Xavier~
"Bella, be careful." I tightened my grip on her waist as soon as I noticed her losing her balance. In an attempt to save herself from falling, she clutched my shoulders.
Sensing her closeness made the desires I had been trying to bury deep within me come to the surface. Our lips were just inches apart when our eyes met. I can feel her heavy breathing and loud heartbeat. Is she affected by my proximity? For the first time in my life, I looked closely at her beautiful face. Her lips, delicate feather-like cheeks, and beautiful eyelashes caught my attention.
I noticed how plump her lips were and had an immediate want to taste them, but I forced myself to repress my lustful thoughts. I still remember how passionately I sucked her lips on that night. Even after so many years had passed, I could never forget the passionate night I spent with Isabella—even if I was inebriated - and couldn't recall precisely that I was romancing her rather than Alicia. That night, I experienced a peculiar kind of heat within me that I had never experienced with Alicia.
"Mr. Thompson, see what I found there." Her voice shattered my mental bubble, reminding me of my boundaries with her. I released her waist from my hold and glanced at the shirt button she was holding.
"Hum..that is good evidence." I forced a grin on my face in an attempt to cover my disappointment.
"I think we should go into the backyard." Her eyes were beaming with excitement.
"Alright." I nodded slightly, still trying to overcome my disease.
"What are you doing?" I stared at her in disbelief as she once again covered the shoe mark with dust.
"We can't take any risks." After covering the shoe mark, we went into the backyard, where she found another shoe mark, but that shoe mark was different from the last one.
"Huh, how's this even possible?" She placed a hand on her chin and inspected the shoe mark, perplexed.
"Is it feasible that there are two visits to this house—one on the day of the murder and the other after?" I attempted to imply to her that these two distinct shoe marks might be related.
"Mr. Thompson, that's not possible; the murderer has already taken all necessary precautions to ensure he leaves no evidence behind, and he would not risk visiting the house again. I believe he left these two distinct shoemarks on the same day." Seated on the ground, she studied the shoemark intently. She opened her phone and viewed the picture she had taken of the other shoe mark.
"Do you know of someone who wears two different types of shoes on their legs, Mr. Thompson?" She turned to stare confusedly at me.
"No." I gave a shoulder shrug.
"But hold on, I believe I know someone who had a different shoe on his leg." All of a sudden, I remembered that Jordan had on two pairs of slippers.
"On that day, I noticed Jordan's unusual choice of two distinct pairs of slippers. Initially, I assumed it was an error, and therefore, I didn't give it much thought. However, now, I believe Jordan was responsible for this murder."
I clenched my fist in anger, remembering Jordan Lucas.
'Well, that's great, but it is not possible for us to mention him in this murder case. We need better evidence to establish your innocence." She placed the shirt button in her purse and proceeded towards the car.
"Where are we heading now?" Curious, I followed her. She was working with a much more focused attitude today. She seems determined to uncover the mysteries of this murder case.
"It's lunchtime, Mr. Thompson, and I'm hungry. Do you have any good restaurants that serve good food?" She asked me to drive the car, her hand resting on her stomach. I heard her stomach rumbling and smile.
"Bella, what would you like to eat?" I question her about reaching in front of the restaurant. I decided to order takeout because I didn't want to make public appearances with her after yesterday's incident.
"I am quite hungry, Mr. Thompson, so let me decide after getting into the restaurant." Before I could stop her from entering, she jumped out of the car and walked quickly towards the restaurant.
"Do you want to join me?" After knocking on the car window, she invited me to join her for lunch. I was filled with fear as I followed her, unsure of how she would react to everyone's gossip about us. To my astonishment, though, she ignored everyone's curious looks and chatter. She placed the order for the food while sitting at the table. I feel uncomfortable as people stare at us, but she seems unaffected by everything and eats her food silently as if nothing else matters to her.
"Now, what next?" When I realized she had finished her lunch, I questioned her.
"Could you drop me off at school? It's Alan's school function, and I don't want to miss it." She gave me a beseeching expression as her phone beeped with a message.
"Sure." I nodded my head and drove towards Alan's school. I had wanted to spend more time with her son ever since I met him, but Bella's limitations prevented me from playing with Alan. She unexpectedly asked me to drop her off at her son's school today. Observing her friendly demeanor toward me once more, I felt compelled to extend my friendship to her. However, I refrained from doing so, as I didn't want to hasten our relationship.
Alan seemed overjoyed to see his mother at the school. My heart felt calm upon witnessing their love connection. With a kind wave, Alan motioned for me to step out of the car so he could introduce me to his friends. I looked at Bella for approval before getting out of the car; she blinked her eyes to give her approval.
"Mama, why didn't Daddy show up for my school function?" His voice was filled with complaints about not seeing his father at the school.
'He had to leave the city for some urgent work. Don't be upset, Alan; Mama is with you." She attempted to persuade her son, but his frowning expression suggested that he wasn't content with his father's absence.
"I long for my father's presence, Mama. All of my friends came with their parents." He thudded his feet obstinately on the ground.
"Don't be obstinate, Alan; your father isn't in the town." Bella exhaled uneasily, observing her son's sudden intransigence.
"No, Mama. Until you bring Dad here, I won't perform my dance. All of my friends' parents came here to cheer them on. When people inquire about my father, what would I say to them?" Outraged, he bolted for the school's main gate.
"Alan, please listen to me." She attempted to stop him, but he ignored her. Witnessing her struggles, my heart sank as I beheld her sorrowful face and her compulsion.
"Bella, let me talk to him." I begged her to permit me to deal with his outburst. She permitted me to speak with her son by nodding her head.