The next morning when Geneva woke, she came down the stairs yawning. She saw Nicholas in that same frozen stance as the day before and in the exact same place. Noticing this, she silently tiptoed to the bathroom and washed up.Just like the day before, she beckoned on him before going to have breakfast. And just like the day before, his eyes had a firm stand on her like steel making her feel like she was a ten year old sternly supervised as she performed a task.She almost regretted calling on him before being done with eating. At a point, she even choked on her food but had to repress the violent thunder in her throat.In a free world like this I'm not even allowed to freely choke on my own food! She grieved internally. When she was done eating, Geneva took the plates to the sink and started washing them. In less than a minute, Nicholas was already beside her placing the glass cup there for her to wash too.Geneva's head turned to him at breakneck speed then she squinted her eyes at

Geneva woke up in the morning feeling refreshed. How she loved a good night's sleep. Not seeing Nicholas, she suspected that he was in the sitting room yet again observing a certain spot. She was surprised when she could not find him there.After looking around for a while, she discovered that he was missing again. Perhaps he was reliving his memories. She knocked on the wall and whispered his name. He really doesn't relive those memories in the wall, she concluded when she heard not a sound in return.Ah, time for a bath!Geneva moved to the bathroom, stripping off her clothes and flinging them anyway as she basked in the joy of privacy. It was only when she was cladded in just her lace bra and panties that left nothing of her delectably voluptuous behind to the imagination, did she realize that she had forgotten her shower cap.Groaning, she stepped out of the bathroom and into her bedroom. That was when she saw a white shirt and black pants belonging to none other than Nicholas

"Damn, Geneva, must you drop a bomb every time you call? And I mean every single time you call?" Sharon screamed at her, very much awake now. "Don't go yelling at me like it's intentional." Geneva yelled back. "This call does not seem any bit unintentional to me." Sharon yelled too. "Sharon," Geneva heaved a sigh and said, "I need someone to talk to and not to train my lung capacity with." "I'm seriously concerned for you, une fille. I just finished a plate of ice cream, endangering my waistline even though I have a date tomorrow with Louis." "With Louis Martin? The French guy… oh, so that's what's up with your accent." Sharon had this irritating habit of changing her accent whenever she dated a foreign guy. "My love life rocks; yours suck." Sharon stated in a dejected tone. They both sighed. "Sharon, you are officially the worst person on earth to seek comfort to the mind and heart from." Sharon giggled before countering. "Who says I am? You'll see the wonders I'll perform to

Geneva looked in the mirror, patting her cheeks with pride and satisfaction. Who knew she could perfectly blend the colours of her makeup to give a pale result. She looked sick and that was what she wanted. Today, she would be pretending to be sick! Blame it all on Nicholas who doesn't touch her unless totally necessary. Pfft, what a husband material. It was time for breakfast. Nicholas should be through with his early morning episodes by now. Geneva stood up to look for him. She tied her twist-out at the very top of her head so that their giant locks would fall onto her forehead like very dense fringes. She pulled on the wide neckline of her short and loose dress to come down her shoulder. 'Tie up your hair, expose the neck. Let him take a bite from the yummy chocolate island. Wink, wink.' A stupid song Sharon always sang played on in Geneva's head. Geneva shook her head and continued telling herself, "No way! I'm not trying to seduce Nicholas. I'm most definitely, absolutely

Chapter NineteenA dark aura was surrounding Nicholas. She'd never seen him so distant, brewing, like a storm. So angered. Wave after wave of dark emotions swept by. His face was so dark, Geneva could not read it.At all.She searched for words to say, words that could dissolve the heavy tension."Nicholas Loic Murray," that deep voice sounded far away. "Ah, I remember now."Just like that, the warm and cozy evening turned as cold as a winter night. Silence danced in the atmosphere. Geneva did not know what to say. Even if she did know what to say at this moment, she was very sure that expressing it in words was going to be a struggle. For the first time since Geneva had met Nicholas, she saw herself feeling deeply sad for him. She couldn't begin to imagine what Nicholas must have been through in the three years he had been stuck in this house with little or no hope of making it out. How lost he must have been. Going by the news they had just watched, it was undeniable that Nichola