Chapter VII - His Last Day

Rebecca woke up by her mother's voice and she gripped her arm and shaking her. She slowly opened her eyes and turned to her back to face her mother who was patiently waiting for her to get up.

"Get up, hon," Chelsea said to her daughter, helping Rebecca to get up from the bed. "So you can eat your dinner then open your present," she continued excitedly earning a wide smile and an already awaked daughter. Rebecca started to jump when she heard her mother's statement.

"I'm excited!" Rebecca shouted to no one.

"But first you should eat before I allowed you to open your presents," Chelsea reminded Rebecca. "Go find Aunt Nicole," she instructed her daughter.

Rebecca left her mother alone inside their room and followed her mother's order. Chelsea fixed her daughter's bed and cleaned the room, busying herself. After she was done with her work, Chelsea went outside the room and proceeded to the location of her daughter to check if she was really eating. She noticed Nicole was sitting facing in front of her and having a conversation with Rebecca who was eating the food they prepared and eaten earlier. Chelsea decided not to interrupt and listen to their conversation quietly.

"I really miss daddy," Rebecca said sadly which made Chelsea broke her heart. "Mommy is also sad about daddy not coming home but, I guess I made her happy with Uncle Tom, Michael, and Grand Pamela," she continued looking at Nicole with hope in her eyes. "Can you say to Uncle Michael and Grand Pam to not leave my mother?" she said stopping eating and focused on the woman she's talking to.

"Of course, baby girl," Nicole said with a genuine smile on her face and caressed Rebecca's left cheek with her right hand and wiped her eyes that was forming tears ready to burst out. "It's going to be alright, don't worry," she continued to make the girl feel better.

Chelsea was not expecting her daughter's utterance and was shocked and happy about it. Her Rebecca was surely growing up, and it made Chelsea afraid that someday she will be alone again when her daughter decided to leave her.

Chelsea decided to come out and act in front of them that she didn't hear a single word about their conversation. Rebecca immediately composed herself upon hearing footsteps coming her way and Nicole released her hand away from Rebecca's cheek.

"Hey, Nicole," Chelsea said smiling, still feeling the heaviness of her heart. "How was your dinner?" She said to Rebecca, facing her and noticing a faint pink color around Rebecca's eyes. She also smiled towards her daughter but she felt down knowing Rebecca cried to her situation.

"It was great, mommy!" Rebecca exclaimed and smiled widely, acting happy in front of her mother. She didn't want her mother to know that she felt sad about their incomplete family.

"Grand Pam made that, she will be joyous about your approval," she said smiling a bit, while Nicole chuckled about the thought. "Now, finished eating and get your present opened," Chelsea said encouraging her daughter to finish the food.

Rebecca instantly followed her mother with a beam on her. Chelsea seated beside her daughter and waited for her to finished her food.

On the other side of the room

Michael and Tom were accidentally stuck at each other, well, not literally, but people left them inside the living room. They were left alone that made the atmosphere thick around the room. At first, they didn't say anything to each other due to their dislike of one another but boredom can control Tom and made him suddenly say something.

"What's your intention to Chelsea?" Tom seriously said to Michael, facing him with a poker face plastered on his face. Tom felt that every person nearing Chelsea made him overprotective of her, especially a man. He thought that they have internal motives that might hurt his best friend and he will do anything just to prevent that to happen.

"Huh?" Michael said cluelessly, he just came back to his reality. He was in his own thought that he didn't hear a thing from the other. Michael looked at the person who started their conversation and he noticed that the other man was glaring at him.

"I said, what did you plan on Chelsea," Tom said, not breaking their gaze and having a tense environment around them.

"What plan?" Michael asked confused at Tom's earlier statement.

"Oh, you know," Tom started, waving his right hand and rolled his eyes. "Like getting friendly to Chelsea and hurt her later on," he stopped moving her hand and again, pointed his gaze down to Michael.

"Wha- Where did you get that idea?!" Michael exclaimed and laughed at the ridiculousness of the man who's staring at him, spitting foolish ideas at him. "You know, she is really my first real friend outside this house," Michael said after he calmed down from laughing and looking at Tom with sincerity.

"I don't believe that," Tom said truthfully, still glaring at Michael, he thought that it was impossible to not have a friend in your childhood to adulthood. He scoffed towards him at Michael's response.

"Really, you can ask my mother or any member of this family," Michael said calmly having patience talking to Tom. He didn't felt offended at Tom's questions because he knew that he was just being protective of his best friend.

"Mmmm, I see, you can't even defend it yourself," Tom said mocking Michael. He scratched his chin with his left hand, giving the impression that he was thinking.

