There was nobody out in the corridor when I exited the room. I had no idea where Christopher had sent the crowd but it suited me just fine. The feeling of cheating on my husband felt thrilling.
I smoothed the front of my dress and ensured that I looked prim and proper before striding into the hall. Even though our secret rendezvous were urgent and passionate, Christopher was always careful not to leave any traces of himself on me.
The party had already commenced by the time I arrived. I could smell the delicious scent of dinner wafting out from within. When I reached the entrance, Lyle was already standing there with a scowl on his face as he waited for me. “Where did you wander off to?” He barked impatiently. “We still have a toast to give! Do you have sh*t in your brain?”
“Yes, I do,” I replied serenely. “You. You’re always on my mind.” I was pleased with the way I retorted. Lyle attempted to belittle me so I went with the flow. My wit had astounded even myself.
Lyle shook with anger at my impertinence but somehow managed to have kept it under control as the dining hall was crowded. The most he was able to do was curse under his breath. If he were to do anything more than that, he would definitely make himself out to be a laughingstock.
“Let’s go and toast Mr. Ziegler,” Lyle muttered as he tugged on my wrist roughly. A bruise was going to appear on that spot, that’s for sure.
The hall was abuzz with chatter and the clinking of silverware and glasses. In it, I was forced to toast his business partner and act like Lyle’s loving wife. After the first round of drinks, I was feeling tipsy despite it being premium champagne.
It tasted sweet and harmless but had a powerful kick that manifested some minutes later. The dizziness soon became difficult to ignore, necessitating me to hold my head. Lyle merely frowned as he was worried that I would embarrass him in front of everybody. To remedy the situation, he took me out to the garden and procured a glass of juice from seemingly out of nowhere. “Have some juice, that will help with the dizziness.”
I took several sips and felt the overwhelming effects of the champagne diminishing a little. Leaning against a tree to remain upright, a gust of cold wind met my face and intensified my discomfort. The scene swam before my eyes. Even the sight of Lyle standing before me began to split into multiple copies of himself.
I shook my head vigorously in an attempt to ward off the effects of the champagne.
“What are you doing here? I’ve been looking all over for you.” Benjamin arrived as he chastised Lyle in a loud voice. “We are going to start some drinking games. The whole gang is there except for you.”
“Yvonne is drunk,” reported Lyle curtly.
“Leave her be, then,” replied Benjamin with a disdainful look at me. “I don’t understand why your grandmother picked such a useless woman to be your wife. She couldn’t even hold her liquor at a party as important as this.”
“Alright, quit your yapping. I’ll be right with you,” Lyle said, though he remained where he was.
“Crystal is there too. If you do not come at once, don’t be mad at us for going after her. We all like her, you know,” Benjamin said candidly. I couldn’t tell if he was joking.
That captured Lyle’s attention. After all, Crystal was a popular character in the socialite circles of Avenport. The fondness that the Miller brothers had toward her was common knowledge. “Go up and rest,” Lyle ordered as he turned to me. “We still have rafting tomorrow, don’t forget.”
“I have already promised Grandma that I will sit through this banquet without leaving,” I protested. “I keep my promises.” However, my body decided not to cooperate as my head was feeling heavier by the minute. That was not the only thing bothering me. My body felt so hot that despite it being a fall night, all I wanted was to take a cold shower.
Something was not right. I did not want to remain by Lyle’s side, so I waited for him to leave. As soon as that notion formed in my mind, he shoved me hard and berated me for being crude and uncultured before leaving without another word.
I ran several steps before being forced to hold on to a tree trunk, narrowly avoiding falling onto the ground. A servant walked past and was attracted by my calls. He helped me into a guest room where I staggered in with the intention to plop myself down onto the bed to sleep.
My body refused to comply. I felt the warmth in my body turn white-hot and spread slowly like fire throughout my body, searing my wits. I peeled off my clothes frantically as the heat became unbearable.
My vision worsened. I heard the sound of the door being pushed open and the voice of somebody speaking to me, but was unable to identify the person standing before me no matter how hard I tried to open my eyes. My body grew even hotter as that person helped me to my feet. The last thing I remembered was their fingers around my throat.
