LOVE YOU, UNCLE

Ghea opened her eyes. As she turned, she was immediately startled to find Randy, who knows when, had fallen asleep leaning right next to her hand. The man’s hand reached out, tightly gripping Ghea’s wrist as if unwilling to let go.

For a moment, Ghea stayed silent, savoring the unusual scene unfolding before her eyes.

“Randy…” Ghea whispered. Realizing that Randy’s sleeping position seemed uncomfortable, she tried to wake him up. “Honey… wake up,” she said later. Then her free hand gently stroked Randy’s hair until he finally woke up from his slumber.

“Ghea…” Randy called. “Are you awake? How are you? Are you okay?”

Ghea nodded. When asked about her condition, she did feel much better than before. The fear that had haunted her had now disappeared.

“I’m okay,” she said.

“Thank goodness. I was worried. Last night, I waited for you to come out of the bathroom. But, half an hour later, you didn’t return. What happened, Ghe? I can’t even fathom you fainting like that last night.”

Ghea took a deep breath. Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried to recall the events of last night.

“I don’t know. Last night, when I first entered the bathroom, everything was normal. But as I was about to finish, the bathroom door suddenly locked. And, to make matters worse, the light inside went out too. I tried shouting for help, but it seemed like no one heard. I felt extremely short of breath. Until I managed to grab my phone and call you, and after that, I forgot what happened.”

Randy seemed to digest the story Ghea told with great concern. In his heart, he felt that something was not right happening to his wife. It seemed strange to him that the bathroom door suddenly locked, and then the light inside went out. Randy was sure that this incident was not just a coincidence. Somehow, he thought someone intentionally did this to Ghea.

“Well, the important thing now is that you’re okay. But next time, when you’re feeling much better, do you want me to accompany you to see a psychiatrist? The doctor who examined you yesterday suggested that Ghea should seek treatment. Moreover, the fears and phobias you’re experiencing need to be addressed seriously so that they don’t become a problem later on.”

Ghea fell silent. Her father and Mario had offered the same thing before. However, Ghea wasn’t ready for that kind of treatment. And now, Randy was suggesting the same thing.

“Ghea, what do you think? Do you want to? This is for your own good. I can’t bear to see you panicking and fainting every time you’re trapped in a dark place. You need treatment, Ghe. I’ll help find the best doctor who can make you comfortable.”

Ghea remained still, unsure of what answer to give.

“Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to you,” Randy reassured, tightening his grip on her hand, trying to convince his wife that he would always be there for her.

“I-I…”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I need some time to think.”

“Come on, Ghea. This is for your well-being. So that you won’t suffer again. It doesn’t have to be now or today; you can schedule the consultation when you feel most comfortable. The important thing is that you’re willing.”

Ghea stayed silent for a few more moments. Eventually, she nodded.

“All right, I’ll do it. But promise me, you’ll be there with me.”

Randy nodded.

“I promise. In that case, you can get up now. Let me ask Sandra to prepare breakfast. You can have it in bed, okay? And today, no need to work. You can rest until you feel completely comfortable.”

This time, Ghea agreed with a nod. She thought it was best to compose herself first.

While Randy cleaned up and got ready for work, Ghea chose to watch television. Thirty minutes later, after Randy had finished getting ready and looked presentable, Sandra finally came with breakfast. After placing the tray on the bed, Randy approached, helping Ghea to enjoy her meal.

“Shall I feed you?”

“Huh?”

Ghea was surprised. Was Randy really going to feed her? Well, it should be okay. It’s just that Ghea wasn’t used to such sweet gestures.

“Yeah, let me help you,” he said. Then, he reached for the spoon next to the bowl. Scooping up rice and the side dishes, he then fed Ghea spoonful by spoonful.

“Actually, it doesn’t have to be like this,” Ghea said after receiving each spoonful from Randy. “Besides, you might be late for work if you’re busy feeding me.”

Randy smiled. His hands were still busy, spooning the food on the plate.Please check at N/ôvel(D)rama.Org.

“It’s okay. Not every day like this. The important thing is I can make sure you finish all the food served.”

Ghea complied. She continued to accept the bites Randy gave her until finally, the food on the plate was completely gone.

“I’m done, Uncle. Uh. Now, hurry up and have your breakfast. You’ll seriously be late for work.”

“I’ll have breakfast at the office. There’s a meeting this morning. I’ll eat during the meeting.”

“You’ll catch a cold,” protested Ghea, making Randy smile.

“No, don’t worry. I’ll snack on whole wheat bread on the way. Now, you continue to rest.”

Taking the tray of food, Randy then handed it to Sandra, who came into the room. Before leaving, he approached Ghea again. Standing by the bed, he lowered his face and gave a brief kiss on the top of her head as if expressing affection.

“I’m leaving now. You take care at home. If anything happens, contact me immediately.”

Ghea was frozen for a moment. After realizing, she could only nod and respond briefly.

“O-okay.”

***

“Vin, have you done what I instructed last night?”

Randy had just come out of the meeting room. Upon reaching his office, he immediately confronted Alvin with questions about the important task he had assigned earlier.

Considering that what happened to his wife was an incident that seemed suspicious to him. Since last night, after arriving home, Randy deliberately gave Alvin the task to investigate something that he should have done long ago.

“Yes, Sir. But, this is just the outline. The rest of the investigation along with additional reports will follow, I’ll keep you informed.”

Alvin then stepped forward, approaching Randy. He handed over a black folder for his superior to read.

Meanwhile, Randy immediately took the offering from his assistant. Reading carefully, he was surprised by some facts that he had just learned.

“So, Ghea is the child of Mr. Magnus’s affair?”

“Yes, Sir,” nodded Alvin. “Based on the investigation, Ghea’s late mother used to be Mr. Magnus’s personal secretary. Somehow, they got involved in an affair. According to some sources, Mr. Magnus secretly married Donovan, and eventually, Amelia became pregnant. However, it seems that this secret relationship was eventually revealed. Unfortunately, when giving birth, Amelia lost her life due to bleeding.”

“Then, Ghea was taken by Mr. Magnus immediately?”

“No,” Alvin shook his head. “When Ghea was born, Clara, who knew that Ghea was the result of her husband’s affair, decided to place the girl in an orphanage. However, interestingly, several years later, Mr. Magnus managed to locate Ghea and brought her back home. It’s still a mystery why Clara agreed to let Ghea into their family.”

Randy nodded in understanding, slowly trying to recall and retain all the information Alvin provided.

“In my opinion, it seems like Ghea was not well-received by Clara and perhaps her children as well. After all, which wife would be willing to bring and care for the child born from her husband’s affair under the same roof? But to confirm this thought, I will ask directly from a reliable source, Sir.”

“Who?” Randy asked, curious.

“I have information that one of the senior domestic helpers who used to work there knows the ins and outs of what has been happening in that house for the past few years. I believe I can extract information from there.”

Randy nodded again. Shortly after, he responded to the information Alvin laid out for him.

“All right then. In that case, proceed with the investigation. Please inform me if something seems amiss.”