Rob was in bed with someone. They both turned in her direction when they heard the vase shatter and Hayley was able to see the face of the woman having sex with her fiancé. It was June Pusley, the daughter of Hayley's foster sister, May Pusey. Hayley was dumbfounded. This was unbelievable. Rob was having sex with June one month before their wedding.
"Oh my God!" June exclaimed as she scrambled off the bed as it suddenly became hot. She was terrified. She didn't know what to do. She hadn't expected to see Hayley there at this time. Hayley felt a violent buzzing in his head. She stood at the door with clenched teeth as a wave of emotions arose within her. A part of her wanted to strangle both of them immediately while the other part was relieved. It was of no use. This was the perfect opportunity to get out of an arranged marriage she never wanted. But still, this was an insult to her.
"It isn't what you think it is," Rob said as he hurriedly got into his trousers and turned just in time to see Hayley shut the door.
"Hayley!" Rob called after her. Vanessa cursed under her breath as she descended the stairs. She could hear Rob calling after her. He had no shame for doing that. He hadn't answered the phone because they were so busy screwing each other. It suddenly dawned on her that this wasn't a one-time sex. They had been seeing each other behind her back. She halted at the front door.
"Hayley, please I can explain," Rob said. He ran up to her and grabbed her slender wrist and turned her to face him.
"Get your hand off me!" Hayley screamed at him.
Rob was shocked by her outburst. Hayley had never raised her voice at him. He knew she would never listen to anything he said, but he had to try. He couldn't afford to lose the benefits Mirabel had promised him if he married her.
Hayley shut her eyes. She didn't want to visualize their lovemaking. He was probably having the best of his life with June a few minutes ago. June. The thought of June made her mad. She knew June was envious that she had Mirabel's approval and was successful, unlike her who was a struggling artist. Rob could have chosen to have an affair with anyone, but he chose to shame her by having an affair with June. It wasn't that June was pretty or attractive but because she was mischievous. She wouldn't have known about them if she hadn't caught them in the very act.
"How long?" Hayley hissed through gritted teeth.
"What?" Rob asked, puzzled.
"How long has this been going on?" she yelled.
"I know you are angry," Rob spoke softly. " You should be but...."
"Really?" Hayley scoffed as a fiery rage boiled in her eyes.
"I love you Hayley, we are going to get married," Rob pleaded.
"That's never going to happen," Hayley snapped coldly. She pulled off her ring, threw it at him and slammed the door in his face.
Dexter felt water flood down his face and he awoke immediately. It wasn't a dream. He opened his eyes to see Karen staring at him with hate in her eyes. He scrambled off the drenched bed and turned to Karen.
"Good morning Madam," he bowed slightly, his hair dripping water.
"What is good about this morning you fool?" Karen asked maliciously.
Dexter didn't respond and that aggravated Karen. She walked up to him and, standing tiptoe, slapped his face. Dexter felt the sting of the slap and looked at Karen, who was livid. He didn't know why she was enraged and tried to speak. His mouth hurt from the beating he got last night. Logan. Dexter's eyes widened in sudden realization. Karen watched him in revulsion. His sleeping till 11 a.m was an insult to her who had to get up as early as 9 o'clock to go to work.
"Mother, I can explain ab..... " Dexter was silenced with another thunderous slap. He could now taste blood in his mouth.
"Do you want us to starve you fooollll?" she screamed, breathing heavily.
It suddenly dawned on Dexter. It was all about food. Mumbling his apology, he hurried out of the room and got into the kitchen. He had thought it was all about Logan. Well, if she was already infuriated over breakfast, she would explode when she found out about Logan's abduction.
Dexter quickly chopped the vegetables, prepared a skillet, and set the table. He opened a bottle of wine and stood at the door watching Karen and Lena eat. His head hurt, but he dared not move from his designated position.
Reaching for her wine glass, Karen held it up to her nose, took a whiff, swirled it and took a sip.
"Logan isn't down yet for breakfast," she said as she replaced her glass on the table.
She turned her head a little to glance at Dexter, who stood there still in his soaked nightclothes.
"And that's because this idiot decided to starve us today," she added. Dexter could hear the loathing in her voice.
"Go beg him to come down for breakfast," Karen ordered.
Dexter stood transfixed on the spot. Karen gently placed her cutlery down and turned to look at him. Dexter stared back at her.
"Do you need hearing aidddssss?" she yelled.
Lena's eyes darted from her mother to Dexter. She gave him a dark look and continued eating. She had a date tonight and needed to fix her nails.
"Mother Logan isn't home," Dexter said.
Karen stared at him befuddled. "Where is he?" she asked quietly.
"Well, right now I don't know," Dexter replied.
Karen stood up from her chair. She now faced Dexter with her hands crossed on her chest.
"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. "What is your job then in this house?"
Dexter chuckled. What does she mean?
"Where... is...Logan?" Karen asked, taking a few steps towards him.
"He was taken," he replied. "He was taken away by some unknown men. They beat me up and took Logan away,"
Karen stared at him with eyes widened in shock. Lena had also stopped eating, and she gazed at him in disbelief.
"Wha.... What did you say?" Karen stuttered.
Dexter sighed. "Last night he was drunk, and I had to carry him home, but on our way, a black van pulled up and three men got out. They beat me up and took Logan away," he explained in a rush.
Karen gasped. "Why weren't you taken away you fool?" she screamed. "Why didn't you ask them to take you and leave my son to come home? What did you come home to do? Is this your house?" she lunged at Dexter, hitting and scratching his face.
Lena pulled her aside as she began to cry. Dexter couldn't believe his ears. She wanted him to be gone by all means possible. Lena looked up at him.
"What did you do?" she asked angrily.
Dexter looked at her dejected. "Lena?"
"Did you stand there and watch them take my brother away?" she screamed at him.
Dexter sighed. They had chosen to disbelieve the fact that he was beaten even with the evidence all over his body. He was sorry for himself. There was nothing he could do to please them except his death.
Karen wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Why is my son Dexter?" Karen asked with a fiery rage in her eyes.
"Mom...I..." Dexter stuttered, puzzled.
"Go and tell your fellow conspirators to release my son, or I'll make you rot in jail," Karen said and hurried up to her room. Lena walked into Ronnie's room, leaving a bewildered Dexter alone in the dining room.
Dexter walked into his room, took his bath and changed into clean clothes.
He picked up his phone and was about to call Terry Kingston, his childhood friend who worked at Kingstown Hotel, when his room door suddenly opened, and he saw Karen standing there holding a vase.
"What have you done to my son you bastard," she screamed.
Dexter took a few steps backwards. Karen had an evil glint in her eyes as she advanced towards him.
"Mom, what are you doing?"
Dexter could hear Lena's voice in the doorway. Karen lunged at him.
"Get out of my house!" Karen screamed.
Dexter rolled over on the bed and ran to the door as Karen tried hitting him with the blade. He grabbed his shoes and ran out of the house with Karen in hot pursuit.
Outside the compound, he hurriedly put on his shoes as he heard Karen heaping insults on him at the front door. He realized he had left his phone and wallet, which contained only $150. Exhausted and famished, he began walking away from the mansion. He thought about his life as he walked under the scorching sun. For hours, he walked without any planned destination.
Suddenly, a strange-looking man in a hoodie shoved past him in a hurry at the same time he said into a phone, "I got my eyes on her,"
Dexter turned to stare at him and noticed him give a hand signal to another man in black. He followed behind to find out what they were up to and noticed they were trailing a woman in a gray dress.