The last game that Kenelm chose was the game in the haunted house. I was going to refuse to come in, but Kenelm kept making a bet that he wanted to come with me, so I agreed to him.
This haunted house is much different from the one I went to when I was a kid. When I was a child, the haunted houses were built quite loosely and there were not many devices, the scares in the house did not make people too scared. But as the years passed, the haunted house became more terrifying than I could have imagined.
Scary and spooky howls, ghosts and monsters with grotesque faces and gore give me goosebumps.
"Oh my god... don't come any closer... you hideous... help me." I covered my ears and shouted loudly, closing my eyes.
Never in my life have I had such an embarrassing moment. I was 25 years old, but I was so scared by the models in the haunted house that I sat on the ground.
Dominic saw me like that and chuckled.
"Except in bed, this is the only time I've seen you scream like that."
"You still want to make fun of me? You really are too much." I was so embarrassed that I pressed my lips together, and seeing Dominic's cool and amused demeanor made me even more annoyed.
Kenelm is brave and clever, he shows no fear of the threats in this haunted house. Whether an Egyptian mummy or a vampire suddenly swooped down on the boy, he would only chuckle and not be startled. It took him a few minutes to leave the haunted house and was in the room waiting for us. However, because I was so scared, I still couldn't find a way to get out of here.
"Want me to help you?" Dominic squatted down and took my hand lightly.
Although I wanted to show that I didn't need his help, the reality was that I couldn't refuse this offer. My legs were weak and I couldn't walk on my own, so Dominic carried me to get out of here. His steps are steady, his back is wide and firm, that makes me feel much more secure. No matter how many demons suddenly appeared and threatened me, I was no longer afraid.
During the whole process, we were all silent. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to regulate my breathing evenly. And Dominic seemed to have found out that I was embarrassed, so he stopped teasing me.
At that moment, a demon with a bloody mouth suddenly came down from the ceiling to scare me, its cold hand touched the back of my neck making the hairs on my body stand up in panic.
"Ah, something touched the back of my neck."
I screamed and lowered my head deeply, clutching Dominic's neck and shivering uncontrollably.
"Don't worry, it's just a mock-demon model." Dominic reassured me softly.
His head turned to mine, which inadvertently brought his cheek to my lips. This intimate contact made my face red, the fear quickly disappeared and only embarrassment remained between the two of us. I secretly felt lucky because it was quite dark in the haunted house so Dominic didn't notice the change in my expression.
"Okay, just let's get out of here quickly." My voice trembled a bit.
"Um, then hold on tight."
About two minutes later, we were out of the haunted house. Everyone looked at us and then burst out laughing seeing how close we were to each other. They must have mistaken us as husband and wife. I patted him on the shoulder to remind him to drop me to the ground.
"You two made me wait a long time."
Kenelm ran towards me and lamented. I picked up Kenelm and comforted him then found an excuse to get home early.
While in the car, I received a call from Garrick. After taking me to Dominic's mansion, Garrick could no longer stay with me as a bodyguard. I told him to wait a few days for me to negotiate with Dominic, then I forgot about it. After waiting three days in a row, perhaps Garrick was impatient to call me.
Right now, I'm in the car with Dominic and Kenelm so I can't answer his phone. So I hung up and waited until I got home to call him later.
Unexpectedly, Garrick hastily sent me a very long message.
"You and Dominic are back together? Why are you so foolish and naive? After all the sins he's committed, you still decide to forgive him.
Esther, Frederick summoned me to the Lenox City for some reason. It was possible that Dominic had started playing tricks and tried to kill Frederick and all of his subordinates. Things will repeat like four years ago, Dominic will continue to harm the people around you. Now I can no longer protect you. Tomorrow morning I will be at the back door of the airport waiting for you. If you want freedom, go there with Kenelm. Even at the cost of my life, I will beg Frederick to protect you. The permanent Lenox City is a place Dominic can't force you to go. Trust me and don't let me down."
I read this message in a daze, each line making me panic and worry terribly. Once again, my faith in Dominic was shaken. I wonder if his gentle behavior towards me and Kenelm is just a sign of hypocrisy. Is it worth taking advantage of me and Kenelm? If so, then just like Garrick said, I'm putting Frederick and the friends around me in danger.
However, there is still a possibility that Dominic has changed, he can completely become a good father and not harm others anymore.
The question now is who should I choose to trust?
"Why are you so dumbfounded, hungry? I told the chef to prepare some delicious food." Dominic drove leisurely and talked to me.
I was a little startled and quickly turned off the phone screen.
"Ah, um. Kenelm must be hungry too. I'll wash him and take him down to dinner."
"Can I help you with that? I haven't been with Kenelm all his childhood, from now on I want to make up for him gradually." Dominic's gaze was so sincere that it made my heart flutter.
I used to hope that I would have a real home, a devoted, loving husband and beautiful children. That future was right in front of me, but I was too scared and didn't dare to grasp it.
"Okay?"
"Um." I nodded lightly.
"Thank you." Dominic smiled contentedly. "Oh yeah, just now Rory Frank, my best friend whom I introduced to you once, invited us to his luxury yacht. How do you feel about taking Kenelm there. He'll be very excited."
"This..." I was confused.
"A yacht? Is it big? I heard a luxury yacht can be as big as a whale."
Kenelm, who was playing with toys in the back seat, jumped up and down when he heard Dominic mention the yacht.
"Yes, Rory's yacht is so big, you could even get lost there if you don't know the way."
"Cool." He couldn't help but admire. "Mom, you agree to go, okay?"
"I'll think about it more."
I sighed and said to Kenelm. Really, there was no way I could refuse my son's request. Kenelm's childhood was much more disadvantaged than his peers because he did not have a father. And its life is also confined to Goderich.
I told myself that in just three months, I would allow Dominic to do everything for Kenelm, so that later, even if we were apart, there would be no regrets.