Chapter 41 Please don't disappoint me
Arthur impatiently checked the wall clock in the living room, waiting for Aurora to return. It was 9 p.m. and she had not returned.
He tried to think of places where she could be, but aside from Derick’s house, he knew no other place she could go.
He also didn’t want to call Derick either, so he tried calling her multiple times but her phone was switched off.
“Daddy, mummy isn’t back?” He heard one of the boys ask from behind him.
He looked back and saw Rowan, yawning sleepily.
“Rowan, mummy isn’t back, but she’ll be here soon. You should go to bed, okay? It’s late. I’ll make sure she kisses you goodnight when she comes back.” Arthur assured him, brushing his hair playfully.
Rowan nodded slowly and walked out of the living room, heading back to the boys’ room.
‘Where the hell are you?!’ Hr asked in his head, staring at his phone. He tried her phone again, but it was the same thing. Her phone was switched off.
Just when he was about to lose it, he heard footsteps at the door.
“Aurora?!” He called, running to the door. Opening the door, Aurora lost balance and fell right into his arms, laughing drunkenly.
“I was just… just about to knock.” She muttered, grinning widely as she stared at his face. Her breath reeked of alcohol, making Arthur even more furious.
He shut the door and held her firmly until he placed her on the couch.
“You drank?!” He asked in disbelief.
She lifted her half-opened eyes and looked at his face. She lifted her hands, trying to reach his face.
“I missed you so much!” She muttered, still grinning widely.
“What’s wrong with you? Why did you drink? And where the hell is your phone? Why did you turn it off? What if something bad happened to you? What am I supposed to do? What will I tell the boys, hun?” He answered angrily, reaching for her bag so he could look for her phone.
“Oh… so you do care about me!” She uttered, playfully hitting his arm.
“You’re saying nonsense, and that’s what happens when you drink! Why would you even do this? So you left the house just to drink?” He scolded her.
He finally found her phone and when he tried to put it on, he realized that the phone’s battery was dead.
“I needed to break from all this.” She mumbled, brushing her hair backwards.
“A break from what?”
“From you! You keep hurting me!” She hit his arm again. Her lips were downturned as her eyes heated up.
Arthur creased his brows as he stared at her. “What are you saying?” He asked, squatting in front of her so he could remove her shoes.
“Do you love me at all?” She mumbled as tears rolled down her eyes.
“Aurora, we are not having this conversation when you’re drunk.” He uttered calmly, pulling her shoe off her feet.
“I’m not drunk! Tell me right now, do you love me?”
“Of course, I do.” He answered, ignoring her face as he removed the second pair of shoes.
“No, I don’t think so. I keep telling you I love you but you have never for once said it back! You have never said you love me!”
“That doesn’t mean I feel otherwise, Aurora.” He answered, looking at her face.
“No! Don’t deceive me! I need you to say it to me. Tell it to my face. Don’t expect me to know without you telling me.”
“You are my girlfriend, Aurora…”
“And then you went ahead to tell Anita that I’m not your wife. If I won’t be your wife, why am I with you then? Hun? Or is it because the kids like me? That’s why you want to keep me around? Is that it?” She cried.
Arthur let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head.
“You should sleep.”
“No! Don’t change the subject! Do you still love her?!” Aurora yelled in tears.
“Enough, Aurora! Enough, Okay?! Stop making this more difficult for me! Please just go to bed! Let me take you to your room.” He answered, reaching for her hand, but she smacked it off.
“Don’t touch me! I hate you!”
“Mummy? Daddy?”
Arthur looked up and saw the boys staring at them in shock. Rowan was crying already.
“Hey boys.” Arthur hurried to them and squatted in front of them.
Aurora lowered her head and broke into more tears. She hated how he made her feel, and she hated that the boys had to see them in such a situation.
“Why are you two fighting?” Ryan asked worriedly, looking at Aurora over Arthur’s shoulder.
“We are not fighting, okay? We were just having a conversation. Please go back to your room.” Arthur uttered and when he looked up, he saw Theo staring at Aurora.
