261: NOT WHAT I EXPECTED ARIEL’S POV I sat on this bed, still thinking about the dream I had. What the hell was that? What was it trying to tell me? Luke swallowed water; I couldn’t grasp the whole idea. Was it trying to tell me that the future between Luke and me would not be nice? If only I could get a perfect explanation for this. I stood up from the bed, driving my hands through my hair, and the door opened. A maid stepped in. “Good morning, miss,” she greeted. “Uhmm, good morning,” I greeted back, and we looked at each other for seconds, no one saying anything. Like, it was really crazy. But then I broke the silence. “Can I help you?” “Oh, sorry,” she laughed. Fake shit. “I was lost in thoughts. Please forgive me, miss.” “It’s okay. So can you please tell me why you’ve come to this room? Did you perhaps come to the wrong place or come here for a purpose?” “I came for the morning cleaning.” “Oh, I see.” “But I can see you’re busy now, so I guess I’ll just return later.” She wanted to leave the room, stopped her. “Hold on, hold on. Do you usually do this cleaning early in the morning?” “Yes, miss. That is my job.” “Oh, okay.” “Sorry to ask this question, miss. But can I please know why you were asking?” but I “It’s nothing, actually. I was just curious,” I replied. You may go now, and you can come back later.” “Okay, miss.” She walked away. Well, that was a relief. “Now, where the hell was Luke? I slept by his side but didn’t wake up next to him. Has he left for work? Nah, it couldn’t be. It was too early. I could hear the sound of a phone ringing, and when I turned around, it was mine, right on the bed. I could only wonder who was calling me so early. I took my phone, and Laura was right on the screen. I looked at it for a moment, but I answered the call anyway. “Ariel, I’ve been worried sick about you. Where have you been?” She asked. 261: NOT “Well, I just decided to spend the night at one of my friends‘ houses.” There was no way I was going to tell her that I spent the night with Luke. Her expression when I informed her that Luke did not murder my son was a memory in my mind; it was–oh my god, let’s not even begin to think about it. She already had this hatred for him, and it was all because of me, with the way I kept talking about Luke, emphasizing the whole situation, how he’s cold–blooded, and all that. I could just tell her everything now, but my mind was telling me it wasn’t a good idea. Currently, I didn’t want to jeopardize our relationship by bringing up the entire blah blah because I believe I was aware of the consequences that would ensue. “And who’s this friend of yours?” She asked, but I remained silent. “Oh, never mind. I called to tell you that Harriet is no longer in the room you kept her in.” My face changed right away. “What? Where is she now?” “I don’t know. I’ve searched almost everywhere in the house and can’t find her here.” “Almost everywhere?” “Yes, we’re still searching, though. Please come home as soon as possible. We have some things to talk about, not concerning Harriet.” The phone call ended promptly. And the unexpected news still shocked me. How on earth did Harriet escape? She was chained, like chained. And those weren’t just any ordinary chains. No, no, she was too weak to even flee out of that mansion. Someone helped her with this, and that person was residing inside that house. But Harriet should be given five stars, a round of applause, or whatever. She broke out of prison, cool. Now that she broke out of my chains, she left. But I wasn’t going to let her go away. I knew how crazy she could get. She was a psychopath who was capable of causing harm to those I cared about and loved. She would engage in malicious behavior toward them. And speaking of these people, I just remembered Andre. He was still in the hospital, and I didn’t go to visit him. What the heck! What kind of friend was I? He endured a gunshot wound in my place; he came perilously close to death in an effort to safeguard me. However, there I was, engrossed in my own thoughts, completely oblivious to the fact that he had been transported to the hospital just the day before. I quickly burst into the shower, but I halted immediately. Right now, I don’t even need to shower. I just have to get dressed, take my daughter, and get the hell out of here. Maybe that last part was rude. I’ll just leave here. Yeah, that was quite better. I wore my dress, grabbed my purse, and took my phone. Just when I was about to leave the room, Luke stepped in. I moved backward a little while he scanned me. “You’re leaving so early?” He queried. “Yes, something came up. And my presence is needed right now, so I’ll be leaving now.” “Are you for real?” “Yes, Luke, This is an emergency.” “What’s it about?” I glanced at him promptly. “Why are you asking?” “So I can help you out.” “Well, thank you, mister. But I think I can handle this on my own. And by the way, don’t you have some business projects to take care of?” “Yeah, there are projects. But if you’re about to attend to an emergency, I’ll help you. After all, you are my wife, so I have to put you first in everything.” I smiled at him and then drew his cheek, “Thanks, I appreciate that you want to help me so badly, but I got this. You do not have to worry,” “And how are you so sure that you have this?” “Laike, I’ll come back to spend time with you. No big deal here.” He gave me a skeptical look. “Are you sure about that?” “Yes, duh. I’m not running away, sir.” “Hmm, can I trust you?” He smirked, moving his face closer. “Of course you can.” I grinned, holding his chin. And then I pecked him on the lips. “You’re taking Janice along with you?” “Well, of course, that’s if she agrees,” I replied, and then I laughed softly. Luke laughed as well. He wrapped his hands around my waist, looking deeply into my eyes. “Take good care of yourself, Ariel.” “Yes, I will. You take care of yourself and don’t miss me too much.” I kissed him before he let go of me. Then, I went to Janice’s room. She was still sleeping with her innocent face visible, and I couldn’t help but smile as I regarded her. I walked north and sat next to her on the bed. Moving my face closer, I caressed her hair and whispered into her ear, “Wakey, wakey, my little princess.” She gently moved her body, and Laura started calling me again.