Falling unconscious

While Noah was persuaded by his uncle, Ari was sitting against her bed. Hunger and thirst had caused her head to throb, her stomach was rumbling, and her throat was parched. Her situation was so much worse that she was even inclined to drink water from the faucet of her bathing room if only there was any water inside it. 

That f*cking soon-to-be ex-husband of hers even cut off the water supply of the bathing room, which caused Ari to be completely shattered. Currently, she was only alive for her freaking pride and whatever self-respect and preservation was left inside her. 

She was a gentle woman but in the past three days, she had cursed like a sailor and hoped that all the curses landed in the ears of her husband who locked her up in this room. 

She tilted her head to the door and thought of banging on it again, but Ari did not have the energy to do anything. Coupled with these three days, she hadn't eaten for straight five days. On the night of the wedding anniversary, she was too angry to eat anything and the day next to it, she was running around to prepare the divorce agreement.

Now her stomach was sticking to her back and her rage towards Noah had doubled. 

"I wish he knocks his leg and loses his teeth," She cursed angrily. 

Timmy whined next to her as if he agreed with her as well. Ari patted his head as she softly said, "Everything will be fine." 

But she did not trust her words. She hated closed spaces like she hated the thoughts that were enclosed in her head, what was more, when she was young, she had been trapped and thrown into small spaces all the time. 

Her mother would punish her every time something happened to Ariel or Aaron. Her mother's definition of punishment was to lock Ari up in a dark, cornered space where she would be left to her devices and thoughts.

Noah's action of entrapping her was equivalent to bringing back unwanted memories that left a sour taste in Ari's mouth.

'I bet if it was Ariel, he would have opened the door in three minutes,' she thought bitterly. However, Ari shook her head, she would rather not succumb to her pity party of how everyone liked Ariel more than her, not when her stomach was rumbling with hunger. 

Ari felt her vision darken as she shook her head. She was fine, and she was going to make it out of here just fine. However, Ari did not know that as her thoughts fluttered in her head, her body started tilting to a side until she slumped on the floor with her eyes closed. 

As soon as she fell to the ground, the dog on her side sensed something was wrong. It got on its fours and nudged Ari with its black nose. However, Ari didn't respond, causing Timmy to whine as he circled Ari with worry.

It continued to prod and poke Ari, but when she did not make a sound, small whimpers started to leak out of Timmy's mouth before they turned into howls.

****

"Goodness, what is wrong with that mutt now?" Madam Nelson cursed as she turned to look at the second floor. Her eyes were filled with annoyance as well as worry. Not because she cared about Ari, but because she knew that if something happened to that woman, it would be her funeral. 

'I hope that Jeremy persuaded Noah,' Madam Nelson didn't want to be involved in a mess. She had sent Jeremy to speak with Noah, as her son listened to her brother-in-law more than her and his father. 

"F*ck, this is why I asked my brother to throw that mutt out of the house," Glynn snapped as she rubbed her ears while walking to where her mother was standing.

"Language, Glynn," Madam Nelson scolded her daughter. "You are the heiress of the Nelson family, your words, and actions show the value and teaching of our family, how can you curse like a low life?" 

Glynn rolled her eyes as she retorted, "Am I not cursing because that mutt is annoying me?" She turned to look at the second floor and snorted, "That thing is like its master, making a fuss at all times. Before it was his master who was screaming, and now he is the one howling. Not a single day of peace in this house!" 

Glynn wanted Noah to divorce Ari and send her away, but for some reason, her brother continued to refuse. She really couldn't understand why her brother was being so stubborn, he did not love Ari, so what was the problem?

"Alright, there is no need to make a fuss," Madam Nelson said dotingly. "Aren't I taking you and Ariel to the spa? You two can relax and chat with one another." 

"Ah, thank goodness," Glynn sighed. She knew that apart from Ariel, no one understood her in this house. Thus, it was a great relief for her to talk and share her troubles with Ariel. 

Madam Nelson smiled at her daughter. She took one last glance at the second floor before turning around and leaving with her daughter. She could only hope that Ari stayed alive, as long as she was alive, everything would be fine, and that man would not make a move against them. 

Timmy, on the other hand, continued to howl and scratch the door of the guest room. Even when three hours passed by and the golden glow of the sun turned orange, he did not stop. 

Thus, when Noah returned, he heard the mournful howls of Timmy.

"What's going on with him?" He asked his butler, who was glad that Noah had returned earlier today. 

"I don't know. But Timmy had been crying and howling for three hours… I am worried that something happened to Madam," the butler responded, causing Noah to snort. 

"What can happen to that woman," he did not believe that Ari was sick, in his eyes, Ari was the kind of woman who would go to any lengths to get what she wanted. Thus she must be torturing that poor animal into making this fuss! 

Though he wanted to ignore her condition, Noah remembered his uncle's suggestion. 

He sighed before walking up the stairs and heading to the guest room where Ari was locked up by him. He took the key out of his pocket and then pushed the door open after unlocking it.

———