Ariana walked into the Malus' Mansion and was immediately blinded by all the lights. Polished white floors reflected crystal chandeliers, making the whole room feel like one large crystal. They were quickly greeted by an older man and woman whom didn't seem to be much older than Jake. Ariana assumed that they were most likely Mr. and Mrs. Malus. 

Mr. Malus had black hair, which was slowly graying, and blue eyes like Jake's. Mrs. Malus on the other hand, had brown hair and amber eyes. Surprisingly, Jake looked nothing like his father's wife. Ariana had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Malus had remarried. Mr. Malus reached forward and took Ariana's hand in greeting. 

"Hello," he said warmly. "You must be the lovely Ariana. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I am John, and this is my wife Marie."

Marie smiled, but didn't say anything to her; she simply stood silently.

"The pleasure is all mine," Ariana said to John. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you my dear," he responded. He then turned on his heel, and walked into the house with Marie following him like a dog.

Jake grabbed Ariana's hand, pulling her into the rest of the mansion. Following a similar theme to that of Jake's, the house was constructed with white ceilings, floors, and walls, which made the whole house feel like stepping into one large iceberg. A large and sparkling crystal chandelier was suspended from the ceiling, which somehow made the room even brighter. Jake pulled her into another large room, reminiscent of his ballroom. Ariana now realized that Jake's mansion was actually a smaller and more condensed replica of his parents'. Now seeing the familiar rooms in large proportions, the mansion seemed even more grand, and herself even more small. 

Looking across the room, she noticed other couples dancing to classical music. Many of the women were wearing dresses similar to Ariana's, with her's being the most revealing. She blushed, now realizing what everyone must think of her. Looking around once more she recognized Iesha and Harley dancing together. This struck her as odd, especially because Iesha was in a dress; something that Ariana thought she'd never see. Jake then swept her around and began to dance with her. 

Ariana didn't really know how to dance, so she just tried to keep the rhythm with Jake and watched Iesha, who looked graceful enough. Swaying and spinning to the music, Ariana could have almost believed that Jake still loved her. She plastered a smile on her face, hoping that Jake and the other guests would believe that she was having a good time. In reality, she was not; all the bright lights were starting to give her a headache, and the dress was making her very self-conscious. 

After what felt like hours, the music stopped, and all the couples began to flood from the ballroom. Ariana tried to hang back and let others leave, but Jake had other ideas. He grabbed her wrist again, pulling her in front of the crowd, then out the doorway. Being blinded once again by the sparkling lights, her headache increased tenfold. She winced, and pinched the bridge of her nose, just as her mom had taught her. She hoped that this would make the headache ease, if not fully subside. 

"Stop the performance," Jake hissed in her ear. "No one's watching."

She put her head down and followed Jake like Marie as he walked around the living room while waiting for dinner. Jake made small talk with other couples, and Ariana simply smiled. After a while, John announced that dinner was served. All the guests walked into the large dining room. The table was piled high with platters of fish, duck, beef, goose, and every side imaginable. Each setting was done with silverware, crystal glasses, and silver dishes. There was more pieces of silverware than Ariana could shake a stick at.

During the meal, the small talk continued. Ariana was questioned on how she was enjoying life with Jake (to which she lied through her teeth), how her old life was (another lie), and of course, when she was going to marry Jake. At this question, Ariana nearly spat her Cabernet Sauvignon all over the other guests. 

"Pardon me?" she asked, bewildered. 

"I said," repeated one of the guests. "When are you going to get married and have a couple of kids?"

"I-I--" she started, only to be cut off by Jake.

"Not for a bit," Jake said sincerely, which frightened Ariana. 

"Dear, you mustn't wait too long," said the guest.

Thankfully, Ariana was saved by John, who stood up from his seat and raised his glass of wine.

"A toast," he said. "To my son Jake, and my lovely future daughter-in-law, Ariana."

"Hear hear," said all the guests, raising their glasses as well.

Ariana could only feel dread towards the coming months.

---

Ariana barely remembered the rest of the party. She remembered the comment made by one of the guests, Jake's response to it, and the ride home. Jake seemed happy with how the party had gone. During he drove home, he told her over and over again about how much his family loved her. Ariana could only smile in response.

When they got home, Ariana was sent to her room, but the door was miraculously left unlocked. Jake retired to his own bedroom soon after, seeming that he had a terrible headache. Upon arrival in her room, Ariana took off her heels and jewelry. She picked up Keira's necklace from the dresser, and put it back on. When she was certain that Jake was asleep, she took the jewelry out of the box and put it in a large purse. From the closet, she pulled a few modest dresses, and a pair of sandals. She slowly turned the knob of her bedroom door, and made sure that Jake didn't come after her. 

If he knew what she was planning, he didn't leave his room. She grabbed the bag and crept down the main stairs of the house. The only sound she could hear that night was the sound of her own breath. It was peaceful; almost. Making it to the front door, she slowly turned the knob, hoping that this was unlocked as well. It was not. She almost shouted in anger. So close, yet so far at the same time. She walked toward the back door, only to find that one locked as well. She knew that there was only one other option. 

She quickly crept back up the stairs and looked at the statue. It was going to be a challenge to get it downstairs. She used all the strength to get it down the stairs, and set both her bag and the statue down in front of the large bay windows at the front of the house. She slipped on her sandals, and picked the statue back up again, and began to swing it towards the windows and back again to build up momentum.

It was hard work, but she managed to get a good rhythm going. Finally, she let go of the statue, and shielded her eyes as the glass went flying when it shattered. The good news was that the glass broke, and that Jake would hopefully take longer to follow her because of it. The bad was that the alarm went off. Fueled with newfound strength, she grabbed her bag and ran through the empty frame. She could hear Jake's screams of alarm as she ran down the street and toward the hole in the fence. This time, she wasn't going to be caught.

Thank you for your patience in getting these chapters out. I'm doing my best to put them out in a timely manner, but I worry that they take too long. Here are this chapter's questions:

- Why do you think Iesha and Harley were at the party?

- Will Jake catch Ariana this time? Why or why not?

- There didn't seem to be much of a trouble in this chapter. Has it already passed?

Are you enjoying this story?

Thanks to the few people that are reading this. It really makes my day when i see "so-and-so voted on..."  and "so-and-so commented on..." in my notifications. Another huge thanks to you!

~Alley