When He Awakes

LILIAN I had been with Adrian Marcus for three years, taking care of him in his vegetable state. But the moment he came out of the coma, his eyes flashed with fury as he grasped my hands while I was cleaning over his lean body in the private room of the Marcus Mansion. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice thick with anger. He didn't remember me. He didn't remember getting married to me after Maya Ozzy dumped him. "I..." I tried to explain, but he cut me off. "Just get out. And what are you doing here? Call the butler." "Yes." I rose to my feet. Relief washed over me after I had seen Adrian awaken. "Do you want to sit up?" I rushed forward to offer him a hand to pull him up from the magnificent air bed. "No. I don't need your help. Just leave. Go away!" He yelled at me, his voice laced with roughness. I trembled and dropped the hand towel I was using to wipe his chest. I turned on my heel and rushed out of the room. Once I stepped into the hallway, I collided with Sadie Marcus. She was Adrian's older sister. She didn't approve of me for her brother. "Hey! Watch it, slut! Where are you rushing to? Did you do anything wrong to my brother? Did you try to hurt him to take over our family wealth?" She asked, her voice cold as she stepped forward to meet me and grasped my left hand. "No. I..." I tried to explain, tears brimming in my eyes, but she shut me off. "Just shut up and leave my side. I wonder why my brother married a lowlife like you. Ugh!" She pushed me aside and marched to the room to find Adrian. She normally came to check on him. She was thirty-two, tall, fair-skinned and she had two children: a son, Ares, who was six and a bully, and a little girl who was three named Brielle. Drawing a deep breath, I massaged my wrist where Sadie had just grasped me. But I heard her scream, "Oh my God! Adrian, you're awake!" Her loud shriek attracted the rest of the Marcus family as they rushed through the hallway, immediately shoving me aside like I was a slave who didn't mean anything to them. My bottom landed on the ground with a hard shove as Adrian's younger brother, Jayson, shoved me aside. His father rushed behind him, and likewise his mother. They wore white pajamas and hurried to Adrian's room to find out what was happening. I sighed, pushed myself to my feet. My buttocks were aching. Now all the drama would come to an end. I could finally get a divorce and leave the Marcus family. Even though the house was supposed to be mine. Ever since Adrian got drunk three years ago, after lamenting why his girlfriend, Maya Ozzy, had left him, he had been in a vegetable state. His body had been clinging to life support while I had to clean him and take care of his diapers. I didn't want any of this, but I had no choice. Before the accident, Adrian had asked me to marry him. "It's just a flash marriage, Lilian. If I don't do this, then my grandpa's fortune will go to the orphanage. As the heir to the Marcus family, I cannot sit back and do nothing. I have to get it. Just marry me. After six months, we will get a divorce." At the time, I was just a new intern at Marcus Group. It was a new establishment with promising merit. I accepted. Since I had a crush on Adrian. If I hadn't done it, many women working for him then would swoop on the opportunity to become Mrs. Marcus. Even though it was a loveless marriage, they didn't care. I hadn't expected to spend the next three years taking care of Adrian and hoping he would wake up, so we could end the marriage and he could move on. After all, his family didn't approve of me. After wiping my eyes with the back of my palm, I stepped away from the corridor on the first floor and moved into the living room to find the butler, Robin Abram. He was a middle-aged man, kind and respectful. He was tall and dark-skinned. I moved to inform him. Though the house was filled with screams of excitement from the Marcus family as well as the two maids who were happy that their boss was finally awake. "Good morning, Mr. Abram," I greeted Butler Robin. He wore a purple shirt and black trousers. He stood tall and smiled at me. "Morning, Madam. I heard the commotion. Is the boss finally awake?" He gazed at me with excitement. "Yes. You should go and attend to him. I will be in my room." I wiped my nostrils and turned to leave, but Butler Robin stopped me. "Madam, is everything alright? You don't look too well. You should be happy now that the boss is awake." Happy? The word felt like a reverse to me. I knew I was going back to my old life, to my poor parents who were furious at me for choosing to stay with Adrian despite how the Marcus family treated me. But Butler Robin wouldn't understand. "Yes. I'm happy. What more can a woman pray for? My husband is awake. So I am overjoyed. It's tears of joy that are flowing out of my eyes. You should get to work and go serve him," I stated as I quickly turned to leave. I didn't wait for Butler Robin or the rest of the maids to see my brokenness. My legs swiftly strode away to my room on the first floor, as the Marcus family refused to allow me to use the top-floor room. Once I got into the small room, I shut the door behind me, leaned against it, and sobbed my eyes out. I should have been happy like Butler Robin said. But I knew this was only the beginning of my torture. Adrian didn't love me. And now, he would send me away.