The Vial (1)

"This is nothing." Adrian weakly tried to defend himself. 

"I never knew that you could lie so fervently." Arella expressionlessly claimed. 

Listening to her icy tone, Adrian instinctively looked at her. Her eyes, which were brimming with passion a few moments ago, were now so indifferent.

For a moment, he could not believe his own eyes. But it was the truth. Arella had no curiosity in her eyes rather her eyes were filled with disappointment, hurt, and indifference.

"If you do not want to tell, then fine, I will not ask," Arella spoke and then, motioned to get up from the bed.

Adrian unconsciously held her hand, stopping her. She looked down at his hold on her, and a frown appeared on her face. She twisted her hand to break free, but his hold became tighter.

A sudden sense of crisis enveloped his countenance. Never had he ever seen Arella so indifferent. He knew she was patient, but maybe she had her limits as well. 

She continued her struggle to break free when her entire body got covered in a tight embrace. Adrian, he was hugging her. It looked less like a hug but more like a trap to her. 

And she wanted to break free. The more she tried to struggle, the tighter the embrace became. She soon realized that all her struggles were in vain, she possibly could not break free from his iron clasp.

"Let go of me," Arella whispered dejectedly. Internally, she thought that she was ready to share anything and everything with him, but what about him?

Since their marriage, it was always her who shared everything with him. But he never did. She understood in her core the nature of his job and the reason for his secrecy, but with things like the vial and syringe, she had the right to know.

She did not know what to think. In the morning, while taking a bath, she accidentally came across the hidden cabinet filled with these vials. There were a few empty ones and used syringes as well. 

Her mind had crashed at the sight. The first thought that surrounded her was that Adrian was unwell! Was he in pain? Was he hurt? But on second thoughts, he looked alright. Was he hurt internally, or were these vials for something entirely different? 

When one does not know, the mind starts conjuring up different stories. The more stories crowded her brain, the more afraid she became. She wanted nothing but the truth to dispel her thoughts, but Adrian refused to share. 

His evasive actions made it clear to Arella that he was not interested in sharing his life with her. It was only she, who was trapped in the illusion. 

"No, where do you want to go?" Adrian refused to set her free. He could feel the impending doom. He was sure enough that if he let go, it would be hard to hold her in the future.

"Nowhere, I just want to take a walk." Arella determinedly voiced.

"Come with me. I will take you to a place nearby." Adrian muttered under his breath. 

A resolve glinted in his eyes. Hiding it from her was of no use. It would be better if she could know the details.

"Dress casually." Adrian removed his hands from her body and said slowly.

Arella stood up within a fraction of a second and went into the bathroom to change. A dejected smile appeared on his face. She left in a hurry. She could not even wait for a few seconds to get up from his arms. She did not even look back at him.

He knew that his secrecy had caused a major dent in their trust filled relationship. And he knew that he should get rid of the problem as soon as it was possible. Before it caused any permanent damage.

When Arella came out fully dressed, Adrian was waiting for her. He too, had changed his clothes. Seeing that she was ready, he walked forward and held her hand. 

Arella let him lead her without any struggle. She did not ask anything. Both walked in the veil of silence. To the ground floor and the out of the villa they went. Both continued walking for a few meters and then, a stand alone house came into their vision.

He led her to the house, and then standing on the porch, he made a call through his watch. It was on loudspeaker. He had no intention of hiding anything from her any longer. The call soon connected.

"Sir? Is there anything I can help you with?" A middle aged man's voice could be heard from the other side.

"I am outside your door. Open up." Adrian succinctly articulated.

A silence covered them and then, the man's deep voice sounded from the other side.

"You have already consumed one dose. Taking more could be harmful to your health. On top of that, you are taking the serums of the highest purity. You are young and in love. Such a reaction is normal. The more you try to suppress, the urgent it will become." The man kept talking, and then, the door opened.

The man was about to share a few more words of lecture, but he caught the figures standing in front of his door and stopped in between.

"Sir, Madam, please welcome." The man bowed and made way for both of them. Sweat trickled from his forehead. Remembering the words he had said earlier, he became mortified. Madam had not heard anything, right?

If she did, what would he do? He was sure to lose his job! Damn his tongue! Why did he have to be so meddlesome?

Meanwhile, even Arella was filled with blanks. What was all that about? What was this man talking about earlier? Was the serum harmful to his body, but he was still consuming it, that too frequently? And what did he mean by young and in love? Every sentence of this man looked like a piece of jigsaw puzzle to her.

"Arella. This is my private healer." Adrian unaware of any awkwardness, introduced the man.

"Glad to make your acquaintance, Madam." The man bowed once again to show his servility.

Arella nodded to his greeting.

"Tell her about the serum I have been consuming since the last week." Adrian cut the small talk and went straight to the topic of importance.