Augustus
Looking back over the last couple of years of her life, Kalista Borgin still could not piece together all the events that had lead her from point a to point b – point b being married to a man she was engaged to before she even had the chance to know him, and bearing a child that didn’t satisfy him. It was incredibly frustrating, knowing that the only thing her husband wanted from her for Christmas was for her to become pregnant with a son, who would take on the role of male heir. She was more stressed than she had ever been in her entire life, but a lot of that had to do with the way her social life had spiraled so quickly down the drain after she had gotten married, and how she and her best friend were no longer talking.

She always felt like all she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry, but she had Astrid to think about. She loved that little girl more than she ever thought possible, and sometimes she worried that Augustus just went through the motions with their daughter – it was a horrible thought, but it terrified her to think that she had disappointed him with a girl.

She was certain that she was going to start balding by New Years – it was either that, or she was going to go gray, and either way, it was going to be completely unattractive. That thought also stressed her out.

Sitting in front of the mirror in the bedroom she shared with her husband, Kalista ran a brush through her hair, making sure it was perfectly in place. She wanted to look her best for when he came home, as she did every night, seeing how the only purpose she really had was to bare his children, and satisfy his needs…like a good wife.

Dropping the brush down, she let out a sigh as she stared at her reflection. Her lips pursed together a little as she thought about everything that was going on in her life. It didn’t help that she always missed her brother so much during the holidays, and going home just reminded her so much of the fact that he was gone. Placing the brush down on the counter, she reached for her lipstick, painting her lips a ruby red before blotting them together, hearing the front door as she was finishing. Rising to her feet, Kalista made her way into the foyer, greeting him with a small smile, her hands folded neatly behind her back.

“They haven't been working you too hard, have they?”