by J. A. Delese
Ingrid sensed something was wrong, so she decided to visit him. Of course, she understood that he couldn’t be okay now. She knew how much he liked Catherine.
That’s why he even abducted her.
She shook her head. She was also worried about Catherine, but she actually thought that this was the best thing for everyone. It was good for everybody, especially for Tom. He should marry a good lady from a proper house. So, even though it was painful now, he should endure this and let this go.
The car stopped, and the door was opened for her. She walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the penthouse.
I just don’t know how to console him.
She sighed. The elevator door opened and she moved into the condo. The house was so dark. The curtains were drawn, so there was almost no sunlight. She felt scared. She was worried that he might have done something crazy.
“Thomas!” she called out.
“Thomas! It’s me! It’s your mother! Where are you?” She was almost shouting but couldn’t hear anything answer her. She moved to the bedroom and checked inside but couldn’t find him there either.
Where is he?
She opened the doors to the other rooms, but he wasn’t there. She even opened the storage room, but she found nothing.
Where did he go?
He must be here at home. He hadn’t gone to work for over a week now.
Where would he go? she wondered and turned back, and someone was there.
“Oh my!” she shouted.
It was Tom. He was standing there and looking at her.
“Tom, you scared me,” she said as she put her hands on her heart. She looked at her son. He looked skinnier now. She could tell that he lost so much weight.
“What are you doing here?” he asked in a monotone voice.
“Susan said you told her not to come anymore. I was worried about you, Tom. Have you even eaten?” she asked in her motherly tone.
“Yes. No need to worry about me. We just want to be alone.”
We?
She felt it was strange that he said we.
Is there someone else here? she wanted to ask, but somehow she thought it was better not to ask about it.
“Why is it so dark here? I think it’s better to pull back the curtains.”
“She doesn’t like sunlight. You should visit us another time, Mother. We want to be alone,” he said. He walked away from her.
She couldn’t stand it more, so she just asked.
“Alright. Who is this she? You brought a girl here?”
She couldn’t believe Tom invited another girl here now. It’d been less than a month since Catherine had gone missing. How could he bring a girl into this house now?
Don’t tell me he brought a prostitute.
“Who is this girl?” she asked again.
“Catherine!” he answered shortly.
“WHAT?” she asked back in a shock.
“Don’t you remember Catherine, Mother? Your future daughter-in-law?! CATHY! COME AND SAY HELLO TO MOTHER!”
He shouted as if she was somewhere in the condo. Ingrid also looked around, almost expecting to see Catherine, but no one came out.
“Sorry, Mom. She’s not feeling good now. Come to visit us next time. Maybe she will feel better next time,” Tom said as if he really felt sorry for her.
She couldn’t believe this. She couldn’t take it.
“Tom, what are you doing? Catherine is not here!” she shouted.
Tom gave her a look like he didn’t understand what she was talking about.
“She’s here! She’s just hiding somewhere! She likes to play this hide-and-seek over and over again.”
Oh my God….
Ingrid’s mouth fell open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing now.
“Tom!”
She held her son’s arms.
“She’s gone. She might be dead!” She was almost in tears as she spoke. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at now. This was not normal. This was not right. Her son was obviously mad!
“Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll bring her to you soon. She’s just…very grumpy these days. That’s it. Come to visit us another time,” he said and pushed her out and into the elevator. She turned and saw him pressing the button. The door closed and her son’s face disappeared from her sight. Ingrid couldn’t take it, and tears spilled onto her cheeks.
He’s gone mad. He’s gone crazy. What should I do? What should I do now?
She cried for her son.
Liz, help us please. Give him strength to get over this.
The elevator door opened, and the driver seemed surprised to see her so fast. He opened the car door for her, and she sat inside. She took a handkerchief out of her bag and wiped her tears. She asked the driver to go back to her house and called her husband. Stephen picked up the phone call right away. Perhaps he was also waiting for her.
“Yes?” he said.
“I saw him,” she squeezed her voice out of her throat.
“How is he?”
“He’s…not normal,” she said while wiping her tears.
“What do you mean he’s not normal? Did he hurt himself?” he asked.
“He…he think she’s with him.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
“Stephen, I can’t see this. I can’t see my baby suffering like this. Please. Find her. Wherever she is, please find her for him. Even if it’s her dead body, please find her. I can’t see him suffering like this. I can’t see my baby suffering. Please, Stephen. Bring her back to him. We should bring her back to him.”
Stephen
He didn’t know what to say, so he just hung up the phone. He didn’t know if he should tell the truth to his wife.
No, not her. To him.
According to what she said, Tom was literally crazy now, and maybe it was a danger sign. He leaned back on his chair and thought about what he should do.
Bring her back to him and let them be together.
