"Are you okay? You've been ignoring me Maureen." Trina reached me out while entering our apartment.
We just got home from her bar but until now I still can't get Avriell's words out of my mind. I want to confront her but I don't know how to start. She was a smart kid and I know when I bring up that kind of topic, she will totally ask for more. And I don't know if I can answer that. This makes me crazy!
"Go, change your clothes and so we can eat dinner, okay?" I gestured to my daughter to get in our room to have a change.
She didn't ask anymore and followed what I said. I walked to the kitchen to get some cold water from the fridge. To keep myself calm.
"The bracelet she was wearing, did you give it?" I asked Trina, hopefully she said yes.
I don't want these kinds of thoughts in my mind.
"The one she was wearing right now?" She thought about it and shook her head afterwards. "No, if I will give her a bracelet, not a cheap one like that. I will give her a bracelet that can change it to money."
It looks cheap but I don't think it is.
"Did you ever try to ask her who gave that to her? When did you first see her wearing it?" I asked.
"No, because I thought she made it. Why did you suddenly ask? It's normal for her to have a different bracelet, right?" She started to get confused about my sudden question. "Remember you gave her a DIY bracelet bead?"
"But it's lightning! There is no inclusion like that in the package!" I accidentally raised my tone to her, which made her look at me like she said something wrong.
"Is it my fault that it was having a light?" She put her right hand on her chest and gave me a gross expression. "I hate that bracelet huh!"
I sighed and sat down because I felt like I was carrying a heavy object that made me weak. She didn't talk anymore when I kept silent, she went to her room to have a change too. I stayed for a few minutes to be calm before getting up to go to the room when suddenly someone knocked.
"Please check Maureen, I grabbed some food! It's already paid." Trina shouted inside her room.
Without any question, I walked towards the door and peeked. A man's back is the first I saw. His back is the one I am facing so I can't tell if it's really the grab rider but based on what he's wearing it seems like Trina is referring to him. I opened the door more.
"Hello..." I pointed to his shoulder three times using my index finger to get his attention.
I immediately stepped back when he turned. Even though he was wearing a hat and a mask, I can still recognize it. His eyes were always looking expensive, I can't be wrong. I can't deny that his eyes are attractive.
He did follow us!
"She left this and be careful, someone trying to do something to you." He handed me Avriell's ponytail.
My mouth closed, I could not speak when I heard my daughter's voice. I slowly looked at my back to stop Avriell from walking towards me but it was too late because she was already right behind me.
"Mommy, my ponytail is missing!" Her voice was obviously about to cry.
I was trembling looking at her. She looked at my back and her face immediately brightened. She started to walk closer to me until she passed me. My whole body trembled as I looked at her.
She was sitting and getting something on the floor. Her ponytail.
"Here it is, I was just left here on the floor mommy." She stood up and showed me her ponytail.
I looked around to confirm that he was really gone. The nervousness I felt earlier has somehow disappeared. Even though I know they met, I'm still nervous. I don't want my daughter to be completely attached to him. I don't know him, I don't have trust in that man.
"It's pretty, right mommy? I don't want to lose it." She was looking at it amusingly.
"That ponytail gave me a heart attack." I whispered between my breaths before closing the door.
I go with her to have a change too. When we are having dinner together I can't stop myself from looking at the bracelet that Avriell is wearing. Trina noticed it.
"What is your problem with her bracelet? You were like, you want to destroy it." Trina whispered to me while chewing.
"I really want Trina." I responded to her.
Avriell got down from the chair when she finished eating. She even looked at me in surprise when I held her hand to stop her. Usually I was just letting her because I know she will brush her teeth.
"I will brush my teeth mommy." She said and came closer to me. "Why? What's wrong mommy?"
I looked at her bracelet and pointed to it.
"Can I have that?" I asked as calmly as I could.
The smile on her face disappeared and she immediately hid her hand where the bracelet was worn. She shook her head.
"I love this bracelet mommy, I'll make you a bracelet, do you like it? More prettier than this mommy." She suggested with a big smile.
"No, I want that," I tried to ask again to give it to me before standing up and taking the bracelet I bought from her that I hadn't given her yet. "Look, I bought you a new one, pretty right? Let's change, okay?"
She really doesn't want to. Avriell is easy to talk to, this is the only time she said no to me.
"Please..." I held her both hands. "Give it to mommy, tomorrow I will buy you a lot of it."
