Chapter 53 - Absence

Ring! Ring!

The sound of the phone ringing filled the silent bedroom. It kept ringing until there were movements from under the quilt on the bed.

Hue, lazily, opened his eyes and his jade blue eyes were staring at the sleeping Jennet who was nowhere near to waking up from the slumberland. Her face was looking so bright and radiant.

Hue smiled and kissed her forehead lovingly. He flipped the quilt to the side before stepping out of the bed, stark naked, and headed for the noisy phone on the dressing table.

Grabbing the phone in his hand, he looked at the name on the screen. Marvina.

Pressing the phone to his ear, the call was answered but Marvina's voice already roared angrily at the end of the line before he could say his greetings.

"Jennet! Where are you?! Do you know what time is it now?" Roared the friend.

"Are you sick?" She asked again between the breath.

Hue turned his head back at the bed. Jennet was still in deep sleep and there is no possible way that she is able to go to work today after the aftermath of what had happened last night.

Smiling alone he inhaled a deep breath and opened his mouth, "Jennet is not feeling well today. She had sprained her back and had to recuperate at home."

There was a moment of silence at the end of the line. It seems Marvina was in a trance when there was a male voice by the end of the phone.

Jennet had her back sprained?

"Who are you? Where is Jennet?" She asked, getting uneasy.

Never in her five years of friendship with Jennet that she had ever known a man answering the phone on behalf of Jennet.

"I am Hue Hedo. My wife is still sleeping." Replied the man.

Marvina frowned. She pulled the phone from her ear and stared at the screen. It is true that she dialled the correct number but, the man was saying his wife is still sleeping.

Still sleeping? Wait for a minute, his wife?!

Does it mean, Jennet was already married before? But, that's impossible. Jennet is not married and doesn't even have a single boyfriend yet. How on earth can she have a husband?

Or, is that man a criminal who had broken into her villa and took possession of her phone? It does make some sense.

Well, technically speaking, the villa was located at a place quite far from the city and up the hill. Since Jennet had always wanted to live in seclusion, it could be a criminal had followed her for days and broken into her home when she was not aware of it.

Marvina gasped in realisation. It could be her friend has been kept captive or even worse, he must have laid his hands on her?!

Marvina stuttered when she thought about her friend being taken advantage of by the stranger.

"Where is she? I need to talk to her." She said and her eyes widen in alarm. Her whole body trembled over her wild imagination that couldn't be proved just yet.

"She's currently sleeping and has been too tired. I do not want to stir her from her sleep just yet." Hue replied in a soft tone.

"Mister, I do not know who you are but I really need to talk to her. This is urgent." Marvina interrupted getting impatient.

"I am sorry. She's still sleeping." Hue said. "I can't hand the phone to her at the moment."

"What are you saying? What have you done to my friend?" Marvina asked, getting furious.

In her head, she started to imagine her friend's desperate cry for help but wasn't able to get any help. The man refused to let her talk with Jennet, so it means he had done something bad to her friend.

Hue smiled. "Do not worry. I haven't done anything bad to her aside from what a husband should do to his wife." He answered her question.

Hearing his answer made Marvina's eyes widen. Haven't done anything aside from what a husband should do to his wife?

Does it means, he had...

"Keep your hands away from her!" She roared angrily. Her body trembled because of her furious feeling. How dare this stranger took advantage of her friend!

"Why should I keep my hands away from my own wife?" Hue asked her again, asking a stupid question.

"Her boyfriend will kill you!" Marvina spouted nonsense out of furiosity.

She had been happy for Jennet since she knew Luca Tybelg had won her heart and they are also currently trying to get to know of each other. She must protect her friend innocence from someone like the man on the phone.

Hue smiled and inhaled a deep breath. Her boyfriend? Clearly, his heart was getting unhappy because of what he heard.

"I do not know what you think of me but it isn't what you think. I am her husband and my wife is really resting and is not able to go to work today. Please rely on this message to the respective department." He said calmly.

Before Marvina could say her mind, the phone call was disconnected. She grunted furiously while clutching tightly on the phone.

Her heart was unsettled and she glanced at her watch. 9:30 am.

She stormed inside the company and headed for the Human Resources Department. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Susan Banner had just finished talking on the phone.

"Jennet is in danger!" Marvina said and pushed Susan Banner down on the chair.

Susan Banner patted her hand and smiled. "Please be calm. Have some chocolates." She offered few bars of chocolates to Marvina.

Marvina stepped back and shook her head. "No, this is serious!" She kept saying. "Jennet is being held captive by a criminal at her home. We need to inform the police."

Susan Banner ignored her and calmly tore open one of the chocolate and rose from her seat.

"Let's be calm for now. Eat this, please." She stuffed one piece of chocolate inside Marvina's mouth.

She pushed the panic woman to sit on one of the chairs and stuffed more chocolates inside her mouth every time she wanted to open her mouth.

Marvina had no time to talk as she was busy munching the chocolate which made her mouth full.

Susan Banner stood beside her and smiled as she said, "I have just received a text message from her. She's not feeling very well and I had already informed her manager of her absence from work today."

Marvina wanted to say her mind but Susan Banner stuffed her mouth with more chocolate to stop her from talking.

