MATILDA’S POV:
For one, I didn’t know how I managed to keep myself in check throughout dinner. With every bite of food, I could feel the food hanging in my throat like a bitter pill to swallow.
More than anything, I wanted to find out about this woman that could make Arlan lose appetite and make me unseen.
“I have some work to do, feel at home.” Arlan said jolting me out of my thoughts as he excused himself and disappeared to his study.
I nodded and smiled as his words lingered: “Feel at home.”
Home? How could I feel at home in this place, where every corner seemed to whisper of my inadequacies? Where every glance, every word, reminded me that I had lost something I never truly had?
I unclenched my fists, my nails leaving faint crescents in my palms. I didn’t mean to react that way, but it was getting harder to mask the emotions clawing at me.
For years, I had stood beside him, hoping, waiting. A part of me had always believed that if I stayed close enough, if I proved myself patient enough, he would see me and know my feelings for him.
He would choose me but before my very eyes, everything seems to be changing, and changing very rapidly. Nothing would’ve prepared me for the truth I had just found out.
There was another woman lurking around and had taken Arlan’s heart hostage and unfortunately it wasn’t me.
I pressed the bell on the table, a signal to Bridget to come clear the table.
Bridget emerged from the kitchen, “I hope you enjoyed your meal?” She asked all smiles.
In return, I gave her a small pat on her arm. “You sure make delicious meals, Bridget. I wish you could prepare my meal all day.”
I watched her blushed and she murmured a simple ‘thank you’.
She cleared the dishes and turned to leave, but I wasn’t done with her just yet.
“Bridget,” I called out. She paused mid-step and glanced back at me with a polite, still smiling.
“Yes, Miss Matilda?”
I stood from my chair and closed the distance between us. “Have you… noticed any woman around Arlan recently? Someone who might be… close to him?” I asked nervously.
Her brow furrowed slightly, and for a moment, she looked genuinely puzzled. “No, not that I’m aware of,” she replied, her tone light, almost dismissive.
“Thank you, you can go.”
She nodded curtly and turned back toward the kitchen when she suddenly stopped on her tracks like she remembered something
“Miss Matilda, I don’t know if this count…”
“Bridget,” I said again, this time more firmly. “If you know something, anything at all. Then you should tell me, please.”
She hesitated. “Well…” she began, her voice careful, “there was something. I wasn’t going to mention it because it didn’t seem like a big deal.””
My heart thudded against my ribcage, but I kept my face neutral, silently gesturing at her to continue.
“I saw a piece of paper in one of Mr. Arlan’s suit pockets a while ago,” she said, her eyes darting to mine. “It had a woman’s number written on it. I didn’t think much of it at first, but…”
“But what?” I pressed.
Bridget tilted her head, clearly uneasy but continuing nonetheless. “The way he reacted when I gave it to him. He looked… excited. Really excited. More than I’ve seen him in a long time.”
Her words landed like a blow, but I refused to let it show. Instead, I forced out a dry laugh. “Excited, you say?”
“Yes,” she said innocently. “He wouldn’t stop smiling after I handed it to him.”
“The number could have well been a man’s.” I reminded her.
“I don’t know all the details but I’m sure the number belonged to a woman because her name was written on it.” Bridget said confidently.
“What’s her name?”
“Sar… Sar…” Bridget said incoherently. I’m sorry but I can’t seem to recall her name at the moment.”
“You’ve done enough already. You can go.”
She nodded and quickly excused herself, disappearing back into the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, I sank back into the chair, my mind spinning. A woman’s number had gotten Arlan smiling. My heart burns at the mere thought of it.
I felt my nails dig into my palms again as a wave of anger and helplessness washed over me. My thoughts raced. Who was this woman who could light up Arlan’s face in ways I never could?
My stomach churned, and the food I had forced down earlier now felt like a heavy stone. Who was she? How had she managed to slip into his life so easily, so completely?
I told myself I had a new mission and that was to find out she was but whoever she was, I was almost certain she had just made her way into his life recently.
I paced the room, my thoughts a tangled mess of anger and desperation. Sar… Her name lingered in my mind like a poison, seeping into every corner of my being. I couldn’t stop imagining Arlan smiling at her, talking to her, being captivated by her in ways I had only dreamed of.
No, I couldn’t let this woman take what I had spent years hoping for. I needed more. Something concrete. Something that would give me the upper hand.
That was when the idea struck me, sharp and clear. His phone. If this person is as significant as Bridget had said, then there must be some traces of her in his call log, his messages, maybe even his photos. I just needed a way to access it.
I reached for my own phone, stared at it for a moment, and then switched it off. The plan was simple, but it had to be executed flawlessly.
Arlan trusted me enough to lend me his phone without a second thought, and I intended to use that to my advantage.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I made my way to his study. The door was closed and I knocked gently before stepping inside.
Arlan was seated at his desk, looking dashing like the first time I set my eyes on him six years ago and surrounded by a pile of documents, his focus was entirely on the screen before him.
“Arlan,” I said, my voice sounded urgent.
He glanced up, his face was filled with concern. “What is it, Matilda?”
“I can’t seem to find my phone,” I said, feigning worry. “I’ve checked everywhere. Do you mind if I borrow yours to call it? Maybe I left it in the car or somewhere in the house.”
He didn’t hesitate, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. “Here,” he said, handing it to me without breaking his stride. “You might want to check around the dining room too.”
“Thank you,” I said, flashing him a grateful smile. “I’ll just call it and see if it rings.”
With his phone in hand, I turned away slightly, angling myself so he couldn’t see the screen. Pretending to dial my number, I quickly looked through his recent call log.
My heart raced as I scanned the list. There it was… Saraya. Her name appeared multiple times, her number saved with a small heart emoji beside it.
My stomach churned, and it took everything in me not to crush the phone in my hand. “Why does the name sound so familiar?” I muttered under my breathe?
I glanced over my shoulder. Arlan had already returned to his work, his attention elsewhere. This was my chance. I scrolled further, finding a flurry of calls between them, some as recent as yesterday.
My hand trembled slightly as I moved to his messages, but I stopped myself. I couldn’t push my luck. Not yet.
“Did you try calling it?” Arlan’s voice cut through my thoughts, startling me.
“Yes,” I said quickly, pretending to hit the call button. I let it ring once before ending the call. “No luck. Maybe I left it in the car. I’ll go check there.”
He nodded absently, already immersed in his work again. “Let me know if you need help.”
“Thank you,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm raging inside me.
I walked out of his study, closing the door softly behind me. Once I was alone in the hallway, I exhaled shakily and leaned against the wall. I had what I needed-a confirmation of Saraya’s significance in his life. But it wasn’t enough. Not yet.
I slid my own phone out of my pocket, turning it back on. I saved her number from memory, the digits burning into my mind as I typed them in. Whoever Saraya was, she had no idea what she was walking into.
I didn’t just want to know her, I wanted to know everything about her. Her weaknesses, her secrets, her past. Whatever it took to make her disappear from Arlan’s life, I was ready to do it.