The Secret Obsession of the CEO
Chapter 131: Fear

Chapter 131: Fear

But will she?

Derick walked to her room and stood in front of the door, ready to knock.

When he was in a desolate state not knowing how to live each day, it was Rory who shone the light in front of him, leading the way. She always knew the right thing to say to him.

He hoped she will offer Lennon the same help. He needs it.

As he was about to knock on the door, Julia came out of their room. "What are you doing? Do you know what time it is? Don’t disturb her..."

Julia dragged Derick to their room. Both of them got ready for bed. Julia sat on the bed leaning on the backrest and covering her legs with the duvet.

"Where are Sidney and Skyla?" Derick asked removing his shirt.

"Claire is staying with Sidney for the night and Skyla is sharing the room with Chubster. Man! That was so..." Julia said, playing with her fingers.

"What did she say to you?" Derick asked.

Julia is not saying much, but he could see that Julia is sympathetic toward Sidney. He did not like that. Not when he knows the truth. He wanted to know what Sidney is making everyone believe.

"Nothing..." Julia looked concerned. "She is not being open. But she is scared. I don’t know what scares her. She appeared to be out of her mind."

"Hmm..." Derick shrugged and got inside the duvet.

"You look very unconcerned," Julia asked. She was surprised.

It was odd to see Derick so indifferent.

"Those who try to say a lot oftentimes are liars," He said. "trying to justify what they did by twisting the narrative and make others turn against the real victims..."

"What do you mean?" Julia asked. "I’m just saying that Sidney looked scared. She did not... Well, maybe I should talk to her when she calms down."

Julia decided not to talk to Derick more about it. She could understand that he is talking mostly about his previous experience and extrapolating it to this issue.

Or...

"You know something, don’t you?" She asked with her eyes wide.

Derick kissed her. "Sleep..." he pulled the duvet to her chest and tucked her in. "The one with tears is not the victim all the time."

"That’s true," Julia agreed. "But statistically, women are more likely to suffer domestic violence in the hands of an intimate partner. Just saying..."

She added seeing Derick’s not-so-impressed face. "Good night," she kissed him and closed her eyes not willing to continue the conversation. She did not want to be indifferent to his past sufferings, but in this case, she sided with Sidney.

It was just a feeling she had. Sidney appeared to be so shaken up for some reason.

"That’s odd for you..."

"What?" Julia opened her eyes.

"To take a side without knowing both sides."

"Mmm... Maybe I am just giving in to my feelings? It is hard to watch a pregnant woman cry." Julia still was not sure of anything when she doesn’t know the facts.

"Mmm," Derick wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "I am not supposed to tell you this. But she cheated on Lennon," he whispered in her ear. "I heard her talking to her "boyfriend" or whatever he is, that the baby she is carrying is his..."

"What?" Julia’s eyes widened with shock and she sat up. "That’s...Oh my God! Wow!" she scratched her head. "I did not expect that... So her reaction... Was she confronted?"

"Yes." Derick nodded. "He brought up divorce and she...did what she did."

As he was recalling Sidney’s call, Derick remembered that Sidney mentioned eloping with that guy. But now she acted as if she did not want to divorce. Maybe she did not want to leave with nothing? Lennon has proof that she cheated on him. She was agreeing on tape that she was being unfaithful and even the child was not his...

With the lawyers Lennon could afford, she won’t get a dime! Maybe that’s why she enacted this drama? Does she think that Lennon will accept her even after everything she did?

But that’s the issue, right? He might! For Skyla’s sake, he might!

"Wow! Just wow!" Julia poured a glass of water and drank it. "Unbelievable..."

Julia was pretty shaken up. Marriage... no one values it anymore...

"Speaking of marriage... Do you think we should cancel our wedding?" Julia asked.

"What?" Derick was shocked but he understood where she comes from.

Liam is arrested. Rory can’t be expected to stay here. Lennon’s family is crumbling. It would be like very apathetic to everyone if they went on celebrating their big day.

"No, we are not canceling anything." Derick was sure. "We cannot pause our happiness just~"

"Let’s think about it a bit more, alright, babe..?" Julia said holding his hand. "Maybe in a couple of days, before my family and guests arrive?"

"There is no need for that!" Derick did not want to postpone their wedding. "Grandma needs this wedding to happen. She has been bombarded with so much bad news lately..."

Julia nodded. Derick is right too. When there are bad things happening all around, a wedding might distract everyone with joy. But how would anyone feel truly joyful in this situation?

"Is Liam really not your uncle’s son?" Julia asked.

"That seems to be the case... I guess, she was always right... But no one believed her..." Derick closed his eyes.

Julia watched his face for some time. He has told her about Liam’s mother. Sometimes, what appears to be crazy, is not what it is.

-----

Rory could not fall asleep. She didn’t even want to get to bed. All those pictures were taken in her bedroom of her grandma’s house when she just turned thirteen. She could guess her age with her hairstyle.

How did these photographs end at uncle Leroy? Was he keeping it for this long or did he come across these pictures just now? Why did no one talk to me about it?

Those pictures...

In the past, she had a habit of leaving the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around her chest, and she would walk to the closet to get her clothes. And then she would throw the towel away and dance to some tunes before getting dressed. It was when she practiced her singing and dancing skills.

She only let go of that habit after her wedding. They had a weird dilemma at first when they were married and she started wearing her clothes in the bathroom then. It later became a habit of hers.

From the angle of those pictures, she could see that some of them were taken from the closet of her dancing naked. Her clothes were on the bed.

And that means that person was there, hiding in her clothes when she went there to get her clothes. He was there, in her room, with her.

He could have done anything to her.

She shuddered at that thought.

Some pictures were of her sleeping. That guy got so close to her to taken those pictures. Her pajama buttons were popped open so she would be bare.

How did I sleep through this? How could I let someone do this to me?

She blamed herself. And that person to do that to her, the blind courage of that guy to sneak into her room and do this to her...

Who was he?

She did think briefly that it could be Liam. She was not doubting Liam getting mad at him. This is wrong even if it was Liam.

But she realized that she was truly not thinking that Liam is capable of doing this. She was just trying to cope with this awful thing and wanted it to be Liam to comfort herself.

Liam would never do this.

As she kept on staring at those pictures for a long time, she remembered the nightmare that she has.

The dark figure sitting on her, pressing her mouth and chest trying to...

No! No way!

Her hands shook and she dreaded the idea that she might have been violated by a stalker.

That couldn’t have happened! That mustn’t have happened!

She trembled. She got afraid to get on the bed. What if she falls asleep and it happens again? Liam is not here with her to protect her.

She was even scared to go to the bathroom. Although it was just some pictures taken almost a decade ago, looking at it now made her afraid.

She decided to confront uncle Leroy about the pictures and walked out of the room. But seeing the deadly calm and dark hallway, she realized that it is very late.

She got inside the room and locked it. She dragged the chair and placed it near Ellie’s crib. She sat on the chair hugging her knees and resting her chin on her knees.

She did not want to fall asleep accidentally.

She picked up the pictures and with the light from the phone, tried to take a closer look of the pictures. She wondered if there will be experts who could find out secrets from these photographs.

Maybe there are clues...

She got down from the chair and ran to the study table. Liam’s room was still the same as it was in the past. And since they played Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson at times, he had a magnifying glass.

Rory got the glass and carefully searched the pictures millimeter by millimeter for any clues.

A reflection or something!