Page 1 of I see you Beauty

Prologue

I see you…

I am standing in a sea of individuals—tall and short, fat and skinny, pale and dark, intelligent and dumb, beautiful and ugly. They are all unique in their own way, and the variety is vast. I’ve tried many of them, yet I only see you—yes, you!

How you live your dull life day after day, how the mundane routine keeps you in its rut, and how each day takes away your sparkle. Dutifully, you attend to all your responsibilities. You take care of the household chores and your daughter, do your job conscientiously and love your husband even though he doesn’t deserve you.

You are a queen—a goddess—and should be treated as such.

Let me carry you to the ends of the earth, Beauty, because I see you…

Chapter One

“June, dear. Calm down,” I state, trying to stop my daughter’s sobs I hear through the phone.

“How am I supposed to calm down when I know Dad is going to freak out again when I get home this weekend?” Her desperate sniffling reaches my ears.

Yes, her father is too strict, that’s for sure. He demands absolute perfection from her, as well as from himself and everyone else around him. Everything has to be perfect. No one is allowed to step out of line, and everything has to go according to plan. Just as he has unequivocally determined that our nineteen-year-old daughter will study law, just as he did. Whether or not it’s her wish is irrelevant.

I disapprove of his perfectionism, but I also live according to a certain plan—at least since my unplanned pregnancy at the age of seventeen and Thomas’s marriage proposal. After that, my life has been straightforward, and I’m not complaining.

Why should I?

After all, I have what others can only dream of. I have a handsome and successful husband, a beautiful, healthy, and intelligent daughter, and an extravagant house where I can use my interior design skills. That’s how I found my dream job—after feeling uncertain about what to do with my life when June started kindergarten, designing our home gave me the outlet I needed.

Thomas supported me and sponsored the start of my small agency. It went exceptionally well for the first few years, and I had many commissions… But now I work three days a week as a secretary in Thomas’s office. It’s the right call for us. That way, I’m close to my husband, I can look after him and all his needs during working hours—at least on those mornings I’m working—and I don’t have to worry about someone else doing it for me…

“I will cook his favorite meal tomorrow. That will calm him down, and then we’ll explain it together in peace. Agreed, dear?”

“Okay,” she mumbles into the phone.

After I give her another pep-talk, we say our goodbyes and hang up.

Sighing, I lean against my black granite countertop, on which I have spent countless hours preparing food for my family, and look out the window, lost in thought.

My mind is racing, but not about anything important. What should a woman like me have to worry about? Except for the lawn not being green enough, the pool not being big enough, and the white Porsche Cayenne not being clean enough. After all, I’m happy…

I spend the afternoon keeping the house tidy. Thomas has offered to hire a maid several times, but I don’t want a strange woman in my home. I don’t want her taking care of my dirt, my stains, and the creases in my sheets. Those are the only worries I have—am allowed to have—because that’s all I’m entitled to as the wife of a successful and wealthy lawyer. At least if you listen to society.

Things look very different inside me, but I don’t want to complain. So, I decide to swim in the pool as a distraction.

I push my Gucci sunglasses up my nose, put on my big black sun hat, and grab my novel on the way to the garden while I pull my silk robe over my white bikini with my other hand. As I walk to the loungers under the large cherry tree, the lush green grass tickles my bare feet. In spring, this is one of my favorite spots. It is breathtakingly beautiful, with delicate pink blossoms in full bloom. But now, in mid-August, it provides pleasant shade in the heat.

I love our garden. It’s my little oasis of peace. The sea of flowers and the pavilion with rose vines climbing up it, located at the back of our garden—how often have I sat there reading a book or gazing at the starry sky? I’ve lost count.

Of course, the perfect garden would not be complete without a hot tub and my husband’s barbecue area. The stone oven and Weber grill, the outdoor kitchen, and the high-quality wicker furniture on the terrace create a flawless setting for barbecues with our friends and family.

After putting my things down on the lounger, I walk to the pool. I slowly descend the stairs. The cold water carefully fights along my smooth thighs, climbing up to my bottom until it reaches my hips. Then I push myself off and start swimming.

Leisurely yet tirelessly, I swim my laps. My wedding ring weighs heavily on my finger. I never take it off. Thomas doesn’t want that. He always wants people to see that I’m taken. That I belong to him. So, of course, I comply with his request.

After a while, my arms begin to tremble from exhaustion, so I decide to complete one final lap. Midway through the pool, I stop and glance at our house. A sudden wave of horror washes over me, flooding my mind with unsettling images that seize my entire consciousness. Struggling to calm myself, I cease my strokes and drift weightlessly through the water, sinking deeper. It feels almost like flying, as if I were free.

I stay underwater until the urge to breathe becomes overwhelming. Despite my body’s clear signals, I linger beneath the surface, allowing myself to sink to the bottom and wait. The sunlight dances on the water’s surface, refracting into a thousand sparkling crystals. Beautiful. Peaceful. Infinite…

My thoughts come to a complete standstill. The tormenting images that haunt me daily dissolve, leaving only a profound sense of peace and emptiness.

But a shadow at the pool’s edge snaps me out of my peace. I push off the bottom with my feet and resurface. My first breath is deep, causing my lungs to sting and making me cough violently as I exhale. Hastily, I wipe my face and push my hair aside to clear my vision.

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