Psychopath (EDITING)

36

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"Stephan, what happened earlier? You were calling out for—" I pause, softly turning around to face Stephan, "You were calling out for your mother. What happened?" My curiosity beating every sense in my body to just let it go. 

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"What?" Stephan whispers. His face is downturned towards his vacant hands in his lap. All oxygen gets torn out of my body, as I take in the sudden change in presence. I can see his face twitching and tensing, his breath coming out in small bursts. Feeling a ball of panic building in my stomach, I attempt to try and take back my words.

"Er... Umm y-you don't have to tell me. I— I was just... shocked," I sputter out, my own thoughts getting jumbled with my words. A dark shadow casts over Stephan's face as he clenches his fists.

"Just—" Stephan blurts out, his deep voice making my body jump and start to shake. My eyes widen as I watch Stephan mull over his words and looks visibly conflicted over something so difficult for him to handle. Seconds pass, until Stephan throws the bedsheet off of his tensed legs.

"Fuck," Stephan growls, and he heatedly crosses the room to the door, and slams it shut behind him.

Well, shit. 

Good job, Sarah.

You have successfully fucked yourself over.

Why the fuck did he react that way? My body freezes as I try to comprehend what just happened. I knew from the way he was calling out that it was something pretty scarring and raw for him, but I never thought he was that sensitive about one question. He could've just told me to fuck off and mind my own business and I would've been fine with that. But, now I'm just stuck with these weird emotions building up in the pit of my stomach and this weird weight hanging over my head.

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The day goes on, as I wander around Stephan's house, trying to figure out the layout of everything. I peek into a couple of rooms, very cautious of bumping into any mafia business such as people torturing others, or even killing someone. But, what I'm really scared of running into more than that is finding Stephan. I have a feeling that my presence isn't the best right now for his anger-management skills. 

The only positive of pissing off Stephan was that I was able to find out that not only does Stephan have an indoor pool and hot tub, but he also has a huge ballroom completely floored with marble and soaring pristine windows, and a massive wine cellar with rows and rows of slightly chilled luxury wines and champagnes. It took everything in me to not go in deeper and inspect every bottle and try out a few. However, I did go into Stephan's pool room, and carefully dipped my finger into the hot tub to feel the slight tingle of the heat crossing my skin. My whole body just wanted to go in and let my muscles slowly sink down and decompress, but there's no way in hell am I letting Stephan walk in on me doing that.

I've made it a small habit of going down to the kitchen, and quietly talking with the two maids down there. The older one is named Rose and she has been working for Stephan's family since he was a child. The younger one, Rose's daughter, is named Stephanie, but she prefers to go by Steph. She seems to be around my age, possibly older, and she is possibly the sweetest person I have ever met, besides Rose. Steph grew up with Stephan, but he always treated her like his little sister. While I was enjoying my small BLT that Rose made me, Rose starts to talk about where she used to work, back when she worked for Stephan's father.

"He was always so curt with us. At the time when I first worked for him, I was pregnant with Stephanie, but her father had just left us when he found out. Without a job, and no money to support Stephanie and I, Stephan's father found us at one of his clubs, and decided to let us stay with him, as long as we would both cook and clean for him. At first, it was a pretty good deal, I was able to safely deliver Steph and he paid for her clothes and furniture that she needed." Rose smiles fondly at the memory, her fragile hands wrapping carefully around Stephs. 

"But, Stephan's parent's relationship started to turn very dark, and I became very scared for our safety with him." Rose's face turns a bit grey, as she takes a deep breath. Steph placed a soft hand on her back, and I stop eating to check to make sure she is okay. Softly nodding, Rose gave me a weak smile, and went back to cleaning the dishes. As Steph starts to wipe down the counter, I finish the last bite of the sandwich.

"Rose... Would you be able to tell me anything about—" I pause, rethinking my actions behind Stephan's back. Do I really want to know what made Stephan so traumatized? But, my stupid curiousity kept pushing me to at least find out what Rose thought of her.

"Would you be able to tell me anything about Stephan's mother?" I weakly ask, afraid of Stephan walking in on us and getting mad at me. Cautiously pausing, I see Rose glance to the far door before continuing.

"Stephan's mother. Olivia. She is the biggest reason why I stick around with this family. She was the sweetest, most innocent person I have ever met in my whole life. The way she talked, the way she smiled, she was so pure and bouncy. I could honestly say that she was my closest and most cherished friend ever," Rose smiles before continuing, "But the way she loved Stephan... Her whole world revolved around him. Everything she did, she did it all with Stephan's best interests in mind. It's just a shame," Rose's lip starts to quiver, as her voice gets caught in her throat.

Panicking that I might have pushed Rose too far and made her uncomfortable, I try to tell her stop as I round the counter and place my hand on her back. Calming down, Rose quickly wipes away a tear from her face.

"Thank you, Sarah. I'm sorry, but it's not my place to say anything more than that. If he chooses not to say anything, I'm sure he has a good reason for it. His mother taught him well. He might not seem like it, but he still is the same innocent little boy who was adored by his mother. He is still human. Please remember that next time he decides to treat you horribly." Rose motherly smiles at me, making my heart jump from this feeling that I have never felt before. 

My mother... She never smiled at me like that...

As the sun set, I sat in Stephan's bed, mulling over every single thought in my head. I haven't seen him since the morning, as I glance over at the clock on the nightstand.

11:45pm.

I could just fall asleep now, I mean, why the fuck am I even waiting for him. My body surprises me as I actually find myself concerned for Stephan. Maybe it was because of the way Rose was talking about him... 

Maybe it's something else terrifying.

Do I have feelings for him?