CHAPTER2: The Oppression Of Victoria

Victoria's presence in the house blurr like an unending shadow, a constant reminder of how easily Xavier had cast me aside without even thinking twice. The atmosphere felt dense, saturated with her perfume and self-satisfaction.

She carried herself as if she owned the place, parading around in revealing outfits and barking orders at the staff like she was the one who employed them.

They used to treat me with kindness and respect, but now they hastily obeyed her, avoiding my eyes in the hallway. I had lost my status as their lady; I had become just an obstacle in their way.

Xavier didn't just allow Victoria to take over; he seemed to encourage it. He would watch her with a dazed expression, as if enchanted. He failed to speak up for me or put a stop to her behavior. His silence screamed that she was now in control, and I had to accept it.

Victoria thrived in her newfound authority. She treated the staff poorly, snapping orders at them for trivial matters and making them redo tasks until everything was flawless, solely to assert her dominance. As for me, her treatment was even worse, as if I were her personal servant,like I was her personal maid.

It began with small demands. "Isabelle, bring me my shoes." "Isabelle, see to my bath." But this quickly escalated into something I can't really phantom,she is literally turning me to a maid.

She'd wake me in the dead of night for snacks or drinks, make me iron her clothes despite having staff for that, and intentionally spill things on me, laughing when I had to change.

"Oh, clumsy me," she'd say, feigning innocence. "Perhaps you should be more careful, housekeeper."

Housekeeper. Not my name, not who I was. Just... housekeeper.

She seized every opportunity to strip away my dignity, critiquing my clothes, hair, and makeup. "You look like a ghost," she would scoff. "Xavier deserves someone beautiful, not... you."

Her words felt like tiny daggers, gnawing at my self-worth and slowly infecting my mind with something unknown. I started to internalize her opinions, feeling ugly and insignificant.

She ridiculed my attempts to maintain some sense of dignity. Whenever I tried to share a meal with Xavier, she would find a way to ruin it, making exaggerated moaning sounds while kissing him, daring me to react, or bringing up intimate details of their nights together that were too painful to hear.

Xavier never asked her to stop; he merely observed with a slight smirk, sometimes making me wonder if he actually enjoyed my suffering.

Gradually, I began to fade away like I was a paper. Xavier ceased all communication with me, ignoring me during meals as if I had vanished. His world was now centered on Victoria,on her alone nothing else really matters to him,not even me,not even my feelings.

He stopped including me in events business dinners, social gatherings, even family occasions. When I inquired about their whereabouts, he would simply shrug and say, "Out," as if it were none of my concern.

Our friends were at a loss. They would call occasionally, but the conversations grew awkward until, inevitably, they stopped altogether, drifting away as they struggled to navigate the turmoil of my life. I was utterly alone in my own home...

Then, there was the financial aspect. Xavier cut me off from our joint accounts, insisting I didn't need any money and that he would handle everything. However, this meant that Victoria controlled every cent.

If I needed anything, I had to approach her like a child requesting an allowance, begging for the basics.

"Please, Victoria," I would say, my voice shaking. "I need money for groceries."

She would regard me with cold indifference. "Groceries, huh? What, Xavier isn't feeding you enough?" Then she'd scoff, giving me just enough to scrape by each time, belittling me with her generosity.

*****

Every day was a struggle to hold onto hope, to convince myself that this wasn't how my life had to be, that Xavier would eventually realize his mistake and send Victoria packing with immediate effect.

But each day, that hope eroded further, giving way to despair, which threatened to consume me entirely.

Lying awake at night, I could hear Xavier and Victoria in the next room, their laughter and murmurs piercing through me like knives. I would cling to my pillow, trying to block out the sounds and grasping at memories of happiness that felt increasingly distant.

I was confined, utterly powerless. And Victoria was acutely aware of the pain she was causing me, relishing in it, enjoying every bit of it.

Then one evening, she went too far….

I had a cherished old wooden box filled with memories from my childhood, a worn photograph of my parents, a smooth gray stone I'd discovered at the beach, and a tiny hand-carved bird my grandfather had crafted for me. Reminders of a time when I felt secure and loved.

Victoria somehow found it, perhaps snooping around. It doesn't matter how; what matters is that she destroyed it.

She shattered the box and scattered my precious belongings across the floor, grinding my parents' faces into the wood with her foot, tossing the stone into the fireplace, and breaking the bird in half.

When I walked in and saw the destruction, my heart sank. It felt like she had assaulted me, not just my belongings.

Something inside me broke, a fragile thread of hope snapped in an instant.

I screamed, not even recalling the words I shouted, only knowing that my voice was raw with rage and anguish.

I lunged at Victoria with outstretched hands, driven by a need to inflict even a fraction of the pain she had caused me.

But she only laughed, a sickly delight gleaming in her eyes.

"Oh really?" she taunted in a low, menacing voice. "And how do you plan to do that, Isabelle? You're powerless. Xavier would never let you lay a finger on me,get that into your head."

Her words struck me like a blow In the mouth. They were painfully accurate. I was powerless. With no money, no allies, no support, Xavier had stripped it all away.

Breathless and defeated, I stood there, the fight draining from me, leaving behind only a hollow ache.

Was she right? Was I truly powerless? Would I ever find a way out of this nightmare?