Most people wake up everyday not knowing that their life will change forever or that that day is going to be their last.
Let me take us back to three weeks ago.
It had been five days since Micheal Stafford came to our house. When I got home from shopping that day, I did not meet Levi, he came back home five days later and was home more than usual over the next three weeks.
He was acting strange. It was refreshing to see him agitated about something. But it was also not a pleasant thing for me. He was acting like I was the cause of whatever it was that he was going through and although he did not put his hands on me, he shouted at me a lot and sometimes went berserk and threw things at me. I was not hurt because either his aim was terrible or he was not aiming for me. However, he threw everything ranging from his handball to the glass jug. Still, I decided to stay out of his way.
It was three weeks of total chaos and no peace in the house leading up to the night before the day my life will change forever.
I was in bed that night after managing to avoid Levi the entire day. I did not know what games he had been playing with me for the past three weeks but it was really getting to me. I had become jumpy with even the slightest sound and every sudden movement. I was just settling myself down to sleep when my phone started ringing. I picked it up from the nightstand and it was Lauren.
Lauren never called. If she wanted to see me or tell me something, she would come over to the house. Her calling was very out of character but I picked anyways.
"Hey, Lauren."
"Hi Samantha. Do you have a minute?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"I had a rethink about our last conversation."
"Lauren, we talked about a lot of things the last time you were here. Which are you talking about?"
She sighed, like she was exasperated.
"Lauren are you okay?"
"Samantha, I was wrong." Her voice shook.
"What are you talking about?" I sat up in my bed. Something was not right with this call. Lauren was acting unusually agitated.
"I think you should leave, Sam."
"Leave where?"
"My brother. And the marriage. I think you should leave. I was wrong and I'm very sorry."
"Lauren, are you drunk? Should I send Janet to come get you?" I tried to change the topic of discussion.
"Samanthaaaaa!!!" She shouted "I'm not drunk. You should leave Levi."
I heard some shuffling in the background and then she started speed talking.
"Levi was here this evening and he was discussing with my father. I couldn't exactly hear what they were discussing but I caught your name. Samantha, I think Levi is up to no good."
I rubbed my temples with one hand.
"Lauren, I think you need to calm down. Just because you heard my name does not mean your brother is up to no good. Maybe he was just discussing us with your dad."
"Samantha, why are you not listening to me? I know my brother, just leave as soon as you can. I can come help you pack and link you up with a good family lawyer"
"I can't Lauren." I told her. I knew what she was talking about but I can't leave Levi. It will be bad for me.
"What do you mean you can't? You can literally walk out of that marriage, it's not like it's serving you in anyway." Her voice rose and I knew she was angry. Why wouldn't she just drop it? The one time I needed Lauren to mind her business and she tried to pick a fight with me.
"I just can't. You can't understand. Please, just let it be." This marriage is my only ticket to getting the company from my dad. I just need to stay for one more year and when the company is in my name, I can leave. But if I leave now, there is nothing for me. Maybe no home to even go back to.
"You can't, or you won't." Lauren said with so much venom seeping through her words. I sighed and before I could get another word in, she ended the call.
I sighed and covered myself with the thick duvet replaying the entire conversation in my head.
I wake up in my bed this morning feeling quite uneasy. It is probably because of the way my night ended. I make a mental note to call Lauren later in day. I don't know what I will tell her but I will call her.
I go downstairs for breakfast and I meet Janet in the kitchen setting the table and I sit ready to have breakfast.
"Good morning ma'am." I have come to terms with the fact that Janet will never call me by my name no matter how many times I tell her to.
"Morning."
"Sir you'd me to tell you that you are meeting him for lunch at LeBreux by noon." She said as she plated my food.
Classic Levi. Who are we meeting now? I finish my breakfast, pick up a book from the large library and go out to the greenhouse. My flowers have started to bloom. I barely did anything though. I just bought the seeds and gave them to the gardener. I don't have green fingers and wouldn't want my flowers to die before they sprout. I sit in the swinging chair I had installed and read till an hour before the lunch.
I leave the greenhouse and go up to my room to prepare. LeBreux is about fifteen minutes away and I want to be on time so as not keep whoever we will be having lunch with waiting. Not leaving this marriage also means I have to be on my best behaviour so Levi does not leave me.
Forty minutes later, I am down and ready to go. I feel a bit uneasy but this is what I need to do to survive.
Seventeen minutes later, I can see LeBreux in front of me and my driver is supposed to be slowing down so he can pull into their driveway but the driver he is not slowing down.
"What is going on?" I ask worriedly.
"Ma'am, I can't slow the car down, the brakes are not working." He replied me in a panicked voice.
"What do you mean the brakes are not working?" Before he could say anything, I lift my eyes and there is a car heading straight at us. I hear a crash and black out.
I can smell fuel and tyres.
I hear people.
What happened?
I see fire somewhere.
It hurts to breathe.
"Everyone get back, I think the car is going to explode." I hear someone say.
And just then I see the most beautiful man I have ever seen. If this is the last thing I see before I die, so be it.
Everything goes dark again.