Chapter 30

It was eleven o'clock in the evening when they came home from the gathering. She felt even worse because of what happened at that party. It was as if she fled in a trance as she watched her husband talking to another woman. But it seemed that Gideon didn't even notice the woman's flirting and he still talked with a smile.

Was he dumb or numb?

She sniffed. "I'm tired," she reasoned and quickly opened the gate, walking into the main entrance of the house. Gideon just followed her and kept asking her questions.

"Can you stop asking?" she looked over her shoulder and glared at him. "I said I'm tired. There's nothing wrong with being tired, right?"

"Not after you've made a scene with Elise."

"So what?" Her eyebrows rose. "So what if that friend of yours is stealing your time? So what if that Professor Elise is hugging you more like a bestfriend? As if I care, Hernandez."

"That's what I'm asking, Jewel. You shouldn't have splashed wine in Elise's face. You're being scandalous."

"Am I?" She smirked and frowned. "She made a scene first. She embarrassed me, Gideon. Don't tell me you still don't care if I get embarrassed? I'm your wife!"

There was silence between them. Her eyes narrowed at him and challenged him through her stare. For a few minutes, their gazes met and Gideon sighed. "Don't be jealous. I'm not seeing Elise."

She laughed and folded her arms. "Excuse me? I'm not jealous. You shouldn't have taken me to that gathering. I would love to stay in my room all night. And look ..." She showed him her wristwatch. "It's past eleven. I still have class tomorrow."

Gideon nodded and averted his gaze. "Go to your room. Don't take a bath this late. Just change your clothes."

Her lips twitched. Why would everyone remind her what to do? She knew it and she's not a kid anymore! Jewel huffed as she walked inside the mansion.

She saw Tang sitting on the sofa and reading a magazine. The old man looked up and greeted her. "Where is Sir, Maam Laine?" he asked.

Her forefinger pointed at the back and continued walking. She stopped when she caught sight of the large portrait hanging on the wall and remembered Simoen, the artist.

"Mang Tang?" she called.

She heard his footsteps approaching from behind her. "Why, Ma'am Laine?"

Her finger pointed to the portrait. "Where did you get this from?"

But instead of Tang's voice, it was Gideon's voice who answered her question. "Someone sent it here." Her husband stood by her side. "You shouldn't waste time. Go upstairs."

She pursed her lips into a thin line. "Can you just wait for a second, okay?" Frowning, she stared at the portrait. "I'm just wondering where it came from." Jewel turned to Tang. "I didn't ask you again, Mang Tang. You've said that you're the one who've first seen this portrait?"

The old man nodded. "It's been two years, Maam Laine. Five months after Sir Manasseh bought the house, he took me from the Mayor's mansion. At Christmas that year, my friend, the baranggay captain in Dayhagon, invited me to stop by his house. There was a little party held in his house especially on Christmas day when his daughter who was studying at UDM just came home. Then, I saw this portrait outside the house. It looks like ---"

"Wait," she interrupted, frowning. "Baranggay captain of Dayhagon?"

Tang nodded. "Captain Roma, Maam Laine."

"Roma?" Her eyes widened. "Danilo Roma Selestales?"

Tang smiled. "He is, Maam Laine." The old man took a deep breath and frowned again. "That picture was outside the house, and it looked like it was going to be thrown away so I talked to Roma. But he said his daughter had brought it. I asked his daughter Reina to give it to me as a display here at Sir Manasseh's house."

Tang laughed for a moment. "Because of his livelihood, you know, Maam... most of the uniform men are not particular for interior design. Captain Roma's daughter  is kind and easy to talk to. She gave it to me without asking why. But I couldn't go back here in Cansanit because Roma's wife suddenly gave birth. So Rome asked me to stay in his house for few weeks. And in order to have a little gift for Sir Manasseh, I just let someone deliver the picture in Cansanit as well as the letter attached to the back of the picture. "

"B-But ..." Jewel drew a breathe. "Why did you send it here, Mang Tang?" she asked under her breathe.

"Eh, I didn't know that the object in the picture was a real face. I thought it was an ancient beautiful woman or maybe, an actress whom I don't know. I was a little surprised when I first saw you. But I've been told by Sir Manasseh for a long time that the girl in the portrait is real. It's me who didn't believe his words." And the old man chuckled.

But Jewel was silent as she remembered Simoen's face as he handed over the small replica of the portrait. He said he lost his first drawing so he failed to give it to him. Now, she learnt what happened.

Someone took the big portrait during Christmas party. And the next day, Simoen went back home and forgot to take the portrait he left in the flower garden. When he returned to the flower garden, he didn't find anything and just thought that someone had thrown it away.

She bit her lip. "So that's what happened," she whispered and sighed. "I'll go upstairs," she said and climbed upstairs.

Dalya and Pedro were walking down the stairs and they met in the middle of the spiral staircase.

"Miss? Have you eaten yet?" Dalya asked.

She nodded and continued her way to the top. Her two eyebrows met and she was breathing fast. She already knew who took it, and she wondered why of all the people... she, her trusted friend, stole the portrait intended for her.

Jewel just went straight to bed. She picked up the book from underneath and left the lampshade on. She wanted to read first to relieve the tension in her body.

Biting her lip, she read the explicit scene in the book. Her breathing quickened and when that scene was over she closed the book. She covered herself with a blanket and pleasured herself while imagining the scene inside the book.

She has been doing that every night since Simoen almost raped her. It was kind of addiction and only that action would put her to sleep fast. The nightmare also subsided when she did it. She'll slept very soundly. She found haven in mast*rbation.

Chasing her breath, she removed the blanket and stared at the ceiling. Beads of sweat formed in her forehead as her heart was beating fast after that vigorous exercise with herself.

Closing her eyes, a smile flashed in her lips.

"You are here, I've been waiting for you... dear wife," a voice sounded in her dreams.

Yes, she's been dreaming about a faceless man these past few weeks. Doing stuffs with him that every maiden would blush upon seeing them. But Jewel enjoyed the company of the man who always offer her food, after having a hot intercourse with her.