Trapped

Chapter 49: AFTER

*FOREWARNING: mentions of suicide is present in this chapter. please read at your own risk.*

Chapter Forty Nine:

The aftermath of my impulsive decisions.

—

THE SMILE NEVER left my face.

Even after Warren dropped me off at the estate I resided, or entered the house; the corners of my lips never once curved downward. I don’t even remember the last time I smiled so widely in the vessel of my sister.

I didn’t even know if I could be genuinely happy again, but Warren had proven me wrong.

My heart was pounding loudly in my chest as he waited for me to enter the wrought-iron gate with careful eyes. He didn’t drive away until he made sure I safely arrived at the house. I think it’s a habit of his that will never change.

Warren did the same to me even before we started dating. Whenever he would drop me off at our mansion, he would do the same exact thing. Although in his perspective I’m only the sister of his girlfriend, I’m mindful that he still considers Maxwell as an important person for him.

It wasn’t even something to be jealous of since he had always been polite when it came to my sister. Never once has he offended her, or been into a fight. I know Warren did all those things earlier as a sign of respect to Maxwell.

“Max?”

The sudden voice pulled me out of my reverie.

My eyes widened, almost having a mini heart attack as soon as I heard Sebastian’s voice calling out to me. I just barely even entered the house, and he was already aware that I was inside. Figures. The entire place was packed with CCTV cameras, and the system software attached to Athena might have informed him that someone entered the house.

Sebastian materialized in front of me not a second later. Concern was written on his face, but he was trying hard to keep a straight face. I noticed that he was still wearing the attire that he wore while he was in a work meeting. Only now, the blazers were gone, and the tie was loosened. He looked stressed, dark circles under his eyes.

“Are… A-Are you alright?” he asked, breathless.

He stepped closer, examining me decently. For a moment he looked relieved to see that I looked okay. He reached a hand onto my arm, and I immediately stepped back, shrugging his hold away. A pained emotion flashed in his eyes, but he instantly blinked it away—not wanting me to catch on, even if I already did.

“I’m fine, Sebastian. What are you talking about?” I asked, clipped. My voice was firm, it almost made him flinch at how crude I was being.

Did he really think that something bad happened to me? Because it was my first time visiting my own grave? Did… did he think that I almost killed myself? Really, suicide? Just by thinking about it, I grew aggravated. Mixed emotions brewed inside my stomach, causing knots in my system.

And here I thought that he was genuinely concerned about me.

He stepped back, putting a distance between us. “You weren’t answering your phone, Maxwell,” he released an exasperated sigh, and dived a hand onto his hair. “I’ve been calling numerous times already.”

The second he said those words, I fished out my phone inside my black satchel bag. I tapped on the phone then saw the 23 messages and 31 miscalls from Sebastian, Mom, and Dorothy. Everyone was asking where I was, and I couldn’t help but feel embarrassed that I didn’t even notice that they were looking for me.

“I… M-My phone was on silent. I-I’m sorry,” I quickly uttered, face flushed. The warmth of shame coated my skin like a blanket.

“We figured that out, Max,” he answered, quite harshly. “The line was ringing, but you weren’t answering. After my work was done, and you weren’t answering my messages and calls—I headed straight to the memorial garden to look for you, but you weren’t at the museleo. I asked the receptionist if they could’ve seen you leave, but they didn’t.”

It was because Warren and I headed to the parking lot. The receptionist would’ve never seen me leave since I got inside Warren’s car.

He continued, “I asked the management if I could see the security cameras, hoping that it would give me some clues where you might have gone to, but to no avail—their CCTVs weren’t broken and weren't scheduled for repair until tomorrow for goddamn’s sake!” Sebastian’s voice grew louder. “I thought something bad already happened to you, Max.”

I was silent the whole time, biting my lower lip. I understood his outrage, he had the right to be. For one, I told him that I’ll update him if I need to be picked up. But after he dropped me off at the memorial garden, I never messaged him again.

Obviously, I was so engrossed with spending time with Warren that I completely forgot that there are other people in my life that would be worried about me if they weren’t aware of my whereabouts.

— especially after such a tragedy happened to me and Maxwell.

“Also, your phone location wasn’t working. I couldn’t locate you even if you went elsewhere,” he added.

It was because I turned it off. Even with my previous phone, I didn’t turn it on. Solely because I didn’t like anyone knowing where I was. It would easily give them privilege to know where I currently was and I didn’t like the idea of that. I’m all in it for privacy.

However, it didn’t occur to me that it would be entirely useful the second something terrible might have really happened to me. With the thought that someone might still be out there to kill me, I should really have my phone location on.

I now understood why Sebastian might have thought that I might have attempted suicide. He knew I was mourning for the loss of my sister. He witnessed how badly I cried while I was grieving. And he’s aware that everything has been hard for me lately.

Finding my voice, I spoke. “Nothing bad happened to me, Seb. As you can see I’m alright in all possible ways you can think of.” I said reassuringly, meeting his brown orbs. “I’m s-sorry for making you worry, and for not answering your calls.” I can sense that he wanted to give me a hug as he took a step closer, but he shook his head; probably stopping himself from doing so.

“Where were you exactly? Why aren’t you at the museleo, and why are you home so late?”

The series of questions overwhelmed me. I wasn’t even exactly sure how I woul;d inform him about the whole thing that happened earlier. It was an intimate moment for me that I wanted to cherish, but I know that Sebastian deserved to know.

“I was with Warren earlier.”

“Warren? Warren Callahan?” he inquired, confusion etched in his voice. Sebastian’s forehead creased. “Why were you with your sister’s boyfriend?”