Chapter 1

“Carla killed Jess. I saw it!” Geraldine insisted for the seventh time even though it’s clear that James just won’t listen.

She stood up from her seat and started walking out of the café leaving James with their unpaid breakfast, two plates of untouched muffins and sausages with two full cups of hot black coffee. Her house is just twelve blocks away and with her pace, she might just reach home while James is still waiting for the receipt.

Geraldine just got out of a mental facility two months ago. She was admitted after being diagnosed with Schizophreniform Disorder, a type of psychosis that hinders a person from knowing what’s real and what’s not. It was caused by a highly stressful event in her life – it was when her sister died in front of her eyes last January. Days after that incident, her father noticed that Geraldine started distancing herself from other people, even from her boyfriend, James. She started neglecting herself, withdrawing herself from any social activity. She even stopped eating to the point where they had to force feed her. At first, her father thought that it was a normal behavior for people who are grieving. But three months later, Geraldine started telling people how her sister died. She was very firm about it even though the police couldn’t find evidence to support her claim. That was when her father decided to put her in a psych ward.

“Hey!” James shouted. He ran as fast as he could to catch up with his girlfriend. “Hey!” he continued. He finally got hold of Geraldine, grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. “Hey, hey, Geraldine, look at me. I’m sorry.” he said while staring at his girlfriend’s eyes.

“Carla killed Jess. I saw it.” for the eighth time, Geraldine insisted. But now with a lower tone of voice, obviously tired. “You were there. But why didn’t you tell them? Why did you let them take me? Everybody thought I was crazy! But James...” she paused “You knew that I wasn’t. But you didn’t do anything.” she continued, slowly averting her gaze and began walking.

James followed.

“But it was for the better,” he said as they walked together, both just facing the road. “You knew you needed therapy. You were destructive. It was for your own good. Look at you, you look healthier now. People at the hospital fed you, bathed you, and took care of you. If it wasn’t for them, we’ll never know if you’d still be alive by now.”

“I needed therapy because I was grieving.” she replied. “But I was locked up!” her voice became louder “For six months, I was locked up. You don’t know what it was like in there. I was surrounded by lunatics! It even came to a point where I even thought I was a lunatic myself. But no. I was just grieving. Damn it!” Geraldine clenched her fist so tight that her fingernails bit into her skin. “We all grieved. But I was the only one locked up.”

“We’re sorry. We were just scared of what you could’ve done to yourself if you weren’t treated. We thought that if you weren’t given the medication and therapy that you needed, we might lose you just like how we lost Jess” James said. “But hey,” he grabbed Geraldine’s hand to release her grip and held it as they walked. “You’re here now… with me. Healthier and stronger than ever.”

Geraldine was silent. They just continued walking until they reached the Matthews’ residence. You have to enter a twenty-foot metal driveway gate and walk a few more blocks to get into the main house, a traditional house with chimneys, almost mansion-like, in the middle of huge trees.

“You know that I love you, right?” James asked as they reached the front door. Geraldine is standing in front of him, beside the entrance, with her head down, eyes on the floor, and her hair covering most of her face.

“I love you too. Sorry.” Geraldine said, almost a whisper.

She knew that if she still forces it, James just wouldn’t bother to listen and assure her that she’s not the only one who saw what really happened.

“But I am not crazy, ok?” she said.

“You’re not.” James agreed. “And you weren’t. I know that. It’s just that you weren’t taking it well and we had to seek help. Ok? I’m sorry too.”

He kissed her forehead and they both went inside the house. The interior is full of gold and silver with a huge chandelier hanging from a high ceiling in the middle. A two-way staircase that will lead to the second floor where the bedrooms are located will greet you and on the left side of the living room is a hall towards a staircase that you will use to go down to the kitchen.

James went there to cook breakfast since they didn’t have the chance to eat at the café earlier. He just paid for the food that he ordered and offered it to the waitresses and told them that the food’s untouched and he just had to leave because his girlfriend walked out on him.

When he reached the kitchen, Geraldine followed. He grabbed the pans from the drawer right under the stove. He cooked steak and eggs, both medium rare, just like how Geraldine wanted.

“Is this the ribeye from the fridge?” Geraldine asked before slicing through the steak.

“Yes.” James answered. “And it’s wagyu, right? Is this the one that your father got from Japan?”

“Yea. These are the two pieces left.”

“Won’t your father get angry that we cooked it?” James asked, slightly worried but he knew that there’s no sense in being bothered because the steaks are already cooked.

“He won’t.” Geraldine quickly assured him “I told him to go to Japan again next week to grab us a new stock of wagyu.”

“Then you’ll be left alone here.” James said. “Do you want me to stay here with you while your father’s away?”

“That would be nice.” She replied. “But first, can you please get me a glass of red wine? I can’t enjoy steak without it.”

“Don’t you think that it’s too early for wine?” James asked. Geraldine didn’t answer and just continued eating with a disappointed look on her face so James got no choice but to follow his girlfriend’s request.

He stood up and wiped his hands on his apron that he just noticed that he’s still wearing. Then, he walked towards the wooden cabinet where the Matthews’ kept their wines. James poured the wine into two wine glasses and went back to the table. He took off his apron first before taking a seat. Geraldine smiled when James handed her the beverage of her choice. The two enjoyed their breakfast together.