She seemed to be crying but I badly wanted to get it from her.
"Mommy..." She pouted. "Why do you want me to take this off?"
"Don't ask me too many questions Avriell, give me that. Don't wait for mommy to get angry, you don't want to make me angry right?"
"But I really don't want to..." She started to cry.
Trina approached Avriell. "Maureen, what is happening? You are scaring her, that is only a bracelet."
I didn't answer Trina, instead I forced to get the bracelet in her hand. She tries to take her hand from me but I don't let go and still try to take it. She was crying so hard but I was still continuing what I was doing. It's like I don't care about her anymore, my only focus is getting the bracelet from her. She was already sitting on the floor because of my actions.
"Maureen! You're already hurting her!" Trina started to be alarmed by my action.
"Mommy..." Avriell was crying so hard, scared at me.
I didn't notice that I was already hurting her that way. I stopped and stepped back from my daughter and Trina. My hand was shaking, I can't believe I did that to Avriell. I never thought I would get this far.
I was about to say sorry to Avriell but she stood up and ran fast to our room. I sat on the floor because of the weakness I felt and washed my face with both hands. Trina looked at me in disbelief.
"Maureen, can you confess to me? What's wrong?" She muttered and pointed to the door where my daughter went in. "You can hurt your daughter for that bracelet? Seriously?"
"That wasn't just a bracelet Trina, I think it's more than that." I tried to defend myself why I wanted to get it. "It was like, his father followed us because of the bracelet.
She just waited for me to continue it.
"I told you they met and he maybe gave that to her, to track us." I started to tell everything where my non-appearing behavior came from. "He was tracking us Trina. When we were at the bar, suddenly the bracelet lit up and Avriell stated 'He was just here' and she wasn't wrong because he just showed up to me. I thought it was the grab but it was him, he was the one outside."
"If he was outside of our apartment, why didn't he come in? Why didn't he force us by getting close to Avriell?" Trina and I were thinking the same thing.
"I don't know, that man makes me crazy. He was giving me mixed signals, the only thing he said before he left was, ``I need to be careful, that's all." I stood up and went straight to the room to talk to Avriell.
She was covered with a blanket but she was obviously still awake. I lay down next to her and slowly removed the blanket. A crying face immediately appeared to me. I hugged her immediately, apologizing for what I did.
"I'm sorry..." I can't stop myself from crying too, seeing Avriell hurt by me. "Mommy's mind is just a mess these days. I want to keep you away from what will hurt you but I didn't notice that I'm already hurting you too. I'm really sorry Avriell, mommy just loves you so much. I promise, I will not get it anymore."
A heard a sobbed of her.
"I'm sorry mommy but I can't give up on this." She responded and hugged me back.
"Is it important to you?"
"Yeah..." She said in a sleepy voice.
I nodded and kissed her head while rubbing her hair slowly. When I checked her, her eyes were already closed. Tired of crying, she fell asleep immediately.
The next morning.....
"Are you coming or will you stay here?" Trina asked me while fixing her hair.
She needs to meet someone for her business so she will leave us here for this day. She really didn't want to go because of what happened last night but I said Avriell and I are fine and my brain has already calmed down so nothing to worry about.
"No, we will stay here. I'll just take her out later, it is too far, we will just get tired, we won't have anything to do there either." I shook my head. "Just buy a gift, you know her, she'll definitely be waiting for you."
She chuckled and nodded. I gestured to her that I will move out for a minute while she was still fixing her hair to throw out the trash and I was going to buy breakfast for me and Avriell too. We often have breakfast. Just me and my daughter, Trina, don't like breakfast at all. I don't want to leave Avriell alone so I used the time when Trina was still here. I'm sure she would cry if she didn't find anyone when she woke up.
While going to the exit of the building, I already heard something noisy from outside. I just kept walking until I stopped and quickly hid behind the wall. I peeked again to confirm.
Too much media!!
"How did they know?" In so many fears my head can't think of what I will do.
Until I heard one of the reporter's words.
[We are here at the building where the famous model who went viral a year ago is here. Based on what I gathered, the famous model Maureen lives here and we will wait for her to get some talk. After several years of hiding, what is her status now? I'll get back for more info.]
I backed away and was about to go back upstairs to tell Trina but I accidentally bumped into someone. I didn't look at his face yet but he grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me away. I left the trash I was holding because of the rush.
"Who are you?" I asked scared and pulled out my hand from him.