Chapter 183 Obsession Revealed
A week had passed since the storm had broken, Arabella and William had finally found their redemption and returned to their apartment.
Arabella watched William sleep for a moment, marveling at the softness of his features.
She leaned down, her hair brushing against his cheek, and pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of his mouth that instantly made his morning brighter.
"William," She whispered, letting out a soft, melodic chuckle, "The world is waiting. Get up."
He groaned playfully, his arm snaking out to pull her back down into the warmth of the covers. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling the scent of her skin.
"Let the world wait," he mumbled, his voice husky with sleep, "I finally have everything I need right here."
“Everything but your enterprises. Now, get up, Mister and freshen up. I have to prepare your breakfast.”
They lingered in that quiet intimacy for a while, a slow dance of soft touches and whispered vows, before she eventually coaxed him out of bed.
She sent him off to work with a straightened tie and a kiss that tasted like an everlasting promise, watching him disappear into the elevator with a never ending grin.
Later, Arabella was in the kitchen, her face beaming with felicity as she held her phone up for a video call with her parents.
"Everything is wonderful, Mama. William is happy, and the house... it feels alive again." She murmured.
“May your smile remain this bright forever.” They whispered as she chuckled.
The doorbell rang, cutting through her laughter.
"I have to go, Papa. Someone’s at the door. I will call you tonight!" She blew a kiss to the screen and ended the call, smoothing her dress as she hurried to the door.
She opened the door to find Luke standing there. He was radiating a vibrant, restless energy, holding a large white cake box in his hands.
"Luke? What brings you here?" She asked, surprised at his arrival, "William isn't home yet. He’s still at the office."
"I know," Luke said, his grin never fading. She was confused, and glanced at him in bewilderment.
"I texted him. He’s on his way back. I couldn't wait another hour to make the announcement. We have news, Arabella. Big news."
He brushed past her into the kitchen, placing the cake on the marble counter, the effervescence bursting from him made Arabella narrow her eyes.
“What big news?”
“Wait, Bella, wait.” he beamed.
His eyes no longer searching for her, they no longer look at her with resentment of betrayal. They were genuinely happy and it made her smile too.
“Fine,” Arabella couldn’t help but to giggle.
He looked around the house with a new sense of clarity, his mind drifting back to the cryptic words Peach had whispered to him: “When this is over, check out their room. You will find all your answers there.”
At the time, he had thought she meant something about their marriage being a sham or perhaps evidence of their past.
But now, seeing the way William and Arabella looked at each other, he was curious. He wanted to see what ‘answers’ his wife had been so sure about.
"Luke, wait—the kitchen is a mess, let's just stay here—" Arabella started, her voice suddenly high and nervous when he caught a glimpse of their room and walked towards it.
"It's fine, Arabella. I’m just going to wash my hands in the master bath," Luke said, already moving toward the hallway with the familiarity of a brother.
"Luke! No, use the powder room!" she called out, her heart pounding as she couldn’t let him see the room.
But, it was too late. Luke had already pushed open the heavy doors to William and Arabella’s private suite open.
“It’s alright, Bella–”
He stepped inside, expecting to see a standard bedroom. Instead, he stopped dead in his tracks. His breath hitched, and the blood drained from his face as he looked at the walls.
The room wasn't just a bedroom; it was a shrine.
The large portrait of her eighteenth birthday hung right in front of him. The walls were covered with her candid pictures taken through the years.
The room smelled exactly like her. In expensive glass, her supposed ‘stolen’ jewelry resides. In the room, Arabella’s spiritual existence was created.
The answers Peach had promised were staring him in the face. William hadn't just fallen for his brother's girlfriend. He had been obsessed with her.
He had watched her from the shadows for years. Every moment, every heartbeat, William had been there, documenting her, loving her, and pining for her in a way that bordered on the fanatical.
Luke had finally seen William’s Obsession.
“Wh.. What…”
He couldn’t let out a proper sentence, staring at the things, the sign of his brother’s hysteria right before him.
Luke stood in the center of the room, his hands shaking, his joy replaced by a cold, crawling horror. He realized now that his brother's ‘protection’ had a much darker, deeper root.
"Luke..." Arabella whispered from the doorway, her face pale, her lips quivering, shaking her head in denial.
Luke’s voice was barely a whisper.
“I didn’t want you to see this,” she replied, her voice trembling, leaning against the frame, holding her elbow with a discontent expression.
“What the fuck is this? How long has this been going on and this one… You- You were just eighteen in that picture, Arabella.” He snapped, his breaths becoming unstable, he had no idea how to react to this.
He pointed a shaking finger at the portrait of her eighteenth birthday, a disgust washing over his face, the horror turning his mind in a mess.
“What the hell is happening, dammit? Didn’t you say you loved him then how… how did he develop such an extreme obsession?!”
Arabella lowered her head, clutching her elbow, not sure how to explain this obstinacy to him. Luke was shaking as the atmosphere was thick with a suffocating pressure.
“Because I saw the one I was going to propose said yes to my brother already.”