Chapter 254: Another Reality
Sensing that it seemed safe enough, I slipped into the room.
"Little Hayden…" I whispered.
If the dog was somewhere in the room, he didn’t come running back to me. Now that I was in the room, I realized that the room was even bigger than I thought it was from the limited view that I had just now. The room was large and very long. However, that wasn’t the most surprising thing. The most surprising thing wasn’t the room but what was in it.
"Amelia…" I whispered so softly that I barely heard myself.
I gasped as my eyes travelled along the long walls of the room. Amelia…she was everywhere in the room. Countless portraits of her hung from the walls. There were both paintings and photographs of her captured in frames of various sizes from small frames the size of a small notebook to canvases so large that she appeared life-sized.
Whoever was the owner of this room was clearly a mega big fan of Amelia and her beauty. I knew that Harvey and Amelia were a couple, but I didn’t expect any man to have this many portraits of his girlfriend up on walls. Amelia was shown in various poses and in many different styles of clothing from swimwear to casual clothes to ballgowns and fantasy costumes which I found especially unique.
There was a portrait of her painted as a mermaid with a fish tail lower body and her long blond hair flowing down to cover her breasts and a part of her naked upper body. Very creative and enchantingly beautiful, I had to say. The painter who painted it was clearly very skilled as well and that commission must have costed a small fortune. There were also photos and paintings of her nude.
I couldn’t begin to imagine how Amelia felt having all these portraits of her hung up.
Maybe she didn’t even know about it.
Harvey wasn’t just in love with her, he was frankly quite obsessed with his girlfriend. What happened to them was unfortunate. Hayden must have wanted to preserve Harvey’s wing along with the memories that his brother shared with Amelia here.
I pressed my hands against the sides of my face as I was reminded of why exactly I was here. No, I didn’t come here to admire Amelia’s beautiful portraits. Where is that troublesome dog?
Focusing my attention on the floor instead of the high walls, I walked further into the long room. Suddenly, the wooden floor turned into thick dark navy carpet. It was like I had arrived at a separate part of the room and then I realized that there was a partition separating me from the rest of the room.
The partition was made of carved wood featuring exotic designs that must have come from some ancient folklore that I couldn’t identify.
My instinct told me that Little Hayden was on the other side of this partition and I wondered why he hasn’t returned to my side. The dog must have noticed by now that I was in the room because I must have been so close. Slowly, I walked along the partition until I reached the end of it. If I walk around this partition now, I will surely find Little Hayden on the other side.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with him when I found him. Should I hug him first and feel thankful that I got him back or should I hit him to discipline him a little first?
I rounded the partition and came face to face with a very familiar man. Blond hair, blue eyes and dressed smartly in a suit. The man sat on a royal-looking sofa and there on his lap was a happy-looking Little Hayden. The dog lay obediently on the man’s lap with it’s tail wagging around wildly as it seemed to enjoy the feel of the man’s long and beautiful fingers scratching its head.
Hayden…what is he doing here?
I stood there stunned into silence as my eyes continued to take in the scene before me. Hayden continued to play with Little Hayden silently. The two of them seem oblivious to my existence and for a moment, I wasn’t sure if this was even real or if I was even really there. Hayden reached out for his wine glass before putting it to his lips while his hand continued to stroke Little Hayden’s fur.
Little Hayden made cute little sounds as he snuggled closer to Hayden’s body. The two seemed like they were born or made for each other. Why is Hayden here? As far as I was aware, he had not made it back from work. He should be on his way back from work right now. Did he come back early again?
Or had he been here all along?
Another thing that bothered me was why Hayden was leisurely chilling out here in Harvey’s wing of the mansion in a room surrounded by portraits of Amelia. None of this was making sense to me and my head started to throb as I tried my best to reconcile the scene that I saw in front of me with the reality that I knew and understood.
There was another thing that bothered me right from the start. Something felt very strange and then very wrong about what I was seeing. Would Little Hayden ever react like this when he was with Hayden? Those two fought like cats and dogs. Hayden didn’t really get along well with Little Hayden and vice versa.
Would Little Hayden go out of his way to struggle out of my arms and run all the way here to see Hayden?
--To be continued…