Chapter 53

To their immense relief, the front door was unlocked, so they entered the cottage and located a bathroom fast. There was no time to stop and admire the place properly because they were soaked and shivering, and needed to get warm as soon as possible.

Fortunately, the bathroom had a water heater, so they got into the bathtub together, turned on some hot water, and let the heat warm up their bodies.

“Ugh… that’s so relaxing,” Rachel moaned as the hot water worked its magic. She was neck-deep in it with her eyes closed. It was still raining outside and the thunder was sounding like a mortar going off on a battlefield.

“We could have been in serious trouble if we didn’t locate this place when we did,” said Derek. “Meanwhile, am I the only one here with a rumbling stomach?”

“Nope. I’m hungry too.”

“What if there’s no food here?”

Rachel sighed. “There’s only one way to find out,” she said, rising out of the water.

“Are we leaving the tub already?” Derek groaned.

“Aren’t you hungry anymore? We have to go and scout for food.”

“You make it sound as if we are lost in a wilderness,” he laughed.

“We might as well be. Now, get off your lazy butt, and let’s go look for food.”

He groaned again but obeyed her. They found some terrycloth robes in the bathroom closet and put them on. The fabric was soft and super comfy, and Rachel felt as if she was wrapped in clouds. They found some fluffy slippers too but they were too small for Derek’s feet and too big for Rachel’s but they wore them anyway.

“Beggars can’t be choosers,” she mused as they padded out of the bathroom.

They finally got their first good look at the swanky cottage and then gave themselves a tour of the place. The living room was wide and had a TV, surround sound system, a furry oriental rug on the floor, comfortable sofas, and a glass coffee table in the center. There were expensive artworks on the walls that screamed class and elegance.

“I love this place,” said Rachel.

“You love everywhere,” Derek remarked. “I thought we were on the hunt for food?”

“Yeah, that’s right. We haven’t seen the kitchen yet.”

They went together in search of the only place in the cottage where they hoped to find something to eat, and they were not disappointed. The kitchen was a modern creation that every cooking gadget known to mankind. The pantry was stocked full with food and the fridge was overflowing with an abundance of edibles.

“This is heaven!” Derek said with delight. “What should we devour first?”

“How about pasta with stir-fried vegetables and seafood for protein?”

“Sounds heavenly!”

“I’m going to need your help though. Do you know how to slice vegetables?”

He raised his eyebrow. “What do you take me for, Rachel Lane? Of course, I can slice vegetables. Where are they?”

She laughed and opened the fridge to bring out the ingredients that they would need to prepare the meal. They worked together with ease for many minutes, chatting, trading jokes, and laughing like a pair of carefree children. It was a relaxing time for both of them and Rachel felt that they were bonding over this simple activity of cooking together.

“Oh, my gosh!” Rachel exclaimed suddenly. “We should find a way to send a message to Uncle Alfred to let him know that we are ok. He might be worried about us.”

“You are right,” Derek agreed. “And Zoe might be missing us too.”

“I hope there’s a phone that works in this cottage,” Rachel said, wiping her hands with a napkin.

“There’s one behind you. Let’s check and see if it’s working.”

Rachel picked up the telephone that was mounted on the wall beside one of the kitchen cabinets and put it to her ear to check if it was connected. To her relief, she heard a dial tone which indicated that the phone was working.

“Thank God for small miracles,” she said. “Do you know the phone number of the manor?”

“No, but I know Uncle Alfred’s mobile number. Let’s try it first.”

He called out the numbers to her and she dialed them on the phone. When it began to ring, she did a happy dance and punched the air joyfully with her fist.

“It’s ringing!”

“Phew! Thank goodness,” said Derek.

“Hello, Alfred. It’s me, Rachel,” she said when the call was answered on the other end of the phone line.

“Good gracious, girl! You gave me a scare,” he said, sounding relieved. “I was about to send your bodyguards to go and look for you and Derek in the maze just now. I told them to wait until the rain stopped before leaving. Are you ok? Is Derek with you?”

“Yes, Alfred, he is with me and we are ok. We are in the cottage.”

“You found it!”

“Yes, we did after getting lost many times,” she laughed.

“Well, I’m glad you’re fine. Should the bodyguards come and get you guys out of there?”

“I don’t think we’ll be needing their help to find our way back to the manor. We’ll figure out the paths.”

“Ok, then. If you insist.”

“How is Zoe? Is she ok?”

“Yes, she is. We’ve all just had some hot cocoa and oven-fresh donuts to warm us up. She only asked me once about you guys and I told her you two went out for a walk. That answer seemed to satisfy her because she hasn’t asked again and she was having a great time playing with Elaine. She’s fine, trust me.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” said Rachel. She was now beginning to miss Zoe.

“Well, tell Derek I said hey, and you two should go ahead and have fun. We are doing great here, so don’t worry about us.”

Rachel grinned. “I’m glad to hear that. Let me put Derek on the phone.”

Derek went to join her by the phone and he had a brief chat with Alfred, assuring the older man that they were ok and would be back at the manor once the rain stopped.

“I guess we can relax now and eat our lunch in peace,” he said after replacing the phone receiver on its hook. “I can’t imagine how stressful it would have been if we didn’t have a way to reach the manor.”

“I agree,” said Rachel. “Come over here, lunch is ready.”

She dished the food into plates and they sat side by side at the kitchen island to eat. Derek had found a bottle of vintage white wine which he opened and poured for them to enjoy their meal.

“I call this low-budget fine dining,” said Rachel.

“There’s nothing low budget about this. You are an excellent cook, Rachel. This meal tastes superb.”

His compliment made her blush. “Thanks, I’m glad you like it.”

They ate in companionable silence and when they were done eating, Rachel noticed how Derek’s face looked drawn with worry. She could tell that something was bothering him, and although she could guess what it was, she wanted him to say it out loud and get it out of his system.

“Why the long face?” She asked him.

He sighed. “I’m just trying to get over the fact that my father was a narcissist who spent all those years manipulating me and making me hate my mother who has turned out to be the real victim all along. I feel so stupid.”

She placed her palm over his hand to comfort him. “You’re not stupid. You were simply caught in the middle of something that shouldn’t have involved you at all. Your parents had a toxic relationship that eventually gave you a warped view of what marriage looks like. That’s not your fault, so why should you feel stupid for being a victim too?”

“You’re probably right,” he said sadly. “What am I going to do about… Yasmin?”

He still couldn’t bring himself to call her mom because he still felt as if he didn’t truly know the woman who gave birth to him and resurrected from the dead like a mythical phoenix.

“I know what I am about to say might annoy you but I think she deserves an apology from you for how rudely you spoke to her.”

He rolled his eyes. “Oh, please. Did she expect me to run into her arms and shower her with compliments? She abandoned me, Rachel. It didn’t matter that she had to fake her own death to get away from my father, but what about me? She didn’t fight for me, she didn’t try harder to have a relationship with me. If I was a shitty partner to you and you needed to put some distance between us, would you abandon Zoe in the process? Would you choose to cut your child off because of your horrible partner?”

For the first time since she learned about his parents’ bad marriage, Rachel could see the extent of Derek’s pain and the emotional trauma he had been dealing with all his life. Not only was he afraid of falling in love with anyone, but he was also afraid of being abandoned because the person who should have been there for him left and barely looked back. She could see how much he was hurting and her heart went out to him.

She stood up from her seat and went to stand beside him and she put her arms around him.