Chapter 5 THE SCARF

FELICIA's P O V

‘‘Get dressed!’’ Marcus issued an abrupt command as he seized back the iPad that I had in my hands, and I glanced at him in uncertainty as I tried to figure out where he was going to transport me. ‘‘I'm going to take you somewhere...’’

I gave myself some time to reflect for a short while, and after doing so… I came to the conclusion that I should follow him because I was still an outsider in this new society, and as such, I had no choice but to carry out whatever instructions he gave me.

‘‘Where are we going?’’ I made the decision to ask him first, but all he did was shrug his shoulders and leave the room while carrying the iPad in one hand and stuffing the other hand into one of his pockets. Before he left, he gave me one last look as if to tell me that I should be prepared for when he returns, and then he was gone.

I sighed as I stormed towards the walk-in wardrobe and looked for something to wear, most likely a pair of trousers and a shirt, but when I opened the closet, my jaw fell, and I was shocked by what I saw.

Inside the closet, short and beautiful skirts, stunning and elegant dresses, and stockings were hanging up neatly and arranged in a manner that was sorted by colors and styles. Because this wasn’t exactly my taste in fashion, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it.

My closet from ten years ago was stuffed with baggy t-shirts and blouses, and you won't find a single skirt or dress in there because all I wore back then was leggings or pants. I also recalled that this was one of the reasons why Marcus liked to bully me because of the way that I dressed.

He said that ‘‘I look like a man…’’ but the fact that he said it didn't affect me in the least. You can pick on me as much as you like, but you won't be able to alter my personality or my style of dress no matter how much bad words you say to me.

But what really happened ten years later? How did my closet get to be in this state right now?

As I started looking for something to put on, I couldn't help but let out a frustrated groan. I didn't have a choice. These were the only options available to me right now.

I couldn't help but grin when I finally tracked down an oversized white t-shirt and a long skirt that reached all the way down to my ankles. This was the one that best fit my preferences.

After taking off the towel that was wrapped around my head and tossing it on the ground, I pulled my shirt up over my head and threw it on top of the towel that was already on the floor.

I examined my reflection in the full-length mirror, and I was going to put on my shirt when I suddenly became aware that the size of my breasts had significantly changed from what it had been ten years before. When I cupped them with my hands, I was quite aback to discover that it would not fit in. They have grown in size and vigor since then.

However, the thing that astonished me the most was when I noticed, in the reflection, that there was a man standing there and looking behind me.

My palms became sticky with sweat, and I felt a rapid thumping that pulsed in the side of my neck. My heart was beating extremely fast. Why did he keep showing up? God!

‘‘What the hell are you doing here?!’’ I let out a scream as I whirled around and grabbed the first thing that came to hand in an effort to hide my nakedness. ‘‘Get out of here!’’

I took up the towel that was lying on the ground and hurled it at him, but he did not move from his position.

‘‘I said, get out!’’

‘‘Hey, hey!’’ he said while maintaining a serious expression on his face but showing obvious signs of desire in his eyes. ‘‘What exactly is the problem? You know there’s nothing wrong with me seeing you naked. We’re married!’’

‘‘Get. Out!’’ I made sure to pronounce each word, and didn't pay attention to what he was saying as I proceeded to throw things at him until he put up his hands in a sign of surrender and started walking away from me while shaking his head.

Before rushing to change into the long skirt and the oversized white t-shirt, I hurriedly made my way towards the door, which I then quickly shut and locked.

When I was sixteen, the only things I put on my face were a light dusting of powder and some lip gloss. Today, after drying my long blonde hair with a blow dryer, I went back to those simple beauty routines even though I saw different brands of expensive make-up on the vanity.

I left the walked-in wardrobe to look for my glasses, but I was unsuccessful in my search after looking everywhere. It seems that I had stopped using of it.

Marcus saw me changing my clothing made me embarrass now to face him again. But I have to. Because he told me he was going to take me somewhere, I couldn't help but wonder where we would go.

After what seemed like an eternity, I was able to leave the room, and once I did, I took my time looking around, only to realize that this house was quite large. I headed my way through the house's passageways, and I became aware that I was on the second floor of the building and that this level included a great number of rooms. Roughly four or five rooms make up the entire space.

I made my way towards the stairs, but I observed that the wall was decorated with paintings and photographs of Kenny from the time he was a young child until he reached the age he is at the present time.

When I saw myself walking around the park with Kenny by his side, holding his tiny hand, I couldn't help but crack a grin. There was also a picture where I was pushing him on a swing while he was laughing, and as he was sliding down the slide chute, his hands were thrown up in the air, and I was standing at the end of the chute, waiting for him to slide down with my arms wide open, ready to catch him.

I smiled as I traced my fingers across the frames and noticed a picture of me and Marcus dressed up for our wedding. We looked happy together in the picture because we’re smiling from ear to ear.

We looked so perfect. But why couldn’t I feel anything towards him. If this marriage was fake, why did we seem so contented and happy in the photos?

I was startled when Marcus suddenly pulled me and dragged me down the stairs.

‘‘Hey!’’ I shook his hand from mine and folded my arms across my chest, glaring at him with my lips pressed in a firm, straight line. ‘‘Stop startling me all the time, will you?’’

‘‘We’re going to be late…’’ was all he said as he turned around and walked towards the car that was parked outside. ‘‘Hurry up!’’

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I marched to the main door and hopped inside the car he opened for me.

After closing the car door, he walked around and settled himself on the driver’s seat beside me and fastened his seatbelt.

I was already done fastening mine when he suddenly leaned over causing my eyes to go wider. ‘‘W-what the---’’

I wasn’t able to complete what I was saying when he interrupted me by putting on a scarf around my neck, following which he pulled away, turned the key in the ignition and drove away.

I blushed out of embarrassment, therefore I'm trying to think of something that we can discuss to cover it up.

‘‘What the heck is this?’’ I inquired while giving the blue crocheted scarf a cursory touch while seeming repulsed by it. ‘‘I can't believe how nasty this is. I was wondering where you got this…’’

He gave a heavy sigh. ‘‘You made that scarf for me…’’

Wait... What? Since when did I learn how to make a scarf?

‘‘You can't possibly mean that!’’ I blurted out, feeling a little more embarrassed now. ‘‘I don’t think I can make something like this. I don’t even know to do this…’’

His tone became more subdued as he continued, ‘‘I'm telling you the truth...’’

When I unwrapped the scarf that was around my neck and checked it, I noticed that it had an embroidery of two small dogs. This brought back the memory of how much I adore dogs. And they have their names that were also embroidered on the scarf. Marcus and Felicia.

Did I really make this scarf for him?