Bryan starred straight at nothing. He had ditched lessons again, just like he had done for the past three days. Nobody noticed, just as he had expected. His father was too busy with work and his so-called stepmother who he was beginning to have a soft spot for was in her room.
He missed his friend.
He’d had nightmares for the past three nights. Nightmares of her been taken away from him despite his cries and screams. Nobody cared. Thanks to the fact that he’s asked for his room to be soundproofed, nobody heard him scream from sleep at an ungodly hour. He knew it was only a matter of time before his tutor leaks it to his dad that he had been ditching class but he refused to let go of the last vestige of hope in his heart that he might see her if he continued coming to the pond for a week. He had prayed to the moon the night before, something he never, ever did for anyone, not even himself. He only wanted to see her face. To make sure she was okay. That her s
Lauren walked into the house like nothing happened. According to Michael, Bryan had been home since morning, and to prove it, he made to check up on the young lad but Lauren stopped him, afraid that she might end up exposing the little guy who might not be home yet. How he managed to escape so unnoticed was what she couldn’t explain. She couldn’t ask him either, knowing he only thought of her as Michelle. Waving Michael off politely, Lauren walked upstairs to the room she shared with Malcolm and peeled off her clothing, replacing it with a simple white home gown that stopped just on her thighs. She gathered her hair in a rough bun before returning downstairs to prepare dinner with Kate. “Good evening, Ms. Byrne.” Kate greeted.Lauren rolled her eyes, “You know, you really don’t have to keep doing this. I thought we were friends already.”Kate smiled, “Rules are always rules. It wasn’t for the boss&rsqu
Lauren walked down the void of darkness not knowing where she was. She tried to call for help but strangely, her throat was parched and no sound came out of her mouth. She was scared. her heart slammed against her chest as if threatening to burst out in no time. She shut her eyes tight and closed her ears with her palms.She was lost. “Lauren.” A voice called out in the wind. A voice she knew perfectly well. A voice she could recognise anywhere in the world.It was her mother.Opening her eyes, she found herself in a vast dessert with wind that threatened to knock her off her feet. Just where the hell was she? “Mom?” she called out, hoping she would see her mother, and she did! A hand landed on her shoulders and when she turned, there stood her mother, wearing her ever charming smile. “Mom.” Lauren called again in a shaky voice. This time, tears slid down her cheeks. She saw her mother
Lauren sat as stiff as a tree in the car, unable to look outside as usual to admire nature. She couldn’t believe she was on her way to the very place she dreaded most! Well, it was all thanks to some stupid nightmare of hers. That morning when Malcolm had asked her, not in his usual I-am-Malcolm-Knight tone but in a kind of caring tone, her heart had stopped beating for the briefest second; she thought she was going to break down right in front of him and shatter all the pretenses but she couldn’t do that. She owed it to her father, and moreover, she didn’t know what this man might end up doing to her if she revealed anything now, so she simply nodded.She missed her mother.She missed her mother so much it felt like her heart would rip into pieces.Then, he gave her permission to go see her mother. To go see Grace; and only then did she remember who her ‘mother’ was. Her first decision was not to go but she knew she couldn’t
Lauren felt her entire energy being drained from her. Her father chose his title over her mother. He chose wealth over her and her mother. Her brain found it hard to process that and the more she tried to make up excuses for him in her head, the more the tears came. The minute the car halted in front of the Knight’s mansion, she walked straight upstairs, trying hard not to break down in front of all these people. She stopped in front of the master bedroom and after some thought, she turned back and headed to the first floor where the guest rooms were and picking a random one, she walked in, closing the door behind her. She sat down in front of a mirror hating the face she saw. It reminded her that she was just a second choice to her father. Without wasting time, she quickly removed it, and at the sight of that face that reminded her so much of her mother, she broke down to0 tears. Bryan jumped about happily, holding onto the big soft hand that held him. it was
Lauren felt her entire energy being drained from her. Her father chose his title over her mother. He chose wealth over her and her mother. Her brain found it hard to process that and the more she tried to make up excuses for him in her head, the more the tears came. The minute the car halted in front of the Knight’s mansion, she walked straight upstairs, trying hard not to break down in front of all these people. She stopped in front of the master bedroom and after some thought, she turned back and headed to the first floor where the guest rooms were and picking a random one, she walked in, closing the door behind her. She sat down in front of a mirror hating the face she saw. It reminded her that she was just a second choice to her father. Without wasting time, she quickly removed it, and at the sight of that face that reminded her so much of her mother, she broke down to0 tears. Bryan jumped about happily, holding onto the big soft hand that held him. it was
Seconds trickled by but yet the little guy hadn’t spoken a word. He only stood rooted at a spot, looking straight at her. Lauren’s body shivered unconsciously. Was he going to tell his father? She could already imagine herself spending the rest of her miserable life behind bars. Beyond that, she could see the hurt on the little boy’s face. Of course, it wasn’t fair hiding all those secrets away from him—what was she expecting. “Bryan, I can explain. Please let me explain.” Tears trickled down her eyes again. This time, it was tears for her unknown future. It was tears for fear of losing this little guy’s faith in her. It was tears of losing a dear friend. “Michelle?” He whispered as if finding it hard to say the word. “Bryan.” She called out desperately. “Bunny. Aunty’s sorry.”Bryan’s face crumpled and so did his heart. it was her!
“What the hell is going on here?!”Lauren froze. She felt a chill run down her spine. She was doomed! D. O. O. M. E. D!She had nowhere to hide now. She couldn’t put on her mask either, not when it was being held by Bryan who already hated her. Maybe this was her fate. Maybe she was destined to die here. She was just sad her life ended too soon. She began to weep afresh. “I said, What. Is. Going. On. Here?!” Malcolm thundered again, punctuating his every word. Despite the fact that her face was almost hidden from him, she could feel his rage. It was almost as if she could see it. Her entire body quivered uncontrollably.This is it, Lauren. Your doom is here. She steeled herself. It was better she turned herself in now and hope for a ‘lighter’ punishment than wait for him to enter the room and find out her secret himself. Sitting on her knees, she turned to face him when her face hit a soft w
Lauren opened the door as quietly as she could, perking into the room and when she saw no sign of Malcolm, she heaved a sigh of relief and dashed for her closet door. She opened it and ran in quickly, closing the door behind her but as she turned, she froze. “You are a second late!” His voice halted her. There he was, sitting on her dressing table playing with her lipstick, like a bored king waiting for some visitors to arrive. “I…I” wait! Why was she stuttering? “What are you doing here?” “Is my wife’s closet a forbidden place to enter?” he replied nonchalantly.Lauren froze. This was the second time he was referring to her as a wife. “No… I thought we had an agreement…” To keep off each other’s privacy. She couldn’t find the voice to complete her statement. Not when the man before her was starring daggers at her.