Chapter Twenty Nine

Anabelle!

That name...

It'd be a disaster if it's my mum's name.

This letter says so.

I've seen that name appear once in one of my dad's chatrooms. I didn't have so much time to read through the chat but I knew the Annabelle in question was causing some trouble. Could it be?

I shook the thought out of my head. Mum's dead. Period.

A phone's beep got me out of my trance. Then I saw a smartphone on my bed. At first I was shocked, I've never had one. Then I guessed it had dropped from my luggage. I held it in my shaky hands. So strange. It had my picture on it. A WeChat message from Damien. What?!

I could not breathe. He bought me a phone? Trouble! What if?!

"Hey Paige. "He had sent. 

I didn't know what to think. Why did he get a phone?!

 On the other hand, my little subconscious blushed hard. He got it right. The pouch had a plain color, my new favorite color, purple. I remember I told him once that I loved one of the graffitis on the wall of the school, the purple one. He asked me why and I had said I loved the color shade, it was purple. I fell in love with the phone immediately.

"I never asked you to get me a phone!"I sent back to him. He replied in seconds.

"You didn't have one. You rejected my number. I had no other choice."

"I have a phone!"

"Oh yeah you do. Which billionaire doesn't?"

He was getting me more annoyed 

"I won't accept it. I don't accept gifts..."

"It's not a gift."

Chatting felt so surreal. I haven't done this before, with anyone. All my gadgets are controlled and managed by Jude. I realized how much of life I really have been robbed of and I didn't want to let go of the little freedom I had ever again. At sixteen... Better late than ever!

"You returned my bank card."

He sent an emoji, a blank face, without a mouth. I guessed it meant "speechless."

"Are you always this arrogant? Huh Damien!"

"Hey.

Don't be mad at me. I just did what I had to do. I didn't need it. "

I remembered I had the letter and the other stuffs I got from my dad's study on my bed so I started to arrange them, that's not the right word, hide them. It's time to live, not only to exist. I'll find out who Anabelle is and I'll keep Damien safe. My promise to Andra.

"Paige?"The phone beeped again. I let him hanging. 

"Jerk! Stop texting me. I have a lot to do here!"

"Would you mind some help?"

"Help? What?"

"I can come over to your house. To help you with work."

Impossible.

"You can't. Don't try. There's a dog out there."I wanted to scare him. Though there's someone more dangerous than a dog. My dad's security guards are fierce. We haven't had a visitor in years anyways.

"I have a dog. I'm not scared of them."

"I don't need your help. Keep off. Bye!"

I found and empty drawer with a key that haven't been used in years. I placed the phone there and locked it up.

"What a day!"I sighed. I felt different and my room, it made new sense to me. 

I was meditating on the letter when I heard my dad's car horn. It was some minutes past six, the time he makes dinner. I was glad he wouldn't have to stay with me for too long.

"Baby" He opened the door of my room and walked in.

"Hey Dad."I smiled at him. He smiled back.

"Wow. I love that spirit. How was your excursion? I hope you aren't mad at me. I should have been the one to pick you from school..."

"I understand Dad. It's alright. As you can see. I'm a grown up now. I can manage things myself you know."I winked playfully at him. It's a new style I made for myself. He might be my enemy but he's my dad anyway.

"I can see that."He was completely awed, probably speechless. I could tell he had noticed a new me. The new me he would not want to see. Who cares?

"You can play that now?"He gestured to my guitar hung on the wall.

"Yeah, you see that excursion wasn't a waste. I should show you."

I was about to get it when he stopped me.

"No, there's no need for that. You'll show me later. It's good "He grinned. "It's good that you can play that. I could get you a music instructor if you want. You'll learn other instruments too."

"Sure, I'm interested!"I hugged him."thank you dad!"

"It's alright babe" he kissed my lip forcefully. I frowned. Doesn't he think of anything else?!

I walked to the door and asked him to leave.

"Jude Kam, you should leave. Or Else dinner will be late."

He stood up with an evil smile. "I thought it was all "Dad"ish just now. What's up with you now?"He was moving closer to me. Then I knew what he had come for. Oh Paige, can I ever be free from this man?!

"Don't you miss me? Didn't you miss you dad huh?" He pushed me aside and slammed the door shut. "You don't have to pretend to me. I saw it in your eyes."

My back against the door, the smell of cologne filled my nostrils. I tried to breathe, to imagine a world outside my real life, to clear my head and find enough courage to express myself in plain terms.

He trailed kissed from my forehead to my cheeks. I felt stabbed, in the heart, in my soul, anywhere, I can't tell. 

"Dad, dad...Da...d"I tried to stop him but he had my hands under control. Who would have known he had his usual rope with him when he walked in. I was totally helpless.

"I can see you miss me so much. I miss you more. And I'll taste every bit of you. Tonight."He breathed.

If I screamed, no soul would here. If I struggled, I'd get more hurt. This is the life I've lived for ten years. I'd have been stupidly stupid to think that a two month excursion to take it away. 

WELCOME BACK HOME, PAIGE.