Dancing On The Edge Of A Knife

48. Terrace

Ester continued to look around the mansion. Ever since Stacy pulled Sierra aside to talk to her, which was almost half an hour ago, Ester was left alone.

She was starting to get a head ache and honestly was slightly annoyed too. If Sierra planned on spending the whole night with Stacy then what's the point of Ester being there as well?

Ester just shook her head and decided to look for a more quiet spot. If Sierra decided to come back and see that Ester was gone, she could call her. But for now Ester was not going to stand there and wait around.

She made her way towards the deserted hallway, unaware of the pair of eyes following her every move. She sighed in relief once she reached it without further interruptions and decided to walk into the hallway.

It got quieter the more steps she took. The hallway had a few doors but Ester only wanted to reach the end of the hallway, not invade someone's privacy by walking into one of those rooms. She just needed silence for a few minutes.

As she reached the end of the hallway, Ester saw that it led to another hallway. She was afraid of getting lost with a never ending hallway but saw that at the end of that hallway some light source seemed to be right around the corner.

Her feet lead her towards the light and she soon found herself standing in front of the doors to the terrace. She opened it and went outside, taking in the rather chilly breeze. It was comforting and Ester found herself smile at the scenery in front of her.

Despite how she felt about Jeremy, his garden looked beautiful. He must have many gardeners, Ester thought. She was so fascinated by it, she didn't even hear the quiet footsteps that came her way, much less the sound of sirens edging closer to Jeremy's residence.

"You seem a little lost." She jumped slightly and turned around, afraid she'd get in trouble for wandering off.
"I'm sorry." She quickly told Jeremy, who stood there with two glasses in his hands.

"Oh, don't worry. Mi casa es tu casa." He chuckled and thrust the glass in her direction.
"Want some punch?" He asked her and Ester nodded. She took the glass slowly as Jeremy smiled at her expectantly.

"It's a new recipe from the internet. Try it, it tastes amazing." He urged her and Ester glanced at the red liquid in her cup but had no intention on drinking it. She looked back up to meet his eyes.

"I should get back inside. Sierra's probably looking for me." She gave him a weak smile and moved to walk past him. But his hand shot out to grab her by the elbow.

"She'll be fine." Jeremy closed his eyes, inhaling her scent as he pulled her closer.
"You'll be fine." He continued, gently laying his head against hers.

Ester pulled her hand out of his and quickly moved away from him. She spilled the punch on the ground between them and watched Jeremy's eye twitch. He moved to get to her again as another voice interrupted them.

"Touch her one more time and you'll never be able to touch anything again." Devon roared as he stepped out onto the terrace, Mason right behind him, followed by two police officers.

"Devon." Ester whispered in relief and shock. Jeremy quickly turned around and frowned in bewilderment.
"Stone. What the hell are you doing here?" He stepped towards him.

"Saving my relationship and-" Devon stepped forward, inwardly burning with anger.
"-saving Tenakis from a psychopath." He finished and Mason nodded at the police officers to arrest him.

"Jeremy Kane, you have the right to remain silent. If you do say anything, what you say can be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult with a lawyer and have that lawyer present during any questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer-" The police officer handcuffed him as Jeremy struggled.

"You can't do this. You have no right, I didn't do anything!" He yelled but Mason stepped in front of him with a raised eyebrow.
"You should never give someone your phone if you have pictures on it that aren't supposed to be seen by anybody but you." Mason shook his head.

"You-"
"Ah, there's no need to start using abusive language. I am very sensitive, you know." Mason shrugged and stepped back. Jeremy clenched his jaw and then turned to look at Ester, who was still standing on the same spot, her face showing the same amount of confusion she was currently feeling.

"Everything I did was not enough, huh? The flowers, the texts, the compliments? Nothing!" He suddenly laughed like a maniac and shook his head soon after.

"I liked you. A lot. And it was going great. Your texts were... repulsive and... cute. But then he came into the picture." Jeremy gulped as he glared at Devon.

"Of course, the great Devon Stone. So charming and handsome, my own stepsister fell for him. Did you know, Ester." He turned back to look at her with disgust.
"He killed someone. He took someone's life. The same man you call your boyfriend, you share your bed with has killed a person. A fucking killer, Ester!" He spat out.

"Shut up you pathetic piece of garbage. Get him out of here." Mason growled and the officers started leading him back into the mansion. Mason followed suit and soon Devon and Ester were left alone. It was silent for quite a while but he could feel her eyes on him.

"Yes." He answered her unasked question and Ester started shaking.
"But I'm not a bad person." Devon shook his head and turned towards her.

"Ester, I love you." There, he finally said it. Devon gulped and continued before she could even comprehend what he just said.
"But I can't and I won't expect you to stay with me after what you just heard. And don't worry, I won't be upset. Devastated, yes but I can't blame you." Ester didn't answer. She didn't know how to.

Devon bit his lip, having a hard time trying not to take her in his arms, kiss her and continuously tell her he loved her. She needed time, he knew. And so he gave it to her. He turned around and walked away, making sure to tell his sister to get her before anything else happened to her.

The rest of the evening happened in a blur. Ester could hardly remember how she got home safely and when she changed into her pyjamas. But she remembered one thing that she saw right after Devon left.

A black cat at the other end of the terrace, staring right back at her.