Michael sighed, getting enough of this. "I was born to be isolated and grow without a companion except for my family, I didn't like talking to strangers and mostly having light topics. I learned in life that sometimes we need to change so I changed to be better in this society but something still holding me from it. Getting caged and forced over the things you didn't want to do," he paused for a second. "Meeting Chelsea made me a better person and be free about life. If I were to hurt her, then I will blame myself for giving her misery. I never want her to leave me and be alone anymore," he said looking down to the floor and having an internal crisis about why the hell he said those words to others, it should be only kept inside him.

Tom looked at him now without a glare, having a satisfactory over Michael's real intention to Chelsea but got confused at something. "You know... she's still married, right?" he said hesitantly, not knowing if Michael already know. "You know... Rebecca and all..." Tom continued looking at the man whose head was still positioned downward.

"Yes, I know," Michael said and looked at Tom, nodding his head. "But, I was implying that I just want to be friends with Chelsea," he said faintly smiling at Tom, realizing that they starting having a normal conversation and a calmed Tom to talk to.

"I hope so, I don't want drama on Chelsea's life," he commented and looked back at Michael with sincere eyes. "It's already too much drama for her when husband went missing," he continued, frowning at the thought. Michael nodded understanding and agreeing with Tom.

"By the way, did Chelsea said something related to the mall, four days ago?" Michael asked, giving their communication have a smooth flow.

"She said that she stumbled to you," Tom said shortly and looked at Michael with a questioning face.

Michael hummed and chuckled, remembering their meeting. "Oh, so she didn't say it to you?" Michael said silently surprised that Chelsea didn't talk about to her best friend.

"What did she didn't tell me?" Tom said with a furrowed eyebrows, getting curious about it.

"You see, I was walking when I suddenly noticed a woman lost her balance carrying many shopping bags, I helped her, then, she called me Esmond and immediately hugged me and said 'I missed you'. I reacted quickly and pushed her softly to only discover that it was Chelsea." Michael narrated the events that had taken placed the last four days to Tom.

"Chelsea's husband's name is Esmond," Tom said, Informing Michael about it.

"Oh," Michael only said. "But why?" Michael asked. "Why did she call me in that name?" he continued and looked at Tom confusingly.

"Maybe she was thinking of him again, while she was walking before she almost fell down," Tom concluded at the other, having the same expression as Michael.

"Maybe..." Michael only replied.

They were deep in thought when Pamela suddenly interfered with their deep thinking about the case of Chelsea. "I'm glad that you're getting close together," with Pamela's statement, Tom shivered and Michael flinched over the thought of them getting close. "Everyone was near the Christmas tree for opening presents," Pamela informed them about the current events that are happening now.

"Is it a bit early?" Tom asked Pamela, noticing that it was not yet Christmas Eve.

"Everyone wants to open their present now and want to sleep early for tomorrow," she said and began to leave when there are no more following questions.

The two of them decided to find where everyone is. They saw them gathering and sitting down near the Christmas tree and discovered that Rebecca was already starting to open her gifts. She received books, art materials, and many more. She thank all for the gifts and hugged her mother for the wonderful present she gave her.

Michael and Tom joined them and discover what were their presents would be. Michael received a sweater, hat, notebooks, and a pillow. He now picked his gift from Chelsea and started to open it. "LEMON?!" Michael shouted making all of them looked at him and started to laugh at the joke behind the present.

"Yup, to remind you of a memorable event," Chelsea said while laughing at him when she saw his reaction. "Don't worry I have another gift on there," she informed him which earned a small smile from Michael. He opened the present from her and saw that it was a book. Michael thank her for her great presents and gave her a smile which was returned by her.

"THIS IS A HEAVEN SENT!" Tom exclaimed, holding different chocolates, he ignored everyone who was looking amused at him but he continued dating, I mean, eating his delicious treats.

Pamela thank Chelsea for the music disks she bought for the elderly woman. Now, for Chelsea, she received various items, from a journal to jackets. She thanked everyone and apologies to some people that she didn't give a gift for the reason of not knowing them yet, naming Nicole, Nelson, and Doran. Despite those things, they all enjoyed the moment and greeted each other with a Happy Christmas.

After celebrating their own gift, they decided to go to sleep to be prepared for the special day tomorrow, Christmas Day. Chelsea came to her room with Rebecca, the room has two beds for them to sleep. Chelsea read another story for Rebecca for her daughter to sleep again. When Rebecca started fluttering her eyes, Chelsea stopped her narration on the story and lay the blanket up from Rebecca's shoulder. She started walking to her bed and lay down for a while.

