Aryanna, Jalana and Henifer made their way to the car. The incident at the gala had their nerves kick into high gear.
Aryanna sat in the backseat with Jalana as they drove home from the party. It was raining heavily, the sound of the rain hitting the roof of the car kept her awake with her thoughts.
She stared out the window of the Porsche 911, staring at people racing for shelter in the bustling city.
It dawned on her how not long ago, she was one of those people. She didn't have the luxury of a car and sometimes couldn't afford a taxi ride home. On most days, she'd get drenched in the rain as she hurried home from her shift at the coffee shop.
Sebastian changed her fate, from a passerby racing in the rain hoping to catch a ride from the passing cars, to an owner of one of the passing cars. It was a huge uplift in her social status. An uplift that put a target on her back.
Aryanna held a position that was the envy of every woman in the city. The image of Elisa pointing a gun to her head was fresh in her mind. It was a new experience for her, she nearly died and it terrified her.
Being a high profile person came at a high cost. She silently did some introspection on the changes in her life.
Aryanna felt troubled. She rubbed her hands together to generate some warmth in the cold of the night.
Jalana inched closer to her, she hooked their arms together and leaned her head on Aryanna's shoulder. "I'll feel peaceful when we get home," she whispered.
Aryanna tilted her head and laid gently on Jalana. The two sought comfort in each other in silence.
Henifer stared at her two daughters from the rearview mirror. Her eyes were heavy with worry, the incident with Elisa caught her off-guard. She didn't anticipate Elisa causing a scene at the gala.
She hang her head down and glanced at her phone. Her finger hung over her ex-husband's number on her contacts. She was tempted to call him and find out about Elisa's mental health.
Henifer stared out through the window. Memories of Sebastian, Elisa and Raul playing together as kids played out on the mirror. A tear of despondency rolled down her eyes. She longed for the peaceful happy days she had in the past, before her life was turned upside down.
'I wonder why Elisa acted out like that? What happened to her? Who should I ask about this?' her mind was troubled with a dozen questions.
Her heart squeezed in pain, burdened by a feeling of failure as a mother towards Elisa. Henifer didn't give birth to Elisa but she raised her for the most part of Elisa's childhood.
She helped Monica raise Elisa and Raul before she discovered that they were her husband's children. The truth broke her heart, how blind she had been to her best friend and husband's atrocities towards her.
After the divorce, she severed all ties with her husband and his family. To avoid getting carried away with her emotions of his and Monica's betrayal.
Henifer hesitated to contact her ex-husband. She didn't have an iota of faith that their conversation would yield any positive results. However, she desperately wished to inquire about Elisa's condition.
<
Buzz!
< The message came almost immediately. As though he'd been seated by his phone waiting for her text. < Henifer waited on the phone to get an update from Richard concerning Elisa's health. She anxiously checked her phone every five seconds to see if he responded to her. Lamentably, she received no information from him. His lack of response caused her heart more panic. She tried her absolute hardest to imagine what could be keeping him from responding to her. It was a simple question, all he needed to do was give her an answer to put her mind at ease. "We're here, ma'am," the chauffeur reported. Henifer looked up from her phone to see the mansion in view. She twirled around to find Aryanna and Jalana asleep in the backseat. Her heart melted at how peaceful the two of them seemed in that moment. Her world was colliding with a past she tried so hard to avoid, Henifer crossed her fingers and prayed it doesn't affect the happiness of her family. Sebastian, Jalana and Aryanna were all she had. She'd hate it if her past jeopardized their peace. A line of maids donned in black dresses with white flowery patches exited the mansion's main door. They carried several umbrellas and waterproof carpets. They spread the carpet on the marbled grounds outside the house. They raised the umbrellas high and aligned them together to form an overhang and prevent the rain from drenching Henifer and her family. Henifer alighted from the car. The chauffeur opened the backseat door for her, she leaned in through the opening and slowly woke Aryanna and Jalana by tapping their shoulders. "We are home girls, get up and come down," she let out. Aryanna landed with a guilty expression. She dozzed off in the midst of her thoughts. "I'm sorry. I dont know when I fell asleep," she apologized. Henifer waved it off, "It's been a long night. Let's get inside and unwind," she said, Henifer helped Jalana out of the car. She was still sleepy and a bit shaky at the recollection of the incident with Elisa. Henifer wrapped a warm hand over her daughters shoulders and ushered them to the house. They walked on the waterproof carpets and under the parade of umbrellas. Aryanna leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and stared up at the umbrellas. She marvelled at the luxury of having people attending to her. It was raining heavily and yet, her shoes were dry and so was she. She didn't feel a single drop of water on her. It was different from her past life where dribbles of rain drops would drench her all over. She let go of the unhealthy thoughts she had on the way home and beamed at the beauty of her new life. "I can ask the chef to cook a late dinner. Are you both hungry?" Henifer asked. "I just need warm milk and a long bubble bath," Jalana responded. "I'm not hungry," Aryanna uttered. "I'll have warm milk brought up to your rooms. Why don't you both take a bath first," Henifer spoke. Aryanna excused herself and headed upstairs to her room. Jalana took help from her nanny to head up to her room. Henifer headed to the kitchen to make arrangements for their milk. She glanced at her phone one more time to check if Richard texted her. Her eyebrows furrowed together as he hadn't reached out. 'Looks like I'll have to go there myself tomorrow,' she thought.