91. Wicked Offer!

When Clarice stepped outside she was confused. She saw nothing but darkness. She was deeply disappointed because she didn't see her husband and son. Demetria stood beside her, smirking. Clarice looked at her in puzzlement. Then she finally realized Demetria had tricked her! "I see you are disappointed because you didn't see your husband and son, am I right?" Demetria asked, smiling in amusement. Clarice was furious. "Why are you playing with my emotions like this?" she asked, teary-eyed. Demetria sighed. "You keep telling me that you don't want your family here because you don't want them to be prisoners like you. But deep inside you are desperately hoping that I will bring them here. See the difference? You are just being hard on yourself, dear." Tears sprang from Clarice's eyes. She took a deep breath. "You are right." She finally admitted the truth. Her heart got excited about nothing. "Let's get back inside the house. The night is getting colder," Demetria said. Clarice followed Demetria back to the living room. "Have you been to my house? Have you seen my husband and son?" she inquired. "Yes, I went there and discovered something alarming," Demetria replied, lowering herself to the sofa. "Huh?" Clarice's brows furrowed and she was suddenly tensed. "What do you mean? What did you see in my house?" she asked, knowing full well that Demetria could enter her house undetected because she could turn herself invisible at a whim. Demetria looked straight into Clarice's eyes. "Be strong, dear. There is another woman living in your house right now," she revealed the bad news. Shocked, Clarice's brows snapped together. "What do you mean? Who is the woman? Who is she? Did you know her name?" she asked, dreading hearing the news that her husband had already found a woman to replace her, too soon for her liking. "I heard your husband call her Viviana. Do you know her?" Demetria asked, studying Clarice's reaction. "Whaaat? His ex-wife? Viviana is back in my husband's life? They are back together? This can't be!" Clarice said, shaking her head in disbelief. A mixture of sadness, shock and surprise marred her pretty face. Tears quickly filled her eyes. Demetria sighed. "Well, on the good side, I think they are not intimate yet. I can see the coldness in your husband's eyes. They are not holding or touching hands. Your husband displays aloof behavior towards Viviana. So, I guess no reconciliation is happening yet between the two of them. And I saw a baby girl, probably Viviana's daughter?" she asked. Clarice nodded her head. "Yes, the baby is Viviana's daughter with my husband." "Oh..." Demetria murmured. Clarice fought hard not to cry. There are still so many things she wants to ask. "Why is Viviana in my house? Do you know the reason why?" she asked. "Based on what I heard from the maids, Viviana's house accidentally caught fire and was burned down. So your husband brought the mother and daughter to the mansion to give them shelter. That's all I know," Demetria answered. "That makes sense. My husband was just trying to give his daughter shelter. It's his responsibility," Clarice murmured as great relief washed over her. She was trying to convince herself that her husband was just trying to be nice to his ex-wife. After all, they had a daughter together. But she was also aware that as time passed by, her husband and Viviana might reconcile if she couldn't go back to her old life quickly. She closed her eyes as disturbing thoughts filled her mind. "Are you okay, dear?" Demetria asked, concerned. Clarice opened her eyes and replied, "I'm fine. How about my son? I miss him so much. Is he okay?" Demetria smiled. "Caden is a nice kid. Don't worry about him, he's fine." Clarice feels relieved after hearing that her son is doing fine without her. "But I noticed that Viviana was trying to capture Caden's attention. She treats your son right though. Maybe she was trying to gain your son's trust and affection and wanting to become his stepmother in the long run," Demetria commented casually. Tears sprang from Clarice's eyes. Hearing the news from home filled her heart with sadness and loneliness. She couldn't bear it anymore. She broke down in tears. Demetria looked at her in puzzlement. "Why are you crying, dear? Are you scared that your husband and his ex-wife will reconcile, and you will be forgotten by your husband and your son?" Demetria's question gutted her. She would be a hypocrite if she didn't admit that she felt jealous of Viviana's presence in her house. The pain is painfully squeezing her inside right now. "Do you want me to get your son and bring him here? Or do you want me to kill Viviana so that you will feel at ease?" Demetria suggested. Shocked, Clarice looked at Demetria, startled by her offer. "No, don't bring my son here! My husband has already suffered a lot after my disappearance. Now you will take away my son too?" Demetria sighed. "Fine. I won't bring your son here. How about Viviana? Would you just let her take your place in your husband's heart? If that woman continues to stay in your house with your husband, sooner or later, they will reconcile," she commented casually. "Why should you care? Why?" Clarice asked, agitated. "In fact, this is all your fault! If you had released me quickly from the very beginning, that woman couldn't go back to the mansion!" Demetria groaned, annoyed. "I'm trying to help you, but you are not helping yourself! You don't want me to bring your family here, and you don't want me to kill that woman for you. I'm trying to help you, but you are refusing all my help. I can't understand you at all!" she said in frustration. Clarice gritted her teeth in anger. "That's the problem, you know what I want! I want to go home. Yet you don't want to release me. I'm not a problem here. You are the problem!" she yelled indignantly. "What's wrong with you? I have told you a dozen times that I owned your life after saving you from death. You can no longer go home. Your life is mine. You no longer belong to anyone. The sooner you accept your fate, the better for you. Let's continue talking tomorrow when your mind is calm. My offers still stand, everything is up to you," Demetria said in an irked tone. Clarice didn't reply. Her heart was broken into a million pieces after learning that Viviana hadn't wasted time and moved back swiftly into the mansion. Demetria walked to the staircase and began climbing the stairs, leaving Clarice behind, sobbing miserably on the sofa. Clarice's loud weeping echoed around the living room. Half an hour later, Clarice was done crying. She stood up, closed the main door and retired to her room. Lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, Clarice couldn't sleep. It's clear what Viviana's intention is when she returns to the mansion. That woman has lots of money. She could always buy another house or rent a temporary house, but she chose to return to the mansion. Viviana wants to reconcile with her husband and reclaim what is rightfully hers. She couldn't blame her though. She was frustrated that she couldn't do anything in her current helpless situation. Fresh tears sprang from her eyes. She couldn't help it, she began crying again. How to escape Demetria's clutches? Until now, she couldn't find a safe path down into the ground. Escaping the place is impossible unless she can hover in the air or teleport. How about Viviana? Would she accept Demetria's offer to end that woman's life? Is she evil enough to end one's life without remorse? After a long internal debate, she realized the perfect woman for her ex-husband was his ex-wife since they were a couple before she came into their lives. But she was not sure if Viviana would treat her son sincerely once her husband accepted her back into his life. Pain and confusion bombarded her chaotic mind. Clarice had a hard time sleeping that night. The things happening in her life are getting complicated and difficult. It's all because of Kaspar, Aurelia and Demetria. They started this whole nightmare! The last thing lingering in her mind before she fell asleep was the question: should she agree to Demetria's offer to kill Viviana?