To Where You are

Chapter 5

Alma took Bela to her room after dinner. She gives a bad look at Ethan who was left talking to her father. Her daughter is still with her mother.

As soon as she entered the spacious room, she immediately lay down on the large bed that was there. She felt very tired.

Not the body but the mind.

Ethan's presence in their house was a burden on her mind. It brought her a big problem.

"Sister, I have arranged your other belongings in the closet," Alma said. "Would you like me to get one for you?"

Bela smiled at her sister. "Never Mind. There are three boxes I left downstairs, open them. It's for all of you," she said, stretching her body on the bed.

When Bela was left in the room after Alma left she closed her eyes. She thought that her problem of returning to the Philippines was over because she and her daughter were far away from Ethan but it seemed like he is a shadow that followed them. The difficult thing is that he is still put in a situation that even if she does not want to, she can do nothing.

Earlier, as she and her family met Ethan in the dining room, she noticed that her whole family was friendly with the man. It was as if he had been living with them before.

Did he use charisma in her family? What other lies has he fabricated?

She wanted to rest, but the memories seemed to come back to haunt her again.

Jeff was able to find her unconscious next to his car and she was adopted by a kind old man. Dressed and given a job. Jeff made her his private nurse and at the same time arranged her papers so that she could legally work in America.

Jeff is kind and friendly, almost everyone who serves here in his big house is also her fellow Filipinos.  Who was also helped by him?

She was only three months in Jeff's care when he proposed to her. at first, she was scared but the old man explained to her the desire to help her. When she decided to marry Jeff it was known to all their housemates the reason why she agreed to be Mrs. Jeff Miller. She knew that someone was happy and someone was jealous of her but she did not care. The important thing is that she knows she did not make a mistake in marrying Jeff.

When she gave birth to Arabella it gave Jeff great pleasure. But at the same time, his cancer of the colon was getting worse. Bela took him everywhere to be treated but it seems that his life was only up to that point.

Despite having a child to take care of, Bela served and cared for the old man until he died. She knew Jeff was happy with her.

He died without remorse for helping her. Because she indeed reciprocated with kindness, the way he saved her life.

When Jeff disappeared, Bela felt she had lost a father and a friend. This is the only person who nurtured and loved her when she was away from her real family.

Jeff's funeral day when his only child arrived. She couldn't help but tremble with excitement as soon as she met the man's eyes.

 Bela felt at those times that her world was in turmoil again. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she remembered that moment.

How could she ever forget that look?

Ethan's handsome face was full of disgust when he met his father's new wife.

Bela did not realize that she had been drowsy. She just woke up feeling the warm air that seemed to be blowing on her face. She was shocked when she opened her eyes, she saw Ethan and their eyes met. Bela looked confused as she stood up fast enough to hit her forehead on his forehead.

"Ouch!" she said rubbing her forehead.

Ethan went straight to sit but did not take his eyes off her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked as she did not know if there was any concern or tenderness in the voice but definitely no anger or sarcasm in its voice.

"I'm fine," she said as she sat down. She wanted to be more conscious because she was just close to the man and his eyes were still focused on her face.

"I would not have woken you up. It's just that you haven't changed your clothes yet," he said.

"It's just, I'm so tired."

"Arabella was crying earlier. Maybe she was looking for you."

"By the way, where is Arabella," she said remembering her and when she was about to stand up Ethan hold her on the arm.

Bela looked at his hand on her arm. But despite her confusion was a strange heat coming from his hand and crawling on her skin.

The man did not let her go. She felt it tighten his grip on her.

"Nothing to worry about. Mom did it."

Bela averted her arm from it.

"What are you doing here in my room?"

"I'm your husband, remember?" a smile flashed on its lips. "Where do you expect me to sleep?"

She was stunned by what he said.

"Definitely not here. It can't be here," she said alertly.

"And what do you think your family will think if we sleep in a separate room!"

Bela could not answer.

And she did not know how she felt in those moments. Mixed emotions.

"Why, Mrs. Miller? Are you afraid of me?" again the sarcasm was there, it even brought its face closer to her. "Or you are just afraid to know that a younger man is much better than an old man."

Suddenly she felt angry but before she slapped him, Ethan immediately grabbed her hand.

"Oh no, not again," he said.

"You're rude," she said emphatically but softly. "Maybe you forgot, I'm your stepmother."

His face became serious and for a moment they fought back staring at each other before he let go of her hand and stood up on the bed.

Without hesitation, she stood up and left the room. Holding back the tears she went to her parents' room to peek at the child.

Arabella was asleep when she entered her father's and mother's room. She stayed there for a while and talked to her mother before she decided to go back to her own room.

Her mother called her so she gets back to the room.

"Have you got along with your husband, huh?" she asked her. Her father was also looking at her as if waiting for her answer.

Bela took a deep breath and then nodded.

"Take care of yourself, daughter, and get along well with him. He looks kind. He and your siblings and I get along very well."

Bela managed to smile sparingly at her mother and then nodded. After this, she went out.

She felt nervous at the thought of her sleeping next to Ethan's on the bed, it seemed like she would rather just sleep in another room but she knew she couldn't. She took a deep breath before opening the bedroom door. Bela lost her nervousness when she saw that the man was not there.

He listened to the man if he was just in the toilet but no one was there. Only then did she open the built-in cabinet. Her clothes and some belongings were in order and she was not surprised to see Ethan's clothes there.

When she was able to clean her body and change her clothes, she immediately lay down on a part of the big bed. She even made sure that there was a pillow blocking the middle of the bed before she tilted the bed and covered it.

Bela did not fall asleep immediately, probably because she had fallen asleep earlier. Another she anticipates the man to enter the room.

During the period of his veil, she felt warmth. When she looked at the alarm clock it was already dawn.

Where is Ethan? she asked herself.

She wanted to peek at the man outside but she was preceded by shame. He may even think she is looking for him. She lay down again, waiting if Ethan was coming in but when she fell asleep again Ethan did not enter the room.