I listened closely for any noise that indicated that William was home.
As I tiptoed down the corridor, I could make out voices in the living room. Before I knew it, I was standing beside the entrance to the living room as my heart pounded in my ears. I peeked into the room and nearly fell over in shock.
William was rambling about some deal he was trying to close. But that wasn’t what caught my attention—it was the person he was talking to.
“Uncle Smith?” I called out in shock.
The two of them turned to look at me from their places on the couch. The look on William’s face was priceless: a combination of shock, confusion, and disbelief. Uncle Smith’s face, on the other hand, was absolutely delighted.
He jumped to his feet. “Heather?”
I beamed and ran toward him, hugging him tightly as he twirled me around.
“Uncle Smith, how are you?” I exclaimed, studying his face.
“I’m doing good, what about you? It’s been so long, Booboo,” he said, running his hands through my hair.
I gave him another hug. “I’m doing all right. It’s just so nice to see you again.”
Uncle Smith was like another father to me. We were neighbors for a long time until my family had to move to California for my dad’s business. We still kept in touch, but it was hard to meet up since we were all so busy.
I pulled back to look over his features. His dark blond hair had gray streaks in it, and his hazel eyes had more wrinkles around them. But other than that, he was the same Uncle Smith I remembered as a child.
“Booboo, you’ve become so beautiful. I still remember the little girl with pigtails and several Band-Aids covering her legs.” He smiled fondly at the memory.
I laughed at the thought of my childhood. The nickname Booboo came about from how I was prone to injuries. I basically couldn’t go a day without hurting myself in one way or another, so I ended up having Band-Aids and scratches all over my arms and legs.
“So what are you doing here?” I asked, plopping down on the couch beside him.
“I was closing a deal with William, but enough about me, what are you doing here?” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows curiously.
“Well,” I dragged out, “I sort of live here.”
Uncle Smith’s eyes widened, and his jaw dropped slightly.
“Wait a second, you actually got married?” He sounded astounded.
I blushed slightly and played with my fingers. “Yep.”
He ran a hand through his hair and muttered something incorrigible under his breath. “I apologize for not making the wedding. A family emergency had popped up earlier that week, so I had to take care of that. But I honestly had no idea you were marrying William, I thought it was someone else.”
Uncle Smith turned to look at William, who I totally forgot was in the room with us in the excitement. He seemed to be confused, probably wondering how I knew Jacob Smith.
“William, if you had told me that you had married my little Heather, I would have given you the deal in a heartbeat,” Uncle Smith said, patting my head.
“I was not aware that my wife had connections with you, sir. If she had told me, we might have been able to close this deal earlier,” he replied stiffly, before glaring at me like I purposely didn’t tell him I knew Uncle Smith.
I mentally stabbed him with my eyes.
How was I supposed to know he was trying to get a contract with Uncle Smith? It wasn’t like he ever said anything to me. I couldn’t even remember the last time he said more than ten words to me.
God, I’m so bitter.
“Well, I must get going now, but you’d better come visit soon. We have a lot to catch up on,” Uncle Smith said, kissing my forehead. He stood up and shook William’s hand briefly before saying goodbye. It was silent as we waited for him to leave the house.
Once the front door slammed shut, William turned to me and sneered, “So, did you sleep with him, and how much money did you get from him?”
What the hell? Did he not hear me say “Uncle” Smith?
My stomach churned with disgust, and before I knew what was happening, my hand reached out and slapped him right across his face.
“How could you say such a thing!” I yelled.
He slowly turned his face back and returned the deathly glare on my face.
“Uncle Smith is like a father to me, do you honestly think that badly of me? That I would sleep with someone for money?” I whispered sadly.
His assumptions hurt me, but it also infuriated me that he thought I was a gold digger. Maybe that was why he treated me like a piece of trash.
I glared at him a few more seconds before shaking my head and heading upstairs to my room. Thankfully, the two of us didn’t share a room.
That would have been so awkward.
I stopped in front of the mirror of my en suite and studied myself. People have always told me that my big, round eyes were the most striking feature of my face, and I had to agree. My eye color was a bit bizarre. It was this dark purple color that reminded me of eggplants. I liked it, though, it was very unique.
When I was younger, my brother used to tell me that I had supernatural powers because of my eye color. Sadly, I believed him, and learned my lesson pretty quickly after an attempt to fly out of a tree.
Other than my eyes, my other features were pretty normal. I had long, wavy black hair that fell to my waist and a small button nose. My lips were full, but not exactly bow shaped, and I had a faint dimple on my left cheek that was only visible when I smiled.
I sniffled and glared at my reflection.
“You’re stronger than this. It doesn’t matter what he thinks or believes about you. He isn’t worth any of your tears,” I muttered, wiping away the tear that threatened to fall.
A small smile formed on my face as I diverted my thoughts to the happier parts of my life.
There was no need to think about that idiot. He knew nothing and had no right to make conclusions about me. At least I could finally confirm my doubts about what William thought of me.
Today was enough proof of his animosity toward me.
I shook my head and walked out of the bathroom, plopping onto my bed with a sigh.
***
William
Was I supposed to feel bad about what I said?
No.
Heather deserved every bit and worse after what she did. She was going to pay for her mistakes, and I wasn’t going to let her get away.
She was definitely in for it.