Chapter 6
She would try running away. Another day, another time.
But for the meantime, Valentina decided on staying home. After Remy brought her back home, she had gone back to bed in shame, unable to face the questioning eyes of her mother in law or the faces that had remained outside worried about her disappearance. She slept alone on the large bed, Remy didn't speak to her for the rest of the night.
When she finally woke up, she was served breakfast in bed. A plate of scrambled eggs, toast, sausages and coffee. Mercifully, neither Ellen or Remy had come looking for her so she spent her time eating breakfast alone. Then she freshened up and changed into something much more comfortable. Some sweatpants and shirt she had found in the closet.
She contemplated going leaving the room but was strangely worried about seeing Remy after everything that had happened. She was even worried about seeing his mother again. She had embarrassed herself by running away, with no concrete plan.
Thankfully nothing had happened to her, but the embarrassment from last night still lingered. How Remy carried her all the way home. Although he didn't complain, she knew that his arms must have been very tired.
She should see him at least, thank him for the night.
She thought.
But she made no move to stand up, she sat at the edge of the bed contemplating her choices till a knock jolted her out of her thoughts.
"Who's that?"
She asked.
"Remy."
The husky deep voice said.
"Come in."
She answered.
She quickly ran a hand through her hair, she was in dire need of a proper haircut, looking at the mirror had showed her that whoever cut her hair did a shabby job at it. The ends were jarring and uneven, they made her feel insecure and her face small and round.
Remy walked in as he shrugged his jacket off. He looked just like he looked the night before, only this time a little tired. He had his boots from last night on and the same jeans from last night too. Valentina briefly wondered if he had gotten any sleep if he was still in those jeans. His hair was in a bun at the nape of his neck, she wondered just how long it was.
"Just here to pick up some stuff."
He murmured as he disappeared into the closet.
Valentina waited patiently till he came back out again, this time with a fresh T-shirt in his hand and a pair of jeans.
He glanced at her. Briefly.
"Good morning."
Valentina murmured.
"Good morning."
He replied.
She wanted to say the words thank you. But they refused to come out of her mouth.
"I have things to do this morning. But the doctor said you need to get back into your former routine so you can regain your memories faster, so my mother will help you with that."
"Where are you going?"
She asked out of the blue.
Remy glanced at her. He looked like he was equally surprised by her question.
"Errands."
"Try not to run away this time."
Valentina frowned.
"I won't. As long as you don't try to keep me prisoner here!"
Remy scoffed.
"You're not a prisoner."
She folded her arms and pursed her lips like a petulant child.
"I'll believe that when you actually let me leave here."
Remy raised an eyebrow.
"You're free to leave. As long as you tell me where you're going and come back home before dark."
"I shouldn't have to do all that."
Remy nodded.
"Oh you have to. Because I'm your husband and..."
He restrained himself, but Valentina saw that there was more he wanted to say.
"What? Husband and what?"
She persisted and he shrugged as he massaged his forehead.
"Never mind."
He murmured as he stormed out of the room.
Ellen came over shortly after. Happy and smiling like she had not just escaped from her grasp the night before. She didn't even as much as mention it. But she dragged Valentina out of the room saying she had something to show her.
"Come here."
Ellen urged as she led her to the door at the end of the hallway.
"What is it you want to show me?"
Valentina asked but Ellen shook her head.
"Close your eyes. It's a surprise."
Reluctantly, she closed her eyes and let Ellen lead her into the room, she waited patiently till she heard the sound of a light switch and Ellen urging her to open her eyes.
"Ta-da!!!!"
She screamed as Valentina opened her eyes.
It was a room.
A painting room it seemed.
With several covered canvases and a nice balcony with big windows.
What was she supposed to be looking at?!
She wondered as she turned to Ellen who's smile was flickering.
Ellen was patiently waiting for a reaction. Her reaction.
"It's a painting room?"
"Yes! Your painting room! Does it bring back memories?! Do you remember anything?!"
She asked eagerly and Valentina shook her head.
"I'm afraid it doesn't."
Ellen sighed. She sounded mildly disappointed.
"Well, if you weren't holed up in your room, you were always here. We could never tell what you were painting though, you rarely showed us."
She moved towards the nearest canvas and removed the tarp on it.
Ellen gasped in shock at the painting. Valentina felt uneasy.
"I-I- drew this?!"
She asked and Ellen nodded slowly, her hand to her mouth.
"I'm afraid so."
Valentina couldn't recall the feeling of a brush in her hands. Or even remotely wanting to pick up a brush. And the painting right in front of her looked too dark to be something she could draw. It was dark, incorrigible and macabre. She doubted she had anything to do with them.
