Chapter 18: Chapter 18

"Ethan! You're here!"

I was caught off guard when I saw him standing behind me. He didn't say anything. He took a step forward, pushing me to the side a little so that he could step in front of the door. He was shielding his body, so I couldn't open it. I tried to peek above his shoulder, but Ethan blocked my way.

"This door is locked, and there are no lights here. What if you fell down the stairs and injured yourself? Hmm?"

I parted my lips, looking anywhere but his eyes that were observing my expression as if he was trying to see my agenda of going here. I saw his eyes glanced down at Bobby, who abruptly buried his face in my chest, hiding from Ethan. Ethan's eyes shifted, and he took a step forward to stroke Bobby's head.

"I'm so sorry earlier, baby. Your Mommy and I had a fight, and you stormed between us. It was a normal reaction." he explained to his side. His eyes were pleading with shame and guilt for what he did.

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to recall what had really happened earlier. Bobby attacked him first, so his instinct was to push him away. Like what he said, it was really a normal reaction. However, Bobby wouldn't hurt one of us. He would just bark or stare at us until we were done having an argument. His behavior was sudden and scandalous.

"It's okay. Bobby, forgive you. He would always understand." I smiled heartily before looking up to see his face. Ethan stopped to stare at me before letting out a sigh and pinching my cheeks.

"You're always cute, Natasha," he mumbled before leading me outside the kitchen. While walking away, I glanced behind me to look at the door that would lead us to the basement. Whatever Bobby is barking at there, he must have sensed something.

But, what is it?

I shook my head, trying to remove these thoughts from my head. At least Ethan admitted he was wrong to throw Bobby like that. Ethan gazed his eyes at me, beaming. We are outside the mansion's porch, and Ethan is trying to help Bobby walk. Somehow, I was glad that Ethan finally returned to his senses after days of what happened. Part of it was my fault because I doubted him even though he just wanted to make love with me.

I don't understand why, though. Why did I suddenly become uncomfortable when he wanted to take me before? Is it because I was not in the mood that night? I sighed and stood up.

"Let's get back inside, Ethan," I yelled. Ethan embraced Bobby before standing straight, stretching his legs. I glanced down at it and sighed. This man is incredibly tall, but I notice he's not as tall as before. Did he lose an inch? But, that is impossible, though. I mentally slapped myself since I realized I had been observing him the whole time.

"What are you staring at?" he asked when he got closer. He leaned his head, kissing me on the forehead. I waved off my hand in dismissal, and we both decided to go inside the house. However, I noticed Ethan was looking somewhere. When I followed his eyes, he was looking into the woods.

"What's wrong?" I asked, and Ethan suddenly looked back at me, blinking.

"Nothing, just recalling the times we were living back in the city," he mumbled while playing with Bobby's fur. Bobby was silent, but his tail was waggling.

I bit my lip, placing my hand above his chest. Ethan's eyes were piercing in my soul when he glanced down. I gave him a weary smile, motioning that we can't sacrifice ourselves, especially his reputation, despite his being used to it.

"Ethan, you know what will happen if we get back to the city. The authorities will catch you and torture you. You have killed innocent people, and this is something we can't avoid, Ethan. I don't want to trigger you or anything, but you need to clear out your name before we go out, free."

He was speechless when I stopped speaking. I realized I had crossed the line again when he clenched his hands and darkened his eyes. Bobby became tensed, and he was barking. Before Ethan could do anything that would harm him, I picked him up and stepped back. Ethan's body was trembling with choler, and you could see he was about to throw hands any minute now when he suddenly stopped and composed himself.

"Ethan?" I called his name, hoping I could reach his senses. Ethan smiled a little, nodding before looking away.

"I'm fine, just hungry. Let's go inside?" he guided me by pulling my arms closer to his side, kissing the side of my head. When we got inside the house, I couldn't help but get under pressure while standing beside him. I was not blind. I saw how he went livid earlier, almost losing his sanity. Is it because of what I said that I ruined it for him? Oh god, what have I done?

"Ethan, I'm sorry-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Natasha." Ethan stopped, but he didn't peek. He was smiling, but I know it was a different smile. He was masking his genuine inner conflicts. He pinched my cheeks once again before heading to the kitchen.

I was left alone in the hallways, and suddenly Nathan's gestures flickered in my memory. I gasped, shaking my head. Why do I think about him? I mentally slapped myself before following him. When I stopped in the kitchen, my eyes fell on the door that would lead me to the basement. I didn't realize I was staring at it the whole time when Ethan surfaced me back in reality.

"Are you okay? You look pale," he asked, and I waved my hand.

"Y-yeah, just…tired and hungry." I excused, and his expression softened. He helped me sit on the chair, caressing my head and massaging my shoulders. It somehow helped me to compose down. I breathed in before glancing at the door in the basement one last time before Ethan blocked the way.

"I'll cook you something, and after this, please rest upstairs. I will handle the mess here and catch up with you and Bobby, okay?" he assured me, lightly tapping my cheeks.

While Ethan was cooking, I was lost with my train of thoughts. I don't know what's going on with me, but I feel like everything is wrong. My heart was beating abnormally, and my muscles were getting numb. I glimpse at Ethan's back. I closed my eyes, parting my lips to catch some air.

The corners of the room were dingy, and you could feel the tension surrounding us. I also don't understand what is happening to me. Ethan came back with the food he had cooked. Is it just I, or does this food lack flavor? Or is it because I am not feeling well all of a sudden. I wasn't halfway with my food when I excused myself.

"I'll sleep now. My head is hurting me," I told him, smiling a little. Ethan nodded and was about to guide me when I stopped him.

"It's okay. I can handle it. Don't worry." I pushed him away before picking Bobby up. Ethan was unsure if he would let me go by all myself or not, but he told me to be careful. I smiled before turning around to leave him there.

When I reached the main room, I dropped Bobby carefully on the bed and changed into my pajamas. I glanced at the door from time to time, waiting for him to come back. He was late than usual. I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Bobby scooped closer to me, placing his head on my stomach. I played with his head until I didn't realize I had dozed off.

I groaned when I felt something was placed on my legs. I opened my eyes just to see Ethan sleeping soundly beside me. He was snoring, and I shook my head in dismay when an idea popped. I gulped and looked at Ethan beside me. I poked his cheek, but he was passed out. I took this advantage to get outside the room carefully. I was glad he didn't wake up when I got out.

The silence was deafening. I was always looking back to ensure that Ethan wasn't following me. I honestly don't know why I am doing this and why I am running away from him. Still, I know something was off, and I need to get to the bottom of it. I had been living with him for almost a year, and this was the moment something was strange going on when he came back.

I made it to the kitchen with no sweat. I gulped, looking around when my eyes landed on what I came here for. I quickly tip-toed towards the door. My hands were shaking when I opened it. I smiled at my success, but my smile dropped when I remembered what he had said earlier.

The door was supposed to be locked. Could it be that he opened this earlier and forgot to shut it again? Or it was unlocked the whole time, and he was hiding something here? My eyes widened in horror when I solved the riddle.

He lied.

I closed my eyes, shaking my head before stepping my feet on the stairs. I need to know what is going on here! I was careful not to drop carelessly. Each step made my heart thud loudly when I heard a groan coming downstairs. It startled me but made me more curious. I quickly rushed down, and when my feet were set on the ground, I hurriedly looked for the switch.

When I opened the lights, my heart dropped, and my whole body went utterly frozen when I saw what it was.