MY FUTURE WIFE

“Hmm, now is not the time for that, Leah,” my stepmother hissed. Still putting on her fake smile for Xavier's parents. My sharp eyes went to her, and I could only bite on my  lips, staying quiet. After all, I could not afford to anger her. Not when my mother’s life lay in her hands. Her stern gaze fixed on me, as she wrapped her hands around me. Her sharp nails dug into my skin. “Let’s leave things at that, children. You have all the time to show your concern for each other when you get married,” my stepmother said, ending with a laugh so loud it was obvious that it was fake. I flinched in pain when her nails tore through my skin, as blood trailed down. “No mother,” Xavier spoke up abruptly. “I have to make sure my future wife is settled,” he sighed. My eyes narrowed wondering what game he was playing at now. And what exactly brought this change in his heart. If it were to be in the past, he wouldn’t care if I caught him cheating. He would have been glad rather, because then