I was shocked by what I saw when I opened the drawer. Except for a little blue box, the drawer was empty. I read the tagline that is shown in the box's front.
‘Better sex is our rallying cry.’
It was a condom, and I’m not sure why it was there since mommy told me Leil has been gone for a long time. Where would Hugo use this?
The door unexpectedly opened in the middle of my thoughts. I immediately replaced the box and shut the drawer. I leaned against it, watching who came in. Hugo’s expression was solemn, and I drew his eyes to my hand, which was holding the drawer as I leaned on it. I spoke before him so he wouldn’t have to look into what I’m doing any further.
“Why did you return food? I’ve only eaten so much!” I alter the topic. I moved over to the bed as he stayed standing and didn’t take his gaze away from me. His jaws clenched, and I drew his attention to myself.
“I assumed you would not eat since you dashed into the bathroom.” His expression remained unchanged.
“Nevermind.” That’s all I said before turning away from him and lying down on the mattress. I wrapped myself in a blanket and went to hide. I can still recall what I did in the restroom. I resented myself for doing so.
The lowering of the bed showed that he had sat. He abruptly removed the blanket that had been covering me and placed his hand on my forehead. He also placed one of his hands on his forehead, as if to take our temperature. I questioned him after removing his hand from my head.
“What are you up to?” I measured the breadth of his palm and compared it to mine. It was only in my head that I made the comparison. Because of the pace of my beating, my neck warms up as if someone is pursuing someone inside my heart.
“I only realized you were red a few moments ago. Is there a problem?” His voice was clear and there was no hesitation. He said it bluntly, as if he was certain I was sick.
“What? No. Maybe I’m just exhausted of fixing the things in the closet.” I averted my gaze. Who blushes simply because she is ‘tired?’ My rationale is very petty. Despite knowing the true cause, I claimed it was the real reason. This man was so wealthy that he couldn’t tell I was lying.
Why did I say he couldn’t tell? Because I don’t think he has ever experienced cleaning or sweating. I don’t think he knew what the tired-looking person looked like.
He tapped at me softly on the forehead. “Silly, what do you think of me? Born yesterday? You’ve already fallen asleep and only now can you feel tired.” He chuckled.
“Why?! Can’t someone be irritated with the dust? Have an allergy? Something like that?” I rolled my eyes.
“With so much courage and stubbornness, even the germs will fear you!” he was still laughing.
“Please leave me alone! Please don’t disturb me; I’m really busy!” I grabbed for my phone on the bedside table and kicked him with my elbow before covering myself again with a blanket.
“Who are you busy with? With your boyfriend?” I jumped upon the blanket cover and responded to his inquiry, rather playfully.
“What if it’s yes?” I raised an eyebrow and was ready to mock him when his expression went solemn and he gave me a stern look. He was kidding about it, but he was also easily teased.
He never responded to me again. This man appears to have a brain damage. He’d make a joke about it, then go silent when they made a joke to respond to what he said. So, what’s the problem with what I said? We haven’t known each other yet, and everything is a ruse. We’ve only been acting for approximately three weeks. I don’t want to speculate, but what other explanation could there be? I turned away from him and went about my business. I’m sure I haven’t opened social media in a while since I’ve been too busy. Opening is a succession of message noises that have reached my Instagram, so I have muted the sound of my phone.
“I suppose your lover missed you too much and nearly wrecked your phone with too many messages,” he said, as I continued to go through my social media. I read the messages from my classmates and friends. Aunt Julia was the only one to whom I responded.
“How are you doing, child? Can I pay you a visit?” The 19th of April.
“How are you, Adele? I’m missing you. When you have time, please respond. Perhaps you’re preoccupied with your work.” 2nd of June.
I quickly responded to her. “Aunt Julia, of course! When will you be available? I miss you as well!” I was going to switch off my screen when three wavy dots showed in the messaging conversation. The side of the chat box becomes green to indicate that she is online.
“Adele! It’s great that you could respond! I’ll tell you a lot about something!” Even though I can’t see her, I can nearly feel her excitement. We haven’t spoken in quite some time. My only difficulty now is informing Mommy. I also didn’t know what to say to her about Hugo and myself. Someone opened my cover and stole my phone right in the middle of my thoughts. Moron!
Is there anything else that can happen to us besides fighting? He will do something without my consent if he does not upset me! He switched off my phone and slid it inside the drawer where I discovered the condom.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?!?” I’m not sure what prayer I said to stop the yelling and emphasize every word I spoke! I’m enraged because it’s Aunt Julia I’m talking to! Haah!
It doesn’t matter, and I’ll just respond to her tomorrow while pondering how to tell her about Hugo and me.
