Chapter twenty-four: Her absence

Daniels's POV:

"Nanay Emily, have you noticed Sophia this morning?"

I asked my nanny when I couldn't find her around the house after searching for almost five minutes. 

"Oh, she didn't tell you?"

"She didn't tell me what?"

"That she's going to stay in her old apartment."

"She's going to what?" I asked furrowing my eyebrows. 

"Yes, she told me she's going to stay in her old apartment because they need to rehearse for the grand finals."

"But why does she needs to stay there again? She can-----"

"Anak, let her be, it's just for a week." She smiled patting my arm. "Your wife really wanted to win this competition, as she said she will donate all the prize she'll get to the typhoon victims in Amador City."

"She will donate all the prize, but why would she do that?" I asked feeling surprised. I didn't expect that it was her real reason for joining the competition. 

"Maybe she just wanted to help those people who have been affected by the calamity. The typhoon left them devastated."

I was left speechless for a second. 

"But you can call her if you want, so you can talk to her."

"It's okay Nanay, just tell her whenever she came back to sign these papers."

I gave her the blue folder that consist of the new contract and project of KI Corporation with Mr. Giovanni's Company. I can't understand why that old man and his team still needs Sophia's signature for this project, but I have no choice but to agree. 

"Why don't you just call her or go to her old apartment to make her sign these papers?"

"I don't have enough time, Nanay. I need to go now because I still have an appointment with our new business partners."

"Oh, okay. Don't worry, I'll just give these to her when she come home."

"Thank you, Nanay." I said kissing her cheek before going out of the front door. 

I was about to start the engine when my phone vibrates inside my pocket. 

"What does this woman needs this time?" I asked gripping my phone when I saw the name of my ex-girlfriend, Chloe on the screen, I swiped the cancel button and throw it to the passenger seat. I don't have time for her game today. I sighed as I remember what happened yesterday when Sophia saw us in the parking lot. It's actually my intention to kiss Chloe, but seeing her walking out of the mall and towards her car, I pulled and kissed Chloe and made sure that she would see us. 

But it just made me annoyed seeing her not affected by what I did, so I immediately pushed Chloe when she's no longer at my sight. 

~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~

Six days. Six days had passed that I've also been crazy busy in this new project of KI Corporation with  Mr. Giovanni team. It took almost all our time and patience since we started this project. 

And it's also been six days since Sophia returned to her old apartment for their rehearsals, that until now I don't understand why she needs to stay there again. It's just thirty minutes drive from the house to their studio, maybe it won't take so much of her time driving for thirty minutes? 

"Argh! Woman!" I slammed the files in front of me as I leaned my back on the chair. 

I closed my eyes and massaged my temples as I suddenly felt a headache. 

"Oops! Are you okay, Sir?"

I opened my eyes and see Andrew standing in front of my desk. 

"Sudden headache because of work?"

"And what else do you think will be the cause?" I asked him furrowing my eyebrows. 

"I don't know." He shrugged and put the blue folder on top of my desk. "I was just thinking maybe because of your wife." He added grinning. 

"Tss! What made you think that she has anything to do with this?"

"Hmm.. because since she returned to her old apartment, you have always been grumpy and yelling that I could almost hear you from my office." He chuckled flipping the pages of the folder in front of me.

"It's because of the new project with Mr. Giovanni and not because of her!"

"Ohh.. Okay." He shrugged again. "If that's what you want to believe, but sorry I don't believe you."

I tried to calm myself and decided to remain quiet to stop him from rumbling nonsense things. 

"Thank you, Sir and good luck for the new project." He said getting the folder from me. "And of course for your headache."

"Do you want this to be your last day at work?"

That made him stop from grinning. 

"Ohh... never mind what I said I was just kidding." I raised my eyebrow. "I'm going back to work, Sir."

"Good!"

I sighed when he's finally out of my sight. 

~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~

This day has been extremely tiring and all day my head ached thinking about our newest project and Sophia's absence around the house. 

