TIFFANY’S POV
She woke up to the bright lights of the morning, seeping through little spaces in the window. She turned to her side, and Shawn was not there. Has he gone home? Then she turned to see the paper on the table. She abruptly picked it up and read its content.
“Rise and shine! I didn’t want to wake you up from your beauty sleep, hence this note. I got a call from officer Fowler that Rachel has been caught. By the time you get this, I should be at the police precinct. I will be back as soon as I can. stay safe. Xoxo, Shawn.”
She smiled, as she got off the bed and walked into the bathroom. He never ceased to show her how much he loved and cared for her. Both in words, and in actions. She brushed her teeth and had her bath, and then changed into one of the clothes Shawn’s mother brought the previous day.
She walked out of the bathroom and a doctor was waiting for her, with a nurse bearing a trolley containing food and medicines.
“Good morning, Mrs Gold. I’m Sharonne. I’m here to check your vitals and give you your prescribed drugs for today. And your breakfast is here too,” the doctor said, offering her a warm smile.
“Good morning, Dr. Sharonne. Thank you,” she replied with a grateful smile.
The doctor nodded and began to check her vitals, taking her temperature, checking her blood pressure, and listening to her heartbeat rate. “Everything looks good,” the doctor said, jotting down some notes on a chart. “How are you feeling today, Mrs Gold?”
She nodded, “I’m feeling better, thank you. The pain has subsided a lot since yesterday.”
“That’s good to hear,” the doctor said, as she handed her her prescribed medication. “Make sure to take these on time, and don’t hesitate to let the nurse know if you need anything.”
She gave a reassuring smile. “I will, thank you.”
The nurse then brought over the breakfast trolley, and the doctor gestured towards it. “Here is your breakfast. Make sure to eat well and take care of yourself, Mrs. Gold.”
“Thank you, doctor,” she said, watching as the nurse helped her set up the tray. “I will.”
She settled to eat the food as the doctor and nurse bid her goodbye. After eating, she put the plates away and took her medication.
Feeling a bit energized afterwards, she decided to take a walk around the hospital compound. She slipped on her flip flops and walked out of the room.
She could feel the cool morning breeze on her face as she strolled along the paths, taking in the sight of the spacious compound.
As she walked, she greeted a few other patients and hospital staff she ran into. It felt good to be outside and alive, away from the confines of the kidnappers, and at that moment, she couldn’t help but be grateful for the gift of freedom.
SHAWN’S POV
His heart was filled with rage as he drove into the police precinct compound. He parked the car and alighted, hurriedly walked into the building. He got to the officer Fowler’s Office and knocked, before walking in.
“It’s good you are here,” Fowler said, extending his hand for a handshake.
“Good morning, Officer. Where is she?” He asked, trying to hide his rage.
“Before I lead you to her, I need you to get a grip of yourself. Do not act irrational. She is under police custody, hence, we will handle the case,” Office Fowler said.
Shawn inhaled sharply as he unclenched his fists and gave a reluctant nod.
“Let’s go then,” Officer Fowler said and led him out of the officer. They walked to a cell and the door was opened as they walked in.
Rachel was seated on a chair, with her head bowed slightly. She immediately looked up when she saw them. She stood up and rushed to Shawn.
“Thank God you came, Shawny. These people are unlawfully detaining him,” she said, holding his arm.
At that moment, all he wanted was to push her heavily away from him, but he remembered Officer Fowler’s words and instead, he gently took her hands off him.
“It is taking me a lot of courage not to hit you, kindly move back!” he said in a menacing tone.
“What’s going on Shawn?” She asked, feigning ignorance.
“What’s going on? You stand there and act like you don’t know the damage you have done and I might defy all moral standards and hit you so hard. How dare you? It has been you all along. The guts of you to ask those criminals to lay their hands on my wife and unborn child, is the point you crossed the line,” he was shaking and seething with rage now.
“Is that the lie they told you? I’m being framed, Shawn. Can’t you see?”
“Framed? Well, your best friend turned herself to the police. As we speak, she is in the next cell,” officer Fowler said.
“Shelley? She is a liar? She is the actual culprit. She kidnapped your wife and not me,”
“Yeah, I know. I also know that she did it on your order. How inhumane can you be? Hurting innocent people out of your selfish interests. A lot of people have been harmed. You even string teenagers into your mess. From convincing Timothy to confess his feelings to Tiffany, to asking Oscar to stalk her and take compromising pictures of her, to asking Mary to push her down the rooftop. You still were not satisfied, you went on to sever her car brake wires at the supermarket.”
She suddenly went mute.
” I did all of that for you,” she finally said.
“For me? How is that possible?”
“How dare you stand there and pretend like you are oblivious of the fact that I have loved you right from when we were kids. I love you and that’s why I did everything possible to get rid of that little girl.”
“Loved me? We are best friends, Rachel. Just best friends. I have never been anything more or less than that to you!”
“Well, I wanted more! I wanted to be your girlfriend, finance, wife and mother of your children. I wanted to wake up everyday beside you, prepare your meals and have you come home to me at the end of every working day. You just didn’t give me the chance,” at this point, tears were trickling down her cheeks.
Shawn stared at her wide eyed. He couldn’t believe his ears. Rachel was in love with him? All those gestures were not that of a doting best friend but that of a woman in love with him? He felt sick at that moment and leaned on the wall for support.
“You disgust me and I am suing for all the charges I can think of. See you in court,” he said and hurried out of the room.
Her desperate pleas of his name only fueled his rage as he didn’t cast her a backward glance.