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  2. Severed Heart (Ravenhood Legacy Book 2)

  3. Severed Heart: Chapter 9
Severed Heart (Ravenhood Legacy Book 2)

Severed Heart: Chapter 9

US PRESIDENT: GEORGE W. BUSH | 2001–2009
“THAT MAN CANNOT hides his desire for you,” I tell her in a hushed tone, knowing every woman’s eyes are on Roman. He’s a rare type of handsome that is not common in Triple Falls—the face and build of a movie star, not a man who owns a factory.
However, as he walks through the floor each day, his eyes drift to only one woman, and it’s always the woman to my right. He has been enchanted by Diane since she started at the factory.
“He’s beautiful,” she agrees just as quietly, keeping her eyes down and continuing her work, “though everyone here hates him.”
“He is a thief,” I tell her, and she looks over to me.
“He shorts checks because we have no choices but to work here. If we report, we lose work visa. This is corruption I fight for. Corrupt mens like your Roman Horner.”
“I’m so sorry, and I promise you, he’s not my Roman Horner.”
“Can you not speak about what he does to our checks?”
“I can barely talk to him, period. Our relationship isn’t in that place right now. And don’t change the subject again. Tell me about your Alain.”
“Nothing to report,” I say.
“Don’t clam up on me.” She pushes her arm to mine in a nudge, adding a tight smile.
“Clam?” I ask.
“Close up like a clam. Don’t shut me out.”
“Oh,” I say as her eyes search mine. Aside from Celine and Beau, Diane is my only ally working at the factory, and for good reason—one of them approaching us now.
“By lunch,” Donna snaps, dumping a plastic bin to purposefully ruin our progress, making it impossible to know which products we’ve already sorted.
“Bitch,” I snap, and Diane grabs my arm to stop me from gripping Donna’s hair and slapping her again. The woman laughs and waves her fingers behind her to taunt me.
“Your husband looks to me because you are ugly,” I taunt back, and Donna turns around and rushes toward me. Diane steps in front of her, and I laugh at her feeble attempt to charge me, waving my fingers like she did.
“Let her go, Diane,” I laugh, “I would love to show her who to respect.”
“For the love of God, Delphine,” Diane huffs, struggling to keep her back. “You’re going to get us both fired.”
“Worth it to teach this hag how to regard me!”
“Stay away from my husband, you whore!” Donna yells.
“Maybe if you know how to fuck, he would not swells his cock for me.”
“Your insults could use some work,” Diane chortles, still struggling.
“She understands my point,” I say, bored by the woman’s snapping jaws.
“Stop egging her on,” Diane grunts before shoving her back. “Enough!”
Diane finally pushes Donna away from our part of the line. Half of the factory takes notice as Donna stumbles, and Diane speaks up for those whispering and watching the spectacle. “If your husbands have wandering eyes when they pick you up, it’s not her fault. Check your men, ladies. They’re the ones with frothing mouths. Grow the hell up!”
I stick my tongue out at Donna before she stalks off. Diane gives me wary eyes as I tighten my gloves and turn back to sort out the mess the woman made.
“It will take all day for us to fix this,” I hiss.
“You can’t lose this job,” she scolds.
“I wish I did get fired. Then something changes things. Then maybe Alain will do his parts and work.”
“He’s a deadbeat, and I meant what I said. You’re so beautiful, Delphine. Half the men in this town are in love with you. You can do so much better.”
“And you propose another man is the solution? Non, and what you believe is blessing is not for me.”
“What do you mean?” she asks.
“Looking this way causes me to suffer.” I grab another bin as Diane starts to sort.
“How?”
I bite my lip and look over to her. I have trusted Diane with many secrets. Secrets I have told no one. Not even Celine, because of our constant arguments about Alain and my inability to leave him. That I’m ashamed I’ve endured so much in the hope the boy I met and married will return to me, only to bury that hope in the bottle as the years pass. A bottle I ache to sip from now, knowing where it waits in the bathroom stall. The endless cycle strangling me.
Staring over at Diane now, I see her eagerness to hear me, to understand my reasoning. Both of us well aware we are not good for the other in sharing our reasonings for being with men we have no business being with. When Celine and Beau first came to America mere months after I arrived here, I had a brief reprieve from Alain’s abuse. My suspicions are that Beau put a temporary stop to it. These past years, he’s been more volatile than ever, growing more paranoid about Ormand’s affections. The last time he suspected an affair, I wasn’t able to work for two days. Aching for a drink and disgusted by the memory, I let out a long exhale as Diane waits for my response, and I decide to give her some truth.
“When I was very young, too young, my papa friends gave me much attention, which led to much conflicts.” To his death, but I do not admit that much. “In school when I was young, girls treats me much same as they do here. Now, if Alain’s friend compliments me, I . . .” I shake my head. “One friend, Ormand, tells me I look beautiful in my dress on my birthday and have not been allowed to have dinner with any friends again.” Just after, Alain stopped allowing me to participate in many of the meetings, making it impossible for me to be the soldier I desire. Which only led me to drink more.
“Not that I’m defending him,” Diane says, “but you are the kind of beautiful that drives men crazy.”
“I know,” I say, chewing on my lip.
“Modest, too,” she laughs.
“I know,” I tell her, “this is not too much confidence. Is too much attention. I hate it. But what do I do? Ugly myself?”
“Not much you can do.”
“I can get fat,” I say. “But I do not want to.”
“That’s ridiculous. You don’t throw looks like yours away because of other people’s insecurities.”
“Alain is so . . .” I pause, searching for the word. “Jealousyness.”
“Jealous?”
“Yes, so many days I feel a prisoner of our house.” I blow out a long breath. “I look like that hag”—I point to Donna—“I become free of many conflicts.”
Diane grips my wrist. “I’m sorry things are so hard for you here, Delphine. I know this isn’t the life you pictured, but things will get better. They will.”
“I do not see this,” I say, aching to sip the bottle in the stall.
“Yeah, honestly, I’m not feeling too optimistic myself these days.” She turns to me, her eyes shining with fear. “I have something to tell you, and I haven’t told anyone yet.” Just as she opens her mouth to speak her confession, we both jump at the sound of her summons.
“Johnston,” our crew leader snaps from feet away, and I know it is on Roman’s behalf.
Diane turns to me, a gleam in her eyes but an apology on her lips.
“I’m sorry. I told him to stop doing this.”
“Go, be the happy one for us both.” I wave her away, knowing I will be the one spending the next half hour of my shift to work alone.
“I promise that’s not the case,” she relays mournfully before she stalks away.
Not long after I’ve taken long sips of the bottle I hide in the bathroom stall, I study my reflection in the breakroom mirror—the yellow bruise on my chin noticeably lighter today. Alain has been too preoccupied lately to do more than the minimum to keep me obedient and rutting into me before he passes out. Even with that attention, he can barely finish. Back aching and dreading the long hours ahead, I turn and exit the bathroom and am stopped short when I see Donna and a few of the whispering women in wait for me.
“Your bodyguard isn’t here now, bitch.” Rolling my eyes down her frame, I pause them on the pair of purple boots Donna often wears. I think Diane called them Doc Martens.
“I like your boots,” I compliment as she smiles back at me menacingly.
“You’re about to hate them,” she relays in threat.
“Oh?” Manufactured by drink or not, a boldness I almost forgotten I’d possessed fills me as I step up and punch her in the mouth before another insult can leave her hag lips. That familiar feeling is almost worth the beating from the women that renders me unconscious before Diane finds me. And the added beating Alain gives me just a few hours later for risking getting fired.
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