CHAPTER 58
“You wouldn’t mind if I join you guys, would you?
” Anna smiled, but the way her lips curved, made Amara anxious.
She couldn’t fathom the situation. Anna turned towards Amara, her smile was sickening, making Amara swallow.
The woman in front of her was someone she felt like she didn't know.
Anna smirked placing her leather handbag on the table and leaned on her hands, her low-cut dress exposing her cleavage. “What say, Amara?”
Amara looked at her and then at Kaelith, her chest throbbed as she averted her eyes and nodded. “N-no worries, you… you can…”
The world seemed blurred and hazy. She could practically feel her words ringing in her ears. Fiancé. Kaelith’s fiancé. The revelation sent shockwaves through her, the sharp edges of surprise and hurt intertwining as she grappled with the reality.
Amara shuddered as her chest tightened and she struggled to breathe. Pushing the chair back, she stood up, her hands balled at her sides and her head lowered. She couldn’t afford to look at them anymore. “I-I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me.”
Kaelith narrowed his gaze as he made a move to push his chair back when Anna quickly placed her hand on his shoulder and smiled seductively at him. “Where are you going? We have a lot to catch up, don’t you think?” she wiggled her brows.
Amara swallowed as she quickly rushed out. He had a fiancé. He lied to her. How many more lies he was hiding? Did she mean nothing to him? Was he toying with her all along? Why? Why did he have to make her depend on him when he had another woman?
Another woman? Amara bit her lips to keep herself from crying. Another woman was her. She was the one who was coming in between them.
She broke society’s norms, wronged the right, and committed a sin. What had she done?
All the thoughts came rushing down, so intense and wild that she felt her vision blurring. Tears gathered at corners, but she did not want to cry.
What would it bring her? More pain and heartache? Hadn't she betrayed Rafael? Regardless of his flaws, she had no right to betray him. She entangled herself with his brother, succumbing to the forbidden sin of falling for him.
It felt like an invisible hose was tied around her neck, squeezing her throat, cutting the air, momentarily leaving her gasping as she collided with the waiter.
The crockery slipped from his hand, and the loud clatter echoed as the content fell all over her.
Yet she hardly cared, what she needed at that moment was the escape.
People present there looked over with concern and the murmurs entered her ears, she hardly could care. The whole world was shaking beneath her feet. As if everything she held dear was being snatched away from her.
“E-excuse me.” She apologized without looking back and sprinted.
All her thoughts were astray, the more she tried to ignore the burning in her lungs, the more it hurt her.
She shouldn’t feel this way. She didn’t deserve that.
A woman who had no control over her memories had no right to make new memories with the man she shouldn’t feel for.
He was her husband’s brother for god’ s sake!
She wanted to scream, to cry, but would someone hear her?
And then something twisted inside her as she stilled, her steps halting, chest heaving up and down as she looked at the front.
It was the backyard of the restaurant. The small space with used tissues and dustbins.
Yet, what caught her eye was the small flower blooming at the back of the dustbin, amidst the dirt and pungent smell.
The white hue contrasted the surroundings.
The flower caught her attention- so beautiful and all alone, where it shouldn’ t be, the place which would only bring it destruction at the end, where the pungent surroundings would corrupt it.
Her hands balled into fists as she gulped, she stumbled towards it, almost falling on her knees. A soft sob escaped her lips and she embedded her face into her hands and cried. She blamed herself for everything.
What did I do to deserve this pain and heartache? Feeling lost and questioning herself.
Tears streaming down her face like an unchecked river.
Each sob carried a piece of her shattered heart.
And when the tears began to dry on her cheeks.
She looked up at the sky. Feeling nothing.
Her life had always been this way, first, she lost her memories and then the person she trusted most betrayed her.
her husband abused her and his friend harassed her.
The man she was falling for was engaged.
Maybe she did wrongs in her past life, maybe that was the punishment god was giving her. maybe she deserved this pain.
Slowly she rose on her shaky legs, her whole body still quivering. The white flower caught her gaze one last time. She felt a strange connection to that resilient bloom.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she steadied herself. The numbness that enveloped her seemed to offer a temporary relief. With a numbness, she turned away from the flower and walked inside the restaurant.
Her clothes were ruined, soiled, and stained. Disregarding the people, she walked to the table where they were sitting. Strangely, she felt a momentary impassiveness.
The stares followed her with curiosity and weirdness.
Anna was sitting where Amara was previously sitting, beside Kaelith, her hand on his thigh as she whispered something in his ear.
A pang hit her chest when she realized how compatible they looked with each other- the blue flaunted Anna's flushed and smooth skin, unlike hers which was scarred.
The short hair and the way she carried herself elegantly were what Kaelith needed.
Her brown eyes would never compete with Anna's pale ones.
She was much more beautiful than her. Amara averted her gaze and grabbed the chair.
“Oh dear, what happened?” Anna asked just when Amara reached the table. She refused to look at them and sat on the chair. She could feel it, his piercing gaze, but she didn’t want to look at him. If she looked at him, she’d end up breaking down again.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry.” She mumbled picking up the fork and poking into the pasta. There was dullness to her voice.
Kaelith clenched his jaw. His fists balled as he looked at her. He knew what was going on in her head. It took everything in him to pick her up and settle her on his lap, to his fingers on her neck and soothe her.
Anna stifled her laugh at Amara’s disheveled state, “Sorry, you just… look funny. Oh god.” She chuckled covering her mouth with her hand. Amara clenched her jaw and chewed on the pasta. She forced back a smile, still not looking at Kaelith.
“ Have this, Amara. I know it’ s kind of news, and Kaelith wanted to keep it a secret until the engagement.
This must’ve startled you.” Anna passed the glass of liquor to her.
All the while Kaelith looked emotionless, and if it wasn’t for the tick of his jaw, she would’ve thought he was incapable of feeling.
Amara grabbed the glass, gulping down the bitter liquor in one go.
Her nose scrunched as she shut her eyes.
As the burning in her throat subsided, it left a sweet savory flavor behind.
“Woah, woah! Slow down, girl! You’re quite a drinker.
” Anna mused pouring another glass. “Try champagne, it’s more to your taste,” she slipped the glass towards her end and resumed eating her food.
Kaelith hadn’t touched anything yet; his eyes were solely on her.
Amara raised her head and her eyes unconsciously drifted to him.
Her heart skipped a beat, making her still and everything around her blurry except him.
His grey eyes seemed almost charcoal, he seemed angry and Amara couldn’t tell the reason behind that.
Why was he even angry? If anything, it should be her showing her anger and not him.
He was the one who hid the fact that he was engaged.
He was the one who made her look like a fool.
She clenched her jaw, all while holding his gaze, she grabbed the champagne glass and gulped the fruity liquid. The muscle in his temple twitched.