Toris dropped the box, his brain had shut down. He was clammy and sweating cold. Mr Laurinaitis crawled out from Natalya's bed, his eyes were watery and his throat felt dry. The Lithuanian tried to scream but only a weak croak came out, he rolled to the corner of the bed and hugged his knees tightly. The professor was trembling, he couldn't understand what was going on. Why did Natalya had her brother's passport and cellphone? His drivers licence as well. What was even more disturbing were the scattered silver hairs that were in there. Suddenly he felt nauseous and sick, he got up from the floor with his legs shaking and made it to the bathroom. When he entered the first thing that caught his eye was Ivan's bath robe that he had been wearing for 3 months. All this time he had been wearing a dead man's clothes. Toris leaned on the toilet and vomited, he was disgusted and frightened. He then heard the doorknob turn and the door creacked open.
"Darling, are you alright?"
Her voice was soft and and she looked at Toris worried, with those loving eyes. Mr Laurinaitis was disturbed, when he saw her in the same room with him he just began throwing up again. Natalya rushed over to his side and placed her soft hands on his back, while caressing his head.
"It's okay, let it all out".
The Belarussian said calmly, he felt the professor shaking and wondered if he had a fever or something. It was such a shame that he was sick, she had seen all the surprises that he planned for their anniversary when she walked into the house .
"I really liked how you decorated the living room. It's very romantic".
Toris finally stopped feeling sick and moved away from his girlfriend, he was so scared of her. He just wanted to get up and run away. The Lithuanian had come to the conclusion that she had murdered her own brother. If not she wouldn't have hidden his personal belongings under the floorboards. Yes he knew that Ivan was a gangster and maybe he asked her to hide those things for him but the hair didn't make sense. The Lithuanian knew that some serial killers have a collection of their victim's personal belongings as trophies and a silver lock of hair was clearly the only thing left from Ivan. He wondered if he would ever make it alive out of her apartment? Or will his brown hair belong in the box along Ivan's.
"I-I should go home".
Miss Arlovskaya grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, making the professor gasp in fear.
"I can't let you go back home in this state. You should have stayed home when you told me in the morning you were sick, you didn't have to come just to celebrate our special day".
She was right, Toris should have never left his house, now his life was potentially in danger and knowing how stubborn she was, there was no way she would let him out. Then she grabbed him by the arm and wrapped it around her as she picked him up from the ground, Natalya was a strong woman for being able to pick up a 32 year old man with just one arm. The Belarusian dragged him to his bedroom and the Lithuanian tried to free himself from her grasp but was unable to. He felt too weak to even move by himself, he was thrown on the bed by his girlfriend and saw her leave the room. This was his chance to run away forever, but a part of him didn't want to believe that she was able to commit such atrocities. The professor didn't want to believe it but he had no choice but to admit that he had been dating a murderer.
"I'll change you into something more comfortable".
She said with a small grin as she held Ivan's robe and placed it on the bed. The Lithuanian's eyes widened in fear, he didn't want to be even close to that bathrobe, he tried to lift himself from the brd but couldn't find the strength to do so. Toris didn't know why limbs felt so soan and heavy. It was as if fear had paralyzed him. He just layed there without moving as Natalya undressed him like a doll and put the robe on him. She then tucked him in bed and gave him a kiss on his cold and pale cheek, she found it a bit odd that he wasn't speaking at all. Perhaps he was feeling too sick to even do it, she was glad that she had gotten home on time to help him out.
"I'll bring over the food you prepared".
Miss Arlovskaya was on her way to leave the room when she saw a bottle of cologne on the floor, she found it odd and bent down to pick it up.
"Is this yours?"
She asked, staring at Toris directly in the eyes. He tried to avoid that glance from hrr and nodded. It was too late, she was going to find out what he discovered, if only he had been more careful and left everything in its place.
The Belarussian smashed the bottle on the wall, causing it to break, which frightened the Lithuanian and made him cover himself under the sheets. She crawled under the bed on all fours to find that the floorboard had been removed, the red box was opened and the things inside it were laying on the floor. She immediately understood what was going on. Toris had found out about it, he knew it all. That explained his strange behaviour, he wasn't sick at all, he was just a coward.
"Who gave you permission to go through my things?"
Natalya balled his fingers to a fist and drove them through the wall, then slammed the door behind her, making sure that the Lithuanian couldn't escape.
"Tell me you didn't do it love, please tell me that this is just some strange coincidence".
He begged, tears rolling down his face and looking at his girlfriend with fear.
"I killed my brother Toris and I can do the same to you if you dare to leave this room".
She threatened him, her voice was no longer sweet and loving. It was cold and demanding. It surprised him so much how quickly her mood changed and she didn't even try to deny it. Miss Arlovskaya walked backwards out of the room slowly, her eyes fixed on the professor shaking in the corner of the bed.
What was going on? The Lithuanian couldn't understand it. It was horrifying to think that the love of his life murdered her own brother in cold blood. Not only that but she kept his hair and his bathrobe and made his boyfriend wear it. Toris was beginning to feel sick again, he wanted to get up and go to the bathroom but he remembered Natalya's instructions clearly.
