MY WOMAN

ERICA

The stranger said I left enemies in my house. Andrew said he saved my sons from the enemies and also that my so-called friends drugged him to have a threesome with him. And now Mum confirmed that Jessica took my sons from the house!

My whole head was spinning like a big top. Spin, spin, spin. My brain felt so hot and tired, but I could not sleep. I had to know the truth.

I went to Jessica's room to confront her, but the room was empty.

I pushed the door open, expecting to see her sitting on her bed or painting her nails. But there was nothing. The bed was made flat, the closet doors were wide open, and all her pretty dresses were gone. Not even a single pair of shoes was left on the floor.

Mum stood behind me, holding her mouth with both hands. Mum had no idea she already moved out!

"Where... where are her bags?" Mum asked in a tiny, shaking voice. "She told me she was just going to the shop!"

The look on Mum's face as the two of us were surprised to meet an empty room with all her stuffs gone was so sad. Her eyes were big and round with fear. She looked like she wanted to cry.

"She lied to you, Mum," I said softly, touching Mum's trembling arm. "She packed everything and ran away."

Something is really wrong somewhere and I am ready to find out.

"Erica, please do not go out," Mum begged, holding my sleeve tightly. "It is dark outside. The bad men are out there!"

"I have to go, Mum. I need answers," I told her firmly. I kissed her cheek and pulled my arm away gently. "Lock the front door and stay with my boys. I will be back soon."

It was getting late, but I did not care. I grabbed my car keys, ran outside into the chilly night air, got into the car, and drove to Andrew's house.

The road was dark and quiet. The yellow streetlights flashed over my car as I drove faster and faster. My hands held the steering wheel so tight my knuckles turned white.

After twenty minutes of driving, I pulled up in front of the massive iron gates. My heart went bump, bump, bump inside my chest.

When I got there, something in me melted. The memories returned. Memories of the first day I met him at the party, the insult he gave me when he called me names in front of his rich friends, and then the sex. The way he held me so tight in the dark, whispering sweet things in my ear. The love he showed me when he bought me flowers and kissed my forehead. And then the betrayal after I saw him having a threesome with my friends...

All those old feelings came rushing back like a big wave of cold water. I felt sad, angry, and soft all at the same time.

The big gates opened automatically, and I drove my red car up the long driveway.

I stepped out of the car and looked at the grand house. Nothing changed in the house! The big white pillars were still the same, the green grass in the yard was still cut neat and short, and even the warm yellow lights on the porch were in the exact same spots.

The front door opened before I could even knock.

"Hello, ma'am. Lord is upstairs with some visitors, but he said when you come I should bring you to him," the servant said.

It was an elderly man, very fat but nice. He gave me a warm, gentle smile, bowing his head slightly. He was the same servant from many years ago!

I stared at his kind face in shock. Somehow I said in my heart that Andrew must be a good man for all his house helps to be still with him, even the gateman was not changed! Bad bosses do not keep their workers for ten whole years. Only good, caring bosses do that.

"How did he know I would be coming?" I murmured under my breath.

"Mr. Andrew knows you very well, Miss Erica," the old man said with a soft chuckle. "He knows you are a very brave lady. Please, follow me."

I followed the man up the grand marble staircase. The house smelled just like Andrew—expensive wood, sweet vanilla, and rich leather. My heart was pounding like a loud drum with every step I took.

Thump, thump, thump.

We walked down the long carpeted hallway until the fat servant stopped in front of a big wooden door at the end. He knocked twice gently, opened the door, and stepped aside to let me in.

"She is here, sir," the servant said, and then he quietly closed the door behind me.

I stepped into the room. It was the same room, and the bedsheet was the same from the day he first slept with me! The soft silk sheets were a deep navy blue, smelling faintly of his favorite cologne. The big velvet pillows were arranged in the exact same way. It felt like stepping back in time.

My eyes locked onto the big bed, and my breath caught in my throat.

Andrew was standing by the large window, holding a glass of amber liquid in his hand. He took a slow sip, turned around, and looked right into my eyes. His dark eyes were soft, but his face looked tired and worn out.

"It was this same bedsheet," he said the moment I stepped into the room and had my eyes fixed on the bed.

His deep voice echoed in the quiet room, sending a warm shiver straight down my spine.

I squeezed my fists tight at my sides, refusing to let his charm melt my anger completely. I took two strong steps forward into the center of the room.

"What game are you playing with Jessica and my sons?" I demanded, my voice loud and shaking with pure emotion.

Andrew set his glass down on the small wooden table with a soft clink. He took a slow breath and walked toward me, stopping just two feet away.

"I am not playing any game with your sons, Erica," he said in a low, gentle voice. "I love those boys with all my heart. I would lay down my life before I let anyone hurt them."

"Then why did Jessica take them from my house?!" I yelled at his face. "Mum said Jessica picked them up! She brought them to that strange man in the dark jacket! She put my babies in danger, Andrew!"

"Leave Jessica for me to handle," Andrew said, his eyes darkening with anger. "I told you, Erica! Jessica and Annabel are greedy. When they realized I was never going to marry them, they got desperate. Someone offered them money and power if they helped him destroy me. They used your children to get to you!"

"And what about you?!" Tears spilled over my eyelashes, hot and stinging on my cheeks. "You claim you were drugged that night! You claim you didn't mean to hurt me! But you broke my heart, Andrew! You let those two snakes into our lives!"

Andrew reached out his big, warm hand and gently wiped a tear off my cheek. I tried to pull back, but his touch was so gentle, so full of deep regret, that my body froze.

"I made terrible mistakes, Erica," Andrew whispered, looking right into my eyes. "I was stupid, I was arrogant, and I trusted the wrong people. But I never, ever stopped loving you. Not for a single day."

"I don't know if I can believe you," I sobbed, my voice breaking into tiny pieces. "There are so many lies.

“Who killed Gabriel?’ I asked, I don’t know," Andrew said, bringing his other hand up to hold my face. "I know you are scared, and I know you are angry. But you have to trust me tonight.

The enemies are out there to destroy us, they are not happy you are my woman,” he said… "I am not your woman," I stammered, though my heart was beating crazy fast against my ribs.

"You are my woman," Andrew said firmly, his thumb brushing over my bottom lip. "You have always been my woman. And tonight, I am going to end this war once and for all."