Ginny narrowed her eyes and observed Joan’s reaction. Her lips curled into a wicked grin. Joan’s eyes were flickering and she only calmed down when she looked at Mona. “The child that she mentioned…it might be my child.” Mona was shocked. “Your child?” Joan pleaded, “Mona, can you ask Sebastian to get the key to that building? Come with me. I want to go have a look.” Mona nodded. “Okay. I’ll go ask for the key.” She knew about the building in the backyard, but it was closed most of the time and the servants did not need to clean up the place. Now that Ginny said it was haunted, Mona suddenly felt the chills. When Mona asked Sebastian for the key, the man’s expression seemed strange. He stammered as he tried to dissuade Mona from going there. Mona wanted to know more, but the building seemed to be a taboo among the servants, so everyone she asked either told her to be careful or not go there at all. The more they dissuaded her, the more curious she got. She had to find o
The tablet had a name engraved on it: Sunny. There was a date beside the name but that was it. Mona counted and realized that the date was around six years ago. Ginny said the house was haunted and that someone had done a ceremony to trap the soul there. Seeing the memorial tablet, the news seemed to be verified. Was the child somehow related to Joan? Was the child Joan’s? Mona saw Joan stare at the memorial tablet blankly. Joan was in shock and disbelief. Then, she grabbed the box that held the ashes of the deceased and held it in her arms as if she was carrying a baby. She held it tightly and started to sing a lullaby to it. “Joan, is Sunny your child?” “Shhh!” Joan looked like she was in a trance. She put her finger at her lips and silenced Mona. “It’s been a long time since I saw Sunny. She’s sleeping. Don’t wake her. Sunny is a scaredy cat.” Mona was speechless. Suddenly, the sky turned dark. She looked outside the window and realized dark clouds shrouded the
Less than five minutes later, Joan came out with an old, broken doll in her hands. “Joan, where did you go?” Mona came down from Thaddeus’ arms and went over to the woman. Joan's face was streaked with dried tear marks as if she had just cried. “I feel like my child is still inside, like she’s still alive. I went upstairs and found her favorite doll.” Joan was deeply shaken, and her concentration drifted. Then, she suddenly realized the problem. “Why are my child’s things in there? Why are they here at your house?” “This isn’t your child, Joan,” Thaddeus said coldly. “I heard from my mother that the things in this house belonged to a child of one of the servants. The servant helped our family a lot and even saved my father’s life once, so my father allowed the servant and his family to live here.” Joan shook her head. “No. No! That memorial tablet has my child’s name on it! And this doll…I bought this for Sunny when she was young. How…” She refused to believe it or accept i
On the way back, Mona and Joan still could not calm down. “Mona, tell me, did you really see a girl back there?” “Joan, I’m still very confused. It happened too fast and it was just a flash. I don’t know if I was hallucinating or if I did see a girl.” “But the memorial tablet has Sunny’s name on it.” “Joan, let’s just leave it aside first. Thaddeus is going inside to find out the truth. Maybe there’s something we didn’t understand in there. Let’s just wait for him to come back. Are you frightened as well? Let’s go back into the mansion.” Mona and Joan walked back to the mansion. Then, a tiny figure ran towards Mona and jumped into her embrace. “Mommy! Mommy! I’m scared!” Millie hugged Mona’s leg and nuzzled against her thigh like a puppy. Mona carried the girl up and kissed her puffy cheeks. “Baby, what are you afraid of? Mommy is here. You don’t need to be afraid.” The woman, who had trembled in fear in the abandoned house, transformed into an invincible mother befor
Ginny crossed her arms and leaned against the closet. She looked askance at Mona and said, “What?” “You cannot stay in this room. Pick another one,” Mona voiced her demand straightforwardly. She did not want her son to see the woman’s half-naked body. The woman had no knowledge of boundaries and morality despite coming from a decent background. Where were her manners and dignity? “Why? I like this room.” Ginny leaned forward and squeezed her chest at Mona. She looked at Thaddeus’ door and simpered. “It has a good view. I like it.” Mona could no longer tolerate the woman. Since words could not enter Ginny’s thick skull, she grabbed her luggage and tossed it outside the room. The clothes fell out from the luggage and scattered all over the floor. “Hey! Why did you throw my luggage out?!” Ginny roared. “Well, I am the mistress of this house, and I am suspecting you of seducing my husband.” Since they never started off on the right foot, Mona did not need to hold back. She
Ginny took her luggage downstairs. When Mona came out from the guest room, she saw Bobby standing next door, crossing his arms and looking cool as he stared in the direction where Ginny went off. He then looked at Mona. “What’s up with that?” Bobby was referring to Ginny’s stay. “As you can see, Aunt Kimball will be staying with us for a while.” “She must have a hidden agenda,” Bobby said with protruded lips and a sour expression. Mona patted the boy’s head. The boy was smarter and more mature than his sister, and he knew what was going on between the adults. “She’s here already. So, let’s just see what we can do. You are a smart boy. You must learn how to protect yourself and your sister. Got it?” “Don’t worry.” Bobby tapped his chest. “Oh, I have a question that I want to ask.” “What is it?” “Mommy, I will give you a surprise soon.” Bobby’s big eyes and expression could barely hide his excitement. He already had a feeling that Baxter and Kendra were his mother’s
“I’ve arranged for Ms. Kimball to stay as a guest on the first floor.” “You can take charge of everything at home.” The man showed no concern about Ginny and left Mona in charge of everything. “Great.” “I have to deal with some private matters in the study. Don’t let anyone in. Call me when it’s time for dinner.” Mona’s eyes flickered. Her instinct was always accurate, and she had a feeling the man was acting unusual, given all the details. He must be hiding something from her again. When Thaddeus entered the study, Mona spotted a black stain on the back of his white shirt that somehow resembled a palm. Her heart skipped a beat and suddenly thought of the girl in white she saw in the abandoned house. Her heart pounded wildly. …When Thaddeus entered the room, his cold expression was instantly shrouded with a layer of gloom. He pulled his phone out to call Jennifer at the hospital. Before Jennifer could say a word, Thaddeus bellowed coldly, “What’s with the girl at the
Mona was not interested in participating in the power struggle of the wealthy, but she was a part of the family and was forced to be in it. She finally understood what it meant by being helpless. She realized her husband was being caught in an invisible war, and it was closely related to her and her kids’ future. She should side with her husband in this war because she would also be securing her own benefits. With that in mind, Mona quietly went downstairs. Both Bobby and Millie were playing in the living room by themselves whereas Joan was nowhere to be found. Mona looked around but did not see her anywhere. Her heart skipped a beat. Could Joan have gone back to the abandoned house again? “Bobby, watch your sister. I have to go out for a while,” Mona whispered into the boy’s ear. “If Daddy asks where I am, tell him I went out shopping.” Bobby furrowed his brows. “So, where exactly are you going?” “Shopping for groceries.” Mona waved at Bobby and said, “Call me if there