The wind grew fiercer as thunder roared above, and the rain descended mercilessly upon the earth.

For an hour, Leticia had been standing in the mansion's courtyard, enduring the punishment meted out by Damian.

It was a mere accident—Leticia's unintended nudge had spilled a drink on Damian's lover, drenching the beautiful woman's skirt.

Evening was approaching, the rain relentless. Yet Damian had not given her leave to enter the shelter of the mansion.

Buffeted by the gale, Leticia began to tremble with cold. Her petite frame shook as she fought the chill, and her lips had turned pale.

"Be strong, Leti," she whispered to herself, a semblance of comfort. "Keep your courage; he did not strike you, so this punishment is bearable."

Leticia was no stranger to such trials; growing up, she often faced various punishments at her foster parents' house.

Once, she had been confined to a shed for three days straight, and she had emerged unscathed.

So, enduring the downpour was of little consequence, the punishment not so severe.

Two hours passed, yet Leticia still stood firm in the yard as the rain began to ebb.

Laughter—a woman's accompanied by a man's—spilled from the now-open mansion door.

Damian and his lover appeared, poised to venture out.

Their laughter ceased upon seeing Leticia, drenched and unmoving.

Damian's gaze fell upon the downcast figure of Leticia, her frail body visibly shaken by cold.

"Come, darling!" Damian's lover cooed, looping her arm through his with affectionate ease.

"Let's go!" Damian responded, wrapping his arm around her waist.

They passed by Leticia, who remained rooted to her spot.

Damian swung the car door open for his companion, shutting it with a definitive thud.

He then strode to the driver's side, the vehicle pulling away, leaving his mansion behind.

Leticia still stood, exhaling deeply.

Damian did not permit her return inside.

Her neck ached from bowing; Leticia lifted her head heavenward, where only a drizzle remained.

“Miss Leticia, come inside! It's late!” called out Aunt Lina, hurrying to Leticia's side in the courtyard.

"The master has yet to allow my entry," Leticia shivered, her voice quivering with cold.

"The master just called; he said you may come in," Aunt Lina informed her.

Aunt Lina, guiding the shivering girl, led her through a side entrance.

Leticia was not housed in the main quarters of the mansion; she had been relegated by Damian to a small pavilion in the back.

Her duties were to tend the rear garden and the lawns, both before and behind the mansion, and occasionally serve Damian's guests with refreshments.

Aunt Lina had already prepared a warm bath for Leticia.

She assisted in stripping the soaked garments from Leticia's frame.

Aunt Lina found Damian's treatment of his wife to be cruel; if he never wanted to marry Leticia, he should not have wed her to begin with.

"Thank you, Aunt..." Leticia uttered softly.

"I've readied a meal for Miss Leti; go bathe, and I'll bring dinner here," Aunt Lina offered.

Leticia nodded, then retreated to the bathroom.

In the tub, Aunt Lina had placed warm water; Leticia gingerly dipped her feet in.

She submerged her nude body into the warm water, the chill fading once half-immersed.

Leticia scrubbed herself hastily, unwilling to linger in the bath.

To be continued.....

Leticia consumed her reheated dinner, prepared simply by Aunt Lina.

She was famished, and the meal disappeared swiftly as she devoured it.

After Aunt Lina took away Leticia's empty plate, she headed off to sleep.

The clock struck nine in the evening, and heavy drowsiness settled over Leticia.

With a full stomach and a refreshed body from bathing, it was now time for slumber.

Leticia felt grateful, even though she was assigned the back pavilion—still far better than a storage shed to her.

The pavilion boasted a bedroom, bathroom, living area, and kitchen.

It was almost as if Leticia lived in her own home, her status as Damian's wife irrelevant to her.

Their marriage was neither desired by her nor Damian, making it a disadvantageous union for both.

They didn't love each other; they were strangers thrust into marriage by financial woes.

Leticia was burdened with the hefty debt of her adoptive parents, who insisted it was her way of repaying their care since she was young.

She was relieved when Damian chose to put her in the back pavilion of the mansion, sparing her from his touch.

Leticia was confident that divorce from Damian was inevitable, so whatever torment he inflicted was tolerable as long as he didn't violate her.

She vowed to remain pure until she found a man who would accept and cherish her for who she was.

And she longed to be touched only by a man she loved.

After locking the pavilion door and turning off the lights, Leticia rested her head on the pillow, and within three minutes, she was asleep.

