Chapter 06.
IT'S COMPLICATED.
Emily's POV.
"I am sorry, but it seems like you're mistaken." I said, in a soft voice. "I am not Emily. So, please let go of my arm. Like I said, you're hurting me."
"Lies." he said, in cold voice. "You are Emily, and I know it."
"Is this how you treat your clients?" I asked, narrowing my gaze. "How many times do I have to tell you that I have no idea what you're talking about. Emily? Who's Emily?"
He didn't say a word. Instead, he looked at my neck. As I noticed, I lowered my head. I knew exactly what he was trying to do. He wanted to see if there was a scar on my neck. I'd cut myself with that dagger a month back. So, there should have been a scar.
"You are lying to me." he said, tightening his grip around my arm. "Just tell me the truth already."
"Alright then, here." I said, showing him the ring on my finger. "Are you satisfied now? I'm married, and my name is Ruby Clifford. My husband Ash had something urgent to attend to, so he asked me to come here instead."
"I, uh, I'm sorry." he said, letting go of my arm. "Accept my apologies. I must have mistaken your for someone else."
"It seems like I would have to tell my husband that the contract process won't go through." I said, glancing at my arm. "How about that?"
"No, it hasn't gotten to that yet." he said, shaking his head. "These things happen. And I'm sorry for any inconvenience I must have caused you."
"I really don't think that sorry can fix this." I said. "I mean, even if I was the Emily, whoever she is that you are looking for, is this the way you would embarrass her, really?"
"It is quite complicated." he said, forcing a smile through his lips. "However, like I said, I'm sorry. Please, do accept my apologies."
"Alright then." I said, and turned around.
As I walked towards the exit, I looked over my shoulder. He was still standing there, and I could feel his gaze boring into my skin. I sighed, and exited the building through the full glass revolving door. I walked to the parking lot where Nigel was waiting for me.
"What took you so long?" he asked, as I got into the backseat of the car. "Besides, you don't look so good. Did something happen in there? Are you fine?"
"Yes, I am." I said, taking off my sunshades. "Or better still, I'll be fine."
I fanned myself with a hand. He noticed through the rearview mirror.
"So sorry, I had to turn off the air conditioner to conserve the gas." he said, pushing a button. "However, I'll stop by to get once we leave."
"Ok then."
"Was it Marcus?" he asked, even though he knew the answer. "Did he try to start a conversation with you?"
"It would it have been a lot better if he tried to start a conversation with me." I sighed, rubbing a hand on the part of my arm which Marcus held earlier.
I guess he held it too much, to point where it had turned red.
"So, what exactly did he do to you?" he asked, in a curious tone of voice. "Is it something you'll need to tell Ash about?"
"No, no it's fine." I said, forcing a smile through my lips. "I can manage on my own. There's no need to involve Ash. Besides, I saw this coming. Can we just go now?"
He hesitated for a moment, looking at me through the rearview mirror to be sure that I was fine. Well, I was, except for the fact that my skin was mildly irritated by Marcus's touch. Perhaps, he'd realized that he was wrong, and his conscience was pricking him so bad.
However, if I'd opened up to him that I was Emily, what would he have done? Apologized? I doubt it. Not to exaggerate, but from the look in his eyes earlier, it seemed like he was searching for me to end me for good.
"Alright then." Nigel inserted the key into the ignition, and turned it.
The engine came alive with a soft purr. However, as he drove out of the parking lot, I found Marcus standing outside. I rolled up the window, and turned my face away until I couldn't see him again.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice broke in on my thoughts. "You seem a little worried."
"I–I still find it hard to believe that my sister would hurt me the way she did." my voice shook a little. "It just doesn't make any sense. Why would Marcus even have anything to do with her too?"
"I think you've to let go of what happened in the past." he said, in a soft voice. "If you don't, you'll keep hurting yourself."
"You think I don't know that?" I asked, trying to quell the sob rising in my throat. "Or do you think I'm not trying? Of course, I am. But it's not easy."
"You just have to try harder." he said, with a shrug. "That is the only way you can survive now. If you're ever going to pay him back for what he did to you, then you need to set your emotions aside."
"Of course, I have to." I lifted a hand, and wiped off the tears on my face. "I have to make him suffer for what he did to me, but he's still the father of my child. It's just a little complicated."
"Well, he's living the life he's always wanted." he said, looking over his shoulder. "The last thing you want to do is to give him any reason to think that you miss him; you've to forget about him and live your life too."
"It is only a matter of time, I'll forget about him." I said, trying to steady my voice. "However, since we already talking about this, tell me, how have you been living your life since I was unconscious?"
"Well, there's really nothing to talk about." he said. "I didn't have time for myself because I had to look after you."
"You expect me to believe that you spent the whole month looking after me, really?" I arched brow. "Come on, Nigel. There's to be something. Anything at all worth telling me."
"There is actually." he said. "I was beginning to think that you might never open your eyes again. So, one night I decided to get drunk. I drove to a bar down the street. However, I met this lady, and we got talking."
He wore that kind of smile that meant if she was still around him, then things wouldn't have gotten worse.
"So?"
"Well, I got her number after a few shots that night." he continued. "I texted her to know if she'd arrived home, but she didn't respond."
His voice shook slightly.
"A day went by, two days yet I heard nothing from her." he said. "I went back to the bar, and asked about her. At first, no one wanted to tell me what had happened to her."
His voice grew heavy with tears.
"Did you get to know what happened to her?" I asked, my voice laced with concern.
"I did." he said, in a low, pained voice. "It turned out that she had an accident that night, and she'd been in coma since the past three weeks."
"Did you go to check up on her?" I asked. "Did you get to talk to the doctor about her condition to know if there's any hope for her?"
"No, I didn't see the need to do so." he said, shaking his head. "I mean, there was no point. She wouldn't even be able to know that I'm standing right next to her. Besides, I wasn't sure if I was ready to see her in that condition."
"What do you say, do we go see her or not?"
