Chapter 3

MICHAELA's POV

Simon and I were still speaking when his grandson walked in on us.

The young man took one look at me and immediately sneered.

"I can't believe you let her in here, grandfather. She looks so out of place." He spat out the words then chuckled coldly. "But what more can one expect from a simple maid."

I narrowed my gaze at him.

I wanted to show him the power that 'a simple maid' could possess. But I'd already agreed to Simon's request to marry him.

So instead of attacking him, I wordlessly walked toward him, grabbed him by his wrist, and began murmuring the spell that would bind us as partners for the next three years.

"Hey, what do you think-" The young man's words were instantly cut short when blue flames erupted out of nowhere and circled around us, without actually causing heat nor burning us.

I could see the fear in the grandson's eyes as I rounded up the spell, but he didn't dare pull away. If anything, he drew close to me as though trying to save himself.

"What the hell was that?! What have you done?" The young man finally yelled, when the binding was over, and the flames had ebbed away.

"I've fulfilled your grandfather's wish." I said calmly, and made eye contact with Simon. He nodded

"I've binded us together. You are now my husband."

"What?" The young man shrieked and jumped away from me. Then he turned to look at his grandfather. "Grandpa Simon, what is she talking about? I can't actually be expected to marry this weak commoner! We are a great family. What will my friends say when they find out?"

"Noah!" Simon yelled like a warning. "This young woman is your wife. You have only one duty now… and that is to love and cherish her for as long as you both will live."

Noah looked scandalized.

He ran hand over his hair and balled his hand into a fist, before looking up at me.

"You! You did this! I don't know what enchantment you've used to convince my grandfather, but it won't work on me! Undo this evil magic you've done once and for all!"

"Enough!" Simon snapped and raised a finger at his grandson. "This woman is your wife, and you will treat her as such. You must watch your manners around her from today onwards, otherwise you'll have me to contend with. Have I made myself clear?"

Noah didn't respond, but his expression was enough.

He hated me, and he hated this little marriage he had just been pushed into.

And if I had thought that with time, Noah would learn to love me with time, then I had been completely wrong, because the next three years of our marriage had been marked by utter lovelessness and a lack of Joy.

In fact, Noah never saw me as anything other than the maid who tainted the four walls of the castle where we lived. And he made sure to remind me of that as often as he could.

"When was the last time you cleaned these walls?" Noah asked me one certain day. It was only a matter of days before the magical timer I had set on the day of our binding would be up.

By then, the three years of marriage would have been complete and I could finally be free of my promise to Simon.

"what?" I questioned and looked up to stare at the wall surface he was pointing at. "Aren't there servants assigned to these tasks?"

He just scoffed and looked at me.

"Perhaps. But seeing as they've missed several spots, I believe it would have been only natural for you to do it in their stead. Seeing as you're well acquainted with being a maid and all."

I said nothing, but I narrowed my gaze at him coolly and he just chuckled like he'd cracked a really nice joke.

Just then, his mother walked in, and joined in the banter effortlessly.

“I’ve told you Noah. You need to have a tighter leash on her. Otherwise she’ll just do as she pleases. What a tramp.”

The insult rolled off her lips as fluidly as always. I detested her for it, but she didn’t seem to care.

The worst part was that Noah didn’t even come to my rescue. He just stood there and let his mother talk down on me as always.

And then, he added, "Get someone to clean that up, or you better do it yourself." He finally said and began to walk away. "But I don't want to have to see it again."

Then they chuckled like I was some kind of joke and began to walk away chattering about, “Lazy helps and useless wives.”

As he walked away, I stared at him, and felt my eyes begin to sting as the heavy weight of our loveless marriage settled on me.

For three years, we'd been together, but not once had ever managed to say a kind word to me…or even look at me with the slightest bit of affection.

a tear rolled down my cheek, but I swiped at it angrily.

"It's fine." I murmured and sniffed.

I held out my hand and invoked the magical pocket timer I always carried with me. The time was ticking. Only 72 hours left, and the union I had subjected us to all those years ago when I said the spell that binds us would be finally broken.

I would be free of Noah and his household.

And Noah? Well, he would live to regret the way he's always mistreated me.

He had no idea I was the one who kept him and his family safe all this time. He would realize eventually. But by then, it would have already been too late.

I walked away from the wall, and sadly made my way back to my room, when I passed by Noah's room and heard some strange breathing come from within.

The door was slightly ajar, and when I peeked in, I saw Noah, half naked, with an erection. He was touching himself as he called the name of another girl whose face appeared on the round globe he kept on his nightstand.

"Sasha!" He moaned as his breathing grew faster now, and he seemed to have a seizure as he stroked himself with urgency.

I pressed my hand over my mouth to keep from crying out and backed away from the door.

Then I ran past his room and out into the garden, panting for air as my mind replayed the scene I had just watched.

"All this time." I breathed out heavily, as I pressed my hand to my forehead, making an effort to breathe properly.

He had been pining for another girl, all this time. And now, he would rather masturbate to another woman’s photo than actually sleep with me or touch me.

I felt both angry and sad, and wanted to rage.

But to what end?

It's not like he cared how I felt.

“Three days.” I said to myself as consolation. I only had to endure all this for less than three days and then it would be all over.

The next morning was not any better.

I tried to confront Noah about what I had witnessed the evening before when he was moaning another girl’s name, but he simply acted like it was nothing.

“And so what if I did?” He snapped and looked at me with a cutting gaze. “Are you stalking me now, is that it? You’re really more pathetic than I thought, Michaela!”

His words cut me like a knife and I found myself visibly stepping backwards like I’d been struck.

“You don’t even care how you’re making me feel.” I choked out and he just looked at me like I wasn’t making any sense.

“Why are you acting like I wasn’t forced into this marriage by my grandfather? You think I would have chosen a worthless maid as a wife, if I’d been given a choice?”

I knew he didn’t love me. But to have him say it like this, without a single feeling, definitely caused me great grief.

“That’s why you have to make me so miserable?” I forced out and he just laughed.

“Trust me, Michaela. No one is as miserable as me. If I had my way, I’d end this marriage right now and free myself from this hell.”

My lips wobbled at his words, but I pressed them to keep from crying.

I turned away from him to hide my misty eyes, only to have my eyes widen in shock when a beautiful woman suddenly appeared.

She was dressed so elegantly and had a dazzling smile that could charm any man.

I thought her face looked familiar, but I wasn’t so sure where I’d seen her before.

Then suddenly, I heard Noah’s voice from behind me, calling out her name with such unmistakable excitement.

“Sasha?!”