“It’s late; go to bed. Don’t you feel exhausted? Another issue is that you may feel worse, and your vision may get blurry.” I hit him with a pillow because of what he said. He’s screaming with delight! The idiot did nothing more than shield with his arms.
“You’re fucked! You’re fucked! You’re fucked!” I erupted into irritated tears and continued to thrash him. The bed is shaking. I’m afraid they’ll think something else when they hear the scrape of the headboard against the wall, but I haven’t stopped beating him.
“Ouch! Aw! If... If... Ugh! When oh! If you don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you.” I came to a halt. My mind, which had been peaceful, exploded like a volcano.
“Look! Your tongue has such an unappealing shape! What is it you’re saying? What are you going to do, huh? Huh?!” I pinched his side, causing him to yell loudly.
“Awwww!” Oh!!!"
“Didn’t I warn you not to provoke me because I’ll do exactly what I say?” He gave a smirk. You thought what you said would frighten me! I want to yell at him, but he knocked me down on the bed earlier and is now on top of me. I was scared that if I opened my mouth, he would do something to me. Because that’s exactly what he said...
“Something happens when you move. Something occurs when you talk. So, if I were you, I would not move.” My two hands are now pushed and lifted on top of my head. He gripped it hard with his left hand, while one of his hands was on my foot. I’m not sure how he does it.
We were in that posture when my phone rang. He got the phone and answered it, letting go of my foot but still gripping his hold on my hands. I believed he was losing strength because he lost focus, but his grasp tightened even more.
“Adele! Why aren’t you responding to my chat although your account is still active?” On the other end of the phone, Aunt Julia asked worriedly. I tried to struggle, but he just turned on my phone speaker and placed it in his ear. I was surprised by what he said next.
“Hello and good evening. Adele isn’t the one in the line. Do you want to say something to Adele now that she’s asleep?” I avoided speaking since he was gazing at me and I think he could do what he stated earlier, even he was talking to someone on the other line.
“When she wakes up, can you ask her when I can visit her? I’m worried about her. She might not be eating right.” I averted my gaze from Hugo and played with my feet. “Maybe she’s tired from her job.” She sniffed first, then continued, “May I know if you’re with Adele in the dorm?”
“I’m Adele’s fiancee. And as for the visit you’re saying, I’ll pick you up tomorrow as well.” I don’t know how I will react because they are both silent. It’s like feeling who’s next to speak. “Thank you, Child! I’ll just send the address.” I felt her excitement. Somehow, this man had an advantage.
He let me go. He came down on top of me and handed me the phone again. He seems to have realized that it wasn’t my ‘boyfriend’ I was talking to earlier.
I don’t know how that night passed. I can’t believe I’ll see Aunt Julia again. When I went downstairs, the maids were busy again because it was Monday again. When I went straight to the kitchen, I saw a lot of food with different dishes. They placed on the long table. I saw daddy Adelard in the middle of the table while on the side was mommy Helena, Hugo and I on the other side.
I took a seat next to Hugo, who had changed into a tuxedo. Mommy Helena appears to be leaving the house because of the dress she wears, while dressed daddy Adelard in other sporting attire. It took aback me to see myself sitting next to Hugo and in front of mama Helena.
“Is there an occasion? And why is there so much food?” I scanned the entire table with my eyes.
“Because Hugo said the woman who looked after you was on her way. We’ve already dispatched a driver for her; perhaps she’s on her way now.” Daddy Adelard’s elbow rested on the table, while mother Helena grinned and Hugo fiddled with his phone.
“Why did you put in so much effort? It’s embarrassing that you have to do it for me.” I couldn’t help but feel ashamed of what they’d done to me. Mother Helena, in particular. Her approval of Hugo and my actions were too much for me. It’s already enough allowing me to stay here.
“Adele, what are you talking about? When it comes to us, there is nothing embarrassing. In a few months, we’ll be a family. Hugo and you will be married, and we have the same last name.” Mommy Helena smiled as she extended her hand to me. Aunt Julia arrived exactly in time, so I leapt to my feet to embrace her. She also gave me a warm embrace.
Aunt Julia took a seat close to mama Helena. Aunt Julia is stunning, and she might be mistaken for a wealthy woman if she dressed up like mommy Helena. While mommy and Aunt Julia were conversing, we began eating. When I observed the person next to me who was still not spooning his food, Daddy Adelard entered into the conversation of the two women. I was the one who placed foods on his plate since I suppose he was focused on his work.
I touched him and used my lips to point at his food when I was halfway through the meal and still couldn’t see him swallow. He ignored me and worked on his phone. I couldn’t help but glance at what he was doing and noticed that he was searching for my name on Instagram.
“How come you’re looking for my Instagram?” I’m puzzled.
“I’ll add you. What is your username?”