The door was kicked open by her, who brought the food that he prepared into the room. If being honest, he didn't have the appetite for anything at the moment. She gave him his plate and left hers on the table beside her bed.
"Hungry?"
She didn't seem that angry anymore, but still he was scared to upset her and nodded. Natalya sat right beside his teacher and held the plate in her hands. She then took a spoonful of food and held it close to his mouth, she was going to feed him. Toris, who was still crying, opened up and swallowed it quickly.
"You must be thinking I'm crazy right?"
The Belarussian asked, as she fed him once more and Toris ate quietly without making a sound.
"He made me sad all the time, my love for him wasn't corresponded. I always tried to look out for him but he was a manwhore. I am much better off without him and thanks to that I met you. Without knowing you even helped me dispose of the body!"
A maniacal laughter came from her and Toris choked on his food for not swallowing properly, and probably because of shock. The Lithuanian could hardly believe what she just told him. Was she in love with his brother? Could that even be possible? And she killed him out of jealousy? That sounded awfully familiar and then it hit him. Her novel, the amazing project that she wrote for his class. It was the same but in the opposite positions, Natalya was Archie and Bree was Ivan. Then the sequel was all about her falling in love with him. She had planned it all out and Toris was foolish enough to not see it because he was mesmerized by her. That day where she asked him what he would do with a man's dead body wasn't a hypothetical question, she actually dismembered Ivan and mixed him with cement to then throw him into the river.
"Did you really threw his remains into the river?"
He asked, with the slight hope that she would deny it and that this turned out to be a horrible prank, but that wasn't the case.
"Of course I did, my fridge was starting to smell bad".
She confessed and Toris felt like puking once more, he threw the plate on the floor and covered his mouth with both hands.
"Aww you're disturbed, how adorable".
She mocked the professor, getting up from the bed and picking up the plate from the ground.
"I'll clean up this mess and then we can sleep, you must be very tired".
The mood swings begin once more, now she sounded like usual, the sweet and caring girl that Toris had fallen in love with. Natalya left the room once more, but this time she locked it from inside, making it impossible for him to escape.
The Lithuanian had to think of a plan to leave, he couldn't just stay there forever and be her prisoner. Then he remembered something. The professor gathered all his strength to jump out of the bed and reach his clothes that miss Arlovskaya had thrown on the floor. In the pocket of his coat he found a small blue box with a silver ring in it and 3 small diamonds decorating it. He took the ring out from the box and held it in his fist as he quickly went back to bed before Natalya came in.
A few minutes later she came back, wearing the same robe as Toris and with a grin on her face, sitting on the edge of the bed while drying her hair with a towel.
The professor had his plan in mind but he hadn't figured out how to approach her just yet. He looked around his surroundings and didn't see any potential weapons she could use to attack him, so he decided to just g
do it. It took him a little to take up the courage to move beside his girlfriend.
"Let me help you".
He whispered, looking away and taking the towel from her hands. Natalya didn't resist and let Toris play around with her long, silky silver hair.
"Are you afraid of me, darling?"
She asked, minutes later of the professor drying her hair and brushing it gently. This was his chance, and perhaps his last chance to get away. He dropped the hair brush and stood in front of her to get on one knee. Opening his fist to reveal the engagement ring he planned on giving her.
"If I were, then I wouldn't be doing this".
The Belarussian gasped and jumped from where she was sitting. She couldn't believe what just happened. After showing her psychotic side to Toris he was still willing to marry her. Maybe he really did love her, perhaps he didn't care of what she had done and still wanted a future by her side.
"A-are you serious?"
Her voice cracked, she felt like crying and just wanted to throw her arms around him. She saw mr Laurinaitis smile at her like the way he used to and nodded.
"Yes, a million times yes".
She said excitingly and stretched her hand, allowing him to slip the ring on her finger. It was gorgeous, she loved it so much and would treasure it forever. On the other hand, Toris was beginning to have mixed feelings. He really did love Natalya and if nothing of this had happened he was still going to propose to her. Yes, it was crazy to think that he was thinking about marriage after dating for 3 months. He believed that love was blind and if you found the right person then no more time should be wasted. He was also financially stable to maintain a family. Miss Arlovskaya was going to graduate in a year and everything was going to be great. Now he just felt like a fool, so childish and stupid.
"I love you so much Natalya".
He said it sincerely, he really was head over heels for her but he couldn't marry a psychopath, he couldn't love a psychopath.
The Belarussian threw herself on him and hugged him tightly, as she began kissing him passionately. The Lithuanian picked her up from the floor and threw her on the bed. She giggled as Toris climbed on top of her and started kissing her neck, but she didn't see what was coming next. In a swift move, he placed her hands on her neck and began strangling her. Natalya was struggling to breath and tried to get rid of his grasp but couldn't. She started to kick around hoping to hit him but he still wouldn't let her neck loose.
"You crazy bitch!"