?WINGLESS AND BEUTIFUL
?
?EPISODE 74 ?
And I know that when I’m done, you’re gonna want me gone anyway.”
“What is it?”
He took a deep breath. Then he said, “I’m sorry, Alice. Iam so sorry.”
“For what?”
He looked at me with an apologetic look on his face. “I took your diary.”
“I think ‘stole’ is the operative word,” I said, raising abrow at him.
He sighed. “Okay. I stole it.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I had to find my answers. I know that if I asked, you wouldn’t tell me. I always saw you writing in your diary.
I have always been curious about its contents. And when I needed answers to the questions in my mind, I knew I would find it there. So when you were left in the cabin, I took that chance to take the diary.”
I took a moment to absorb what he was telling me. Then I asked, “What answers were you looking for?”
“When… when Mica pushed you and Vaughnimmediately jumped into the water to save you, I felt thats omething wasn’t right.
His action was too automatic, it couldn’t have been on mere instinct,” he replied. “He knew,beforehand, that you couldn’t swim, didn’t he?”
I bit my lip and didn’t answer.
“Vaughn had always been watching you. Every time wewere in the same room together, I would see his eyes neverleave you. I didn’t take it seriously at first.
After all, almostall the boys in Leighton High were curious about you. Abouthalf of us were infatuated with you. Beautiful, tough, smartand talented Allison Harley. Why would Vaughn be anydifferent?”
I didn’t answer. I allowed Chaise to say everything he came to say. “On the deck that day, I heard him play thesame song you played in the concert.
And it clicked in my mind that once, you told Denise that your ex-boyfriendtaught you how to play that song. It could have been a coincidence, sure. But not when you added up all the clues.
“And then that morning we found you in the room in thecabin, I knew we interrupted something.
I saw it in both yourfaces. And when I touched the Braille inscription on your pendant, I confirmed all my suspicions.”
He took a deep breath and with a teary voice, he said,
“Hunter Vaughn was the reason you couldn’t fall in love with me.”
Tears rolled down my cheeks this time. I wiped them with my fingers and then I whispered, “I’m sorry, Chaise.
I wanted to tell you… but I didn’t know how not to hurt you.”
Chaise shook his head. “No, Alice. Don’t apologize.”
His voice sounded heavy with guilt and sadness. “I’m the onewho should apologize to you.
I loved you so much, but I hadbeen selfish! And I have to come clean now. I have to stoppretending that I could steal you away from him.
I was thereason you couldn’t be together. I kept you apart! I lied toyou! I was so desperate to win your heart, I resulted to… to lies! Pretenses.
I made you believe that I was your savior,your guardian angel. When in truth, I was no angel at all.”
“No, Chaise. Don’t say that. You did a lot of things forme. You saved my life. I wouldn’t be here now if it weren’tfor you. You were my hero.”
Chaise stared at me with tears in his eyes. He shook his head slowly. “No, Alice. I’m no hero. And those potheadsweren’t meant to hurt you anyway. They were just supposedto scare you off.”
I stared back at him, this time confused at what he just said. “What do you mean?”
Chaise drew another deep breath, like he was drawingcourage along with it. “Those guys weren’t lawless addicts.They were just supposed to be harmless school dropouts.”
“How would you know that?”
“Because I… I paid them to wait for you and pretend they would hurt you.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. “Excuse me? Say thatagain?”
“Alice… I staged that scene.”
I stared at him blankly for about fifteen seconds. What the fk was he saying?
“Chaise…W-why?”
I saw embarrassment and shame cross his face when hereplied, “So I could swoop in and pretend to save you. So you would… let me in.”
I felt like the world was crashing down in front of me andI wanted nothing more than to punch all of Chaise’s teethdown his throat. “Oh my God, Chaise! How could you do that?”
Chaise reached forward to take my hand in his but Isnatched them away.
“Alice, please,” he pleaded. “I’m sorry. I was desperate.
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