One Wrong Choice

A Woman Married to a Rich Man

A quick disclaimer: I will be staying mostly true to rdr 2 but I will be changing stuff as well. For example I will be changing the ending because I'm a sucker for happy endings, as well as saying that Arthur does not have Tuberculosis for the sake of keeping him alive.

1st. POV:

   I woke up with a similar feeling every morning: discontent. Today however, was different than most, today was a day of mourning.

   As usual my dear husband, Alexander, was not in bed. He was likely eating breakfast or sorting out affairs with business investors.

   When I was 22, my father, a wealthy coal mine owner, decided it was high time I did my part in maintaining the family wealth. He arranged my marriage with another rich and equaly pompous family: they owned a prominent oil operation in Texas and their eldest son, Alexander Coterra, was to be my husband when he was 26. The Coterra family was well known for their oil wells and their harsh labor conditions. As unhappy as I was being married to the man who ran those operations, I was far happier I didn't have to work for him. Wealthy men tend to be corrupt and Alexander was by no means an exception. I played dumb, of course, but I knew full well what happened behind those closed, lavish doors.

   Upon dressing and doing my makeup, I decided to wear my mother's necklace as well. Today was the anniversary of her death and as tradition, I wore her favorite pendant in her memory. My father used to be a kind man until she passed, then he flung himself into his work and focused only on how to increase his wealth, widening the gap between us. I miss the family we once were.

   Walking down the ornate staircase of the manor, I made my way to the dinning room. There, a maid was already setting out breakfast for Alexander and me. He was already reading the days news paper,"Did you hear, dear?" He asked, not even looking up from his papers,"It seems there's been sightings of some nasty yankees in town," he tutted. "Are they in the newspaper?" I prompted, surely the press hasn't become so bored they'd write about merely seeing cowboys. "No, Mr. Bronte told me yesterday night. They attended the Mayors' Gala," he said in a matter of fact way. He must have truly believed Bronte liked him, the first time I met him was at a small party a few years ago. The moment Alexander was out of our sights, Bronte began flirting with me; saying plenty of terrible things about Alexander in the process. It was for this reason I skipped yesterday's Gala, and the one before that. He was truly a snake...

   "Cowboys at the Mayors' gala?" I acted appalled, it was fun to act extra. The most amusement I usually got was seeing Alexander buy my ridiculous facades. A maid set down a cup of tea for me plus a plate of biscuits and jam. "Indeed, what is this world coming too?...," the same servant came over, placed down a cup of tea and some biscuits, and began whispering in Alexander's ear before he could continue.

   He cleared his throat,"I see your wearing your mother's pendant today... that time again?" He asked trying to sound genuine. It seemed every year he forgot, only the maid was kind enough to remember, but for the sake of staying friendly he at least tried to come off as if he cared about my woes. I nodded and sipped my tea. "Fraid so," I sighed. "Yes, well...forgive me dearest, I do have important issues to attend to outside of the house today, I may not be home tonight," he said hastily. He quickly sipped down the rest of his tea and took his paper into the main room. 'Not being home tonight' usually meant working a little in the day and then going out for poker, drinks, and whores right after. I didn't usually mind though, it meant I got to have peace and do as I pleased.

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   The rest day went by smoothly, I helped one of the maids with the laundry and dinner was served not long after, a letter came in from my cousin, Beatrice, too. She was writing to tell me she was sorry about my mother's loss and to hold strong on her anniversary, she did this every year. I wasn't sure if it was genuine, we hadn't seen each other I at least ten years, but I appreciated it nonetheless.