chapter 2

Chapter 2

‘Aria, it is not what you think. I…’

‘Babe, what are you talking about? I think it is about time sis knew the truth.’

‘Sis, you see, Mark and I are in love with each other. You know, the truth is that Mark has never been really into you, but circumstances bound him to marry you. He just did not want to break your heart, and that was why he had been pretending to be in love with you all these years.’

‘He only married you because of the inheritance that your mom left you. He does not have any feelings for you.’

‘I know that you have been waiting for him at home, so that you could celebrate your third marriage anniversary, but he could not continue lying to himself; that was why he came to pick me up from the airport, and directly brought me to his office.’

‘You should have known by now that Mark does not really love you, and the only value you had was your inheritance. You should blame your stupid mother for putting forth that condition, that you could only access your inheritance once you get your marriage certificate.’

‘Aria, I am sorry, but the one I have been truly in love with since the start was Talia. I knew that you would be heartbroken when you learnt the truth, that was why I never said anything for the past three years.’

‘But now that she is back, I can’t pretend to love you anymore. I hope that you will understand.’

Their words echoed in Aria’s mind, flipping her world upside down like a tornado that had just washed over the whole city.

She clutched her steering wheel tightly and screamed at the top of her lungs, “Ahh… aaahhhh… why… why… Mark, Talia… why?”

Aria banged her hands on the steering wheel until they bled, but still, she did not feel anything. Her body had become numb, and the only place she felt pain was her heart.

Three years… she could not believe that she had wasted her three years, her precious love, on some kind of a bastard.

And that bitch she considered a sister; she did not have any remorse. Her proud look, as if she had finally achieved something great as she spoke to Aria earlier, would never leave Aria’s mind.

Aria wept as she lay her head on the steering wheel. She did not even notice when Mark and Talia passed by.

Mark was not in the mood to continue being intimate with Talia after Aria bumped into them. He quickly got dressed, but seeing that, Talia could not help but complain, “Babe, are we done already?”

“Are you still in the mood even after Aria has seen us?”

“Of course, it is even better. We can now do it freely without fear of getting caught.”

Although Mark did not love Aria, they had been together for three years, so he could lie to himself if he said that he did not feel any guilt.

He knew how committed Aria had been to him, so seeing her tearful face kind of turned him off.

Talia looked at Mark as something shifted in her eyes. She jumped off from the table, looked at Mark with a probing gaze as she inquired, “Are you feeling bad for Aria?”

Although Mark did indeed feel bad, there was no way he was going to accept it, “What are you talking about? I just did not expect her to show up all of a sudden, that is why.”

“Babe, you have always wanted to end things with Aria, but you have never found a good time to do so. Now that things have unfolded exactly according to our wish, we should be celebrating.”

Mark looked at her and nodded happily. Talia was the woman he loved, and now that Aria was finally out of the picture, why would he not be happy?

“Yes, you are right.”

“You said that you will propose to me once I come back to the country. How about we organize an engagement party at my house tomorrow? How does that sound?”

“Sounds perfect. You talk to your parents and make arrangements.”

Talia smiled widely, “Babe, you are the best.”

…

After what seemed like forever, Aria finally started her car. But her mind was a mess, so she had no idea where she was driving to. She just wanted to escape reality and go somewhere no one would ever find her.

The next morning…

Aria woke up with a splitting headache. She tried to touch her head, but she realized that her hands were heavy and she could not lift them.

Looking around, she realized that she was in an unfamiliar environment. Looking at the unfamiliar clothes on her body, Aria’s heart thumped hard.

What had happened?

Her mind was flooded with the memories of what had happened yesterday. The images of Talia and Mark together on his office table.

She remembered how they had been unapologetic about their actions.

She only remembered leaving the office in a haste, and after that, her mind was in a mess.

“Where exactly am I? And why does my body feel so heavy?”

As she was still pondering, a man in a white lab coat entered the room. Seeing that Aria had woken up, he rushed over with a wide smile on his face.

“You are awake? How are you feeling? Any pain or discomfort?”

Aria looked at the stranger's face, and her confusion intensified. After struggling for a bit, she managed to utter a few words.

“Who are you? And where am I?”

“Well…” The doctor was caught off guard by her sudden question, and he did not know how to answer.

“Well… I….”

“Who are you? What happened to me?”

The doctor rubbed his nose awkwardly. He was about to say something when the door was pushed open from the outside. Seeing the newcomer, his eyes lit up with joy.

“Boss, you are here? I was just about to call you. She is awake.”

Damian unhurriedly strode into the room.

He had striking features. His mouth was thin, and his chin was sharp. His straight nose perfectly fit his symmetrical face. His eyes were deep and mysterious, just like his aura.

He had on an elegant three-piece suit, with his hair neatly combed. He looked like a corporate boss.

When Aria had a clear look at his face, she felt like she had seen this man somewhere. She tried to recall, but nothing came up.

How could she not remember where she had seen such a handsome man?

Damian looked at Aria, his eyes roaming all over her body. Aria felt like she was under some kind of X-ray machine when the man looked at her like that.

After what seemed like an eternity, his gaze finally fell on her bandaged face.

His eyes were without any warmth, and he exhibited such a powerful aura that Aria was scared.

Aria stared at him, not daring to look anywhere else.

Damian opened his lips and spoke, “How are you feeling?”

Hearing his voice, Aria felt as if the stifling feeling in the air instantly vanished. She came back to her senses and straight off fired a series of questions.

“Who are you?”

“What happened to me?”

“How come I have bandages all over my body?”

“Why can’t I remember anything?”

“Why did you bring me here instead of taking me to the hospital?”

Seeing that the man and the doctor were looking at her without saying anything, Aria was frustrated.

“Are you all going to just stare at me like I am some kind of alien?”

Seeing that she had finished ranting, Damian looked at the doctor and ordered in a cold voice, “Conduct a full body checkup on her and see how she is doing. I will be waiting for the results in my study room.”

With that, he turned around and left without answering any of Aria’s questions.

Aria looked at his departing figure, not knowing what to say. Why does she feel like she has just been punching cotton?

“You…”