The Echoes Of Betrayal

Jeri attempted to clean the blood stains on the floor before beginning the treatment, but Darien objected.

“I will not sit here and watch you do that, Jeri. You have nothing to worry about. I will clean it myself. All you need to do now is go sit down and get your treatment, okay?” Darien informed her.

“No, Darien. I'm the woman here. So it is my responsibility to clean. Besides, I was the one who stained the place, so…”

“I am not sure who said cleaning is only for women,” Darien interrupted. “If I could clean the spot you stained before leaving to shower, why can't I do the same with this small drop on the floor? As I previously stated, you will not be responsible for cleaning or cooking as long as you live in this house. I am going to do it myself.”

Jeri was unable to speak further; instead, she smiled as she stared at Darien.

'He is such a caring man,' she reflected internally.

“I know, right?” Darien chuckled, as if he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Huh?” her mouth widened in astonishment.“ Did I say anything?”

“Okay… okay. I think that should be enough for now. She's losing blood,” Dr. Emiliano cut into their conversation as he noticed another blood drop.

“You heard that. So go get your treatment, darling.”

She was overcome with joy as Darien's words echoed in her ears.

'I cannot recall the last time anyone addressed me as a darling. This is sufficient evidence to conclude that Darien is a good man. In fact, he is the first and last good man on the earth.’ She pondered internally, her eyes filled with happy tears.

Darien did not notice her tears because he had gone out of sight after saying that.

She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand and walked up to sit in an armchair Dr. Emiliano instructed her to sit earlier so that the treatment could begin.

Dr. Emiliano, who was standing in a corner of the room, looked around, his gaze falling on a small medicine cabinet. “If you can wait here, I will be right back.”

Jeri nodded, a smile spreading across her lips. The joy in her heart could not be described. Her top priority right now was to get healed, start a business, and become a successful businesswoman. With that, she was confident that she could provide her son with a luxurious lifestyle that she did not have.

Silence ruled over the atmosphere as Jeri pondered about her future as a single mother and that of her child.

Darien, who had already cleaned up the mess, sat at a distance and observed the woman smiling to herself. This made him wonder what Jeri was thinking that caused her to smile even while in pain.

Just then, Jeri turned her head and looked at Darien, who smiled sheepishly at her. Jeri could not help but smile back at him.

The tension between them was so obvious that one could imagine what was going through their minds.

Jeri's mind was filled with a thousand and one questions.

'What if Darien is not who he appears to be? He occasionally appears suspicious, despite his appearance as a gentleman. I can't even express how I feel about him.’ She lowered her gaze to the ground, thinking internally.

She could not stand the thought of losing Darien in her life if he had a bad plan for her. She felt she owed him a lot, even though she only knew him briefly.

On the contrary, Darien sat nervously on the cushion, his gaze darting around the room to avoid Jeri's.

“Pardon my manners, sir,” she summoned the courage to ask. “I would like to know who you really are?”

Darien paused, as if anticipating her question, his gaze falling to the floor.

He dropped his legs, smiled at her, and nodded, preparing to answer her question.

“I… I am not who you think I am,” he explained, his voice barely above a whisper as he scratched his scalp awkwardly. “ There is something I have not been truthful about, but I will not tell you what it is until the time comes. We have only just met, so I do not think it is a good idea to start spilling such personal information. It is up to you to decide whether you should trust me in the meantime."

Jeri flickered as she heard this, wondering what Darien was up to. Although he appeared to be a nice man, Jeri suspected there was something fishy about him.

Darien noticed how disturbed she was by what he said, but he ignored her.

She attempted to speak but was interrupted by Dr. Emiliano's presence, which made her uncomfortable.

The room fell silent once more, with the doctor's presence briefly breaking the tension.

Dr. Emiliano returned, wearing a lab coat and carrying a small glass bottle. He set the small glass bottle on a small rectangle-shaped table beside Jeri.

“Huh?” Jeri was perplexed when she saw the small glass bottle. She expected him to return with a box containing his medical tools.

“Are you surprised?” he inquired as he stood in front of her. “ Well, this is a bloodroot. This plant has strong anti-bleeding properties. This plant is only known to a few licensed medical professionals. Though it has side effects as well, those occur only when a patient is not administered the medication by a doctor correctly. For this reason, not all medical professionals are advised to use it.”

Jeri nodded, but she was still afraid as she gazed at the tiny glass bottle filled with a brown liquid.

“Darien, I would really like to use that cushion. You need to excuse us for a moment,” the old man told Darien, who nodded.

He stood up, looked Jeri in the eyes, and smiled once more. “Am I allowed to go look after your son?”

“Hmm… why not?” Jeri gave him a smile.

Darien chuckled and smiled back at her before exiting the room.

As soon as he was out of sight, the old man placed a piece of clothing on the cushion and Jeri lay on it as he instructed.

"Before I begin, I must tell you that it is excruciatingly painful. Be prepared to face the pain.

“Okay,” Jeri nodded without considering what the old man had said.

Without delay, Dr. Emiliano soaked a small piece of cotton in the liquid before gently dabbing it on her abdomen.

Jeri lay on the cushion, her body aching from the substance used on her. Her mind was filled with confusion and despair as she reflected on what had occurred.

She tried to scream, but Dr. Emiliano covered her mouth, so she held it in. Only one dab, and the pain was unbearable.

Jeri felt unconscious as the pain was too much for her to bear.

She woke up minutes later to the sound of her baby crying. Looking around, no one else was in the room with her.

She jumped off the cushion, dashed to the room where she had placed her child, and discovered that the baby was covered in a rash.

Her eyes became red and puffy as soon as she realized what was happening. Jeri started to panic, unsure what to do.

Just then, something came to mind, and she dashed out of the room to find Darien and Dr. Emiliano. When she opened the door, however, she found herself in a dark and empty room.

Despite the darkness, she frantically searched the house for Dr. Emiliano and Darien, but there was no sign of them.

Her heart began to pound heavily against her chest, making her anxious. She dashed back to the room where she had placed her child. She yanked him off the bed and attempted to flee.

She could not tell whether it was a dream or reality. It was strange that everything was happening that way when no one was home.

After taking her child, she clutched him to her chest and dashed out of the house as fast as she could. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to locate the exit.

Suddenly, she heard voices calling out to her, but they were distant and muffled. She saw nothing but darkness all around her.

Jeri shivered as she scanned around for help from above. She began to question why she had trusted Darien and the old man in the first place.

Finally, Jeri noticed a dim light appear in one corner of the house. She ran towards it, desperate to get away from the darkness and the voices that surrounded her.

As she approached the light, she felt a surge of hope, as if she had finally found a solution.

When she reached the end of the corner, she was confronted with a solid brick wall.

“No…!” Jeri screamed aloud when she realized she was trapped in the empty house.

Holding her child in her left hand, she pounded her fists against the wall, screaming in frustration.

The voices that were previously distant were becoming louder, and she could feel them closing in around her. Panic began to set in, and she felt suffocated.

She heard a voice unexpectedly. It was a loud, hoarse voice that seemed to come from all around her.

“Jeri, you made the wrong decision by trusting me…" he announced, shaking his head.

Jeri's eyes widened in shock as she realized who the person was.

“Darien?” She murmured his name, struggling to believe her eyes.