It sounded easy, but it was not really so easy to do. First, he couldn’t accept a half–Asian kid as his grandson. Second, even if he allowed it, he didn’t think that she would like it. She was the one who came to him and asked for help. If he brought her back to Tom, she would probably hurt herself again.
Then it would be worse.
If she really died this time, very likely, Tom will follow her.
No way out.
He sighed. He felt pain in his head.
How I wish he was stronger than this.
He wanted a son who was very strong and smart—a man who could lead his house. He was aware that he couldn’t say Tom was a complete failure. He had done pretty well so far. He performed well in school and in the company. He was diligent, meticulous, and knew how to deal with business partners.
Except about women.
He sighed again. He didn’t understand why it was so difficult for his son to be in a stable relationship.
Just give them what they want! If she wants attention, give her attention. If she wants to be free, let her be free. Why is it so difficult for you, Tom?
He had even thought of calling his son and asking about it, but he was sure that the conversation would have a dead-end.
You should be stronger than this, Thomas. You are my successor, an heir to this house. You can’t fall like this.
He clenched his fist and made up his mind. He wouldn’t tell Tom where she was. He would let Tom marry a girl who had a good background. It would take some time, but Tom would forget about her eventually. Then he would let her go and everything would go back to what it used to be.
And life goes on.
Sadly, it was true. Everyone would live a normal life as if it never happened. Love, hate, passion…those sorts of emotions eventually faded away. You won’t even remember how you felt at the moment.
Stephen shook his head to clear his mind, but he heard his phone ringing. He looked at the phone. It was his mother, Margaret.
“
Yes, Mother?”
“Stephen! She…Jennifer…No, Catherine…,” she spoke out of breath.
“What is it? Did she hurt herself?”
He felt annoyed that he needed to keep asking this question here and there.
“No. She…she disappeared!”
“WHAT?” he shouted out loud.
“What do you mean? I told you to keep her in the house!”
“I did! But we cannot find her in the house! I don’t know where she is!”
Stephen didn’t know how to answer. Where did she go? What if she went back to Tom? What if she went to the police? He stood up from the chair.
“I’ll send my people to check. Any indicator she broke out?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then, did anybody break into the house?”
“No.”
“Alright. Stay calm, Mother.”
He was about to hang up the phone, but Margaret spoke abruptly.
“Dr. Roberts visited me today. The only visitors were his team. He checked on me as he normally does, and he checked on her. She’s fine. Recovering fast. After the check up, she went back to her room, and when Winston asked her to have dinner, she wasn’t there!”
The doctor? But Dr. Roberts had been his family’s doctor for a long time.
Why would he do such a thing?
He felt confused. Why did she run away? Did she change her mind? She didn’t trust him after all? Did she lie to him? What was she planning? Did she want something else?
He had so many questions in his head, but he knew that he wouldn’t find answers until he found her. So he suppressed his anxiety and calmed his mother.
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll find her. It won’t take a long time.”
Tom
“Wake up, Tommy.”
He heard the sweet voice and opened his eyes. It was very vague, but he could see black hair and a girl’s face. It was Catherine.
“Cathy…,” he said weakly and reached for her, but she jumped out of the bed and stood in front of the bedroom door.
“Come and catch me!” she said.
Again?
He rubbed his eyes and sat up on the bed.
“Can we stop playing this game?” he asked her, but he couldn’t hear any answer from her.
“Come on, Cathy! We’ve played for more than a week!”
He came out of the bedroom as he was complaining. He was seriously so tired and just wanted to rest with her, but she never stopped playing this game.
“Where are you?” he asked her, walking into the living room, but still, he couldn’t hear anything from her. He wanted to find her, but the living room was so dark and it was not easy to find her in this darkness. She always hid very well from him. He looked around the room and saw something moving very quickly. When he turned back, he saw it entered the study. He knew it was her, so he also moved to the study. It was also very dark here, so he turned the light on and looked around the room.
“Cathy,” he called her name, but she didn’t say anything.
Maybe not here.
He was about to turn off the light, but he noticed something—the shelves. One book was not placed properly. It was upside down. He didn’t like it, so he pulled it out.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
He read the title. This was the book that Liz loved the most. He opened the book and found a photo inside. It was a photo of him and Liz.
This was right before she left me.
He remembered this photo. They took it several days before she passed away. The memory made his heart ached. He loved her so much, and it was such a pain to recall the moment.
“I’m so sorry, Liz,” he said with tears in his eyes. Tears dropped on Liz’s face in the photo. He held the photo for several minutes more and put it back where it was. He didn’t even remember that the photo was inside the book. He placed the book on the shelf and looked at the other books for a while. All the others were placed correctly. There was no other book upside down.
Why is this one misplaced?
He felt strange. He had never touched them, so he couldn’t understand why it was upside down, unless….
She touched it.
He felt a sudden chill on his body.
