The Runaway Wife

Chapter 3

When Miya got home from school, she found the house in disarray. After hearing about what happened at the party she'd expected it to be deathly quiet but instead her parents were running around the house, yelling excitedly and grabbing random articles of clothing. Jacelyn was sitting in the living room alone, looking dazed and frightened.

"What happened?" Miya asked quietly, setting her books down and plopping down next to her little sister. Jackie looked up at her sadly but didn't respond. It was obvious that she didn't want to talk about it. Ever.

"Oh! Miya! Thank goodness you're here." Her mother scampered across the room, face red from running around wildly. "John Hadley, the heir to the Hikari Company, asked his mother about your sister." She giggled at this news even though she was the one relaying it. "Mrs. Hadley has invited our little Jackie over for tea tomorrow so she can meet with her son. Isn't this great? Everything is working out perfectly!"

Miya glanced at the pale faced girl sitting across from her. Her hands were shaking and she quickly sat on them to hide the fact that she was ready to run into the woods and never return. "Jackie," she whispered. "You don't have to go, you know."

"Of course she has to go!" The mother slapped Miya's hand. "Shame on you, Miya, stopping your little sister from becoming rich and successful! I can't believe you." With that, the woman ran off again to tell her husband that he needed buy some nice smelling perfume for their "wonderful" daughter who they'd been calling useless only a few hours ago.

"Don't worry," Jacelyn whispered as she wrung her hands. "It's my fault for being boring."

Miya's heart went out to her sister but she couldn't do anything to help her. This was how it had always been. Jacelyn had been dragged about by her parents' wishes and she was too cowardly to go against them. She was too afraid of being rejected by them.

"I'm sure it's just a friendly visit," the older sister said, squeezing Jackie's cold hands. "Don't worry."

~~~

Jacelyn was dropped off in front of a huge mansion made of marble. Her parents kissed her good bye before driving off, leaving her to enter the main gates by herself. They'd dressed her in a pretty, pink dress that she didn't like and sprayed strong perfume on her before she stepped out of their car. Now, the stench of flowers filled her nose and the heels she'd been forced to wear pinched her feet as she walked up the steps to the front door. A servant opened it and gestured for her to enter the main room at the end of the extravagant hall.

All fear was forgotten for a moment as she admired the beautiful pictures and vases lining the walls. She'd always loved art like this, although she'd never been able to make any of it herself or remember any of the works' names. Her favorite picture in the hallway was of a child sitting on a swing that hung over a cliff. It looked very exciting but also too dangerous for her to ever attempt in real life.

"This way, ma'am." A different servant opened the door to the tea room for her and she stepped inside. The room was full of flowers and exotic trees. In the center of these plants sat Mrs. Hadley, preparing a tray of tea for her shy guest. She was dressed in a white dress with golden accents and her hair, which was probably grey naturally, had been dyed a beautiful gold to match her outfit. It made Jackie's own brown hair look dull in comparison. As soon as the beautiful woman laid eyes on her, she smiled gently and motioned for her to sit.

"How are you, Jacelyn? I've heard so much about you from your mother," she told her in a sugary voice that sounded far too polite to show what she was truly feeling. It was the same voice John had been using when he addressed the crowd and the tone had only disappeared when he'd said that one cold word to her.