MY MOUTH opened, but I didn’t know what to say to the man who was now standing in the middle of the door while smiling at me.


    “Are you not hungry?” He asked me.


    Hence, I couldn’t help but hold my stomach when it boiled again.


    The man sighed and looked at his wristwatch.


    “It’s already ten in the morning. Aren’t you hungry yet?” He asked me again.


    “Um-”


    “Oh, damn!” he shook his head. “You’re really weird, Antonio Hideo Colombo. You will bring a woman here to your house, and then you will not feed her.” He said that although it was a whisper, I heard it clearly.


    My forehead furrowed as I stared seriously at his face. Did he mention Hideo’s full name? Antonio Hideo Colombo? That’s the name of the man who kidnapped me and imprisoned me on this ind?


    “Come on, let’s go downstairs. I know you’re hungry.”


    When I felt a little awkward because of the way he was staring at me, I barely looked away. “Um, I-I can’t leave this room. Hideo might be mad at me again.” I said.


    “Nah!” He walked closer to my ce. “He’s not here. He will be back hereter in the evening. So,e on. Let’s go to the kitchen and let’s eat.”


    He left! That’s why he didn’te to my room to give me food or even tell me before he left earlier that I should just go down to the kitchen to eat. What if this man is not here now? I will just wait here in the room all day because I thought he was here at his house.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    “I’m Guilherme, by the way!”


    After a few seconds, I looked at his hand extended in front of me. Yeah! I know his name. It’s not the first time I’ve seen him.


    But instead of epting his hand, I raised my face again to look him in the eyes. His eyes are puffy and deep ck, and his eyshes are long. His eyebrows are also thick, like Hideo’s. As I stared at his entire face, I felt like his face was familiar to me. I feel like I’ve seen him before, but I just can’t remember where.


    “Um, my hand is clean. I washed well after I defecated earlier.” He refrained fromughing because of his jokes with me.


    Later, I couldn’t stop smiling because of what he said. I was unable to do anything but ept his hand.


    “I’m… I’m Ysolde!” I introduced myself to him.


    “Yeah, I know! Jule told me.” He said so and released my hand. “So, let’s go downstairs? Let’s eat first.”


    “Won’t your boss be angry with me?” I asked worriedly. Maybeter, Hideo will suddenlye and see me downstairs and get angry with me.


    “He wille hometer tonight. We talked earlier. He is in Davao because he has a meeting there. So, don’t worry, and if it pleases you, get out of the house to breathe fresher air at the beach. Don’t worry about Hideo.” He smiled at me.


    Oh, yeah? Really? Will he allow me to go out of the house? Oh, he looks friendly, unlike Hideo. But wait… perhaps this Guilherme is just testing me? It might beter he will also report me to Hideo when I get out of here!


    “N-not anymore. He might even know that-”


    “It’s just the two of us here, Ysolde. And I won’t tell the boss about this. So if I were you,e on.” He cut me off.


    He immediately turned around and started walking out of the room. I am still having second thoughts because of what he said.


    “Come on!”


    Oh, whatever! I suddenly stood up from my seat and walked out of the room. I just followed him until we got down the stairs and reached the kitchen. There is food that is already on the table.


    “Have a sit! Let’s eat together.”


    The more I looked at the food on the table, the more hungry I felt. It’s been three days since I arrived here on this ind, and I haven’t been able to eat good food like what I’ve seen now for three days. So instead of just staring at the food on the table, I immediately sat on a chair and started eating.


    “Take it easy! No one is stealing from you.”


    I heard him say whileughing and looking at me. I just shyly smiled at him and picked up my food.Andter, we both fell silent in our seats. He probably noticed that my full attention was focused on eating, so he didn’t speak to me. Until we both finish.


    “Excuse me!” I said as I burped loudly.


    “Looks like the boss isn’t feeding you properly.” He said.


    I just smiled sparingly. “Thank you.”


    “Do you want to go outside? Do you want to go for a walk on the beach?”


    “Um, can I?” I asked him back.


    But instead of answering my question, he got up from his seat, walked to the refrigerator, and got some cold water. After he finished drinking, he faced me again.


    “Let’s go. I will apany you.”


    I immediately stood up from my seat when he started walking out of the kitchen. Just like earlier, I just followed him until we went out of the house.


    As soon as we got down to thenai, I immediately closed my eyes tightly and took a deep breath to breathe in the fresh airing from the ocean. I held it in my chest for a moment before releasing it into the air. The scent of the wind thates from the vast ocean is rxing. It gives me a chill. Oh, all I thought was that I would always be locked in that room. I thought, after what happenedst night, I wouldn’t be able to leave the house again because of Hideo. It’s a good thing that Guilherme is here now. He allows me to go out of the house. Even though I’m imprisoned on this ind, at least I can go out of the house.


    “Why did Hideo bring you here?”


    I opened my eyes when I heard Guilherme’s question. When I turned to look at him, he was already standing next to me. Staring at me seriously.


    I let out a light but deep sigh into the air again before casting my eyes into the distance.


    “That’s also what I want to ask Hideo… or you,” I said. “Why did he kidnap me and bring me here?” My eyes are at the end of the ocean. “And I know… I know you know why he kidnapped me and brought me here.” I looked at him again. Later, I took off my slippers and started walking toward the seashore. When I looked back at Guilherme, he didn’t follow me. He remained standing in his ce and just watched over me.


    He just let me walk on the beach.


    I can feel in my feet the soft and fine sand, even the small wavespping on the beach.