In Her Sleep

Who Are You?

"Mavis?" 
Layla almost rushes to the door to meet her former maid that she has been waiting for. But she pales when a different figure walks into her former bedroom that Simon gladly walked her into the moment they got to his house. 

"Hello Mrs Dawson." The woman greets her with a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes and instead of answering, Layla just stares at her confused. The surprise of it not being her sweet Mavis forgotten, she looks at the woman who just confidently referred to her as Simon's wife.

"Mrs Dawson?" She asks surprised and the woman looks at her, a deep frown set on her face.

"That would be you right? Or did I make a mistake?" The woman stops in front of her with a tray in hand.

And now that she is close Layla takes a moment to study her. Something in her gut has been constantly poking at her reminding her to be alert ever since Simon forced her to come with him.
And something about the woman is unsettling. Layla just can't put her finger on it. 
The woman doesn't look like a maid for starters, even though the maid's uniform fits her perfectly. Not that maids look a certain way, but she had been around Simon long enough to know there is a way he expected his maids to be like. It was in the way they walked, the way they dressed, talked and just the plain air about them that seemed like they had been coached to be and act exactly as he wanted. Mavis was perfect at it but this woman is not even remotely showing any of that, even with just how her long hair has been let loose and freely framing her face. Layla doesn't even remember ever seeing how long Mavis' hair was because it was always pinned up like all the other maids in the house. And now that she thinks about it, this woman is the first maid she has met since being back. 
Her eyes move from the woman's face to the tray in her hands. It's filled with the usual snacks that Mavis used to bring for her when she was here. And while her stomach has been rumbling here and there she just eyes the contents with one look and goes back to focussing on the woman's face. 

"I am not his wife if that is what you are thinking." Layla replies finally and the woman's frown deepens.

"I'm sorry?" The woman looks at Layla confused.

"No need to be sorry Gen." 
Simon walks in without even bothering to knock but that's not what Layla is concerned about.

"How in the world did he know what we were talking about?"
Layla's heart hammers in her chest as many thoughts, scary thoughts cross her mind.
"She is soon to be Mrs Dawson so you are not mistaken. Right my love?"
Simon turns to Layla. His smile that used to give her those magical tingles now just wants to make her crawl away from him.

"I'm sorry my love." Simon says and Layla flinches hating his continued reference to her as his love. 

"I should have probably told you before we even got here. Our dear Mavis retired a little after you left the hospital." He seems to smile genuinely at her but she knows it's all a mask. A perfect one at that.
"I just thought it was time the old lady had some much needed rest." Simon smiles at her but her mind is racing as she sees her only way of escape shut in her face.

"You can leave those right there." He points to a side table next to the bed and the woman does just that before walking out. Layla follows her retreating steps, while she racks her brain on what to do next.

"Here you go." 
She finds Simon extending his hand towards her but she just looks at it with no intention of getting whatever it is he is giving her.

"You used to be excited about my gifts." He smirks before reaching for her hand and placing a tiny black box in her hand.
When she looks at it, beads of sweat instantly form on her forehead.

"W….what is that?" She fumbles as she tries to pull her hand away from his. 
"There is no need to panic baby, it's nothing strange at all." Simon nods towards her hand.
"You can open it." He says in excitement.
With shaky hands she decides to open it knowing its pointless to say no to him. And at this point she has no idea just how far his madness can go.

"How do you have that?" All blood drains from her face and her mouth goes dry.
Her eyes remain fixed on a very familiar engagement ring.
"Did you have another one made?" She asks hoping he will say yes. Because if not, then he is truly insane. 

"Oh no baby. You know how I get attached to things." He cups her cheeks and she shivers out of fear.

She remembers very well where she kept her engagement ring after taking it off. It was right in Caleb's house which she knows is practically impossible for someone to break in. She looks up at him and finds a knowing look on his face.

"Who are you?" She can't help but ask when she suddenly realizes she may not know him at all.

"You don't recognize me?" Simon moves closer and tilts her head so that she is looking straight up at him.
"I'm the same person you fell head over heels in love with." He has a wide grin on his face that's just as sinister as he is.

"The Simon I fell in love with would never do this." She looks him square in the face. 

"Its because you never gave me any reason to." He cups her cheeks tenderly but all she wants to do is move away from him.

"So this is about Caleb? Is that it?"

"Young? Oh no my love, you are mistaken. Although Young is a regrettable inconvenience, it has never been about him." He looks at her beaming.  

"This is about you. It has always been about you Layla Theresa Jones."

"What did you call me?" A cold shiver runs down her spine. And her eyes widen with alarm. She hasn't been called Theresa in so long. It's been so long that she had even forgotten about her mother's name that she got rid of after she died. Then it only reminded her of the grief she so much wanted to forget. So she ceased being Layla Theresa Jones and just became Layla Jones.

"Don't look so panicked. Its actually a beautiful name, I don't know why you would give it up. I actually prefer it if ask me." He says nonchalantly. 

"Have you been digging in my past?" Her voice comes out shaky. She is suddenly feeling vulnerable. She realizes that she has no clue who Simon is except the man he paraded himself to be meanwhile he may know her whole entire life.

"Not that there was anything to find except lots and lots of tragedy, you poor thing." He looks at her and dares to appear like he actually cares but she steps away from him in one swift motion and she finds herself at the other end of the large room. But he just walks over to her in short swift steps.

"I told you that I get attached to things, in this case you. So don't you dare run away from me." His threatening tone is back and Layla pales while her mouth goes dry.

"Besides you will soon be my wife, so you better get used to me being closer to you than this." A sinister smile spreads across his lips.
Layla's heart on the hand is racing.

"Over my dead body!" She blurts out. She is shaking like a leaf deep within but she just has to let him know that she has no intentions of ending up married to him. 

"Tsk...tsk...tsk.. careful what you wish for baby." His mouth twists wryly.
"They say death is always not so far from us." 

A bolt of panic hits her again while fear creeps up her spine. Just the way he delivers those words to her, she has no doubt that he is capable of going that far.

"How did I not see this? How did I fall in love with a monster." 

"Don't trouble your pretty little head. There is no way you could have known." Simon pats her on her shoulder as if to comfort her but that is not what is bothering her. It's the fact that he is able to tell what she is thinking exactly. Like he where right in her head.

"I said don't trouble your pretty little head." He cups her cheeks tenderly and she just watches him quietly. After his earlier threat about her running away from him she doesn't even dare move an inch.

"I probably know more about you than you yourself baby." He chirps and for whatever reason she believes him. 

"Now come." He takes her hand and looks at it for a moment before looking up at her making her frown.

"Will you marry me?" He smiles brightly like it was any normal day and she just looks at him with shock.

"Well?" He asks when all she does is look at him wide eyed.

"You don't seriously think that…."

"Ah, ah, ah…" He cuts her mid sentence. 
"It's a yes or no kind of question. And for your sake I do hope it's the former." He smiles while she freezes with horror.