A half-hour into her sleep, Leticia began to talk in her sleep as usual, perhaps a result of oppression and abuse.

"No! Not me, no! Sorry... I didn't mean to...!"

Such murmurs frequently slipped from her mouth unknowingly amidst her dreams.

Her body then started to toss about restlessly, her hands reaching into the air.

"No! Forgive me... nooo!" she screamed unwittingly, tears streaming down.

Leticia awoke, opening her eyes, and sat up in bed, drenched in sweat, tears still flowing.

She wiped her tears away, and finding that sleep had fled, she climbed out of bed for a drink of water. She downed a glass of cool water.

After quenching her thirst, Leticia tried to sleep again. She crawled back under the covers and shut her eyes.

Suddenly, she heard sounds of objects being smashed and a man swearing.

Leticia sat up, listening intently to determine where the commotion originated.

The sound of something being slammed, followed by a man's cursing, echoed again.

Realizing that the noise came from behind the mansion, Leticia surmised that it must be Damian in a rage.

Likely at odds with his lover, he was venting his fury at home.

Leticia lay back down, feeling it was none of her concern. Damian meant nothing to her, and she cared not if he entertained a hundred lovers.

All that mattered was that he kept his distance; she abhorred the thought of being touched by such a despicable man.

Leticia settled back into bed, pulling the blanket over her body.

Then she closed her eyes.

To be continued...

Leticia, as per her routine, awoke at five-thirty in the morning and after tidying up, settled for a simple breakfast.

A steaming cup of tea with homemade filled bread.

Savoring her morning meal amidst the cool air, she felt a sense of peace in her life, though it was anything but peaceful.

Yet moments like these brought her immense joy, bathing her in tranquility.

Sometimes she daydreamed about finding her true happiness, wishing not to live in the city.

She longed for a life in the countryside, tending to her garden, embracing the lush village nature.

It would surely be delightful to share it with a loving and dearly devoted husband, Leticia smiled at the thought of such dreams.

She hoped Damian would soon grant her a divorce, setting her free for the life that lay ahead.

Her foster parents had removed her from the family’s household register.

To them, Leticia had become a stranger after marrying Damian.

Thus, finding a new job was the next step in Leticia’s mind, post-separation from Damian.

She hoped Damian would find a suitable partner and proceed with the divorce.

Leticia eagerly anticipated that day.

Having finished her breakfast, she proceeded to tidy up her table.

She would, as usual, help Aunt Lina in the Mansion’s kitchen and later tend to the garden.

Leticia noted the flower bed border walls and stone vases scattered on the Mansion's back lawn.

Likely the work of Damian’s destructive tantrum the night before, she thought.

Leticia sighed, foreseeing a day full of labor ahead.

Entering the kitchen, she noticed Aunt Lina straining hot water.

"Miss Leticia...have you had breakfast?" asked Aunt Lina upon seeing her enter.

"I have, Auntie,” Leticia responded with a smile.

"Last night Master Damian lost his temper, returning home drunk...he smashed the walls and vases with a baseball bat," Aunt Lina remarked while cutting chicken.

"I’ve seen it," said Leticia.

"You’ll be busy today clearing that mess."

"It’s alright, Auntie, it’s part of my tasks!"

Ding! Dong!

The sound of the doorbell echoed.

"I’ll get it!" exclaimed Janet, who had just entered from the Mansion’s back gate, apparently after picking vegetables from the garden.

She placed her harvest on the kitchen table, then made her way towards the Mansion’s main hall.

"Visitors at seven in the morning?" Aunt Lina commented in surprise.

Leticia offered a smile at her remark.

Shortly after, Janet returned.

"Master Damian’s lover is here!" she announced upon reentering the kitchen.

"Which one...the one from last night?" Aunt Lina inquired.

"No, it’s another one!" Janet replied, retrieving the vegetables from the table.

"One after the other, they come to this Mansion, none of them pleasant," Aunt Lina remarked.

Leticia chose to stay quiet, not wanting to get involved.

After all, she was just a maid in this Mansion.

Suddenly, Damian’s shouting erupted from upstairs, followed by the sound of something being flung to the floor.

Then, the slamming of a door echoed so violently it felt like the Mansion itself might collapse.

Leticia, Aunt Lina, and Janet were startled by the noise. They stood in silence, frozen for a few seconds, shocked.

What now? Leticia wondered.

Aunt Lina and Janet clutched at their chests. Although accustomed to such incidents, they still found them utterly heart-stopping.

To be continued...