IDTMB — Chapter seven

Ellie sat on the couch, staring at the fire in the fireplace in front of her. The dress she wore last night is the same one she's wearing now, and thanks to Arthur for the sweater, which helps keep her body warm. She took off her stilettos and wore slippers that didn't fit because they were his size. It was already three o'clock in the afternoon, but Arthur was nowhere to be found, despite the fact that it had been nearly half an hour since he had left the cabin. Ellie became bored while sitting on the couch, watching the woods burn.

"Where the hell is he? What's taking him so long? I even left my phone in his car; what should I do here? I'm getting bored here, Arthur; where the hell are you?"

Everyone's attention was drawn to a Lamborghini stop in the supermarket parking lot. Before opening the door on his side, Arthur puts on his sunglasses and checks himself in the rearview mirror. But before he could leave, he noticed a white pouch on the passenger seat, which prevented him from leaving in his car. He decides to open it, and inside he finds a lipstick, money, perfume in a small bottle, and her cellphone. He becomes more intrigued, so he clicks the button on the side of Ellie's iPhone where her bikini picture appears as the screen lock wallpaper. He grimaced when he realized there was a passcode and that he had failed to look at what was in her phone. Arthur places her cellphone back in the pouch and drives to the convenience store.

"Good afternoon, Sir Arthur, welcome back to the convenience store," the old man behind the counter, the only person working inside, said, "It's been months since your last visit here; I wonder if I'm right that you're now staying in your cabin."

Arthur chuckled as he start picking what to make for dinner. "What do you think it is, Freddie? But today is different because I brought someone in the cabin with me."

"You brought someone? I thought you didn't want anyone in your cabin, child," Freddie says, and he knows everything about Arthur because the two are so close. He is also the one who lent money to the old man to help him build the convenience store.

"Yeah, but I'm talking about Ellie."

When he heard the woman's name, the old man cracked a smile. "I see. That's why you have a different aura today; the darkness in you has lightened up with that woman's return."

He shook his head and hissed. "Freddie, stop talking nonsense."

"That is correct, Arthur, and I hope you bring her here when you return."

"Just don't freak her out with your words, and I'll bring her here the next time."

Arthur bought a lot of food at the convenience store because he didn't know what Ellie liked for dinner. He even bought clothes for her to change into, as well as underwear, which he felt embarrassed about purchasing. He was on his way back to the cabin when a woman in the middle of the road stopped to ask for help.

"Please help me!" exclaimed the woman outside, who was dressed in a pencil skirt and a white blouse and appeared to have just left the office.

He pressed the button on his side, and the windows rolled down. "I can't help you, Miss. There is someone waiting for me, so call someone to help you." He was about to close the window when the woman reached inside to stop him.

"There is no signal here, Mister; you're already here, so why don't you help me now so we can go our separate ways, please? I'm in a hurry right now."

"OK, where is your car?" Arthur gets out of his car and follows the woman through her Mercedes. "What happened?"

"I'm not sure what happened; I was just driving here when my car suddenly stopped and there is smoke coming out there!" She pointed to the hood in front of her car, and he immediately checked it, only to discover that the cause was overheat.

"There is a faulty wire casing in your engine that causes your car to overheat, and I guess you'll have to walk in your way because I only know how to change wheels, not this kind of problem," he said, closing the hood and turning his back on her.

"If that's the case, perhaps you could give me a ride where I'm going?" she suggested, prompting him to pause, "Don't worry, it's not that far. I really need to get there in time or else my boss will fire me."

Before facing the woman, Arthur glanced at his gold watch. "Fine, get your belongings and put them in my car."

Instead of driving straight back to the cabin, Arthur offers the woman a ride in the front seat. While looking at the man beside her, the woman appears to be content in her seat. She can't stop drooling because this is the first time a handsome man has shown her kindness. There are many men who are kind to her, but this man is different, and she can't stop biting her lower lip while fantasizing about him.

"My name is Laura, by the way."

"Arthur."

"Do you already have a girlfriend?" she asked directly, her voice almost seducing him.

"I have a fiancee." Arthur already knows what the woman beside him is up to, and since she's with Ellie today, he's not going to succumb to the poison of pleasure temptation.

"Hmm, so I guess the someone you were talking about earlier is your fiancee; how lucky she is, right?" Her hands landed on his lap, where she could feel the thing hiding under his pants.

"Hands off, Laura," he says as he takes her hand away. "I've met a lot of whores like you, and you'll never get what you want from me, so show some gratitude by giving you a ride," he said, adding that her silence was due to embarrassment.

"Stop the car over there," Laura said, pointing to the cafe where she will meet her boss with the papers she was carrying. "Thank you for the ride, Arthur," she said casually as she removed her seatbelt, and the next thing she did was come closer and kiss him on the lips before falling asleep in the car as if nothing had happened.

"Tsk."

Arthur spent nearly an hour driving Laura to her errands, and it was nearly four o'clock when he returned to the cabin. He gets in his car and goes to the trunk, carrying two large grocery bags and one paper bag of clothes for Ellie. He didn't even knock as he walked in and went straight to the kitchen to put the groceries away. He notices she is no longer on the couch, and there are no longer any woods in the fireplace to keep the room warm.

"Ellie?" he called, but got no response, so he looked for her in the back of the cabin, but she wasn't there either, "Ellie!"

"Shut up!"

He walked into his room as soon as he heard a voice from his room, and there she was sleeping in his bed, wearing his pajamas. "You're right there."

Ellie opened her eyes and looked at him standing in the doorway. Her brow arched as she noticed something in his face similar to what she saw in the airport. "What was it that took you so long?"

"Something just happened while I was driving," he replied casually.

"Ahh? Whatever you were talking about is obviously in your lips," she rolled her eyes and slumped down her face to the pillow in annoyance as she waited for him.

Arthur quickly wiped his lips, and for the second time, a lipstick stain remained on him. "Fuck. Why are you women wearing such annoying lipstick!"

"Why don't you say it to your fiancee who is always leaving a mark on you!" she said without moving in her position.

"This didn't come from her."

She immediately turned to face him after hearing what he had just said. "If it's not with her, it's with the other girl; are you cheating on your fiancee, Arthur?" Her voice was serious, and she gave him the look of someone ready to judge him if she was correct.

"No." His aura suddenly changed as he answer the question. "A woman unexpectedly kissed me after I assisted her earlier, which is why I took so long outside."

"Oh? Then someone just kissed you when you picked me up at the airport?" she sarcastically inquired.

"Why are we talking about this?" he refuses to answer.

"Because you're cheating on your fiancee, which is obviously." Ellie said it right through her eyes and got out in bed. "You already have a child, and you're also cheating on your daughter!"

"You're overreacting, Ellie." Her words didn't make him nervous, and it was just coming out of his ears. "Think whatever you want; you have no idea what I've been through while you've been gone." He turned his back on her, leaving her speechless.

"Asshole," she muttered irritably before returning back to bed, and her mood changed as a result of their conversation, which she couldn't explain. Anyway, his business was not her responsibility, but she felt sorry for Rebecca and their daughter on what he is doing.

When Ellie decided to get up, it was already getting dark, and she saw the sun setting through the curtains in the bay window outside. She quickly put on the giant slipper and dashed to the back of the cabin to watch the sunset, but when she opened the back door, she was surprised to see him holding a heavy iron at the end of a long wooden handle while wearing no shirt.