“Wow! You sure are romantic. I really envy your wife. Please let her know that she looks stunning in all her photos and that it would be great if she could start posting content together with you too,” she suggested with a joyous smile as if she had just won the lottery.
“Sure. Thank you, I’ll make sure to let her know that,” I replied while hoping that she would just leave already.
After watching the woman leave, I picked up my phone just to realize that I didn’t even have my wife’s phone number.
...
Dahlia’s Point of View
**Later in the afternoon**
I sat cross legged on the bed with my phone in my hand as I waited for dinner time to arrive. My appetite for food had returned and that might be because I was in a much better mood than before.
Some progress is better than no progress, I guess...
To make me feel better about the situation that I was in, I started reflecting on some of the small steps of progress that I’ve made. Even though I haven’t reached my ultimate goal of getting my freedom back and I haven’t gotten the chance to see Anthony, it would be inaccurate to say that all my efforts had gone to waste. Bradon had lifted my ban from leaving the walls of the mansion and that meant that I could now go into the gardens. Leaving his property was still forbidden but I was sure that the photos that I’ve posted on Diana’s social media account across various platforms would do the trick very soon.
I smiled proudly to myself as I refreshed her social media account. There was that small joy of seeing the number of engagements and shares going up. Reading through the comments became a fun activity that I could use to pass the time. It was amazing just how crazy people were about our wedding and then our life as a newly married couple.
If only they knew that this was all just a set up to fool them all...
Regardless of what I personally thought or felt about their comments, there was no denying that the post had caught the public’s attention. One trend that emerged very clearly in the comments was that everyone was curious to find out more. The only thing that I hated about this move was that my father was going to benefit from it. In fact, he must have seen it by now and it must have put him in good spirits.
When my father called to state his selfish demands, I wanted to simply ignore it. However, I couldn’t ignore the possibility that these fake social media posts and the attention that they received could really become the key to my freedom. Nothing else worked like pressure from such a large group of people. If people demanded it, even Bradon and his family would have to bend. I couldn’t post photos from within the walls of this mansion or his property forever so that meant that I would need to go outside to create the content that everyone is yearning for.
Since my parents and his father were clearly in on it together, Bradon must have received a similar call from his father to complain about our lack of social media presence. If that was the case, then he may not have an option but to cooperate with this. A date that would require us to go outside would serve as the perfect excuse for me to get out of here. I could feel the corners of my lips lifting up into a calculating smirk when I imagined Bradon giving in to social pressure and letting me out of here.
Bradon and I clearly did not get along and we saw things very differently. In fact, interacting with him has led to nothing but arguments and fights between us. His character was so complex and unlike any man that I have ever dealt with before. All in all, I didn’t understand him at all. On top of that, I realized that I didn’t know much about him at all and because he wasn’t supposed to exist, I couldn’t quite search about him online the way that I could look up his younger brother.
Most of the time he was cold and cruel with a very twisted sense of humor. However, there are times when he ended up helping and saving me like that time when my parents suddenly came over after our wedding night. Then sometimes, he would say odd things that I didn’t quite understand. My mind automatically recalled the conversation that we had in the forest.
‘Do they bother you...all that I’ve done?’
‘Not at all...’
His answer confused and surprised me just as much as the fact that I suddenly asked him that question. Since when did I start caring about what other people thought about my past and all the things that I’ve done?
My brows knitted together as I started to have a problem with myself and where my thoughts were leading. I could still hear the way he casually stated his reply that he didn’t at all care about what I’d done. I let out a scoff while thinking that there was no way that anyone could simply brush it off so uncaringly. Then again, it probably wasn’t possible that he didn’t know about the incidents that I was involved in in the past.
Then, does that mean that they really don’t bother him?
“Why do I feel...so relieved?” I whispered as my hands flew to cover my cheeks.
It’s not like I’m looking for anyone’s forgiveness and I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I regretted anything. If I could go back in time, I still would have chosen to do the exact same things as before. I crossed my arms over my chest as I tried to figure out what I was feeling. It just didn’t make sense at all. Even if I desired to be forgiven for what I’ve done, I couldn’t imagine why I should care what he thought. Bradon would probably be the last person who I would want to accept me.
--To be continued...