“Don’t touch!”

Jerlina didn’t know where she borrowed her courage from, but she had actually slapped his hand away, stopping him from touching the planter – the planter where she buried her baby he killed.

She wasn’t even thinking. She didn’t want his murderous hand touching her baby and out of instinct, she actually hit him.

A couple seconds passed and only then her brain registered what she did. Her palm stung by the force she had used on him and through her peripheral vision she could see him staring at his hand, stunned.

I’m finished! He’s going to kill me now!

She has seen him fighting five guys at the same time and he bashed the skull of one guy without even batting an eye. She is nothing compared to those guys and it would only take one hit to kill her.

She prepared her heart.

But what if he breaks the planter out of anger?

It was then she felt immeasurable fear and she wished she didn’t anger him. She instinctively held the planter to protect it and her hands started to tremble.

Jeremy was stunned when she hit him. He tried to help her but it seemed like she didn’t want him to touch the planter.

It gave him a deep pain. He could understand why she’d being too protective of the planter and why she doesn’t want him to touch it.

He felt guilty and at the same time, he had this bubbling joy in the bottom of his heart. Looking at his hand that was hit by her, his lips curved to a smile. He didn’t expect that she’d actually touch him and talk to him even.

Jerlina who was expecting something bad was surprised there was no movement from behind her. She heard TJ’s voice at a distance and she turned to see him already at the porch, speaking to a guy.

Robert Milroy a.k.a. ‘Babyface’ Bobby, ‘Smiling Baby’ and Bobby.M.

Even from the distance, she could recognise him as the closest lackey of TJ. He is a long-term confidant and the right-hand man of TJ. He looks like someone screwed up the head of a boy over the muscular body of a man, and hence the nickname. Although he has the face of a baby, he is a savage with an unusual deep voice. There are rumors that he kills people with just one punch.

And he was one of the guys stalking her in the past few months and even in the past; he’d come and brag to her how they put those who opposed them in their place.

He was almost seen feet tall and would be smiling always but he is as dangerous as an elephant.

She used to have sleepless nights as she feared she’d end up like those poor guys who were tortured to submission, for what she did to Emma.

He has fierce loyalty to TJ and he’ll even die for TJ.

Is TJ delegating my murder to his sidekick?

Jerlina wanted to run away, but she didn’t want to leave the planter. She felt her knees go weak as she saw Babyface Bobby approaching, and sat at the edge of the trunk.

I’m finished!

She bowed her head.

Maybe this is better.

“Where do you want it placed, Madam Luna?”

Her skin crawled hearing the reverberating voice above her head.

Is he asking where I want to get punched? And who’s ‘Madam Luna’?

In her confusion she looked at him and he was smiling brightly sending shivers to her bones.

“That bush…” he pointed at the planter and a very awkward chuckle escaped Jerlina’s mouth. Even she was embarrassed of herself by that chuckle.

“In my room,” she stood up. Her palms had already gone cold and she clutched her dress tightly.

“Righty-O!” he exclaimed and bent to pick up the planter.

Jerlina’s heart sank to her stomach when he lifted the planter with just one hand. “Careful!” she tried to grab the planter.

“Okay,” he rolled his eyes and walked inside the house. He did hold the planter with both of his hands and Jerlina was surprised to see how easily he was carrying it.

She ran behind him and she was surprised her room was inside the main house and not the little guest house beside the main house.

She was in for a surprise seeing the majestic staircase in Victorian style. But she was not in the mood for appreciating architecture and followed Bobby to the second floor. Even carrying that weight he was so fast, she had to run behind him.

“It would need sunlight, right? Shall I place it in the balcony?” he asked and Jerlina nodded.

After carefully settling the planter she was relieved and only then she noticed her room.

Okay, why does this room look like a suite in a five star hotel?

There was a separate sitting area, bed area separated by a wooden screen, a small attached study, an in-suite bathroom and a private balcony.

“Umm…are you sure this is my room?” she asked and Bobby nodded.

“Jerry spent a lot of effort for this room especially for you. Good luck!” he gave thumbs up signal before he disappeared in the hallways.

Good luck? For what?

Jerlina was confused.

And TJ prepared this room for me? Why?

She looked around. The floor was mahogany matching with the flooring of the house and the room was painted ivory – her favorite color. It had a pretty big walk-in-closet and it was already filled with her clothes. And the study had her laptop, her phone and all her identifications.

He is returning everything to me? Why? Did he bug the room?

She walked across the room trying to find any cameras or listening devices. She couldn’t find anything. Finally she walked to the bed area and her heart skipped a beat.

On the big king-size bed, covered with white Egyptian cotton sheet, was a big heart made with red rose petals.

What the…

Is TJ that dumb? Or is he that much of a beast? I had a miscarriage three days ago which he caused, and he expects me to do ‘it’ with him today? Why? Because we’re supposedly married? I’m still bleeding! Beast! Monster!

She rushed and pulled the sheet and threw it on the floor. the rose petals scattered across the room and as she walked away, they got squished under her feet producing a sweet fragrance.

Locking the door, she slid down the door and tears streamed down her cheeks. She might not have entered a house this resplendent ever in her life, but this is a cage for her.

A gilded cage where she is a slave to his whims!

She didn’t want to stay here even for a moment. But she didn’t know how to get away.

She walked to the balcony and sat beside the planter.

Baby… I don’t want to be here… What should I do?

In that big room, she had only one talking companion and she had a one-way conversation with him.

Maybe it was the medicines, but she felt tired and she rolled herself to a ball in the floor holding the planter and cried herself to sleep.

—-

*Sniff* *Sniff* *Pant**Pant*

Jerlina woke up to the sound of heavy breathing and she felt something cold dripping on her cheeks.

What the…

She slowly opened her eyes, wiping her cheek and her vision was blurry. As it slowly cleared up, she saw a big beast standing on the bed, beside her.

She was terrified to scream and her voice didn’t come out. She used her elbows and slowly moved away from the beast with a dusty grey coloured fur.

How did I even end up on the bed and why the hell is there a wolf in here?

She rolled down from the bed in her fear, and ended up landing on her elbows.

“Huh!”

She grunted. She got hit at the funny bone and she felt a pain so great, she almost fainted. She saw the beast jumping down from the bed and it walked towards her.

I’m finished!