The stillness of my room surprised me. It was unusually silent. I shook my head and laughed a bit. Everything was just as I had left it when I first slammed the door shut. The strange feeling was because I knew Japen was no longer here.
“You can’t go out. Be grateful I’m being lenient today, so I’ll let your earlier escape slide, Azora. I just can’t understand why your servant isn’t with you. Where is that one, huh?”
I flopped onto the soft bed and ignored Simmy’s words, staring at the ceiling. The soft glow from my lampshade illuminated the white, boring ceiling.
“Azora, can you hear me?”
Simmy’s voice became more of an annoyance, so I raised my hand and gestured for her to leave. “Back off,” I said.
My voice was tired, and so was my body. All I wanted was to sleep, but Simmy walked closer and pulled me up. She even shook my shoulder.
“What did you do outside? Why did you come back to the mansion alone? Did you send your man away?”
I shoved her hand away and glared at her. “It’s none of your business. Besides, why didn’t you follow me earlier? You should have followed me so you wouldn’t be acting crazy now.”
She stepped back and glared at me. “I will find out where you took your servant, Azora. And I won’t let you out of this room. Never again!” she yelled and stormed out, slamming the door so hard it almost made me jump.
I rolled my eyes. Simmy was nothing but a madwoman trying to get my attention. In other words, she was just an attention seeker not worth mentioning.
I lay back on the soft bed and stared at the ceiling until I drifted off to sleep.
Sometime later, I found myself waking up in a white room. There were no windows, just one light on the ceiling. I sat up and looked around.
It wasn’t my room or the guest room where I had been locked for weeks. Somehow, the place felt familiar, but I couldn’t remember when or why I had been there.
Suddenly, the white door opened, and a woman entered. She was smiling, but I couldn’t see her face clearly. She approached me, still smiling.
“Azora,” she called my name, stopping a few meters away.
My brows furrowed. I wanted to speak, but something stopped me from opening my mouth. My heart raced as she stepped closer.
“Don’t be afraid,” she said, her face inches from mine. She whispered in my ear, “The pain will go away quickly if you’re a good girl.”
Then everything went black, and I shot up straight, gasping for air. My eyes scanned the room I was in.
It was the guest room. I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to calm down. I knew I had a nightmare, a terrible one, but I couldn’t remember it.
I shook my head. It was probably because I was worrying too much about Japen. I opened my eyes and looked at the bedside table. Right. Japen.
I glanced at the balcony. It was already bright outside. I reached for my phone and opened my contacts. I dialed Anya’s number.
But an automated voice answered, “Sorry. The number you’re calling is out of reach.”
My brows furrowed. Out of reach? I stared at my phone for a few seconds before trying Japen’s number. I was shocked when I heard a ring from the drawer.
I sat on the edge of the bed and opened the drawer. There, I stared wide-eyed at Japen’s phone. I blinked several times, gasping in shock.
Why? Why did he leave it here? How could I contact him now?
I sat there, hopelessness written on my face. I held my phone tightly, biting my bottom lip and closing my eyes in disappointment.
My only hope was Anya. I just hoped she wouldn’t leave Japen until he was okay and until I could get his new number.
A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. Then, I heard someone unlocking the door from outside. I sat up straight and waited for them to enter.
When the door opened, a person stepped inside. My forehead furrowed as I stared at the face of someone I hadn’t seen for weeks.
He smiled at me as he walked towards me. I looked past him. There was no one following him, so my brows furrowed even more. How did he get in here?
“Long time no see, Azora.”
My face twisted in annoyance. “Who let you in?” I asked harshly.
He just laughed and smiled, a smile I hadn’t seen for weeks. He even combed his hair back with his fingers as he looked at me.
“Miss me?” he asked playfully.
I crossed my arms and looked away. “I don’t know what game you’re playing, but you can leave. I don’t want to see you.”
He shrugged and walked to the tea table. He sat on one of the chairs, crossing his legs as he gazed at me.
“You haven’t been to the university for days. You missed the exam, and now, I’m here to tell you that you’ve dropped all your subjects.”
My eyes squinted. “We’re just classmates in one subject, Skylar, so don’t act like you’re my blockmate. So if you please, go out.”
I climbed down from the bed and walked towards the bathroom door, but Skylar’s words stopped me.
“I know your situation better than you do, Azora. Don’t you want to know why I’m here?”
I snorted. So the subject thing was just a facade for his true intention. I rolled my eyes. “You won’t tell, so why bother?”
He chuckled. “Do your business, cousin. I’ll wait for you here.”