“I could not believe my eyes when I saw Emmy. I can’t believe he had the audacity to come back for Vanessa after all he did to her. If I had the chance, I would have pulled his hair out of his scalp.” Carolyn gritted her teeth as she said.
“You are becoming violent, Carolyn, and it is becoming alarming.” Dawson retorted after watching her describe how she was going to pull out Emmy’s hair.
“I don’t support violence, but some people need to be taught a good lesson to make them repent of their wrongdoings.” Carolyn countered as she continued to peel the skin of the apple in her hands.
“What if he had turned a new leaf? What if he had realized his mistakes and he was ready to make it up to Vanessa? You can’t tell until you listen to him.” Dawson replied, giving Emmy a benefit of doubt.
“Turn a new leaf on my foot,” Darryl snapped. ” I don’t give a fuck about him or the history he had with Vanessa. All I know is that I don’t want him around Vanessa.” He said, his voice laced with anger.
“You don’t even know Vanessa’s whereabouts. How sure are you that Emmy doesn’t know about her whereabouts?” Dawson countered Darryl.
A frown etched on Darryl’s face as he thought about Dawson’s claim. He would be heartbroken if Emmy found Vanessa before he did. But how would he find Vanessa? He tried everything he could and got no positive feedback.
“Thinking about it, Emmy might know Clara’s house. He had dated her for three years or more, if I could remember. So it is possible for Emmy to have visited Vanessa’s mother’s house,” Carolyn said as realization dawned on her.
“Don’t do this to me, Carolyn. Stop it.” Darryl said to Carolyn.
“What? Finding Vanessa is my priority and I would go any length to be with my best friend again. To be honest, a part of me is mad at her for keeping me in the dark about her whereabouts, but the other side of me understands her.” Carolyn said as she handed over the peeled apple to Dawson.
“If Vanessa had told you, you would definitely tell Darryl about it. She knows you well.” Dawson said as he took the apple from her.
“I would rather wait until Vanessa shows up than to ask Emmy for help. Something doesn’t feel right about him.” Darryl chirped into the conversation.
“We all know you don’t like Emmy because he is Vanessa’s ex-boyfriend.” Dawson replied, teasing Darryl.
“Ex-boyfriend or not, I don’t care.” Darryl shrugged. “I’m her husband, isn’t that all that matters?” He added.
“You are delusional if you think you can claim Vanessa as your wife after all the crazy stunts you’ve pulled.” Carolyn snapped, pointing her finger at him.
“Don’t forget that you are the reason Vanessa ran away from us in the first place. I don’t see how you are any different from Emmy.” Carolyn voiced out in anger.
She was tired of pointing blame at Darryl but sometimes, she had to remind him of the part he played in making Vanessa run away.
“I appreciate your hostile reminder, but you don’t have to keep rubbing my mistake on my face.” Darryl said, sounding disappointed in himself for playing the most part in making Vanessa run away from him.
His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he took it out to see the notification. With a furrowed eyebrow, he tapped on the notification sign.
There it was on his phone, a message from the jewelry shop where he purchased the ring he had given to Vanessa. As he read the message, it dawned on him that someone had brought the ring to the shop asking for a way to unlock it.
“Vanessa” Darryl voiced out without realizing he said her name out loud.
“Is everything okay with you?” Carolyn asked as she noticed the change of behavior.
“I have to go now.” He told them as he grabbed his car keys, running out causing Carolyn and Dawson to exchange glances.
“I hope he doesn’t go crazy.” Carolyn said as she watched Darryl run out.
The engine roared under Darryl’s foot as he slammed it down on the gas pedal. His knuckles turned white as they gripped the steering wheel, his eyes remained on the road ahead while his mind dwelt on the possibilities of meeting Vanessa at the jeweler’s shop.
Darryl weaved through the lanes, the car itself seeming to understand the pressure Darryl was facing as he sped towards the jewelry shop.
The car stopped in front of the jewelry shop, and Darryl launched into the shop with his heart hammering in his chest and a silent prayer on his lips.
His eyes scanned through the shop, hoping to see a familiar face, but nobody seemed familiar to him. Without wasting time, he approached the attendant at the counter.
“Excuse me,” Darryl said, calling the attention of the attendant.
“I got a notification that someone had come to her with the ring I purchased.” He explained.
Realizing that Darryl was the one who she sent the message to, the attendant smiled, feeling satisfied with herself.
“A lady came here not long ago, requesting a spare key to unlock the ring on her finger. But due to the purchase policy, I could not unlock it without your permission.” the attendant explained with a smile on her face.
“Did she tell you herself that I was the one who bought the ring?” Darryl inquired, willing to confirm if it was truly Vanessa.
“Yes, she did mention you as the buyer and I did confirm it from our records.” The attendant retorted.
“Did she drop any information about herself, maybe a contact number or an address? Darryl asked, hoping the attendant would say yes.
“No, she didn’t,” the attendant answered.
“She was disappointed that the ring couldn’t be unlocked without your permission, so she left with her friends.” The attendant narrated.
“Her friends?” Darryl asked as curiosity gnawed at him.
“Yes, she came here with a man and a woman.” The attendant answered.
“Thank you for your help. If she comes back, make sure you get her contact information or her address,” Darryl said.
Disappointment settled on him like a heavy cloak as he realized he had missed Vanessa. He had lost the chance to meet her after waiting for a while now.
With the new information he had gotten from the assistant, it was safe for him to say that Vanessa had other friends that Carolyn didn’t know about. But that was not his focus, his focus remained on finding Vanessa before it was too late.