CHAPTER 5

A deep sigh escapes Arabella's mouth when she gets a hold of the glass of water in her hands. The world she's living in now doesn't have any ice for sale in any store, they went to town weeks ago. Although the townspeople don't seem to like her, because of her, having a son out of wedlock, there are still a few people that don't seem prejudice against her. The kind stall owner told Arabella that spring just started so there are no stores that will be able to sell ice for a few more months.

Arabella, heave another sigh when she drank a full glass of warm water. Her eyes went towards the door, where she can see Blaine watering the plants.

"Hey, kid! Come inside already!" she shouted, Blaine quickly turn his head where she is.

"I'm fine mother! I'll just finish this!" the lively kid answered with a smiling face, a kid who can already talk straight without stuttering, a kid who can already read and write, a handsome kid who can quickly and clearly remember things with just one glance. What can she do? she made him a perfect male lead in her novel.

His sweaty and now turning red face, made Arabella glared at the kid. Blaine felt a chill down his spine and immediately let go of the watering can and sprinted towards where his mother was standing.

"Go eat your lunch already, also drink plenty of water. It seems like summer will start soon. This scorching day might get us a heatstroke. We'll stop for today's kid. Make sure after eating, rest, and shower." Arabella said while sitting down to eat with Blaine.

When the two of them are already settled in front of their meals, Blaine suddenly opened his mouth and said something that got Arabella stiffens.

"Mother, I hope until I grow old, we'll always eat together like this." His words struck her hard when she already decided that she'll leave him soon, the moment the old butler see him.

"Ye-yeah, of course, kid, we'll always eat together...just like this."

"Oh! Mother! Mushroom soup, my favorite!" Blaine happily uses his spoon and scoops the soup and put it into his mouth. Arabella suddenly frowned when she realized something. Blaine saw her frowning face that made him ask her.

"What's the wrong mother?"

"I shouldn't have cook mushroom soup in this scorching weather *sigh* if we only have ice and refrigerators. I can make Ice cream."

"Did you say, something mother?"

"No, nothing. Just finish your meal. After that, we'll go marinate some chicken to fry later for dinner."

"Yes, mother!"

After eating, the two of them went to the kitchen and chopped the chicken, Arabella was glad that the different spices she loved can be bought in any stores in town. The only thing that she wasn't able to buy in this world she got into was pasta and tomato sauce. Arabella sigh, while chopping some garlic for their marinade. She really misses cooking and eating spaghetti, it's her all-time favorite.

"Mother, what's wrong?" the sudden question of Blaine that's helping her prepare for their dinner, startled her. These days, she's trying to let the thought of having a son sink into her. Also letting the situation sink into her, that she's not alone anymore, that Blaine won't betray her like how she got betrayed by her own family that turned into her adoptive family.

"I was just thinking, about growing tomatoes kid, and also making some pasta for tomorrow's breakfast." Her reply to Blaine's question got them quiet for a few seconds. When she looks beside her, to see why she didn't hear any words from Blaine, she saw his gloomy face looking at the chicken that's on the table.

"Pasta?.... Mother, you really changed. I-I mean, I'm happy about it. Because you don't ignore me anymore and you've become the best cook for me, but...."

"But?" she asked when he suddenly stopped talking.

"But, why do I feel like you're a different person and you'll leave me soon?" his question felt like a bomb to Arabella that the knife she was holding fell down on the chopping board.

"Wh-why would you think like that?"

"You-you won't leave, mother?"

The series of her sighing continued when she heard Blaine's question.

"I won't. Ease your mind and cheer up, there will be plenty of foods that will be on your plate later." Arabella smiled widely at him, but deep inside, her mind is already set on leaving in the future. She doesn't want to get involved with the male lead anymore. This will only complicate the flow of this novel.

The weeks went by, Arabella is now inside the novel for four months. Today will be their harvest day, and also the day they'll have to go to town and sell their vegetables. Today was one of the days she hated the most, she'll have to drag her feet into the town and walk around while gossipmongers surround them. When she was alive and well from her original world, she had always hated crowded places. Most of the time, she'll spend her days inside her office, if it's her day off, she'll be inside her own condo unit and just play her musical instruments or just lay on her bed and compose some songs.

"I never thought, it'll be so hard just to harvest some vegetables." Those words escaped her mouth as she harvests their vegetable on their mini-farm. The sun hasn't risen yet, but she purposely picked this time to harvests since they have to clean these vegetables before putting it inside the sack and bring it with them in town. Also, she has to prepare their old carriage and a dying horse for their travel. She felt sorry for the horse, but she needs to use her today since their location is far from the town. Arabella felt like her back might break anytime soon, it's a good thing that she's having fun tending to her crops. In her previous life, she had a mini garden outside her office. She never thought her hobby of studying crops will come in handy.

