Kapitel 9: Chapter 9 Broken Hearts
"Is that Arnold?" Cindy asked wearing a wide grin.
"That's definitely him!" Ciara replied as they climbed down the stairs.
"Cindy and Ciara? I wasn't expecting you two here" Arnold said sarcastically.
Cindy hugged Arnold, while Ciara hit him softly on the shoulder.
"Argghh!" Arnold exaggerated when Ciara hit him.
"Don't mind that bully, my son" Cindy said hilariously as she patted him softly on his back. The entire household burst into laughter.
"It's been a while" Arnold said and glanced at Ciara.
Even though Ciara was doing a good job hiding her emotions, Arnold noticed she was only acting 'happy' when in actual sense she was very sad. How Arnold looked at Ciara, was not lost on Cindy. Cindy had been suspecting that Arnold had feelings for Ciara, and at times, she felt the feeling was mutual since Ciara acted like she liked Arnold sometimes. However, Cindy kept her suspicion to herself and pretended not to know anything mainly because they were both sending mixed signals.
"You've grown more handsome and muscular during the 'while' we were away. You look damn goood!" Cindy said wearing her signature smile.
"Yeah, he's a fine man now. I bet many women are sneaking behind the backyard to check if any lady in particular can claim ownership of this fine young man. It'd be ridiculous if you're still single, you know!" Ciara lashed out.
"Yeah, we received your wedding invitation last year. We're so sorry we couldn't attend. Something came up. And it was urgent, so we had to deal with it. So we actually made it a point to meet your wife and you to say 'hello'" Cindy chatted cheerfully.
The sudden silence and chilly atmosphere was not lost on the twins. It was obvious they were all wearing fake smiles. But something about the change in Arnold's demeanor, made Ciara feel tight in her chest.
"Is everything ok?" Ciara asked as she looked at the faces of the host family.
"I cancelled the wedding" Arnold grimaced and continued; " I told Van about it. I guess she didn't tell you."
"I bet you don't wanna talk about it, do you?" Cindy asked.
"You're right. It's the last thing I want to talk about" Arnold agreed.
"I heard you're now a Colonel...." Ciara asked trying earnestly to change the topic and pacify the gloomy mood.
"Yeah, I am" Arnold replied with a childish grin.
The twins stood up in an attention positions, placed the back of their palms on their forehead and said together;
"Congratulations, Colonel Debra!"
"Hey! Stand at ease! And thank you! I really appreciate it" Arnold said as he blushed and the entire room was filled with laughter.
" I bet you spent days practicing that" Liam said.
" Nope, we didn't" Cindy replied honestly.
"Really?" Kelly asked astonished.
"Yeah" Ciara confirmed.
"Wow, that was kind of a show. And to think that you didn't plan it makes it amazing" Samuel said with a smile.
"That's what we call the telepathy of twins!" the twin replied chorally.
"I see" Kelly said as she nodded her head. Kelly saw how Arnold's eyes were fixed on Ciara and she smiled inwardly.
"It's good to have you girls here. I'd love it, if you could spend the night here. Maybe Vanny can join us as well, that's if she wants to" Kelly invited.
The twins stared at each other for a brief moment and nodded.
"Thank you, Aunty Kelly. We'll stay" Cindy replied cordially. "We'll alert Van ASAP, but we doubt she'd like to join us"
"There's no harm in trying" Kelly said with a smile.
"Alright, I'll call Van" Cindy said and walked out to make the call.
"Arnold, it's been a while since you showed up here. Stay for dinner. I'm not taking no go an answer. I'm going to fix dinner" Kelly said as she walked towards the kitchen.
"Can I help?" Ciara readily offered.
"Nope! Be my guest for today. That means no work for you today. Don't forget to keep an eye on him" Kelly said and pointed at Arnold.
"I will" Ciara replied and let out a hearty laughter.
"You sure you can babysit my grown ass?" Arnold asked playfully.
"I guess I'll try" Ciara replied.
"Samuel, let's go upstairs. There's something I need your help with." Liam said and dragged Samuel with him. "If you need anything, I'm upstairs"
"Ok, uncle" Ciara replied with a smile.
"The guest room will be made ready in a few minutes. Until then help yourself out with him" Samuel said as he climbed the stairs. It was obvious the 'him' he was talking about was Arnold.
"Now it's just the two of us....what next?" Ciara chipped in after Liam closed the door behind him.
"Ciara, are you okay?" Arnold asked with concern.
"Yeah, I'm totally fine" Ciara replied with a wide smile.
"You know you can tell me anything right? I won't judge you, I promise" Arnold probed and watched as Ciara removed her masking smile and replace it with a sad face.
"Arnold, it's funny how you can see through me with so much ease. I'm not okay. It hurts a lot. I just can't help it" Ciara said with her eyes fixed on the floor. Arnold moved from his seat to sit next to Ciara.
"It's okay to cry, don't hold the tears back" Arnold said and drew Ciara in for a hug. Just like that, Ciara burst into tears.
"I did everything for him. I helped him start his business, I helped him succeed. I fed him when he had nothing. He took my kindness for stupidity. I don't know why I trusted my heart to him when all the red flags were so visible. I guess I was blind to them and held on to my own believes and hope. Hope. Yes, I hoped he'll change but I guess I was wrong all along. He lied to me. He cheated on me. And what hurts is, he did it with a lady he crossed his heart on and vowed was his sister. I guess, I knew she wasn't his sister but I believe him blindly despite knowing all of that." Ciara said as she wept like a baby. "I don't know why, but i feel so used. I feel so stupid. I want to break him into pieces just like he's done to me. I want him to lose everything and know that he'll never come across my kind of girl in his entire life. I'll pay to make his life miserable"
"Hmmmm" Arnold sighed heavily. It reminded him of himself after his broken engagement. Malice, lies, pain, broken trust etc, made him so bitter that he waited patiently for news of her death which never happened. He just hoped she'd go for swimming with that guy and drown in the pool. Or just have an accident while taking a ride in that guy's car or maybe God will be so good to take her life when she goes to sleep. Alice Baidoo. The woman who shuttered his heart into pieces.
"It hurts so badly. My heart, it does hurt badly. I just can't stand the throbbing pain"
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein