Chapter 21 Trapped
1082 Words
Lucio has been fully engaged at work. Despite his busy schedule, he makes sure he reports to his wife every day. He has been traveling outside the country for business purposes.
"I do this for our family. I'll be home soon," Lucio would always remind Aria whenever they were set apart.
Aria, on the other hand, was eager to meet their little ones. Selda would help her buy baby stuff. She almost completed the things that their baby needed. They had seen Keila standing by the front door.
"Hi!" Aria said, but Keila did not respond.
She stared at her as she raised her eyebrows.
"I noticed you have been buying a lot this past week. What for?" Keila continues to interrogate Aria, who is holding one large paper bag.
"Yeah, for the babies. I only bought what I needed," answered Keila.
"Why have you bought so much?" Keila added.
"Oh yeah, remember they are three?" Aria said.
"How sure are you that there are three kids? Ultrasounds may not be accurate at times," Keila insisted.
"It's okay, they can still be usable." She replied as she entered the main door and did not pay much attention to Keila's reaction.
Selda helped her bring all the items to the nursery room. Since there are plenty of rooms in the estate, they chose one of which is beside their bedroom. She learned that it was the same nursery room as Keila and Lucio's. They arranged all the things and closed the door. Before she took her first step, she heard a humming sound from the nursery room. She listens intently to make sure she is hearing it right. She slowly opens the door and takes a peek through it.
"Hello?" she called.
No one answered, and the humming sound had disappeared. She looks at all the corners and there is nobody inside the room. She again closes the door and proceeds to their room. One month from now, she will be in labor with her triplets. She is having mixed feelings about her upcoming delivery. Nothing has changed in her daily routine since Lucio left. The only thing that she missed was her husband. He goes home to see her every two weeks, but now he is out of the country, and he finds time for them to talk. At night, Alexander would check on her before he went to sleep.
"Thanks, Dad, but I am fine. Next month is going to be a very busy month for us when these three little cuties come out," Aria answered.
"I know, but I wanted to make sure. I don't want to be blamed if something bad happens. Take a good rest!" Alexander said.
Aria can see the soft side of the headmaster, but the majority would address him as a terror boss. He never got mad at her. Maybe because he is just extra careful of her condition. He walked out of her room and went straight to his. Aria did not go to sleep while waiting for her husband's call. She goes to the restroom to pee and returns to her bed. She observed that the door was open. She wondered how that was possible when Alexander had just gotten out of that door. She stands up and checks it out. She was becoming conscious of her safety and that of the baby, especially during the late hours. Nobody is there aside from her. She stepped out of the door when something caught her attention. She can see a woman's shadow from the secured room of her late mother-in-law. For curiosity's sake, she follows to see the shadow closely. It is going to the nursery room. Aria begins to feel scared.
The cold night is covering her entire body. She wanted to walk away, but she could not. She was recovered by a phone call.
"Sweetie, I hope you are okay. What are you doing now?" Lucio said.
"Hi! I'm well. I am about to sleep but I can't until I hear your voice." She answered and forgot about the shadow she observed.
She goes back to her bed while talking to her husband until she falls asleep.
That was the first time she had seen a shadow, but she tried to delete the image in her brain. She doesn't want to feel stressed about ironic things happening inside the big house. She has no exact answer to those.
A month later, Aria was expecting to deliver her first baby. She was just one week before her due date, and Lucio hadn't gone home yet. Right after dinner, she decided to go upstairs. She was in the elevator when she felt a screeching sound, and it moved so fast that she lost her balance.
"Urghh! Oh, God! Help!" she cried, trapped in the elevator.
She was now shaking, frightened, and rattled, and her mind went blank. She lost her critical thinking. She kept on crying for help, and when she realized the situation, she tried to look for a button to call on for help.
"Oh my God! Help me!" she keeps on shouting.
It took her less than five minutes before she was able to reach out to someone on the estate.
"Please hold on, Madam! I am going to call the maintenance for help," Selda said.
"Hurry, I am scared. I can't stay here much longer. It's killing me!" she cried loudly.
She was sweaty and still shaking. She sat down on the floor while trying to compose herself. She closes her eyes while uttering a prayer. It's so hot and dark inside the box. She never opened her eyes because she was afraid of what it would do to her when she did. She starts to feel numb and she grasps for bars to have something to hold.
"Help!" she continues crying.
She clings to her belly as she stands hard to support her balance. Her eyes are wide open when she feels like she is having contractions. She begged for help for the last time when her water broke.
"No! This can't be!" she cried until she lost her voice.
She was holding her belly and slowly sat down when she became weak. She is trying harder to keep the baby safe but is almost losing hope that she can survive that trap. She has never been in that situation before, but she has to hold on strong. It seems like no one is going to help her out.
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