Once Upon A [Hidden] Time - [Stolen] Series IV

CHAPTER 28

STEVE
21 JUNE 2015

After we were done sating our desire, we both lay on Edward's bed, covered with only a mere quilt. I stared at the canopy, and the intricate details of the wood. Had anyone else noticed how beautiful the craftsmanship was.

After the endless silence, I gathered my courage to speak. "I'm sorry."

"About?" she asked, staring at the canopy.

"It was unprotected."

"I take pills," she answered flatly.

"I hadn't done this in months," I confessed.

"I left my last boyfriend because his banana was small," she complained.

I chuckled at her words. She copied and chuckled, too. We both burst into laughter after a while. I turned to face her.

"This shouldn't change anything between us," I said.

She turned to face me. "We are still friends." Glancing at my chest, she continued, "Just friends!"

I lay back down, staring at the canopy again.

"You need to finish photocopying," she suggested.

"Right!"

"Turn around, I have to put on my clothes."

What? She didn't have trouble taking them off in front of me, but she had a problem putting them back on. What kind of woman was she?

I complied and turned around, fetching my jeans.

At my feet, I saw Myra's sketch of her wrapped in the sheet. I picked up the graphite stick from the floor and flipped the page, writing him a message. Perhaps he did need some encouragement. I left the bed to make copies of the rest of the sketches. DC Khan started collecting all the sketches from the floor.

We finished the task and headed back to London. An awkward silence stretched between us in the car during our two-hour drive. Neither of us spoke about our act or the case. She dropped me off at my parents' manor, and I knew she would head to her office, compiling the list of neonatal surgeons across the UK.

During my drive, I had called Farrows and invited them to the manor. When I entered the drawing room, I noticed Myra's parents and mine sitting on the crisp white leather sofas.

"Steve!" my mother exclaimed, hugging me tightly. "Where have you been, love?" She regarded my expression. "Is everything okay?"

I nodded and asked her to take a seat. The room fell into a hushed silence. Myra's parents didn't ask me about their daughter because they knew I might not have the answer, but today, I was here to surprise them. They had every right to know about their child.

I could see Mrs Farrow was desperate to question me, but she maintained a calm façade.

"Are you not going to inquire about your daughter, Mrs Farrow?" I began.

"Is this some kind of a joke?" grunted Mr Farrow.

Taking a deep breath, I placed a manila envelope in Mrs Farrow's lap. She looked at me inquisitively, but dared not open it.

"I found your daughter," I announced. A pained moan escaped from Mrs Farrow, followed by a teardrop that fell on the brown envelope.

Mr Farrow snatched the envelope from her lap. "What kind of nonsense is this, Steve?" He opened the envelope and pulled out the paper copies. "Is this—" He fell silent upon observing the photocopies. "What is this?"

Mrs Farrow picked up a paper where Myra was staring out the window in her engagement dress. She covered her mouth, inhaling sharply.

"Edward has been sketching her ever since she entered his world," I announced. My parents came closer to observe the sketches. "He is keeping track of everything that is happening around her." They all turned into statues in shock. I cleared my throat to reveal more. "I wrote a message on the back of the sketch..." They all looked up at me. "And...he replied."