Enraptured

Chapter 12

His little body had immediately tensed up at my question but he remained as silent as ever, keeping his lips tightly shut. The only thing that told me that he had heard my question at all was the slight frown that appeared right after.

But it had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. He immediately pulled his hands away from Ms. Caddel as if he had been burned and hopped off the bed with a slight humph.

Avoiding my question all together, he instructed, "You can stay downstairs for the night since it's late, but don't try anything."

I nodded silently and gathered all the dirty items off the nightstand. The shredded clothes, dirty clothes, and bloody basin. Taking one last glance back at the pair, watching how he meticulously tucked his mother in with an array of blankets, I stepped out of the bedroom with an armful of items and made my way downstairs.

It was pitch dark outside with only a few rays of moonlight shining through the windows. There was the usual random hollering and barks here and there from outside, but it wasn't anything all that unusual for living so far north in Manhattan.

I flipped on a light switch as I turned into a new room, illuminating what appeared to be a cozy little living room connected to a forest-green-themed kitchen. All sorts of books and knitted blankets were lying across the living room, whether on the coffee, sofas, or ground. Although it was a bit messy, there was some sort of a homey feeling that came with it.

As I walked into the kitchen, I was instantly hit with a familiar sweet scent. It was the same scent whenever Ms. Caddel passed by me in the office. I had never been able to quite place my finger on it before, but now I realized that it came from a habit of baking. The sweet scent of honey mixed with caramelized apples.

All sorts of baking supplies— ranging from a stand mixer to loose whisks and measuring spoons— were scattered across the countertop. In the little corners of the kitchen, there were clear containers holding muffins that she must've made recently.

She must've been quite fond of baking.

I set the bowl of bloodied water in the kitchen sink and tossed the ruined clothes into the waste bin. I grimaced as I poured the murky water down the drain, staining the side of the sink. Not wanting to leave a mess, I started working on washing the bowl and the kitchen sink, and all the other dirtied utensils around her kitchen.

By the time I finished, the little hand on the clock hanging above my head was sitting in the 2nd position. It was definitely late, and there didn't seem to be any spare beds or rooms down here despite that kid's words. If it had been anyone else, I probably would've headed home already, regardless of the time.

Yet I found myself taking a seat on one of the sofas in the living room. I just couldn't bring myself to leave them all by themselves. Even though we were currently in the same house, my mind still couldn't settle down.

I sighed as I leaned back on the sofa, loosening the tie around my neck.

I couldn't sleep knowing something might happen to Ms. Caddel during the night. What if she woke up in fright at night, trying to figure out who "broke" into her house and put her down on her bed? What if the injury on the back of her head was worse than I had originally thought and she suddenly stopped breathing? What if she had a panic attack in the middle of the night, recalling what had happened earlier today?

Even though sleep wouldn't come to me, the entirety of this house still gave off a scent that seemed to relax my body naturally. And if it had been any other scenario, one where I wasn't worried about her well-being, I probably would've easily fallen asleep already.

I tiredly rubbed my forehead.

Pulling out my phone, I decided to distract myself with some unfinished paperwork. I had left my laptop and all my files at the office in a hurry to get Ms. Caddel back home, so I had to make do with completing my work on my phone.