleasure, Mrs. Mobasseri.” I reply and close the door without waiting for any more responses.
• Tomorrow, when she’s calmer, I’ll try to talk to her to reach an agreement. Although it’s entertaining, it’s exhausting to be arguing every second.