Past Mistakes
Chapter Twelve
‘I don’t believe in magic.’
The young boy said.
The old man smiled.
‘You will, when you see her.’
— Atticus
I was eating my second piece of chocolate cupcake when Ares entered the Breakfast nook. He looked so fresh. His hair was still wet from the shower.
Why am I feeling this way?
I felt giddy just looking at him. His nearness affected me a lot. His smell… a combination of soap, perhaps Irish Spring and a cologne… I really didn’t know… the same scent that stirred delicious sensation inside me when I was a teenager, and now it was coming back.
I kept looking at the chocolate cupcake on my plate. I avoided looking at him. Just a mere glance of him made me dizzy. My heart beat faster like a fish that leaped out of a water… and my pulse went crazy.
He looks sinfully gorgeous in his white shirt and worn out Levis. Despite his scar at the left side of his face, he still looks strikingly attractive. The scar even made him look mysterious, intriguing and… s*xy.
I shouldn’t feel this way. It was so wrong. It was like going to hell and flirt with the devil!
I am tougher now. I couldn’t be affected by him after seven years. I’m not a lovesick teenager anymore for heaven’s sake.
I should not forget what he did to me that night.
Ares sat across to where I was sitting. Even though the round table was between us, I could still feel his nearness, like an electricity that tingled every nerve of my body. I felt the same when I was in his room a while ago. But not as intense as I was feeling now.
Maybe because of what Genevieve said. The thought that Ares followed me in Dallas made me feel something… like he really cared.
Unfortunately, he had an accident. It was really tragic and I felt responsible for it. If I did not leave him, he would not suffer.
Oh God. I did not know what I feel anymore.
“Are you okay?”
I looked up and stared at his eyes.
For seconds, we held eyes.
“A-ha…” I blinked my eyes several times. What is wrong with me? Staring at him made me spaced out for a while. I should stop this craziness. Now.
“You’re enjoying the cupcakes.”
“Um.. I love cupcakes and this one is really tasty… delicious.” I took another bite of the cupcake. Actually, it was the best cupcake I’ve ever tasted.
“Yeah, I remember.”
“You remember?”
“Of course. Everything that you’ve said at the rose garden. I remember.”
“Oh…”
He smiled and sipped his coffee.
“When are you going to release me?” I asked him.
He smirked and shook his head. “You’re not my prisoner Rachel.”
“Really? You gave me the impression that I am.”
“You’re my wife.”
“Your wife? So being you’re wife means no freedom. I’m not free to walk out of the door?” I couldn’t pretend to calm down anymore. My voice rose in an octave.
“No.” He leaned back and stared at me. “Because you won’t come back.”
I heaved a sigh. “Of course I won’t! Please sign the divorce paper. Set me free…” I almost begged. “We won’t be happy together. We already moved on.”
“I haven’t moved on.”
“Why? I don’t understand. You’re not even in love with me!”
“Were you in love with me?” He asked me.
“You know I’m not! We were forced into marriage, remember? We have to fix this. Give me the divorce.”
“No. We’re married and we’ll stay married for the rest of our lives. We said our vows, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do us part.”
“You’re crazy.” I showed him my engagement diamond ring. “You see this? I found love to a wonderful man. We’re engaged and I badly want to marry him, as soon as possible.”
He chuckled. “You think I’m crazy? That man is crazier. He gave you a fake diamond.”
“Fake? Excuse me, this one is real.”
“Oh, come on, Rachel. He made you believe that it’s a real diamond? Look, the ring is foggy and doesn’t sparkle.”
I inspected the ring. Drew said that it was real.
“So what if it’s not real. It don’t care if it’s fake. As long as our love for each other is not fake.”
“But he lied to you.”
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