Eliza was heartbroken to see her husband Alrik eating sand again. She had no idea what caused his mental retardation. He used to be so smart, but after disappearing on their wedding night almost two years ago, this was how she found him on the streets. She had tried to take him for a doctor's evaluation, but they couldn't find anything wrong with him. She didn't have enough money for a specialist hospital that may have a better chance at discovering what was wrong with him.
Although her family was rich, they had cut her off because she insisted on staying married to Alrik. She didn't have the heart to abandon him, because he was the love of her life. Her family despised him because he wasn't rich, but they had been forced to accept him because she loved him. But that was all in the past, because now they didn't bother to hide their disgust anymore. They wanted her to divorce him and throw him back to the streets where she had found him among the trash.
His mental retardation was a disgrace to their family name. Eliza had to start working part time jobs in order to support herself, and Alrik, hoping that her family would change their minds. At least they didn't throw her out into the streets, but she was sent out of the main house to live in the staff quarters. Even the maids maltreated her now, because she was an outcast. The only people who treated her well, and tried to sneak some leftovers for her, were the butler, and the head chef.
"Alrik, no!" She moved forward quickly when she saw him trying to eat something that looked like dog poop now.
Someone must have let the dog house open, or maybe Alrik had broken the lock. He did that sometimes, and that always caused her father to punish them by cutting off electricity and water to their small room.
"Liz." Alrik got up from the floor and began to clap like a child who saw candy.
He couldn't pronounce her full name so he called her Liz now, and he always looked so happy to see her. Maybe it was because she was the only one who cared about him now, or because he still loved her despite not having his memories or reasoning intact.
She hugged him, and took him inside to change his dirty clothes, bathe him and feed him. She was exhausted after working all day, but as soon as they settled into bed and he wrapped his arms around her, she felt better. His presence brought her comfort despite all the challenges. Then a weird thought entered her mind.
What if she got pregnant? Would her family accept her back for the child's sake? She had no idea, but it was worth trying if it meant giving Alrik access to better health care. She turned to face him and put her hand on his cheeks. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. Then she kissed him to see how he would react. He seemed confused but slowly began to respond to her. Then she got on top of him and put his hands on her hips.
"Liz want to play?" He asked with innocent curiosity and she chuckled.
Play was the only word he could use in order to try and understand the situation. His brain function was underdeveloped, like a child. That was what made her stop. He wasn't functional enough to truly give consent. So she just kissed him and lay back down.
"I love you, Alrik. Please come back to me. I miss you so much."
Her tears soaked his skin, and she slept off with that pain in her heart. By the next morning when Alrik woke up, Eliza was already gone to attend to her duties for the day. An heiress, working as a maid in her own family's house. She had left him food, and some toys to play with but that wasn't what made him get up from the bed.
He picked up a book from the desk and opened it. He was delighted to see that he could read the words and understand it. He was also getting his memory back, and he could speak properly also. He had no idea how, but his mind was no longer broken. He could remember how he ended up on the streets in the first place. When he became mentally retarded, he was kidnapped and kicked out by his cousin's allies and dumped in the streets so none of his own allies could find him.
It was just fate that he was found by Eliza, and she took care of him despite his condition. She never stopped loving him, the same way he never stopped loving her. And now it was time to take care of her. He couldn't believe how badly her family treated her by throwing her out of the main house, and he planned to make them pay. He would also get revenge on every member of his own family who had a hand on his misfortune. But first, he needed to reconnect with his allies.
He used the phone in the drawer to make a call to an encrypted number, and the call was answered almost immediately, like they were just waiting for him to make contact. Only him and his inner circle had access to this encrypted line in case of emergencies.
"Hello, Gaya."