NARRATIVE
Cora smiled through the tears running down her cheeks in torrents, as she stared at the love letters she'd written since several years for Ashton but was rejected and sent back to her.
She was sitting in her room chair, the pile of letters on the table before her. An ashtray nearby and a lighter on it. She hadn't taken up her window blinds, neither was the light turned on so her room was dark. Except for the small bedside lamp that she'd left on since the previous night.
As Cora stared at her letters somberly, she finally came to a conclusion. She'd tried her best to win Ashton's love. She's been trying for several years now but her attempt never blossom even the smallest of result.
Picking up several of the colored envelopes_which contained her numerous love letters to him, she lit up the lighter and slowly placed the yellow flame on the paper, holding it above the ashtray. And as she watched the flame consumed them to ash, she wiped her eyes_which doesn't seem to run out on the salty liquid, dripping down her face.
"Ashy, I'm not letting you go. I'm only giving you some space. I'd definitely come back stronger. I hope you'll look at me then." She said as a sick smile reflected on her face before she dropped the burning paper on the ashtray and began repeating the same process with the others.
SCARLETT'S POV
I stared at the tray in Marinette's hands, a small lopsided smile on my face.
Harriet!
She's trying to test me, to see if I know something about her crimes to myself and my late mother.
If I don't drink it, she'll find me suspicious. If I do, she'll think I know nothing. She'll think I don't suspect her.
Well, two can play at this game. That aside, she wouldn't dare to poison me in my own father's house, not under his intense watchful eyes.
I looked up at Marinette who'd been silently watching me all this while. Pushing several strands of hair off my face, I smiled at her.
"Really?" I chuckled. "Stepmother is so kind." I said sarcastically as I picked up the glass of orange juice from the tray. "Tell her I say thanks, Rinette. I'll enjoy this." I caressed the glass cup in my hand with my fingers as I watch her bow slightly.
"Yes, Ms." She said before leaving, walking reluctantly towards the door.
Harriet must have asked her to make sure she watches me to know if I'd drink the juice or not. I know Marinette would hang around outside and steal glances to know if I did so she could report back. I know because my instinct is always right.
Well, let's not stress them so much.
The moment I heard the door open, I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip of the drink. It's not my flavor but for the sake of achieving a greater cause, I'd just drink it.
HARRIET'S POV
"She drank it Madam." The kitchen maid said in a whisper to me, right at the kitchen corridor where I was waiting for her.
I turned around to stare at her as my eyes widened slightly.
"Are you sure, Marinette?"
"Yes, Madam. Before I left the room, she already took a sip of the drink and to also confirm she did, I made sure to watch her from the slightly opened door. Before I left, she asked me to say thank you to you and she made a remark that you're so kind." She explained with head bowed, hands entwined before her.
Her explanation made me smirk. That kid is sure smart!
There's only two things certain here. One, she doesn't have any concern or suspicion with me being her stepmother and she already accepted things the way it is. Or, she knows what she's doing. Which would the correct answer be?
Scarlett is thoroughly like her Mom. She does everything the way Paige used to. But unlike her dead mother, Paige, I can't access her thoughts. I can't read what she's thinking, neither can I see meaning from her expressions. She didn't get this trait from Paige, she got it from Jamie! I'm certain of that!
"That's very sweet of her. I'm glad she's accepting me already as her new mom." I said with a false smile in other to cover up any suspicious thoughts in the maid's mind.
"Yes Madam. The new Ms. Is really nice. She..."
"Oh Marinette, you haven't turned off the heat! You could ruin our lunch with such mistake." I said immediately, cutting off her sentence_before my ears start becoming itchy due to how she was beginning to praise Scarlett.
"Oh My Gosh! I'm so sorry Madam." She immediately scurried towards the oven while I smirked secretly.
The maid wouldn't suspect anything behind the reason I had given her that task earlier.
Scarlett Grey, you're a powerful combination of two formidable people. Well, I'll make sure to break you before you ruin me.
I should go to my room, it's time for my morning medication.
IMOGEN'S POV
After a while of lying in bed and feeling so low, a thought flashed through my mind and I'd immediately sprung to my feet and made my way to mother's room.
My curiosity about what she meant_when I'd overheard her talking with Ashton the other day, was getting the better of me and I needed to explore on it.
I was in her room, her big purplish palatial room. It's pretty and exactly Mom's style but it's not as magnificent as Scarlett's late Mom's own_which is now Scarlett's room.
I was here looking around for anything suspicious but I couldn't find anything, when I heard the sound of mother's footsteps coming towards her room. I momentarily panicked.
Not like she'll scold me for entering her room without permission, I'm panicky because I needed an excuse to give for being in here. But I also wanted to see something, anything that'll make my curiosity settle a bit.
After a while, I decided I wasn't going away or showing myself to her. I looked around the room and finally decided I could hide in her huge wardrobe.
Just as the door handle turned open, and mother walked in, I was already hiding safely in her wardrobe but I could still see her as I didn't close the wardrobe completely, I'd created some space I could easily peep from.
I watched Mum locked the door after her, looked around her room before she walked to her huge queen sized bed and sat on it.
She leaned down the bed and I watched curiously from my hideout as she opened up a hidden shelf attached discreetly to the mahogany. She opened the shelf and brought out some small white containers which obviously contained pills.
Watching her like this, I was trembling within me. Why's mother taking drugs secretly? What's wrong with her?
My eyes widened from shock the moment she retrieved several pills from the containers and swallowed them, drinking water from a water bottle instantly.
My head was in a mess at the moment, my thinking utterly disorganized. A lot of unimaginable thoughts ran through my mind. But I panicked more when I saw mother collapsed on her bed, right after taking the drugs. The closed water bottle not far from her reach.
Without a seconds delay, I walked out of the wardrobe and shakily hurried to her side.
"Mother?" I called but got no response.
"Mum? Mum! Mother?!" I called, bending over her face and staring at her with widened eyes.
Is that sleeping pills? Did she overdose on it? Why's she not answering?!
I felt her purse instantly and to my relief, she was breathing fine.
I picked up the small white containers and stared at them carefully. Amongst the three containers, I could only recognize one as an antidepressant drug. The others, I don't know them. Their names make no meaning to me.
This is huge! Was mother suffering from depression all these while? Why didn't she tell us? How comes she's in such a state?!
"Mum, are there other things you're hiding from us?" I looked down her face again as an unfamiliar feeling overwhelmed me, making my knees go weak and I collapsed to the floor.
Please, this should be a dream. Someone tell me my Mum's fine.