Chapter 56
Is this what a love confession feels like?
Several romance movies in the cinema with Nadine and many romance series which she watches on her laptop during her free times.
None of it was enough to prepare for the slam in her chest right now.
Is this fear? Or is her heart actually slamming with something else?
The moment his lips touched her sensitive neck, she felt like she was thrown on a rollercoaster that's not ready to stop, so her eyes dwindled.
"I promise to be loyal, please just look at me" Romeo muttered and was about kissing her neck again when she broke free from him.
The umbrella fell from her, and she didn't even care to take it.
"I can't promise you anything, Romeo. I don't want to get involved in any romance bullshit right now" she said, trying to sound as courteous as possible.
She witnessed Romeo's arms balling at his sides, then she went inside, deciding to leave her car outside.
She'd take it inside tomorrow morning.
Her chest slam has stopped, and she took three exhales to calm herself before proceeding into the house.
Immediately she entered, her nose caught a strong whiff of chicken stew, and she just knew it's her mom stewing.
Stonia rarely enters the kitchen except during Thanksgiving when she cooks with her special recipe.
She must be bored to have entered the kitchen when it's not even Thanksgiving yet.
Her stews are always mad delicious, and the aroma alone was enough to lift Ixora's spirit as she went upstairs to change her wet clothes.
She changed into a big tee shirt which reached the middle of her thighs, then she dried her hair and left it sprinkled over her lashes as she went back downstairs.
She entered the kitchen and met their four maids standing by the door, watching in silence as Stonia performed her magic.
Ixora walked to the tall woman and hugged her from behind.
"It's almost midnight, my love. Why are you just coming?" Stonia asked without turning as she stirred the stew on the gas.
"It's almost midnight and you're stewing too, I guess we're both questionable" Ixora replied, and Stonia finally faced her, her face lit with a radiant smile.
"Just be careful, I don't want any issue of you getting kidnapped by the notorious guys again" she said, stroking Ixora's hair.
"I'll be fine, mum" Ixora kissed her chin, and Stonia chuckled.
"I'll soon be done, let's have hot stew together before going to bed, the night is cold with the rain" she said.
"Call me when it's ready" Ixora replied, leaving the kitchen to go back upstairs.
She locked her door behind and rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, revealing the bandaged stab.
She pressed her fingers on it, and the moment pains zapped through her body, Warren's face came along with it, invading her head with his robotic presence.
She pressed the stab again, and his face became clearer in her head—the blankness and coldness.
The mysteriousness, the coldness.
She never stopped pressing, and the harder she pressed the stab, the harder she felt his presence surrounding her like a shawl.
Is he a god of pain? Why can she only imagine him when she feels pains?
Or maybe she's the one who's starting to get mental impairment?
Blood covered the bandage as a result of too much pressing, so she had to change the bandage and wrap a new one on the stab.
Stonia must not know about this.
Seeing this kinda wound on her skin will traumatize Stonia for life.
Ixora fell on her bed, and all she could think of is the feather torture.
When did he even invent something like that?
Why did she moan and why did she get shamelessly wet by it?
She dug her face into her pillow, screaming into it as her phone buzzed.
She took the phone and saw a message from Romeo.
Romeo: I'll wait till you'll be able to settle how you feel, goodnight and sweet dreams.
She stared at the message for too long till Stonia opened the door, peeping her head inside.
"It's stew time, my love" she said, and Ixora followed her outside.
They were about to descend the stairs when Stonia stopped and faced her.
Ixora halted too.
"When I was young, I was very scared of getting pregnant. I got the irk whenever I saw pregnant women with their protruding baby bumps" she said.
Ixora blinked.
"So... When I got married to Rafael, I made it clear that I didn't wanna have a baby. I hated babies, but he had to force me to have you" Stonia further said, stroking Ixora's ear.
"But trust me when I say you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I gave birth to you, and I fell in love with you my love. You're my life, I hope you know that" she said, her eyes brimming with emotions.
Ixora hugged her closely, causing the woman to sniffle.
"I love you so much, mum. I don't care about the past, but you're my mum" Ixora said.
"Thank you baby...I love you more, so much" Stonia tightened the hug.
\--
Warren is still on his drive back to the hideaway.
He'd have arrived since long ago, but he had stalked Ixora on her way home.
Thanks to the tracker he attached to her car, he was able to have a clear view of her during her drive.
He knew when she came out of the car to look around the road, probably searching for him since she obviously felt his presence.
He knew when she got home, and he witnessed Romeo's silly confession which made him almost break into shrill laughter.
People still do such these days?
Fall in love and claim forever and ever in the name of stupid incessant heartbeats?
Well... Romeo has to act Romeo. He's following the legacy of his name, so it's not very surprising but the main show is the neck kiss and the way Ixora reacted to it.
He knew his dirty little lier has a weak point—two weak points actually, but what he didn't expect was that Romeo knew one of it.
Again, that's expected since he stole her virginity, so the only surprising thing is that fact.
Romeo and Ixora?
Ixora doesn't deserve happiness, and if Romeo is her way to it, then he'd ruin it.
Why does he badly wanna butcher Romeo right now?
Matron will cry for maybe a week and move on with her life.
After all, Bethel would still be there.
And as for Ixora herself? She'd wish she never got drunk that night.
He'd make sure she hates alcohol.