Chapter 17

I returned home after I felt better. As I expected, Darcie wasn't inside and it felt lonely. I was heartbroken from her side. I can't believe she held Anais in low regard like this.

Anais never let her suffer; she considered her a sister since they grew up together. I threw my body on my bed, inhaling the scent I missed from the morning. My phone rang unexpectedly. I peeked at the call, my face still on the pillow.

"Who is it again?" it was a private call. Should I answer or not? Maybe I should. What could I lose more than this? It could be Alexandre. "Hello!"

There was a strange noise like someone trying to fix something or put something on the mic then it stopped. A rough voice resounded from the other side making me jump on my knees.

"It's hard to focus when a beautiful girl like you is investigating something she shouldn't. Pull out from this or you might lose more than your life! Your sister is in our hands; we can reach her anytime and make her a breathless corpse. Think wisely, beauty! Nothing is lost with caution and staying ignorant."

He hangs up leaving me speechless. I wonder if the detective got a call too. I called him then Alexandre but the lines didn't pick up. It didn't even ring.

What was happening? I just got a threatening call. It wasn't important, since my phone didn't want to let me reach out for the others, I will sleep until I get better. I had tomorrow full of work and it didn't sound good to go without sleep.

I pulled the blanket again and hid my head under it when I heard the turning sound of a key in the door. I knew who it was and I didn't care; she didn't seem like she would apologize the last time I saw her.

"Anais?" her voice was soft. "Are you sleeping?"

There are two questions you can't ask, whether you are sleeping or dead because neither will answer.

She sat down on the edge of the bed because I felt the latter sliding slightly under my feet but I didn't want to wake up. A soft tone and a tactical approach didn't faze me; I hated it since I was young.

Many approached me to get their jobs done and I had to pay a heavy price each time.

I graduated three times from the moon saint academy and was shamed twice and brought back down to the academy again because someone sabotaged my work the first time and the second time someone stole it, the third time I was caught in a trap.

"I know you aren't sleeping, I know you too well to be mistaken. Listen…" I heard her breathing heavily.

I am sorry. I am truly sorry. I didn't mean to say all that and insult you; I know you always hold the best for me in front of my eyes. Even though many said you were a hypocrite and a big liar, I didn't say anything about it.

Even though I heard our friends whom we left behind talking badly about you, I didn't believe them. It just came out like that. Xavier said it was a prank he meant for you but it was misplaced; I didn't know you were friends but he took it over the limit. I am sorry."

The fixing thing came quickly but I wasn't satisfied. I can't trust her anymore. What will she say the next that? That I stole a husband from his wife?

Seriously, it will take her more than that to build the relationship again. I don't know why Anais is keeping her around; she may stab her one day.

"You don't want to answer fine. I've been diagnosed with anemia; I didn't want to leave things bad between us. I talked to Xavier and we broke up. I didn't want to lose you… I am already ashamed of what I said… Quarrels happen but I took it too far. I had to believe you but you didn't give a good defense."

"You are ruining things, Darcie," I jumped from bed.

"It's my turn now to say I don't want to see you. Do know you what I did for you? Do you think that everything in the house just come like that? I always pay the majority and leave you just a slight share for you to not feel out of it. And look what you did… Even when you apologize, you are ruining it.

I don't care about words that much from strangers and you turned a stranger the moment you said I was a whore. I already had a bad night and I was working hard to a point I stayed over time in front of my laptop… In the end, this is what I earn from you. You can see yourself out. You know where the door is."

She started crying. "I am sorry, Anais. I don't know what happened to me. I am turning sick each passing day and I don't feel like getting back home. I want to see Xavier badly but we broke up… I can't bear it."

"Remind me what you said when you slammed the door over my fingers… Aaah! Serves you right! Look I am all healed but my heart is still throbbing over that. I don't about you two and let me tell you something else…

He lied to you about his name. This is why I didn't know he was your boyfriend. The name he gave me was Claude Gachet and someone who knows him assured it was his real name and he also said he was a big liar."

"Ah! What? I… I don't know what to say. Give me a chance to prove I want us the way we were. I beg you… I am ready to kneel for it."

"Then do it."

She came down on her knees and I was surprised. Why was she ready to do that? It wasn't something she must do just to anyone. Would I kneel to Elodie if I wronged her? I wouldn't; my pride won't allow me to do it.

However, maybe I shouldn't be bad with her; she was Anais friend and thank goodness Anais didn't hear what she said; she would be heartbroken. In the end, I forgave her and moved on. As far as I'm concerned, strangers' words didn't faze me.

"It's fine! Just get up! I forgive you this once but if you do it again, I will promise you the opposite of what I did now. Where did you meet a liar like him?"

"In a bar with a friend; she was the one who introduced us. Well, he was eying me for a while so she decided she would play the cupid. Unlike before, you didn't ask me about anything. You respected my privacy and I wasn't used to that.

I always listened to the advice you gave in the past even if it was a part of it. You mean so much to me and your family too. Your mother took me in when no one wanted me. I can't be an ingrate and show the opposite of what you expect."

"You think too much. No one is expecting anything from you. They did it for charity and luck. People like to do good things sometimes because they expect good fortune in the future. Who knows? Maybe this will help them in the future."

"Why do you talk about them like they aren't your parents and siblings?"

"You overthink," I averted my eyes and hid under the blanket refusing to continue this conversation further.