"Rest assured, Marvina. Nothing bad will happen to your friend. She had been too tired lately and it had already taken a toll on her body now. Let her rest at home and you can just focus on your work." Susan Banner said with an assuring smile.

Marvina's face was puckering after she heard what Susan Banner said. She bit her lower lip but was desperately trying to finish the chocolate in her mouth as soon as possible before she could talk.

'Jennet, I will come with help even if I am already too late!' She cried in her heart and desperately doing her best to dissolve the thick chocolate in her mouth.

***

It was already noon time when Jennet awoke from her slumber. She was sleeping faced down on the bed.

As she raised her head, she felt her head was so heavy. She groaned softly as she tried to lay down comfortably. But, when she tried to turn to her side, she felt her entire body aching with pain. Even worse, her hips were killing her as if she had twisted them so badly.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." She cried on the bed. Every joint in her body made her face contorted in pain when she tried to move.

She laid faced down on the pillow for a while before she summoned her courage and turned her body to the side and laid on her back. From under the quilt, she massaged her back slowly.

Suddenly she came to her senses and looked around. Everything was so bright. The sun was already up high in the sky.

When fright overwhelmed her, she forgot all about her pain momentarily and jolted up to sit down. But,

"Oww!" She screamed at the top of her lung. Her entire body felt as if it has been electrocuted. She fell back on the bed gasping in pain.

Groaning in pain, she reached for the phone on the bedside table and brought it closer to her face. Her eyes widen the moment she saw the time displayed on the screen of her phone. 12:45 pm!

Oh no, she's supposed to go to work today!

Fear enveloped her as soon as she imagined Mira's angry face over her absence as well as Marvina. Tossing the phone to the side, she stepped out of the bed but fallen face down on the floor like a kid who had just learn to walk.

"Oww!" She cried on the floor.

Her leg was feeling numb and she felt stinging pain down her torso, from her delicate area. She felt as if something had been poked inside her.

Also, at the same time, she had just realized that she was naked on the floor with half of the fallen quilt draping her body from behind. She looked down on her own body and gasped over the horrendous look on her entire body.

There were lots of deep red marks as well as bruises on her entire body. There was also bite marks on her fair white thighs.

She gasped and immediately pulled the quilt and covered her body with it. Climbing on the sheets, she tried to get back on the bed, forcing her trembling feet to support her aching body.

But, as soon as she got back on the bed, her eyes widen and she gasped upon looking at splotches of red staining the bedsheets, where she had just laid down before.

As if she had been poured with cold water, her entire body trembled over the realisation. She gripped even harder on the quilt on her body.

What had she done last night? What had happened to her? What on earth had happened?!

She looked around with terror masking her face. She was all alone in the room. Hue was nowhere to be seen!

"Goodness, what had happened last night between us? Have I actually lost my..." Her words were left hanging as she suddenly realised something.

Gasping in fright, she moved her leg but felt the same stinging pain from between her thighs. She felt as if her delicate area was being ripped and was stuffed with something hard. She clasped her thighs again and cupped her face in her palms.

She shook her head when she slowly recalled vague memories of what had happened between the two of them from last night. She remembered it when she had forced Hue to take off his clothes.

"Goodness, why did I do that?" She cried and regretted her bold action from last night. "What had happened to me?"

"We... Goodness..." She lost her words and slumped her face against one of the pillows. "I have given my first time to him? Oh no!" She groaned again.

Just as she was about to continue whining over spilt milk, her phone rang loudly. She, lazily, reached for it and pressed it to her ear as soon as she saw her friend's name on the screen.

"Hello, Marvina..." She greeted the caller.

"Jennet, are you alright?" Marvina's worried voice rang at the end of the line. "Where is that criminal?" She asked again.

"What criminal?" Jennet asked, confused as soon as she answered the call.

"Why are you sounding confused? I am talking about the man who had broken into your home!" Marvina roared angrily at her.

Jennet pulled the phone away from her ear for a while before she pressed it back to her ear. Marvina is as loud as usual.

"There's no criminal here," Jennet said, clearing her misunderstanding. She coughed softly and cleared her throat.

"There's really no criminal here." She repeated the same answer, assuring her friend to stay calm.

"Do not lie to me. Had he threatened you? Where is he? Are you away from him at the moment? Just run if you have the chance. I will call the police for you."

"No! Please don't, Marvina!" Jennet panicked. "He's not a criminal." She said.

"What are you talking about? You're trying to defend him. He must have threatened you. Don't worry, I'll tell Mr Tybelg to come and rescue you if you don't want police to get involved." Said Marvina again.

"No!" Jennet cried even louder, "Don't call any of them. This is just a misunderstanding." She added.

Marvina was on silence again at the end of the line. Why did her close friend defend that stranger who answered her call this morning?

She was so confused and she can't stop asking out of curiosity, "He said, he's your husband and wait a minute... are you telling me that you had paid a man to sleep with you? Are you that lonely to the extent you paid to get a man?" She frowned.

"What are you talking about Marvina?" Jennet cried at the end of the line.

"Well, he said that you were sleeping and since you're a woman who is not married yet, he must have been a man you paid to accompany you in that huge and lonely villa," Marvina explained, turning the whole thing into tremendous confusion.