The Hospital.....
"Claris?"
"Can I please have the room with her.....I need to talk to her in private"Claris said to Mrs Vibbles.
"Sure ma'am....I'll be in the lobby"Mrs Vibbles replied before she stepped out, and Claris locked the door.
"Is it really necessary to lock the door?"Ariana asked.
"Yes, I don't want anyone interrupting us"Claris replied.
"What do you want Claris?"Ariana asked.
"He did all this for you right? You must really enjoy making another woman's fianceé chase after you"Claris replied.
But ofcourse, this had to be about nothing else but Ashton.
"He just helped me and saved my life when I was in danger.... there's nothing more to it"Ariana said.
"Oh come on, nothing to it? All this, the roses, the fruits, paying your medical bills.... nothing to it!"Claris exclaimed.
"He's even neglecting his work, because of you.....he spends more time looking after you than me or the company"Claris added.
"He's just concerned Claris, I don't want anything to do with your fiancé....he's yours, you don't have to be so paranoid"Ariana calmly replied.
"Ariana, you know how much he loves you....Ashton will never leave you unless you leave him"Claris said.
"Don't be a homewrecker.....just leave already, leave so he can finally pay attention to what really matters than waste his time on you"Claris added...
She was desperate.
How could Ariana explain her situation to her, that she couldn't leave right now even if she wanted to.
"This will never be over until I say it's over"
"No matter where you go, I'll always find you"
Ashton had already warned her about leaving him again.....and there was also the Sky Core Project that was tasked to her.
"Yes, I'll leave.....as long as you promise to stop him from ever finding me...can you do that Claris?"Ariana asked.
The truth was, not even his own mother can't stop him from looking for Ariana, much less Claris who holds no value in his life.
How could she stop him?
"Well, if you hide yourself properly, I won't have to stop him from finding you"Claris replied.
"I can't believe you'd resort to this, asking me to leave....the almighty Claris, but I'll grant your request, you won't see me ever again after completing my work"Ariana said.
"I'm just protecting what's mine, you don't love Ashton anymore right, so this won't be hard for you"Claris replied.
"I'll be leaving now, keep your end of the bargain"Claris added, before she unlocked the door and left.
A jealous woman, that's what Ariana labelled her as...so insecure that she brought nothing while visiting a patient at the hospital.
Of all women he chose to get engaged to, he chose a woman like her.....
What an everlasting marriage of sadness he'll get himself into.....thanks to Claris, Ariana was even more motivated to leave...
Meanwhile....
The Mall...
"Welcome to Fanny's Boutique and collections, sir....what can we get you today"
Ashton was welcomed as soon as he entered.
"I can't believe he dragged me here all the way from the office so he can go for shopping....what was he thinking!"Tobe thought to himself.
"Women's clothes..."Ashton replied.
"Oh, are you buying for your wife, fiancé or your girlfriend" the lady asked.
And Tobe anxiously waited for his answer, what was he going to call Ariana this time.
"Wife.."Ashton replied.
"What???"Tobe almost lost it.
The mere fact that he was willing to come to the mall, something he has never done before.....and buy expensive things for her....Ariana was a lot more important for his boss than he'd expected.
"This way...sir, you can choose whatever you like and believe fits to your wife's expectations"the lady said, showing him all the various collections that were inside.
Fanny's Boutique, a place Ariana liked to come often...her favorite shopping place.
"If you're to ever buy something from the mall for me, I'd really appreciate if it came from Fanny's Boutique"
He could still remember what she told him four years ago.....he treasured his memories of her.
He hated the mall, but if it was for her....he'd forget about his hate for malls for a while.
Taking a close look at every single thing present, Ashton picked out only those that Ariana loved....from clothes, shoes, hand bags... everything a woman like her would need....while Tobe suffered carrying it all.
"Is he buying the whole place?"Tobe asked himself.
"This, this, this, pack everything well....my wife deserves the best"Ashton said.
"Alright sir, your wife is very lucky to have a husband like you"the lady replied.
How many times had they seen a man like him come to the boutique to shop for his lover, most customers were always women... claiming their husbands or boyfriends were always busy.
Yet this man had time to come here personally and chose what was best for the woman he loved.....she was indeed very lucky....
The other ladies couldn't help but whisper amongst themselves, admiring him, Ashton's figure was outstanding..
Besides his good looks and physique... acted like a gentleman.
"Next time, please bring her with you..."
The Hospital....
"Excuse me nurse, where is Dr James?"Ariana asked the nurse who'd come to check on her.
"He's in a meeting with the dean and the other doctors" the nurse replied.
"How long will the meeting take?"Ariana asked again.
"An hour or two at most, please rest a bit more, he'll come to check on you later" the nurse replied before she left.
That was all she needed to hear, Dr James was caught up, and Ashton wasn't around....no one could stop her from leaving the hospital.
Ariana removed the IV drip and all the small bandages they'd put on her.
She wore the clothes that had been kept aside for her by Mrs Vibbles.....and stepped out of the private room without being noticed.
She used the stairs to go all the way down to the underground parking lot, where Mrs Vibbles was already waiting for her, in her car....to take her to the new apartment she'd be living in.
Deep down, she felt so guilty.... leaving without saying anything to anyone, especially Ashton.
"This time, call me if anything comes up"
"I'm just a phone call away"
Ariana was hesitant to dail his number and call him.....he'd never let her go if she called and told him.
With his power and influence, he'd even have the whole hospital locked down just to stop her from leaving.
It was best to leave quietly.....leave without a trace.
"Ariana, are you sure you're okay?"Mrs Vibbles asked.
"Yes I'm fine, let's just go...."Ariana replied.
"If you're worried about your meds, I already got them for you, plus some new bandages"Mrs Vibbles said.
That was the least of her worries....how would Ashton react if he came back and found her gone? after everything he'd done just for her.
Her phone rang that very moment, Ashton was the one calling..... but she didn't answer.
All the three times he called..she didn't pick up....and just watched the phone ring.
What would she lie to him next?
~~~~~
Wherever Ashton was, he felt uneasy..... especially after she didn't answer his calls.
He could feel that something was wrong.
Ariana didn't answer, so he called James to check on her...but James didn't pick up either.
This made him worry more than he already was.
He dropped every urgent thing he had to do and rushed back to the hospital...just to see if she was fine, but in the private room....no one was there.
He searched everywhere but Ariana was no where to be found.
She was gone.
She had disappeared.
Ariana left without a trace.