Raymond lied on his bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. After a long while, he took a deep breath and said almost in a whisper;
"I hope i did the right thing by giving it to her, Dr Wilson. I just hope i don't regret it later" and sighed heavily.
Vanessa had left. It wasn't so surprising how easily Vanessa made it up to Aida. The pure joy of meeting and talking to her mother after longing for her for so long, made Aida glow. Raymond wasn't surprised when Aida offered to leave with Vanessa, after Vanessa had told Mary the twins were out. Vanessa accepting Aida's company only warmed Raymond's heart. The three women he cared about the most, were in the room with him at that moment and for the first time in a long time, the atmosphere around them was not awkward. He was glad, things were finally working out. Somehow, he hoped they'd continue to work out. Hope! If there was anything he hoped for at that moment, it was for Vanessa to get the message he sent her as soon as possible. Because the more time she spent decoding the message, the more endangered her life would be. But he wasn't going to let them take her away from him, was he? Not this time. He had waited for this moment for a very long time; the day Vanessa will look at him again with those lovely eyes of hers. Besides, he was dying to know why he was forced to bed Vanessa in order to save her. Anyway, he'd figure out a way to be close to her as soon as possible. He wasn't going to let Vanessa on her own.
*****
"Raymond, wake up. It's time for supper." Mary said as she knocked lightly on his door.
"Supper? What time is it?" Raymond asked confused.
"Supper time, son." Mary replied as she walked away.
Raymond took his phone and realized it was 5pm already. He slept like a log after Vanessa and Aida had left. He had had a sleepless night, the previous night, so it was understandable. He walked downstairs to join Mary.
"Has she called? Aida, has she called?" Raymond asked curiously.
"Not yet. Why do you ask?" Mary replied.
"I knew it! That traitor! She forgot about us the moment she left this room" Raymond said wearing a grin.
"I'm glad she's happy " Mary said with a broad smile.
They ate in silence, both lost in their thoughts. Before Raymond could savour his last bite, Mary said something that pulled him out of his daze.
"You gave the necklace to her" Mary said wearing a blank expression.
"You knew about the necklace?" Raymond asked perplexed.
"Your father gave one to me too. When we were newly wedded. He said it was a family tradition. I liked it. I still love it. It holds a lot of memories for me" Mary replied sadly, which made Raymond sigh in relief.
"Sorry, mum" he said and pulled her in for a hug. "Do you have anything on your schedule this evening?"
"Yes, i do" Mary replied.
"I'll be upstairs if you need me" Raymond replied with a smile. After helping Mary clean the kitchen and utensils, he took long strides to his room. Somehow, he felt uneasy. But he couldn't find the source of his uneasiness. Before he turn the knob on his door, a call came through. He answered it right away even though it was from an unknown number.
"Hello?" Raymond
"Ray, the war has began! We either move now or never"