I just got used to seeing her every morning in the pool while dancing or inside the guest room that she made a mini dancing studio. 

I noticed the lights from the living room were still open when I parked my car. I frowned as it is not usual to me especially when I come home late, and it's already ten-thirty in the evening when I checked my wristwatch. 

I loosened my tie upon entering the front door, but I was stopped when I saw the sleeping figure in the living room. I put my coat on the coat stand and walked closer to the couch. And my frown got deeper when I recognised that it's my wife sleeping soundly on the couch. 

"Anak, you're here?"

I gasped when Nanay Emily suddenly came from behind, holding an ice gel. 

"Nanay, why is she sleeping here and what are you going to do with that?" I asked pointing the gel in her hands. 

She was about to answer when Sophia changed her sleeping position causing her blanket fall into the floor. 

"She was very tired when she came home earlier and maybe she can no longer move to her room." She said walking around the couch. 

I picked up the blanket and was about to stand when I noticed the large bruise on her right leg. 

"What the fuck! What happened to her, Nanay?" I asked shocked and tried to look if she also had on her arms and other leg. And I clenched my jaws when I saw another one on her right arm and two on her other leg. 

"She said she got that in the rehearsals----"

"To hell with that rehearsals! She will no longer be joining that fucking competition, Nanay Emily!" I said balling my fists. 

She gasped and patted my arm. 

"But you can't stop her, Daniel. She already had given all her efforts and time to this rehearsals just to join the finals." She took a seat on the other end of the couch and put the gel on Sophia's leg. 

"Even if she gets a lot of bruises all over her body?"

"That's just a part of the rehearsals, Anak. Why don't you just bring her in her own room, so I can change her clothes and put the gel on her bruises."

"Let me, Nanay."

"You will change her clothes?" She asked me with wide eyes. 

"No, I mean, let me put the gel on her bruises."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Nanay." I said while carefully lifting my wife in my arms. 

~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~°~~~~~~~

I've been watching her sleeping figure for almost twenty minutes and I also stopped putting the gel on her bruises. 

I have to talk to her when she wakes up tomorrow. Yes, I don't like her but I can't see her having a lot of bruises all over her body just to win this competition dancing competition, and for what? Just to give the prize to the typhoon victims in Amador City? 

If that's her only reason for joining that competition, I'll just double the winning prize and donate them to all the survivors in the whole City, than seeing her like this. 

I sighed when I checked my wristwatch and found that it's already eleven-thirty. I stood up and bring the ice gel, but I was about to open the door when I heard her faint voice.

"No. No. Per favore non farlo!" (No. No. Please, don't do this.)

I furrowed my eyebrows when I saw her turning her head from side to side. I immediately run to her side and noticed the beads of sweats forming on her forehead. She's having a nightmare, and she seems scared and anxious. 

I get my handkerchief inside my pocket and wiped her sweats. 

"Aiuto! Qualcuno mi aiuti per favore!" (Help! Somebody help me please!)

I can't understand what she was talking about, the only word I can understand is 'No'. 

"No! Per favore non farlo!" (No, please don't do this!)

She's now crying on her dream and I was about to wake her up when she suddenly speak in english. 

"No! I'm begging you, please stop! Don't do this! No!"

I was shocked with her last words. She now stopped from wailing and turned her body to the other side of the bed. 

-'She's begging for someone to stop? What was that, what kind of nightmare she had? To whom is she begging to stop?'-

I clenched my jaws while watching her now peacefully sleeping figure. 

-'Why is she begging for someone to stop?'-

I sighed and put the blanket up to her waist. I decided to go back inside my room when I was sure she's okay and took one last glance before closing the door. 

But it's already one in the morning but I'm still lying awake in bed with eyes wide open. I can't seem to sleep. My mind was still drifting to the scene earlier. I still can see her terrified face, she's crying on her dream and begging for someone to stop. 

"Who are you, Sophia? What happened to you? Was that just a dream?"