Chapter 191 COLD HEART
1569words
"Your sister left," I tell him truthfully and the frown on Cyril's forehead gets deeper. "What does it mean?"
Ahem … Ahem …
I clear my throat nervously and open my mouth to say the truth but suddenly we both get interrupted by his father's voice.
"It means that Tess has gone to a different city, she will be back soon." His father comes over and stands beside me giving me a meaningful look to keep my mouth shut.
"City… Which City?" Cyril asks, looking puzzled as his gaze turns from his father to me.
"Uhmm Berlin, she has gone to Berlin with Ann." I quickly come up with a lie and he believes me, thankfully.
"Berlin… Hmm… So, when will sis come back?" He asks.
"Ummm…" I was thinking about another lie when his father interrupted my words, "Month… It will take a month, Cyril."
"Oh…" Cyril says with a deep sigh and then turns to me.
"Do you have more pictures of the baby?" He asks and his father looks at me suspiciously.
"Uhmm… No… Just one." I tell him calmly, trying my best to not show myself nervous at all.
I chatted with Cyril a little and the poor boy misses his sister a lot. Sadly, I couldn't even tell him that his sister is never going to return to him.
****
"Can you show me the picture?" Tessa's father asks once I am down in the living room.
"Picture?" I ask back with a blank mind.
"You showed Cyril the picture of Tessa's child. Can you show us the picture too?" He asks politely and thankfully Cyril hasn't mentioned Tessa's picture at all otherwise I would have been caught by his father and then he would definitely informed about Tessa's whereabouts to Ann.
I nod my head in response and then taking out my phone, I show them both Aaron's picture on my phone.
Her mother gasps when she looks at Aaron's picture and then says in a low whimper, "His eyes are similar to our Tess."
"Yeah, they are." Her father says in response as both parents sob sadly while staring at the picture of their grandson and I stood there with a clenched heart. I wish I would be able to do something for them.
"He is adorable." Tessa's father hands me back my phone and I squeeze out a weak smile, my heart feels sad looking at their misery.
After all, they love Tessa.
I take my leave with a heavy heart and before leaving, her father looks at me with eager eyes as to wanting to ask about Tessa and the child.
"They are fine, don't worry." I try to relieve his stress and he nods his head in gratitude.
Thankfully, he didn't ask any further questions to me regarding Tessa and Cyrus.
I head back home in a dull mood. How could things change so fast? Just a little time ago, I was in Tessa's home with her and it was lively and happy. And today when I visit her home again without her, it's dead and dull.
When I entered the mansion, Ann was sitting on the sofa waiting for me just like Tesa used to wait for me, and for a moment, I looked at her with stunned eyes as though she has turned into Tessa and halted my steps immediately.
"I am home," I announce habitually, and then walking closer to her I suddenly realize that it's not Tessy at all. I look around wondering where she went when Ann pats my arm. "Are you ok, Andrew?"
I look at her absentmindedly and then reply coldly, "Yes."
Maybe I am hallucinating, I concluded.
"Where did you go?" Ann questions, again she has started to become an interrogating sister.
"Nowhere," I reply expressionlessly, and before I am able to lift my foot to head toward my room Ann holds my arm and starts crying sadly.
"What have I done Andrew that has made you so distant from me?" She asks in a choking voice and I look down at her face which is wet from her tears.
"I had told you, Ann. I need some time." I tell her indifferently while trying to pull my arm out of her grip.
"It's been a whole year, how much more time do you need?" She questions looking broken and sad.
"I don't know, Ann," I answer with slight irritation.
Why is she behaving as if she has lost something precious? It's me who has lost everything in keeping her wish of having a child.
She got what she wanted, so then, why these tears now?
Why does she look sad and broke?
I couldn't understand her motives at all.
"Andrew." She let out a whimper while I frustratedly broke the grip of her hand on my arm and then stormed towards the elevator leaving her alone in a disastrous state.
My heart turned cold and her cries did nothing to melt the ice in my heart at all although I felt distressed and a bit frustrated too from her grieving state but at one time, I too was a mess grieving daily my Tessy's loss at that time Ann had blinded herself from me.
So, then why should I be watching her grief now?
I am too blinded at the moment.
****
The next day when I sit at the dining table for breakfast I don't see Ann at all.
I wait for her to arrive for a while and then Miss Celine comes over with my breakfast, informing me, "Sir Andrew, Miss Swan won't be coming down, today."
I nod my head coldly and after taking a few bites of my breakfast disinterestedly I then leave the mansion.
The whole day I stayed busy at work and when I returned home, after freshening up, I headed to Aaron's room on Ann's floor to see him.
"Good evening, Sir." Selina greets me instead of Miss Martha making me surprised.
"Good Evening, where is Miss Martha?" I ask.
"She… Oh, today she has gone back to her home. I have heard that her husband has fallen from the stairs. It was an emergency. She will be back tomorrow, hopefully." Selina informs me with a small smile on her lips and I nod my head in response.
I never knew Miss Martha has a family too.
"Have you informed Ann about this?" I ask as I pick up my little son and he starts moving his body excitedly. Smiling, I start rocking him in my arms when Selina answers my question.
"Uhmm… No… I have informed Miss Celine…" and I look at her with a raised brow, "Didn't Ann visit Aaron today?"
She shakes her head in response, "I haven't seen Miss Swan since the morning."
What? I feel stunned by her words.
Ann didn't visit Aaron the whole day. How is this possible? She always spends two to three hours with Aaron no matter how busy her work schedule would be and when he would get sick Ann would pause her work and stay with him for the whole day.
This is completely unbelievable.
I put Aaron back in his crib and immediately he started to protest by blabbering some gibberish words and then making different faces showing me his dissatisfaction and reminding me of Tessa's face when she used to act stupidly with me.
I pinch his cheek playfully and he awards me with a spitting smile.
I couldn't help but laugh out loud and then Selina starts to clean his face, he gets busy with Selina and I quietly leave his room before he would notice me.
I walk towards Ann's room and it's utterly quiet on her floor. After pondering for a while, I decided to retreat and wait for her to come to the dining table for dinner.
****
"Isn't she going to come?" I ask Miss Celine as she starts to place the dinner for me at the table politely.
"No, she has been in her room since the morning, not even asking for any food and neither allowing anyone to enter her room at all." Miss Celine informs me and it gives me a slight shock.
"I'll go and check on her." I finally made up my mind and headed towards Ann's room. I knock at her door first but there is no response and then after a second, I twist the handle and open the door of her room slowly.
The light of the small alley is on, revealing all the antique paintings that Ann has hung on the wall. I walk inside calmly and find Ann asleep on the bed. Her room is dark, only the slight light from the alley is brightening up her room.
Seeing her asleep, I sigh in relief and then shake her slightly in order to wake her up for dinner but when I touch her arm I realize that she is burning from a high fever and when I move her body, the way her limbs move lifelessly I realize she isn't sleeping but has fallen unconscious for the moment.
"Ann…" I call out her name anxiously while switching on the side lamp and finally when her face comes into view I realize that her face has turned fully red and her skin is scalding hot burning my palms.
F**k, Ann…
What have you done?
