Chapter 12 Electrician's Inspection
534 Words
I had been filled with hope, but now, anxiety set in. Why hadn't Hailey come? Did she not understand my call for help? Was she delayed by something? Or worse...
My thoughts spiraled into paranoia. Could Hailey have been bought off by Aidan?
After all, she had a good relationship with him because of me. Besides, I hadn't seen Aidan all day.
That night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. If I couldn't rely on Hailey, who could I trust? Helplessness engulfed me as I stared at the ceiling until dawn.
Just as I was drifting into sleep, I was jolted awake by a commotion downstairs.
Someone seemed to have come to visit. My heart leaped. Could it be Hailey?
I strained to listen, but the voices were male, and there were several of them.
The sounds moved from downstairs to the upper floor, growing louder. I couldn't make out what they were saying.
Suddenly, my door burst open. I sat up, startled.
Cathy entered with a man dressed in work clothes, carrying a toolbox. They were talking but stopped abruptly when they saw me. The man looked shocked, clearly not expecting anyone to be in the room, or maybe my appearance startled him.
Cathy quickly explained, "My mistress is ill. Please, don't disturb her. Do you need to check everywhere?"
The man nodded. "Yes, we need to inspect everywhere."
He then left the room, and I immediately asked Cathy, "What's going on? Who are they?"
"Property maintenance, checking the electrical circuits," she replied flatly. "Just stay in bed!"
I sighed and lay back down, feeling disappointed.
Of course, they were here to inspect the circuits after yesterday's outage.
Cathy shut the door behind her and followed the man out, cautioning him, "Be careful not to touch anything! Why do you need to check every room? It wasn't our fault!"
The man's response was firm. "We need to check for aging wires and any improper connections to ensure safety. Don't worry. We'll be quick."
I heard Alex crying downstairs, and Cathy shouted to the man, "Hurry up and don't touch anything! The study is over there. Just check it quickly if you must. I need to go downstairs. Hurry up, will you?"
Then, I heard her hurry downstairs.
Though unwilling, I had to admit that Cathy was devoted to Alex.
Then, the door swung open again. I looked up in shock and saw the same man from earlier dashed towards my bed.
Startled, I almost screamed, but he hushed me. "Shh! Don't make a sound!"
He opened his toolbox, pulled out a phone, and handed it to me. "From Hailey," he whispered before leaving rapidly.
I stared at him in shock and then clutched the phone, hiding it under the covers. My heart pounded painfully in my chest. At this moment, the shock and disbelief from earlier still lingered in my mind.
He was Hailey's contact!
A surge of relief and joy overwhelmed me as tears pricked my eyes. Finally, someone was helping me. I had a way to reach the outside world!
Lying in bed, I fought back my tears, a newfound strength rising within me. With this phone, I felt invincible.
- Writer