She opened the book and saw the photo.
It was possible. He pulled the book out again and opened it to see the photo. He told her that she could read any books she wants and she may have read this one.
Does she know this is Liz?
He doubts it. Catherine had never seen Liz’s face. She wouldn’t know who this girl was.
Though we look alike, and Liz had the same blonde hair.
Even if there were clues, how did she know Liz was blonde? He shook his head and put the back to where it was. It was waste of time to think about it.
“You told me!” A shout came from behind him.
He turned back and faced Catherine, who was standing behind him.
“You told me she’s blonde! Remember? You said she has beautiful blue eyes and blonde hair! You said SHE’S NOTHING LIKE ME!” she shouted.
That jogged his memory. He remembered it. He had flown to Korea to bring her back, and that was the first time she asked about Liz. He looked at her again in a shock.
“So, you remember?” he asked.
“Of course, I do! I have a good memory!” she said and smiled like a little kid.
He felt sudden pain in his head, but used all his strength to stay focused. He took one step closer to her.
“So, where are you now?” he asked.
“Oh, that one, I can’t answer.” She shook her finger and stepped backward.
“So, I’m telling you, Tommy,” she spoke happily and stepped farther back. “You should come and catch me!”
Patrick
The room seemed to spin around. He couldn’t focus. They had beaten him too much. He could taste the blood in his mouth. He wanted to run away or at least punch these guys back, but they had tied him to the chair, so he couldn’t fight back or run away.
The guy who was standing behind him approached and asked, “Where is she? Tell us where she is. We will let you go free. We won’t hurt you.”
This guy spoke in a very gently tone. Patrick laughed at it.
As if you’ve never hurt me.
He spat on the floor. He could see what he spat was actually blood.
“Where is she?” that guy asked again.
“I don’t know,” Patrick answered.
He really didn’t know where she was. He didn’t even know she was alive.
That psycho didn’t kill her yet.
He thought Sharpe had already killed her.
Good job, Cathy!
He knew she was stronger than she looked on the outside. He was sure she found somewhere safe—if she managed to run away from this psycho.
“Where is she?” that guy asked again.
“I don’t know,” he answered again.
The guy who asked shook his head and stepped back. A bigger guy came to the front and punched his face with his fist. He felt great pain, but they didn’t stop. The big guy continuously punched his face until he fell unconscious. He woke up several minutes later. No, maybe several hours later. He didn’t know. There was no clock in this room. It looked like a storage room. There was no window. They poured cold water on him to wake him up. He could tell it was freaking cold. He shook his head to remove the water from his face and head.
“Where is she?” someone asked again.
“I don’t know,” he answered automatically, but sensed something different. It was not the same voice. It was a new one. He lifted his head up to look at the man who asked.
“Sharpe,” he said.
“Where is she?” he asked again.
Patrick laughed at his question.
“Do you think she’s stupid enough to come to me? It seems like you didn’t learn much about her. She’s not stupid or naive.”
Patrick used all his strength to focus on w
hat he was saying. He wanted this monster to realize how stupid what he was doing now was, but it didn’t really work. Tom stooped down to face Patrick.
“Just tell me where she is.”
It sounded almost like begging.
“I brought one million dollars cash. It’s all yours. Just tell me where she is.”
He finished talking and looked at the guys behind him. One of the guys brought a bag and opened in front of him. It was cash. The bag was full of cash.
“Wow,” Patrick said, sarcastically “Good to be a billionaire,”
This rich man thought money could do anything for him and that disgusted Patrick. Suddenly he remembered Cathy. She was always so proud and strong even in front of rich people. He was pretty sure this monster failed to seduce her with money many times and that made him laugh. Patrick started to giggle.
“What’s so funny?” Tom asked.
“I can picture Cathy’s face whenever you showed off your wealth to her. I’m sure she was more disgusted than me,” he said and laughed some more. He knew this kind of behavior now was suicidal, but he didn’t want to care about it now. He laughed out loud, and Tom grabbed his hair to make Patrick face him.
“You think I can’t kill you? You think your splendid degree can protect you from this? You are nothing but a minor part of this world. No one cares, even if you disappear!” Tom threatened, and Patrick stared at him in anger.
“Go to hell,” Patrick said.
Tom closed his eyes at that. Patrick could tell he was suppressing his anger. Tom opened his eyes and looked straight at Patrick.
“Last chance. Where is she?”
“I don’t fucking know.”
Tom sighed and laughed slowly. Patrick wanted to punch this psycho’s face, if possible. Tom turned back and was about to walk away.
“Glad that she finally ran away from you. I hope you’ll never find her.”
That made Tom come back and punch his face several more times until Patrick was knocked unconscious.
Tom
“Good morning, Liz,” he said casually, just like he used to do every morning. “I brought some yellow roses for you.”