She moved and uncovered all the paintings.
They were similar in theme. Dark, barely decipherable and grotesque looking.
"Well!!! You certainly have a penchant for these..."
Ellen murmured.
Valentina noticed her uneasiness.
"Seems like it."
She murmured.
"You said I spent most of my time here?"
Ellen nodded.
"A lot of time."
"Maybe if I paint again I'll remember it."
She murmured and Ellen nodded.
"I suppose so. You may have lost your memory but that doesn't mean you lost your ability to paint."
Ellen ran to the end of the room and grabbed a tin of paint brushes.
"Here!! Why don't you start with something?"
Well. She had nothing to do, she might as well try to remember something useful.
She accepted the tin of paint brushes and the pallet that came after.
Ellen fussed around as she managed to set up a white canvas outside the spacious balcony for her to sit and paint.
"The sky is lovely today. Maybe you can try painting that."
She suggested as Valentina sat on the stool, her eyes on the blank canvas.
She didn't have the faintest clue to what she was supposed to be doing.
"Okay."
She murmured as she picked up the brush.
Ellen was behind her, her breathing audible. Valentina was strangely irritated.
"Maybe some privacy?"
"I promise I won't run away. I'd probably paint better alone."
She explained and Ellen nodded.
"Right. I'll have someone stay by the door."
She sounded mildly hurt. But Valentina didn't feel pity for her. If she was to remember, she had to get into her former routine.
Maybe painting was the route that could help. She needed no distractions.
Ellen left, shutting the door quietly behind her and Valentina stared at the blank canvas.
She picked up a thinner paint brush and dipped it in black.
What was she doing? She thought as she stared at the blank canvas.
She must have stared at it for hours, but it had only been five minutes, when she finally started painting, Valentina knew there was no way she was an actual painter.
Her strokes were amateur at best and she really didn't know where or what to start.
After a while she dropped the brush and looked at the canvas.
What was she even trying to draw?!
She asked herself as she tried to make meaning of the lines and strokes.
Oh yes, the sky outside.
What she had made looked like something a child would have scribbled on the wall.
Well... Ellen wasn't going to like it.
She dropped the brush and went to examine some of the finished work. Only one of them wasn't all that bad.
In fact, when she stared at it longer, she realized that it was pretty good. It was hiding at the back of the room where the supplies were, covered with tarp and dust.
It was a painting of Remy. Valentina wondered why it was hidden, from the looks of it, it was fairly recent. In fact, very recent. It was also a remarkable painting. Remy was walking on a lone path and the shadow around him, it was a...
Valentina squinted to see if she could believe her eyes. She could. It was a wolf. The shadow around him was that of a wolf.
She stared at it for much longer before dropping the painting.
She looked around the room and decided it was time to leave.
She didn't think she'd be coming back anytime soon.
Maybe she didn't feel like painting at the moment.
Outside the door, there was someone waiting for her just like Ellen said.
"Hi. My name is Isaac."
He said and she nodded.
"I want to take a walk. Around the compound."
She muttered as she walked past him. He followed her.
Valentina glanced at him.
"Are you my bodyguard or something? Why are you following me?"
She asked and he shrugged.
"I was given strict orders not to leave you alone."
She groaned, but didn't reply.
"Whatever then."
She finally murmured as she walked away.
Outside the house she spotted around three people.
Two at the gate and one at the garage fixing a car.
"How many people actually live here?!"
She asked in bewilderment.
Isaac chuckled.
"A lot."
She turned to him.
"Do you live here?!"
She asked and he nodded.
Ugh.
"It's a big house."
Isaac said and Valentina didn't reply.
She walked towards the garden again, then she heard barking and stopped.
"Is there? Is there a dog here?!"
She asked and Isaac grinned as he nodded.
"Mr Chops."
"Mr Chops?"
Valentina repeated as she tried to see if she could remember him.
Nothing came up.
"Can I see him?!"
Isaac looked taken aback.
"You sure?!"
He asked.
Before Valentina could reply a large grey wolf dog appeared and ran towards her.
Her eyes widened as she saw the size of it.
That was not a dog!
Was it?!
The dog jumped on her and she patted it slowly.
"Mr Chops?!"
She called out in surprise as she patted his head.
No way such a scary looking dog like him was named Mr Chops. She thought as she finally smiled at him.
She crouched on the floor and petted him some more. Isaac stood rigid staring at the two of them.
"What's wrong?"
She finally asked and he shook his head.
"Nothing... it's just that... you never let Mr Chops near you."
"Why? Why is that?"
She asked as the large dog settled in her arms.
"You said you had allergies. And the last time the two of you got too close, Mr Chops wouldn't stop barking. You hated each other."