CH 109
Andrianne felt a pang of anxiety in her chest as she drove up the long, winding driveway to Lucas’s mansion. It had been several days since she had left, and the fear of the unknown had been gnawing at her ever since. She needed to see Lucas, to know that he was okay, and to check on Emily as well. However, as she pulled up to the house, she noticed that Emily’s car was nowhere to be found.
Her heart began to race as she parked her car and made her way up to the front door. She hesitated for a moment before finally knocking. She waited anxiously, but no one answered. She tried the doorknob, and to her surprise, the door was unlocked. She pushed it open slowly, calling out Lucas’s name as she stepped inside.
The house was quiet, and Andrianne felt a chill run down her spine. She made her way through the foyer and into the living room, but there was no one there. She searched the rest of the first floor, but it was empty. She then climbed the stairs, calling out Lucas’s name once more. But again, there was no response.
As she reached the top of the stairs, she noticed that the door to Lucas’s bedroom was slightly ajar. She pushed it open and stepped inside.
She decided to search the rest of the house for Emily, hoping to find some answers. She made her way back down the stairs and into the kitchen, but again, it was empty. She checked the dining room and the study, but Emily was nowhere to be found.
Feeling frustrated and worried, Andrianne sat down at the kitchen table and pulled out her phone. She dialed Emily’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. She tried again, but got the same result. She didn’t know what to do, so she sat there, staring at her phone, hoping that Emily would call her back.
After what felt like an eternity, Andrianne’s phone finally rang. She picked it up quickly, her heart pounding in her chest.
“Hello?” she said, her voice shaking.
“Hey, Andrianne, it’s Jackie,” the voice on the other end said.
Andrianne felt a wave of relief wash over her. “Jackie, thank goodness,” she said. “Do you know where Emily is?”
“I’m sorry, Andrianne, I don’t,” Jackie said. “But I wanted to check on you. How are you holding up?”
Andrianne let out a long sigh. “I don’t know, Jackie,” she said. “I’m worried about Lucas, and I don’t know where Emily is. And on top of all that, I still can’t shake this feeling that something is wrong.”
Jackie’s voice was soft and comforting. “I know it’s hard, Andrianne,” she said. “But you’re strong. You’ll get through this.”
Andrianne felt a tear roll down her cheek. “I hope so, Jackie,” she said.
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line before Jackie spoke again. “Listen, Andrianne,” she said. “Why don’t you come over to my place? We can talk and have some tea. It might help you relief stress,”
“Yeah, maybe I’ll just hang around for a while and hope either of them comes back,”
Andrianne was on the phone with Jackie, still seated on the couch, when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw Lucas walking in, looking tired and disoriented.
“Jackie, I have to go,” Andrianne said quickly, before hanging up the phone. She stood up and walked towards Lucas, who was now standing in the middle of the room, looking around as if he had no idea where he was.
“Lucas,” Andrianne said softly, hoping he would recognize her. But he just looked at her blankly, not a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
“It’s me, Andrianne,” she said, coming closer to him. “Don’t you remember me?”
Lucas shook his head, looking confused. “I’m sorry, I don’t,” he said in a hoarse voice.
Andrianne felt a pang of sadness in her chest. She had hoped that Lucas would remember her by now, but it seemed that his memory loss was more severe than anyone had imagined.
“It’s okay,” she said, trying to sound reassuring. “I’m here for you, Lucas. You don’t have to remember everything right now. We’ll take it one day at a time.”
Lucas just nodded, looking lost. Andrianne didn’t know what to do. She wanted to comfort him, to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay, but she knew she couldn’t do that. Not yet.
“Where’s Emily?” Andrianne asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
Lucas didn’t answer at first, just looked at her with a blank expression. Andrianne could feel her anxiety rising.
“Lucas, where is she?” she asked again, her voice sounding a little more urgent this time.
“I don’t know,” Lucas said finally. “She left a few days ago. Said she had some things to take care of.”
Andrianne’s heart sank. She knew that Emily was up to something, and the fact that she had left without telling anyone only made her suspicions stronger.
“Did she say where she was going?” Andrianne asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
“No,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “She just said she would be back soon.”
Andrianne felt a surge of anger towards Emily. She couldn’t believe that she had just left without a word, especially when Lucas needed her the most.
But she knew that she couldn’t let her anger consume her. She had to focus on taking care of Lucas, on being there for him in whatever way he needed her.
“Okay,” she said finally, forcing a smile. “Well, I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere.”
Lucas looked at her, still looking lost, but Andrianne could see a flicker of something in his eyes. Hope, maybe? She wasn’t sure, but she decided to hold onto it anyway.
Together, they sat down on the couch, Andrianne taking Lucas’s hand in hers. It felt warm and comforting, and Andrianne felt a small glimmer of hope in her chest. Maybe, just maybe, she could help him remember.