Arabel's POV
Dozing off with a novel in my hand, I decide to continue tomorrow, so I drop the book and step down from the bed.
Before sleeping, I make it a habit to urinate before sleeping. This will prevent me from waking up in the middle of the night to do so.
I do the same thing for Daisy.
Before I can get to the bathroom door, my door swings open, and I whirl around with a frown.
It is Daisy.
Just the person I was thinking about.
I know no one else can burst into my room without a knock, except for her. But seeing her in my room at 11 p.m, when she should be sleeping, makes me furrow my brows and move closer to her in concern.
“Hey, what happened?” I inquire, watching her stop and pout.
“I can't sleep,” she confesses, hugging my lower body and making me blink.
I thought Nita mentioned that she was already asleep.
I suspect that Daisy no longer wants to sleep alone in her room since we got an apartment in New York where we sleep in the same room.
I haven't been to London in a while.
"Do you want to stay here now?" I squat to her height and ask. As if expecting that, she nods intermittently.
“Yes, Mommy.”
I nod at her and move to help her to bed. “I will be back. I need to go to the restroom, ok?”
She nods with a smile, so I move away, wondering why she doesn't like to sleep alone anymore.
Daisy and I will be in London for a week before going back to New York. After resolving some issues here, I will return to New York.
So far, there has been no meeting between Richard and I or Daisy. My greatest fear since moving into that apartment was the fear of always crossing paths with him.
I didn't even want Daisy to know we stay together, and I'm beginning to think about asking Richard to cooperate with me so she wouldn't know.
I just don't know if he will succumb to my wish. He may also become curious as to why I am doing that. And his curiosity may lead to what I don't want.
For the first time, I wonder if he even wonders if Daisy is his. Perhaps he thinks I was involved with another man and became pregnant for him.
After urinating, I wash myself and flush before standing upright to face the mirror. Suddenly, a wave of nostalgia hits me. It reminds me of the day I found out in the bathroom of our matrimonial home in New York that I was pregnant with a child for Richard.
It reminds me of my mixed feelings. Excitement. Anxiety. Happiness and, finally, sadness overcame it all when he attacked me with a divorce.
That was a turning point in my life.
I was broken. Miserable. And felt pathetic. I blamed myself for venturing into a loveless marriage. I blamed his mother for being supportive of us. And I blamed him for accepting to marry me when he knew he was going to throw me out when I had no one.
My parents died when I was just 16. His mother took me in. Our mother was close, and she felt responsible for me. She loved me as much as she loved her son.
She was in Boston then, but Richard and his dad were mostly in New York, where he was schooling.
When she asked me how I felt about her son, I was giddy with excitement. It was as though she had read my mind.
I loved him and was willing to do everything for him.
A snort of laughter jerks me back to life, making me realize the door is open and the voice is Daisy's.
Pushing back the lump in my throat and the unshed tears brimming in my eyes, I finally step out with my head down, hoping Daisy wouldn't notice a change in my mood.
Right now, I just want to lay down and sleep it off.
The memories come once in a blue moon. I'm sure by tomorrow, I will be back to myself.
As Bella.
Another round of laughter rings out, and I stop dead in my tracks to see Daisy on the same phone I took from her, which I don't intend to give back to her until she becomes obedient.
She doesn't even notice my presence, or she is pretending not to see me, so I stalk forward, intending to scold her for picking it up from my dresser without my permission.
I should have left it in New York.
"Give me that phone right now," I snap at her, extending a hand for her to drop the phone.
She stares at me from the screen, pouting and begging. “Sorry, mom… I…”
I'm not interested in listening to your apology. Just drop it. If you want to play a game, get your…”
"It's not a game," she interrupts, further confusing me.
“What are you doing then?!” I snap again, attempting to seize it from her, but she turns the screen towards me, revealing a face.
Richard.
I scream, conscious of the red lingerie I am wearing, even though I am shocked to the bones that she is speaking with him on a video call at this time of the night.
Rushing away from the screen, I race to the closet to grab a shirt with my heart thumping wildly in my ribcage before turning to Daisy, who has an innocent look on her face.
For a while, I stand with folded arms, watching her. She doesn't blink.
“Are you done?” I finally ask when she isn't saying anything. She didn't even offer an apology for her actions.
“No, I'm waiting for you, mom. He wants to speak with you,” she announces, making me grit my teeth in annoyance.
By this time of the night? What the hell is wrong with this man?
After a second thought, I move further and grab the phone from her, refraining from blushing red in embarrassment.
“Hi,” he waves at me with a smile on his face. He does not apologize or say anything about what I was wearing. He wants to pretend like that didn't happen, and it isn't his fault.
It is Daisy's.
Still fuming in anger, I spare her a glance to see her watching me attentively.
“Good evening, sir,” I force the words out of my mouth, careful not to show any emotion.
“Daisy wouldn't stop laughing at my sleepwear. She says it looked like her toy’s sleepwear. Do toys have sleepwear too?”
I put my palm over my face.
Daisy.
“Don't mind her. It has sleepwear, but it doesn't look like yours at all," I say to him, even though I am not seeing what he is wearing. I can only see his face.
“How sure are you? You don't even know what I am wearing,” he says, as soon as I am done. Before I can say anything else or ask him why they are both conversing at this time of the night, he drops the phone and moves backwards, showing me his pajamas.
And it strikes me.
This is the same silk pajamas he wore years ago to sleep.
He has many of them, but this particular one was the one he was wearing the night we…
“Are you there?!” His face is back in place, and his entire body has disappeared. He is smiling innocently, like he has no idea what is going on inside of me.
That pajamas.
I removed them myself. The same way he took off my nightwear.
The night we consummated our marriage. The same night I conceived.
A sour feeling spread through my stomach.
“I heard you are back in London…”
I am not listening. My heart slams against my rib cage with force, as the forbidden scenes race through my head.
“Did she call you? It's late…”
“Yes, I was wondering why she was calling at this time. Is everything okay?" He demands, his voice and forehead etched with concern and worry.
“Yes. She is sleeping already. I guess it's goodnight," I say quickly, hoping he catches the message that I don't want to be rude while, at the same time, I want to go.
“Ok then. Goodnight.”
He is hesitant, looking as if he has something else to say, but he shuts his mouth and flashes me one last smile before the screen goes off.