“Please take her to her room.” He said to him as he held the boys and took them back to their rooms.
“Miss Aurora.” Theo called softly, walking up to her. He bent down in front of her, slowly touching her hand.
“Are you alright?” He asked as he heard her sobbing quietly. She raised her head to look at him. Her eyes were red and tears couldn’t stop rolling down her eyes.
“I hate this feeling.” She mumbled, looking into Theo’s eyes.
“Come here.” Theo uttered softly, opening his arms and embracing her.
“I don’t know why I’m so insecure. He says loves me but I keep telling myself he doesn’t. Does he love me, Theo?” She muttered, wetting Theo’s shirt with her tears.
“Of course, he loves you. Don’t think too much about it, okay? Let’s go up to your room. We don’t want to get the kids worried.” He uttered, breaking the hug and looking into her eyes.
“Okay.” She muttered, cleaning her tears with the back of her hand.
Theo reached for her bag and shoes, taking them in one hand, while he held her with his second hand.
While she sobbed, Theo walked her up the stairs until they got to her room.
“Careful now.” He muttered as he helped her lie on the bed. He heaved a sigh as he placed her bag and shoes where they were supposed to be.
Aurora curled up on the bed, pulling the duvet over herself as she stared at Theo.
“I should leave now.” He uttered, turning to leave, but Aurora raised her hand, making him stop.
“Can you please stay?” She asked in a low tone.
“Erm… I don’t think that is a good idea. I shouldn’t even be in your room.” He responded.
“Please, Theo.” She insisted, keeping her hand stretched out to him. He gulped hard and nodded as he took her hand and sat next to her.
For a few minutes, they were both silent. Theo looked at her and saw she was looking at him.
“Do you need anything?” He asked, and she nodded slightly.
“I need your help, Theo. And before I say anything, please promise me you would do it for me.”
“What is it, Miss Aurora?” Theo asked, making sure not to make any promises.
“In my bag’s inner purse, there is something in there. Can you please bring it to me?” She asked, and Theo raised his head and looked at her bag.
He got up from the bed and reached for the bag. He unzipped and searched for whatever was in the inner purse.
He picked it and when he looked at it, it happened to be a wiretap.
“Miss Aurora? What are you doing with this?” He asked as he walked back to her bed. He stretched the wiretap to her but she refused to collect it.
“This is what I need your help for. I need you to help me plant this in Arthur’s briefcase, the one he takes to work.”
“What?!”
“Listen, Theo, he cannot know.”
“Where did you even get this?”
“That doesn’t matter. Please do this for me, Theo. I need to know if he’s seeing that therapist or not. It’s connected to my phone already. Please, Theo. Help me.”
“But why? Why do you have to do this?” He inquired in confusion.
“I’m doing this because I don’t trust him, okay? Until I find out the truth, I’ll never know peace. I need to know if I do have a future with him, so please, for the love of God, help me.”
Theo stared at the wiretap contemplating what his answer was going to be.
He had noticed how unhappy she had been since they got back from their trip and he really wanted to know what went down.
“If I do this, promise me you’ll tell me that the hell went down during your trip? You hardly talk to me these days.”
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. But please, help me do this and make sure he doesn’t find it until we remove it.” She added.
“I think it’s best to put it in his suit. I can insert it in the shoulder pad or any corner. It’s better than putting it in his briefcase. He would easily find it.”
“But what if he doesn’t wear that particular suit?”
“That’s where you come in. You have to apologize to him for what happened tonight, and then help him pick an outfit for work just like lovers do. Then you’ll give him the one with the chip.” Theo suggested, and Aurora nodded, paying rapt attention to him.
“Thank you so much, Theo. I’ll never forget your kindness.” She answered, and he smiled faintly.
“I should leave now.” He answered, keeping the wiretap in his pocket as he walked out of the room.
Aurora let out a sigh of satisfaction and stared at the ceiling blankly.
‘Please don’t disappoint me, Arthur. I really wish I’m wrong.’ She thought, shutting her eyes so nature could finally take over.