*****As they all sat at the dinner table, Ana was surprisingly quiet. Richard momentarily stole glimpses of his wife; his inner self smirked because he knew what was troubling Ana."Would you like me to peel the prawns?" Richard inquired, a subtle glimmer shining in his eyes.Ana's hand, poised delicately with the spoon, hesitated over her plate as she cast a knowing glance at Richard, her lips parting to utter, "I am fine." Meanwhile, the watchful gazes of Richard's grandmother and Helena lingered upon them. Despite only eating some protein soup, Richard's grandmother insisted on remaining at the table with them."Ana, you shouldn't deny your husband's help, something some wives truly crave all their lives. You can take me as an example; his grandfather never cooked a single dish for me," Richard's grandmother remarked with a chuckle, as she gracefully leaned back in her chair."I do not want it to become a habit," Ana replied, her thoughts resounding within her. She truly feared th
*****Later that night, George arrived to pick up Grandmother and Helena, leaving the house with only Richard and Ana. Ana had made up her mind to retreat to another room for the night. However, as she began to gather her belongings to leave, Richard blocked her path, questioning, "Where are you going?""To sleep in another room. Since there are plenty of rooms in the house, why can't we use them?" Ana retorted, her lips twisting with determination. She remained adamant about not staying in the same room with him, no matter how much he might try to persuade her otherwise."Are you kidding? Sleeping with me won't bother your sleep!" Richard retorted, his tone laced with a palpable sense of frustration at Ana's steadfast insistence on sleeping separately."No, I love having my own space; I've been living alone for many years," Ana asserted, her tone carrying a sense of fondness for the solitude she had grown accustomed to."It's different now because you have a husband who needs you in
****As the morning arrived, Ana groaned in her sleep before opening her eyes. As soon as she recognized the new environment, she moved her head sharply at her side to find Richard, but he was not there. Ana unintentionally breathed while resting her cheek on the cushion next to her. The pillow smelled like Richard's, which meant he slept next to her all night, but where he had gone! Ana sat up and gathered all her hair into a bun when she noticed a piece of paper on the lamp table, her brows rose in question. She grabbed it and began reading, "I will be out of town for today so there will be a maid in the house to take care of you. Don't meet men in my absence or I will snatch their life out of their body." Ana rolled her eyes and folded the paper again, but this time she tucked it beneath her pillow before going to the restroom.After twenty minutes, Ana emerged from her room and walked to the kitchen, where she met the maid who Richard had hired before leaving the home. "Madam,
*****"Emilia," Jerry arrived to see Emilia in her ward, where she was alone at the moment and eating fruit sliced into pieces in a box."Uncle Jerry, please come in!" Emilia replied with a sweet grin, "Mom and Dad just departed for home." Jerry moved over to the bed before taking a chair to sit on, his gaze drawn to Emilia, who appeared to be at ease as if she was not worried about Richard."I can sense Uncle Jerry trying to figure out how I am so casual rather than throwing a tantrum or exposing my tears," Emilia added, prodding a slice of watermelon with her fork before placing it in her mouth while she smiled at Jerry."What? No, I am not!" Jerry hesitated since he did not think Emilia could able to read his thoughts."It's fine, Uncle Jerry, I understand. This is how people used to know me, but I do not want to be that Emilia anymore since I know what I did and how I hurt my parents, the only ones who love me the most in this world," Emilia stated, lowering the box to her lap wi
******"Doctor Anastasia, we absolutely agree with your views, but we are obligated to accept that the handwriting on the prescription is yours," another doctor kindly stated."I grasp the gravity of the situation, which is precisely why I implore all of you to grant me a mere twenty-four hours. Within this brief span, I am determined to unearth evidence of deliberate malfeasance," Ana replied with a profound sense of determination."Okay, as long as the CEO is not engaged in this subject, we can do it for you!" the same doctor promised Ana. "Alright, thank you!" Ana replied and hung up the call. "I do not see why we are aiding her. We don't know her well. She is very young, and I can see that her popularity stems primarily from her appearance. There is nothing extraordinary," the previous doctor, who had hostility toward Ana spoke up with a strong stubbornness that Ana was not a miracle doctor."I strongly disagree with your views, Dr. Perryson. If you admit to not knowing her well
***** Ana stood up, her whole body trembling, feeling too paralyzed to even move. The person she had come to find lay dead, and to her horror, she could not able to move as her legs went numb. "Oh God!" Ana gasped, her hands trembling uncontrollably as she stood frozen in place. She glanced down at her clothes, feeling a shiver run down her spine. Ana turned towards the door, her heart pounding in her chest, desperate to escape the suffocating atmosphere of the house. But before she could take a single step, the door burst open with a deafening crash, and two police officers stormed in, their guns drawn and aimed directly at Ana. "Raise your hands!" one of the cops barked, his voice echoed through the room. Ana understood their suspicions and quickly tried to plead her innocence, her words tumbling out in a frantic rush. "I did not do this! I swear, I didn't! When I arrived, she was already dead," she exclaimed, desperation lacing her voice as she struggled to make them believe her.
*****"I swear, I didn't do anything! Elena was already dead... The blood on me... it's because I... I fell on her body accidentally," Ana's voice trembled, haunted by the vivid image of the blood-smeared scene."Ana, we're not here to accuse you," Phoebe's voice softened, though her eyes betrayed a deep disappointment. "But we have to face the truth. We lack concrete evidence. Whoever orchestrated this... they were cunning. They knew you'd seek out the nurse for proof, and they were there, waiting. It was a meticulously planned trap, and you unwittingly walked right into it." Her words hung heavy in the air, a chilling realization settling over them all.Suddenly, an eerie hush enveloped the bustling police station, drowning out the usual hum of activity. Phoebe's words trailed off, her gaze darting around the room, mirroring the confusion etched on Sonia's face.It was as though time itself had frozen, leaving them suspended in an unsettling silence."What's going on?!" Ana's voice
***** Not finding Ana in the room, Richard's concern grew, leading him to the bathroom in search of her. The doorknob yielded easily under his touch, revealing an unlocked door. Peering into the dimly lit room, his eyes immediately fell upon Ana, huddled in the bathtub, her tear-streaked face illuminated by the faint glow of the bathroom light. Richard could tell just how much the situation had rattled Ana's confidence. Without hesitation, he entered the bathroom and gently closed the door behind him. Moving closer to Ana, he took a seat beside the bathtub, offering his support and understanding without a word, letting her know she wasn't alone in facing her struggles. "Vulnerability doesn't seem like your style," Richard remarked, reaching out to gently touch her neck. She still had her clothes on in the bathtub. "Thank you for bringing me out of such a place, it was a scary place to stay. I do not know what would happen to me in the morning if I had to stay there," Ana mumbled sh