ROBERT'S POV I waited for either of them to respond but there was none forthcoming. I could see that Ariana was terrified and Dr Josh was standing looking at me defiantly.“Please leave my house”, I said now authoritatively.He hesitated and I immediately lost my cool.“Leave my house this instant”, I yelled, “or I call the cops on you for trespassing”.He silently walked out of the house and minutes after he had gone, I stood there simmering with rage.I then turned to Ariana.“I will deal with you later”, I told her and ran up the stairs to get what I had returned for. I had actually forgotten something that was why I was back so soon.When I returned downstairs, Ariana was still standing in the living room shaken.I ignored her and exited the building and as I entered my car and started it, I saw her running towards me but I zoomed off and left her there stupefied.There was only one thing on my mind and it was to get to Emily. Nothing else really mattered. I needed to know what
ARIANA’S POV When Robert zoomed off, I stood on the porch trembling, visibly shaken by the abruptness of all that had transpired and at the same time, enraged. Why was Robert so invested in the whole Emily and Flora thing? Why did he so badly want to know? I had not murdered Flora! She shot herself. I had begged her, pleaded with her but she was determined to end her own life.But the truth remained that what Emily knew about the gun was going to implicate me. I was finding it difficult to breathe with each passing moment.I rushed back into the house and collapsed on a couch trying to steady my heart. Everything was happening so fast.I took my phone and dialled Barbara again. She answered on the first ring.“Any progress?” She asked me.“Of course there is no progress”, I shouted.“Rob has gone to my parents house and I'm sure between him and the both of them, they've found a way to contact Emily”.“And you're still sitting in your house talking about it?”“Well what the hell am I
ARIANA’S POVMy world was spinning. Everything was falling apart.“What evidence?” I screamed at Emily. “My sister shot herself in the head!”“But the gun, Ariana, the gun belonged to you!” My heart sank. I was feeling an irresistible urge to puke, I was sweating, panicking and practically losing my mind. How had Emily come by this information?“How do you know about any of this?” I asked now, trying to steady my voice and make sense of this new affront.“I am a fan of true crime, horror, detective fiction…all of those so years ago when I came across Flora'sdeath on the front page of the Chicago Daily, I was fascinated…” Emily began.“Fascinated?” My mother cut in. “You found my daughter's death fascinating? Dead by suicide on the same day as her older sister's wedding to Chicago's number one Bachelor?”Emily paused, unable to go on with her story. I could see why the story would be fascinating to Emily and it was for the very reasons my mother had pointed out but I said nothing, w
ROBERT’S POV It was all surreal and happening too fast. A part of me wanted to believe Emily but could not. The other part of me believed that Ariana was telling the truth and Flora had indeed committed suicide. I had no idea what to believe more. Emily had pretended not to know me when we first met so how could I believe her now? And from where was she getting her information?It was Mr Vanderbilt's voice that brought me back to the present.“What do you mean by that?” His voice boomed.“Ask Emily”, M
ARIANA’S POVRob and I drove back home in silence. The air in the car was thick with all the things we wanted to say but refused to say. We had silently and wordlessly agreed that my car would be left behind to be driven home later by a driver.For some reason, we both wanted to be together. The last few hours had seemed like a dream and I felt like I was hanging on a precipice. There were so many words I wanted to say to Rob. I wanted to yell at him and scream at him but another part of me just wanted to hug him for the way he had stood up for me to my father.He probably didn't believe Emily after all. But I was mad that he had even thought of it.By the time we entered the town, it had started to rain and as torrential rainfall tore at the sky, I was assaulted with flashes of memories of Rob and I created during thunderstorms. For some reason I could not yet explain, I needed him. In my arms. I relaxed on the passenger's seat and studied his profile now.He had always been hand
ROBERT'S POV I don't know what reaction I expected from Ariana but I know I did not predict she would sit so still and that I would be able to hear all the little noises in the house including the hum of electricity because of the silence that descended.I wanted her to say something, to yell, to cuss at her parents but Ariana sat so still like a beautiful porcelain doll I felt as though she would shatter into a million fragments if I touched her.“I'm going to work. I have a meeting with my board members”, she said standing up and heading upstairs.I was shell shocked that I stood there for several minutes. When I recovered, I bounded up the stairs after her.“What do you mean you're going to work?” I demanded.“You heard me clearly Robert, I'm going to the office”, she said undressing. Tossing her clothes on the floor.Ariana never did that even though the housekeeper wouldn't mind. Ari was too prim and proper to have her things lying around.As she stood in front of me, all I coul
ARIANA’S POVRob rose to his feet with immediate alacrity and he seemed to tower over Detective Parker who sat there looking scared for his life.“I suggest you leave my house this instant, Detective Parker”, Rob said thunderously.“Mr Stone, you do realize that if you do not submit…”““You do know who I am, right? I wouldn't want to get my friend, a mafia Lord, involved. But if you continue to use untenable arguments to hurt my wife, l'Il let you, and your family know what it's like to experience the wrath of a mafia gang”, Rob threatened in a cold voice that immediately shut the Detective.He silently packed his documents into the file and exited the house.As soon as he left, I flung myself into Rob's arms, embracing him. I knew he was just making a threat and messing up with the mafia is the last thing he wanted to do. I was grateful and relieved all at once. I felt seen. Noticed and most of all…loved.Rob said nothing but enveloped me in a hug and when I pulled away from him, he
ROBERT'S POV I had heard tales from my parents about how stubborn and formidable Mr Vanderbilt could be. He obviously had not climbed the corporate ladder by being nice. To have come from nothing to the second richest man in Chicago, he must have had to made ruthless business decisions.It was standing before him and trying to convince him to drop the case against Ariana that made it all real for me. I then knew that those tales about him were not fables but reality.Mr Vanderbilt was stone cold.“I know Ariana is your wife Robert but stay out of this. There's nothing you could say that would convince me to drop this case”.I sighed exasperatedly. He was tough as nails. Why on earth would a man want to see his daughter prosecuted for a crime as cruel as murder?I could not wrap my head around it.“You realize that if you continued with this and Ariana is found guilty, you would be losing two daughters?” I asked him. “If she is a murderer, then she's no daughter of mine”, he said fl