Chapter 329: RIGHT PATH
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Erika asked the two questions faster than one could count the fingers in one hand. When Viper remained quiet and didn’t answer her question, she demanded, "What do you mean?"
"We are in BOSTON!" Viper yelled at her, his veins popping on his forehead as he tried to calm his temper down. "We are very far from Spain and before you ask, we are not going to Spain to see Ethan or any of your family members." He added, glaring down at her for no good reason.
When he noticed tears brimmed in the corners of her eyes, his eyes instantly softened. He took a step closer to her and instinctively, she took one back. He still didn’t enjoy that act of hers but he wasn’t going to force her to be near him against her will. He never expected her to and he wouldn’t ask her to be.
"I’m sorry for yelling at you." Viper quickly apologized, his head lowered in shame as he continued. "I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry but we will get past this."
Erika stared at him, not knowing how to respond to his words. He didn’t ask a question nor was he promising something to her. Instead, he was reassuring her—something that she didn’t want at that moment since the only thing she wanted was to go back home, to her family, to the father of her children but the man in front of her wouldn’t do so. Instead, he promised her— a promise she didn’t know if he was going to keep and now she would be forced to stay in the house with him until he would feel like letting her go.
"You should go inside and have a rest, it’s almost midnight. You haven’t showered yet and your eyes look tired." Viper said, to change the subject but it was obvious from Erika’s eyes that that wasn’t what she wanted. "Please," Viper pleaded but Erika still stood, unmoving.
"Nanny Beatrice," Viper called and in a few seconds, the old lady walked into the living room and asked,
"Anything you want, Robert?"
Viper glanced at Erika, thinking that she would be a little surprised by the name that Beatrice had just addressed him with but she didn’t react one bit. He turned to look at Beatrice and the old lady lowered her head.
Viper didn’t question but instructed, "Please prepare a warm bath for Erika and clean her up then get her ready to rest for the night." After Beatrice nodded her head in understanding, Viper glanced at Erika one last time before he turned to leave and escaped into the room he’d just opened and closed right behind him.
As soon as Viper was no longer in sight, Beatrice smiled and held Erika by the shoulder.
"Dear, it’s time for you to take your bath now," she said but Erika didn’t react to her words. Looking into the stroller where the babies were sleeping in, she added, "I bet the babies aren’t comfortable sleeping inside the stroller all day. They should also feel the warmth of the bed, don’t you think?" She added.
Erika regarded Beatrice for a second before she blinked back the tears that had threatened to fall from her eyes.
Without responding to any of the words that Beatrice had spoken, Erika walked towards the stroller and started pushing it back to the room while Beatrice still followed behind her.
—
"Now that you are close with your kids, I bet you can have a nice sleep tonight, hmm?" Said Beatrice after Erika was already settled on the bed. "You know you don’t have to take the babies wherever you go, right? I’m right here to look after them for you," she added.
Earlier, during the bath, Erika had pushed the stroller into the bathroom while Beatrice waited outside while she took her bath.
Erika didn’t respond to her but simply stared at her. Her eyes were red from holding back tears and they had turned blurry that she couldn’t even see Beatrice clearly while she reprimanded her.
"Believe me when I say that I could lay down my own life for those cute babies and I wouldn’t dare in this life or the next one harm them in any way."
"Okay," Erika mumbled under her breath. Her tone had turned softer than usual and Beatrice could only sigh in response.
"Alright then, goodnight," she said, intending to switch off the lights but Erika quickly stopped her.
"Don’t! I will switch them off myself," said Erika.
Beatrice nodded and pulled the door slowly until he clicked close.
Sighing against the door with her eyes closed before opening it, Beatrice glanced around the corners of the living room until she spotted a figure standing on the terrace with the doors wide open inviting both the cool breeze and mosquitoes in.
Sighing again, Beatrice walked towards the terrace and closed the double doors before mumbling.
"When will you learn to close these doors when you come out to smoke? Things aren’t the same anymore when there were just a few adults living here. There are kids now and you have to be extra careful so that no mosquitoes infect them with its diseases and make them sick," she scolded, walking to stand next to the person.
"Want some?" Viper stretched his hand forward, offering the weed.
"You know I’m old and you are still offering me weed? Is that how desperate you want me to be gone?" She questioned him, taking the weed from his hand and bringing it to her lips.
"I don’t think a single weed can kill you though," Viper commented, taking the weed from her. He took a big puff and released a mouth full of white smoke before he continued. "How’s she?" He asked.
"She’s not alright," Beatrice replied. "She needs to be with her family. You are doing the wrong thing by kidnapping her. Don’t be foolish like that ex-husband of hers and do the right thing. If you are planning for her to love you, then this is not the right path to take Mr."
