Chapter 79 FREEDOM TO CHANGE
1677words
"Miss, you were supposed to finish this all." She says with narrowed eyes and I ignore her completely. My mood has become sulky a lot and I don't want to argue unnecessarily.
She as usual picks my dress and then force me to leave the bed and get ready to go to the breakfast table. I did everything with utter reluctance.
I look at the breakfast and without any appetite, I start eating but as I swallow down one spoon of my fruit porridge I start feeling retch, and the knot in my stomach starts to tighten.
I stop eating, and just then I hear a Clink.
CLINK
"Ok, it's enough… Now, you are going to the hospital for a checkup." Ann says dismissively and I frown at her words.
"No, Ann. I am completely fine." I tell Ann immediately.
"Really? I don't think so." Ann raises a brow in disdain and I shrug in embarrassment.
"Ann, I don't want to go anywhere… Please," I make a request softly and she looks at me for a deep moment, and then she takes a deep long sigh, "Tessa."
I know she was going to refuse me, as I again plead to her, "Please, Ann…"
She inhales a breath and then exhales, looking helpless, she finally agreed, "Fine… And as you are not eating anything these days, I have decided to stop your diet."
I look at her in confusion, stop my diet? Is Ann telling me I am not going to get any food now? Or is she changing the diet from something else? Something worse, perhaps.
I hold my breath at that thought and patiently wait for her to complete her sentence.
"From now on, you could eat what you want and you can even cook anything for yourself."
My eyes open wide at her words and the breath that I had been holding exhales very quickly because of the intensity of shock I get from her.
Feeling pleased, I thank her from the bottom of my heart, "Thank you, Ann."
"Hah, dear, your health is more important to me." Ann smiles at me and I feel warm.
Thank God, Ann is here with me, she is a true blessing in my life.
"Ann, any news about Andrew?" I ask Ann with an anxious heart.
"Oh, Tessa, I forget to tell you that things have calmed down in the city and hopefully in a few days the airlines will start working again."
"Really?" I ask with surprise and joy and Ann nods her head in response.
"Yeah, soon Andrew will return, so focus on yourself to get better. I don't want my brother complaining to me that I didn't take good care of you in his absence." Ann's words light up my heart and I smile happily at her.
"I won't disappoint you, Ann." I assure her and then pushing the bowl of porridge away, I call Miss Celine, "Miss Celine, can you please bring me some toast with jam and butter?"
Miss Celine looks at me with stunned eyes for a moment, this must be the first time in two weeks that I have asked for something to eat.
She nods her head happily in response and then in a quick motion she brings me my toasts with jam and butter and I start eating them happily, it satisfies my light hunger.
Ann looks at me with a satisfied smile as I begin to eat my food with a calm and relaxed face.
In the afternoon, I ask Miss Celine to bring me some plain rice with sautéed vegetables, and she did happily.
"Miss, I am very happy to see you like this," Miss Celine says after a moment of hesitation and I smile back at her.
"Miss Celine, do I look really bad now?" I ask her, I know I have become very dull but still asking someone's opinion would make my state of mind clear to rate myself on the scale of how pathetic I have become.
Ann's words are right, I need to take care of myself well, if Andrew comes back and sees me in this pathetic state how would he feel?
As I think I should consider Ann's suggestions and start looking after myself.
"Uhmm… Do you want my honest reply, Miss?" Miss Celine asks as she presses her lips in a straight line.
I bob my head up and down, "Yes."
"You look terrible and ugly…" She reveals and my jaw drops instantly and I look at her with displeasure, How could she be so straight about my state, at least she shouldn't use the word "UGLY"
Am I ugly now?
"You said you want my honest opinion," As I make an attempt to open my mouth and defy her statement, she interrupts me.
Taking a sigh, I swallow back all the words that I was going to use as a protest against her statement.
"So, what do you suggest, I do?" I ask her and she seems to give my words a thought.
After a while, as she had finished thinking deeply, she then opens her mouth, "I think a shower is necessary on the daily basis and how about I call a beautician at home, she will do some services and also if we could change your look too."
She suggests me and I like her suggestion, honestly.
"Ok, then please arrange for a beautician and I want you to prepare that bath for me that you always did with your essential oil and different things," I tell her and she nods her head with obedience.
"Surely, Miss. So this evening would be fine?" She asks and then I pause thinking about Ann, "I need to ask Ann first, no?" I tell her my worries and Miss Celine shakes her head with a soft smile on her face that makes her look gentle and beautiful.
"Miss Swan has given you the freedom to do anything you want, except leaving the mansion." She reveals and I sigh in relief.
"Good, then this evening," I tell her, and nodding her head, she leaves my room.
I start to eat and then my eyes fall on the bed as I look up at the wedding pictures that have been hung by Andrew in our room. I smile looking at them, this day I am not sad but happy and calm because now I have hope in my heart that Andrew will return soon and I will try my best to not let him feel disappointed when he finally sees me.
In the evening two beautician walks into the room, and I greet them politely. Miss Celine has prepared a room on the ground floor for my services because Ann doesn't like anyone to enter our floor, she didn't even invite any guests to our floor.
All the guests always stay in the crystal room and go back from there, Ann never allows anyone to enter here and the second door that connects the crystal room always remains close, it opens only when Ann and Andrew leave the mansion or return to the mansion.
There are even no maids in the home to live, but I know that daily multiple cleaners enter to clean the mansion while Miss Celine takes care of my floor, only. She cooks the food too but the rest things were done by cleaners.
And actually, it's very weird that after staying for more than three months in this mansion I never encounter any single maid or cleaner in the mansion, ever.
I lean back on the chair as the woman soaks my foot in the warm water and It relaxes my muscles, both women start to work on me and as instructed by Miss Celine, I didn't talk with them, and neither they say a word and also not forgetting to keep my wedding ring back in my room.
Alas, I don't know how long I need to wait until Ann will announce my marriage to Andrew.
The beautician gives me a shoulder-length haircut and I feel like huge stress has taken down from my shoulder, my before brunette hair turns into caramel blonde. I look at myself looking all clean, scrubbed, and new.
The haircut and color enhance my facial features and I hope Andrew will like me as a blonde although I don't remember him ever mentioning hating blondes or loving brunettes, yeah, and that makes me think why he has never praised my hair? Huh?
I walk back to my room and after a long shower, I go down all dressed up, Ann looks at me with wide eyes and after she restores from the shock, she compliments me, "Tessa, You look gorgeous, dear. Completely different and these blondes, it suits you a lot."
She compliments me and I keep smiling like a stupid as I have got such a positive reaction from Ann so then I am sure Andrew is also going to like my new look.
We both eat our dinner as we chat lightly and then I return to my room. This night I sleep peacefully with my mind filled with positive and happy thoughts about me and Andrew.
I hope he comes back soon, I hope this hope won't vanish soon, because if it does then I am again going to fall into that dull pathetic state that I really don't want to.
As of now, I have started to take care of myself and eat what I want, my health seems to get better, I didn't throw up once, and neither I feel weak all day. Instead, I feel much more calm and energetic and I think it's because I have gotten my freedom in this mansion to be what I am.
And I hope I will be able to keep my freedom for a long long time, if Ann will allow me, hopefully.