Arabella roamed her eyes at the mansion, and sigh. All of the furniture in this mansion is already too old for future use, and it seems like this whole place badly needed some renovations. Arabella didn't give much thought to it, since she'll leave this place after a year and 8 months. She'll soon sell some of the things in this mansion because when she leaves this place, she has to find a place to stay and it's not good to travel without money in this world. This novel she created was a fantasy novel, where mage, magic crystals, and witches exist. She badly needs money to buy some protection crystals. The crystals in this world have different attributes, also there's a time limit on how long you can use it. The longer the time consumption the higher its price will be.

The plan in her mind is already settled, she needs to find some suitable crystals when she arrives in town today. She'll collect those crystals until her departing time arrives.

The clock inside the mansion they lived in, is working because of the magic crystal that is used as its battery. Before she went out, she saw that it was just three o'clock in the morning, and with her work that's nearly finished, she deduced that it's probably already quarter to five in the morning. Arabella went towards their resting bench under the tree just a few meters from their mini-farm, she sat down and looks up the sky. Arabella's thoughts got her into thinking of her past self. After graduating from college, she had spent all her last remaining days working inside her office. At the age of twenty, she already got her hands on her own company that's making millions every day. The electronics company she owns, which her adoptive family didn't know. She still remembered the day when she left the house of her uncle after just turning twenty-one. All of her belongings were already outside the house when she got home from a job interview. She still remembered their words, all of it.

When she got home that night, Allina which she thought was her twin sister was outside with her parents. In front of them was her belongings, scattered and there were some of it that is already broken.

"What's this sir?" she asked nonchalantly. She doesn't want to give them the feeling of satisfaction seeing her being pitiful and stupid, because, with this scene, someone will probably get mad and spitfire immediately.

"You're still asking!? All this time, we thought you were different from your mother, but it looks like you're just her exact replica, in every aspect. Already having a kid at such a young age!?" her adoptive mother told her in high pitch. Arabella sensed that she was doing this on purpose, to let the neighborhood know what kind of student and a woman she is. For twenty years living with her adoptive family, she had already known how they want her to be seen by others.

"I see." Just two words left her mouth, that got her uncle to walk towards her and was about to raise his hand when she opened her mouth again.

"If you've seen it all, you might want to see the latest news in our university ma'am and sir." With that, her eyes locked onto Allina that was smiling and looking at her with a proud face.

"What do you mean?" he asks

"Dad, it's getting dark and cold already. We-we should settle this tomorrow. Sister, let's go gather your-"

"No! That bitch will never set foot in my house, ever again! We did all we can to raise you and this is how you repay us?" these words that got out of her adoptive mother, triggered her mouth to smile. Which, obviously the other didn't like. When Arabella's adoptive mother, was about to say another series of curses, rants in a high pitched voice, she intervenes and answers her adoptive father's question earlier.

"I'm advising you to quickly visit our university's page, sir," she said in a calm tone.

"What does it got to do with you failing a subject and having a man's clothing in your room and-"

Her uncle's words got disrupted when a car suddenly park in front of the house. A pregnant woman with a displeased face emerged from the car. In Arabella's peripheral vision, she saw the little movement of Allina. She can feel the tension building up. Allina, getting pale, her parents that don't know anything and a raging woman, that without a word barged in the house and pointed her finger to Allina.

"You fucking bitch! You whore!" everyone got shocked by the sudden outburst of the woman, except Arabella. She had already anticipated that this would happen.

The pregnant woman grabbed Allina's hair, which made Allina squealed and hold the arms of the woman that's grabbing her hair.

"Oh my God! What are you doing to my daughter!? Let go!" the thundering voice of her uncle got her to move quickly and grab the pregnant woman because for sure, her uncle will surely push the woman away without a single thought, even if she's carrying a baby in her womb.

"Calm down, Jessica," Arabella whispered to the woman, which she quickly followed. Arabella is already behind the woman named Jessica after grabbing her away from Allina. From there, Arabella can clearly see Allina and her parents' faces. The raging pregnant woman earlier was now breathing calmly while glaring at Allina, who's now crying in the arms of her mother, while holding her head. Arabella looked down at Jessica's hands, there she saw a lot of hair. Although she wanted to laugh out loud seeing that hair, Arabella holds it in, since their short film is just about to start.