BETROTHED TO THE BILLIONAIRE

Ryan’s POV

I am restless.

I couldn’t follow her because I was dumbfounded till she was out of sight. I never thought she would do a rash thing like that and I wonder where she has gone to.

The more it gets darker, the more worried I become.

Is she safe? Where exactly is she?

The first emotion that struck my heart while she raced away was fear. Fear that she is going. Gone forever and I might never see her again.

We haven’t achieved our aim yet. Mother is just getting along well with me and there are more expectations from her.

If Valerie goes away just like that, where do I start from? Valerie is the only one making the fear of losing my mother lessen bit by bit. Unconsciously, she has taught me what it means to accept whatever is to come; both good and bad.

If we prepare for it and it comes, it won’t hurt too much while the unexpected one would hurt painfully.Text property © Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org.

I won’t say I am looking forward to my mother’s death. I am just ready to accept the reality when it comes to hit me hard.

Things are supposed to be getting better between us. I don’t like it when we fight but it seems she enjoys fighting me all the time.

I can’t even sit or get out of my clothes. I keep pacing my room with arms akimbo.

I am trying to figure out where she must have gone. The only place I have figured out is her parent’s. She doesn’t have any friends so that is out of the question.

Should I go and look for her there?

I don’t want them to know we fought. Mother might get to know.

Should I just wait till she comes back? What if she never comes back?

I groan in frustration and drop my hands as I stop pacing the room. From nowhere, I begin to feel a headache.

I watch my phone on the bed, sitting silently, praying for it to ring and for the caller to be Valerie.

I don’t even understand what she meant by promises. I never made any promises to her parents and I wanted her to expatiate, instead, she got mad and left.

Valerie won’t call me after what she did earlier, I say inwardly as I take long strides towards my bed so I can give her a call, hoping she would pick up at least.

Just then, my phone rings, and I stand transfixed for a few seconds before running over to grab it.

Mother’s name appears on my phone screen and I let out a heavy sigh of disappointment. For a moment, I am thinking it is Valerie calling but I am wrong yet again.

That woman is full of pride. She always does the unexpected.

Standing straight, I swallow hard before picking up the call.

“Mother”, I say as calmly as possible.

“Ryan, how is Valerie? Is she better now? It’s been more than thirty minutes now, have you gone to the hospital with her? Should we come over?” She gushes out in concern all in one breath.

I shake my head. “No, Mother. You don’t need to come, she is better now.”

“Are you sure?” She questions, her breathing heavy from the other side like she has been running.

I ignore it. I have decided not to bring up the topic of her health. That is part of accepting reality. Talking about it will upset her and I don’t want it. I don’t want her to be upset with me.

If she ever brings it up, I will tag along but if it never happens, so be it.

“Yes, Mother. She is much better now.”

“Can you give her the phone?” She asks again and I shut my eyes, thinking of an excuse to give her.

I can’t tell her that Valerie only pretended to be sick so we could be alone to fight each other and I also can not tell her that Valerie is nowhere to be found.

That might give her a heart attack. Every one of them loves that woman. Except me obviously.

“She is asleep already, Mom. Maybe tomorrow, I will call you so you can talk to her, ok?”

She is silent for a while before she answers. “All right. Take care.”

She hangs up immediately and I let out a puff of air that I don’t know I have been holding in.

I am hurt by what she did. If I am to consider that, I won’t be dead worried about her. I should be on my bed sleeping soundly but here I am. I can’t bring myself to do anything because I am afraid something bad will happen to her. I have been having a dreadful feeling since she ran off.

That sort of fear that makes you think she might run into a car and get injured or even get kidnapped or fall over a bridge or even commit suicide.

Valerie isn’t someone who can commit suicide actually but the other thoughts keeps gnawing at my heart, increasing my fear.

If I want to go and look for her, her parent’s place is the only place I can look. There isn’t even a high possibility that she would be there. Her parents want her with me and they might not accommodate her for the night.

I groan inwardly, my headache increasing as well as my worry.

I drop my phone and turn my back to remove my suit when my phone rings again.

I run towards it and grab it.

It is Valerie.

Shock runs through me.

It feels like magic. Like a miracle that she is calling when I have just given up on seeing her call.

Then it hits me.

Why is she calling me instead of coming back home? Does she want to call it off over the phone? Is this the reason why she is calling?

I hesitate from picking up the call, my heart pounding twice its normal rate.

I really have no idea what she was talking about and I wish she can just give me a chance to listen to what exactly it is and then we can talk about it.

Before it will go to voicemail, I pick and I hear a piercing scream from the phone.

In confusion, I take the phone off my ears to see if it is coming from the phone or somewhere else.

I hear her voice at last. “Shit!”

She seems to be running because she is out of breath.

Fear consumes my entire existence.

“What the hell is happening?!”

“Ryan, meet me at the Postcard office, someone just attacked me”, she mutters quickly and cuts the call while I stand transfixed to the spot with the phone still glued to my ears.

I jolt upright, the words she spoke a while ago processing in my head.

I let out a gasp and I dash outside.