She rolled right to left then left to right, seemingly not tired to be able to sleep. Her mind was occupied by something and can't focus on sleeping. Christmas will be tomorrow, specifically in just 2 hours. Another day and Esmond is still missing, Chelsea seemed to have no more tears left after 9 years. Every memorable moment she remembered with him, doesn't feel love and joy, it only gives her misery.

Chelsea decided to sit up and looked outside through the open window. The sky was clear giving emphasis to the moon beaming at her. It illuminates the sorrow of her, the lonely light shining through the night, and gives comfort to the woman thinking of the hunted past. She remembered the last day with her husband. It was just a normal day, but she didn't know how wrong it was to assume that it was normal.

"Wake up, love," a low voice of a man said to Chelsea. She didn't move, not wanting to ruin her peaceful morning. Then, she felt a kiss on her forehead, nose, and cheeks. The man stopped kissing her and after a minute the woman whined. Chelsea was puckering her mouth to indicate that she wanted him to pecked kiss her on her lips. "Demanding wife," he muttered while smiling, he followed and kissed her lightly on her lips. "There... Now, get up so we can start our day," he said getting up from the bed and looking down at his wife.

"Demanding husband," Chelsea mocked him but changing the last word, she rolled her eyes smiling behind their blanket. She turned her eyes to look at her husband looking at her smirking at her.

'What is this man planning?' Chelsea asked herself suspiciously on his smirk. Then, he moved fast that she's too late to escape from the man's grasp. She burst from laughter and pushed her husband thinking that he might pull out from her.

"Stohahap," Chelsea said while laughing, Esmond decided to tickle her for not getting up and smiling widely to his laughing wife.

"Now, can you get up?" Esmond stopped his actions and pulled back to see his wife. She was looking at him with a murderous gaze that made him chuckle.

"You're cruel," she said and began to get out of their bed. He just laughed at her and went to the bathroom to start washing his body. Chelsea went to the kitchen to cook breakfast for her family. She thought that Rebecca is still sleeping peacefully on her own bed. After she had finished cooking, she noticed Esmond was fully dressed in his usual clothing style when he's ready to leave.

"Why are you already dressed up?" Chelsea asked her husband confused at his earliness.

"Boss just texted, he said that we have to meet quickly as possible," he said with sadness lingering in his voice and eyes that Chelsea noticed but ignored it.

"You're not going to eat?" she frowned when she asked him.

"Not today love," he said looking at her with an apology and faintly smiled towards her. He went in front of her, closing a gap to their bodies and he put his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry," he said looking at her with a feeling of sorrow, having a deeper meaning behind those words but again, Chelsea just shrugged it.

"It's fine, just don't get hungry, ok?" she said, reminding him.

"Noted, my lady," he said now smiling at her lovingly and he moved forward to kiss her which Chelsea accepted and kissed him back with the same force that created balance. The kiss light and faint at first but Esmond take a step, licking her lips for her to open her mouth which she did. Then, he took an advantage of it and merged his mouth with her with passion and strength attached to it. It was full of love and a bit of desperation, it seems like the man was sending her an important message but the woman didn't know it. They pulled back realizing that he still need to leave, they were breathing heavily due to the events that had taken place and still standing looking at each other silently with love in their eyes. Chelsea seemed to notice the hurt in the eyes of Esmond that made her confused internally.

Esmond looked down at his watch, breaking the gaze from Chelsea, and saw that he was getting late. "I've got to go," he said with longing in his eyes. "I love you," Esmond said displaying too much emotion through his face and eyes that Chelsea had difficulty reading her husband.

"I love you too," she said with loving eyes mixed with a bit of confusion.

"When Rebecca woke up, can you say that I love her too," he said to her with a small smile. Chelsea nodded, promising him to tell their daughter. Inside, Chelsea felt Esmond was leaving, but didn't think deeper into it, and thought that it was ridiculous of her to think that. He moved away from her and started to walked towards the door, while Chelsea watched him with confusion. When he arrived at the door, he looked back at her with so much emotion that made Chelsea irritated but didn't show to him.

"See you later, love," Chelsea said smiling at him but she still felt wary about the situation happening today. Esmond just nodded and left closing the door. Chelsea was alarmed when her husband didn't say something like 'see you too' or 'later' which Esmond always said when leaving. She thought that maybe Esmond just forgot due to his early errands.

Chelsea was still looking at the moon when she narrated back one of her past in her mind. She didn't know that he was giving her a message and it gave her a heavy regret to her chest. The 'what if's' constructed by her mind and left her overthinking over and over again.