Falling in Love : I love you, Today and Forever

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ivy reached her home. She was in great excitement as she would be meeting Joshua sooner than she had expected. Her heart was thundering with joy with every second she reached closer to her house. Ronnie and Kaito were still following her even though there was absolutely not necessary for it. However, Ivy did not comment a thing about it. She only cared about reaching home.

To her surprise, the moment she reached home, she was welcomed by an empty house. Joshua was nowhere to be seen. She searched every nook and corner, but to no avail. He was not inside. She could only sigh in distress and wait for his return.

It was somewhere past evening and Joshua would be returning home soon. So, she decided to prepare dinner for him although she was quite tired. Ronnie took his leave right after she reached home and Kaito made his way towards the outhouse where he stayed. So, she was alone at home. 

Time passed and it was somewhere past dinner time. However, there was no news of Joshua and Ivy was getting impatient as seconds ticked by. She called him to check upon him. But no one picked up and this continued for a long time until it was past midnight. Ivy went into panic mode and she could not help but worry for him. Her excited heart was now beating loudly in fear and she did not what to do. "Joshua, please pick up the call. I hope everything is fine. I hope you are okay." She muttered lightly.

When she was comprehending what to do next, the door opened and Joshua entered. He seemed to be tired and his eyes looked dull. Ivy rushed to him immediately, her face filled with concern. The man was surprised to see the girl home and he halted in his place. 

Before he could speak a word, Ivy started to bombard him with questions. "Joshua, where the hell have you been? I have been calling you for a long time. Why did you not pick the phone? Is everything alright?" Ivy went closer to him but stopped immediately. Joshua reeked of alcohol and she furrowed her eyebrows. 

"Joshua, did you drink?" Ivy asked. But that was a wrong move. Something triggered in the man and his expression changed altogether.

"Why? Do you also have a problem with that?" 

"What? No, I was just.."

"Listen, Ivy, I am not anybody's puppet. I do what I want and I follow my heart, not anybody's orders. Don't you dare control me," Joshua warned and his sudden change in behavior stunned Ivy. She gaped at him in horror and wondered what was wrong with him.

"Joshua, what are you talking about? When did I try to control you? I was just worried about you." Ivy tried to reason out with him. But the man only walked away from her and removed his tie and threw it onto the floor in anger. He then dragged his body towards his room only to stopped by Ivy.

"Joshua, have something before you go to sleep."

"I am not hungry." That was all he said before he walked away leaving Ivy all alone in the hall. The girl was heartbroken seeing his weird behavior. He had never treated her this way. Before they had started dating, he was a flirt and he would always try to flirt or annoy her. Once they started dating, the man would never leave an opportunity to be with her. He would cling to her like an octopus asking her for hugs and kisses like a little kid. 

Seeing his indifferent behavior today, Ivy was hurt. Although she was not angry at him, she could not help but feel sad. She had been hungry since the time she had arrived home, but her appetite vanished after Joshua returned home and she was in no mood to eat. 

Ivy dragged her body to the first floor and glanced at Joshua's room, the door to which was closed. Devastated, she then went to the guest room. The man who would pester her to sleep in his room had not even looked at her clearly that night. Both of them slept separately, each drowning in their own thoughts.

The next day.

Joshua got up with a killer headache and he held his head in despair. It felt as though someone was hammering his head with the way his head ached. He searched for some Advil in the drawer and took two pills. It took him some time to feel better and slowly his headache reduced. 

The man then freshened up and went downstairs only to stop suddenly. There was a large number of dishes on the table, more than what he ate normally. His maid only prepared a few dishes for him and it would be Ivy who would cook more dishes. As soon as the thought came to his mind, his eye brightened up. He wondered if Ivy was actually home and if she was the one who had cooked the food.

Joshua's happiness knew no bounds now and just like how Ivy had done the previous night, Joshua went around the house searching for her. But he could not find her anywhere. It was somewhere around nine in the morning. "I guess she must have gone to meet Max on work."

Joshua then sat down at the dining table and opened the dishes one by one. To his surprise, the dishes had gone cold and from the looks of it, they seemed to have been prepared a long time ago. Joshua's face scrunched up in confusion and he wondered what was even happening.

Things did not add up correctly and he decided to place a call to Ivy, but the number was unreachable. He tried again, only to meet the same fate. He then remembered about Kaito. The man was to guard Ivy at all costs and if Ivy was not at home, then he would surely know where she was. So, he called him immediately and to Joshua's relief, Kaito picked up the phone.

"Kaito, where are you?"

"I am at the outhouse, Master."

"Then, where is Ivy?"

"Miss is at home, Master." The man replied in confusion.

"She is not at home." Joshua gritted his teeth, his mind clearly unable to think properly now.

"How could that be? She did not tell me about her schedule for today nor did I see her going out." Kaito jumped off his bed and rushed out of the outhouse towards the main house. Where could Ivy go without informing anybody? This was unlike her. She would usually leave a message to Joshua if she were to go without meeting him. This was the first time where neither Joshua nor Kaito knew where she had gone.