The Golden Cage - S01 E03

Story 2 weeks ago

The Golden Cage - S01 E03

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 3

Linda stood at the heavy door of the office. Her hands were shaking. Her heart was beating very fast. It felt like a drum inside her chest. She had just heard Frank say terrible things. He called her a village girl. He told another woman that she was the one he truly wanted. Linda did not want to believe it. She hoped she had heard the wrong words. She hoped it was all a big mistake. But she had to know the truth. She took a deep breath. She pushed the big wooden door open. The air inside the office was cool. It smelled like expensive perfume and old books. Linda looked inside and her heart stopped.

Frank was not alone. He was sitting on his large leather chair. A very beautiful lady was with him. She had long hair and was wearing a bright red dress. They were holding hands. They looked very close. They looked like they were in love. When the door opened, they both looked up. Linda saw the look on Frank’s face. She expected him to look sorry. She thought he would jump up and try to explain. She thought he would tell her that she was the only one he loved. But Frank did not look sorry at all. He did not let go of the lady’s hand. Instead, he looked very angry. His eyes became small and hard. He looked at Linda like she was a person he did not know. He looked mad because she had interrupted his private time.

The beautiful lady looked at Linda and laughed. It was a mean laugh. Linda felt very small. She felt like the village girl Frank had called her. She felt like she did not belong in this big office with shiny floors. She looked at Frank and her eyes filled with tears. She wanted to say something, but the words would not come out. Frank stood up and walked toward her. He did not say anything sweet. He just told her to go home. He said he would meet her there later. Linda turned around and ran out of the building. She cried all the way back to the house. She felt so alone in the big city.

When they got home that night, the house was very quiet. The lights were low. Linda sat on the sofa and waited. When Frank walked in, he did not look at her. He went to the kitchen to get a drink. Linda followed him. She had so many questions. Her heart was hurting. She asked him who the lady was. She asked him why he was holding her hand. She asked him why he called her a village girl. Frank stopped drinking. He turned around and looked at her. He did not explain anything. He did not say who the lady was. Instead, he started to shout. His voice was very loud and scary. It bounced off the walls of the big house.

Frank told Linda never to question him again. He told her that he was the boss. He reminded her of something very painful. He told her that he was the one paying for her life. He pointed at her nice clothes. He pointed at the food on the table. He told her that she would have nothing without him. He said that she was only there because he allowed it. Linda felt like she was shrinking. She realized that she was not a partner to Frank. She was just someone he had bought. She went to bed and cried herself to sleep. She felt like she was caught in a golden cage. The house was beautiful, but she was not free to speak or ask questions.

Two weeks went by. During those two weeks, the sweet Frank disappeared completely. The boy who brought her chocolate and said kind things was gone. The new Frank was a different man. He started staying out very late every single night. Linda would sit by the window and watch the street. She would wait for his car to come home. Many times, he did not come home until the sun was up. When he did come back, he was always grumpy. He did not want to talk to her. He did not want to eat with her. Linda felt like a ghost in her own home. She was very sad and very confused. She wondered what she had done wrong.

One night, Frank came home and went straight to the shower. He left his phone on the bed. Linda saw the phone. It started to light up. Someone was calling. Linda felt a spark of curiosity. She wanted to know who was calling him so late at night. She wanted to know who was taking him away from her. She thought maybe it was the lady in the red dress. She reached out her hand and picked up the phone. She just wanted to see the name on the screen. But before she could even read it, the bathroom door opened. Frank walked out. He saw Linda holding his phone.

Frank lost his temper in a way Linda had never seen before. He did not just shout this time. He looked like he was full of fire. He ran toward her and grabbed the phone from her hand. He told her she had no right to touch his things. He was screaming so loud that Linda was shaking. She tried to say she was sorry. She tried to back away. But Frank was too fast. He raised his big hand high into the air. Before Linda could blink, he struck her across the face. The hit was very hard. It made a loud sound like a clap.

Linda felt a sharp pain. Her head spun around. She lost her balance and fell against the hard wall. She hit her shoulder and then slid down to the floor. She was in total shock. She could not believe it. Frank had actually hit her. She put her hand to her face and felt it getting hot and big. She started to cry. It was a loud, painful cry. She felt like her heart had been broken into pieces. Frank did not pick her up. He did not say he was sorry. He just looked at her with cold eyes. He told her that she brought this on herself. Then he walked out of the room and left her there in the dark.

Linda stayed on the floor for a long time. The floor was cold against her skin. She felt like her life was over. She thought about her parents in the village. They thought she was happy. They thought she was living like a queen. But here she was, crying on the floor because the man she loved had hit her. She felt so much shame. She did not know what to do. She did not know where to go. She had no money of her own. She had no job. She was truly stuck in the golden cage. She eventually fell asleep on the rug, her face throbbing with pain.

The next morning, the sun was very bright. It shone through the big windows of the bedroom. Linda woke up and felt the pain in her face. It hurt to move her jaw. She slowly got up and walked to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and gasped. One side of her face was very swollen. It was a dark purple and blue color. Her eye looked small because of the swelling. She looked like a different person. She looked like someone who had been in a fight. She touched her skin and winced. It was a terrible sight.

Just then, there was a knock on the bedroom door. Linda jumped because she was scared. The door opened and Frank walked in. He was not angry anymore. He was carrying a big bunch of flowers. They were red roses, very beautiful and smelling very sweet. Frank walked over to her. He had tears in his eyes. He looked very sad. He knelt down on the floor in front of her. He took her hand and started to cry. He told her that he was so very sorry. He said he was stressed because of the company. He said his father was putting too much pressure on him.

Frank told Linda that he did not know what came over him. He promised her that he would never, ever hit her again. He told her that he loved her more than anything in the world. He said he would do anything to make it up to her. He brought her a glass of water and some medicine for the pain. He was being so sweet again. He spent the whole morning telling her how beautiful she was. Linda wanted to believe him. She wanted the nightmare to go away. She wanted to go back to the time when they were happy at the university. She took the flowers and let him hug her.

Why do you think Frank is suddenly being so mean and violent toward Linda?

Do you think Linda should believe Frank’s apology and stay with him?

Who do you think the beautiful lady in the red dress really is to Frank?

What would you do if you saw a shadow following your every move outside your window?

Is the golden cage starting to feel more like a prison to Linda?

The mystery is getting deeper and scarier! Can she ever trust Frank again after what he did? You must follow up to see what happens next in this thrilling story.