“Unfucking believable. Of all the places for him to show up….. this is insane. Do you think he bought it? That you’re my sister? When you left, he was weird, but he didn’t ask anything else. I managed to usher him to his seat, but he was zoned out the entire time.” Greta is pacing back and forth in the kitchen, like an erratic wound up chicken in a coop while I’m trying to cook the dishes in our order queue and not have an almighty mental breakdown. Tasks keep me sane, focusing on doing something, and yet not. Trying to keep my hands busy and not freak out the way Greta is. I go over and over it in my head and keep shaking myself mentally. After all this time, I honestly cannot believe this isn’t a dream that he’s here. In our village, in the Tarry Shack.
“I don’t know; I honestly do not know.” I think I’m in shock and knowing he’s up there, right now, has me shaking all over and my pulse at
“I don’t know you. Please stop.” My voice breaks and panic shows face even though I try not to let it. Suddenly aware of how close he is and that my necklace is rubbing just below the very edge of my dress neckline. Mere millimetres from concealing the platinum and diamond band therein that would give this away completely.“I was too shocked upstairs to let it sink in. Don’t go anywhere. I’ll figure this out on my own why you’re acting like you don’t know us, why you never came home. I’m not about to lose you again. I know I did a lot of wrongs…. Please give me a chance to fix that.” He steps towards me and lifts his hand as though he’s going to touch my face, and I scramble backwards, turn, and shoot away from him at speed. Terror gripping my heart and not about to let him touch me again.I don’t stop until I slide through the hatch and close it behind me with a thump. Tugging Greta in fron
“You were right about hiring the Emmerson twins; I feel like I have barely worked today even though we were swamped for lunch and dinner.” Greta is helping me stack up the chairs on the tables so we can mop the floors as the girls downstairs see off the last of our diners. Today has felt more normal after a rough few days, and I’m starting to unwind once more. My stress levels have been insane, and Greta has finally calmed down.Jyeon and his friends left, finally. It’s the morning after the storm, without coming back. I heaved a sigh of relief but then had nightmares the last three days that made me feel like hell. I kept going back into the accident, the water, the night I crashed. Remembering his last words to me that he never wanted me in his life again, and the pain of seeing him with that girl. It’s all come back to wound me all over again now that I’m an emotionally susceptible mess who cries at the drop of a hat. I hat
“What’s this.” I move back away from him, another step, not trusting him one bit and thinking distance is the only thing I have to combat him. A million things are racing through my mind at what this could be.“Medical records and two background checks. On you…. and your friend.” Jyeon’s voice is huskier than usual, and a hint of emotion makes it almost raspy. His focus narrowed on me, and I can’t read what’s going on in his mind. I blink and stare at the white papers, everything swimming with the reality of what they are, and then push them away with disgust that they would dig around and invade someone’s life that way.“Whatever bullshit this is, I’m sure it’s not even legal. … GRETA!!” I yell on my backup to come to me, hysteria evident in my raised voice and losing all composure. I thank my stars when I hear the distant scrape of a chair followed by footsteps coming to the s
“Maybe I don’t want to. Maybe something inside of me decided I didn’t want those memories anymore, and that’s why they haven’t come back. Maybe the reason I’m happy to be here and not go looking for my past is that my gut says I shouldn’t.” I bite harshly, so badly wanting to call him out on his bullshit with all this. Like he conveniently forgets everything, and what about his mistress? I’m sure he didn’t just toss her aside, and she’s probably lurking in the background of his life still. The woman he threw me away for.“You don’t belong here, Sohla!” Bryant cuts in because Jyeon’s at a loss for words, and I know it’s probably because my words triggered the truth. He knows what he did, how it was between us the night I disappeared. I can’t believe he has the audacity to come and act like his beloved wife needs to be returned to him. He can’t be this arrogant.&l
“Look, everyone, calm down…. He’s not saying that's the intention. He’s wound up, and at times, he’s a bit highly strung. He genuinely cares about her…. we all do. She has been a big part of our lives since we were kids. Sohla was the baby sister to many of us, and there through everything. We all depended on her. No one wants to hurt her or restrict her freedom. We want to take her back where she belongs and let her find out who she is so she can decide where her future lies with all the facts. Then she can figure out what she wants to do with her wealth. We owe it to her to protect what’s hers and let her sensibly choose.” Bryant is the voice of reason again, and I can’t get used to him being the soft one. Mr stable and calm, while Jyeon seems devil incarnate.“You can come with her. I’ll cover whatever earnings this place loses in the meantime. She stays in the family home …..” Jyeon begins.
“Remind me again why we gave in so easily and came here?” Greta is still sulking as I unpack my case into the empty closet of the apartment Jyeon organised for us. Tired after our trip and not up to another argument over this. It’s all we’ve done since they showed up two days ago. She’s mad at me for falling into his trap and doesn’t understand how little choice we had.“Because this way it’s still my choice, in my control. I can call the shots and make demands. He’s playing nice and looking to keep me sweet, so I don’t make waves in his perfectly constructed life. He would probably have kidnapped me and locked me in a psyche ward if we fought. Treating me for non-existent amnesia.” I point out and push past her to start pulling open empty drawers.We went over this. That resistance is futile, and I have to be careful about the method
“I’m not her anymore, and I don’t want to be. Look at what she ended up with. A husband who cheated and then killed her….. Everyone just got on with their lives without me. Easily.” I point out and then jump at the sudden invasion of a door knock. It’s a rattle of an impatient person.“No guesses who that might be!” Greta states blankly. “He barely gave you breathing room on the boat or in the car, and now he can’t give you an hour to unpack. Anyone would think he cares.” She rolls over onto her belly, making it clear she’s not answering it, and I eyeroll.“Get off of those before they wrinkle and put them away.” I smack her ass with a substantial wallop that makes her yelp and run off before she retaliates. Giggling at her show of fierce and knowing she will pay me back for it at some point. We have an immature rel
“Watch your step.” Jyeon reaches out for me as we walk down a dark shadowy staircase, and I pull my arm away, so he doesn’t get a chance of touching6. I walk faster and skip ahead down two steps at a time, knowing exactly where this is but acting dumb.If I thought I had seen everything so far and could suss him out, then the barefaced audacity of where he’s brought me has blown my mind. He’s going the whole hog trying to paint us as something we never were. Wading full steam into sentimentality by bringing us to a place I have stepped foot only once.The lights come on as I step into the vast, spacious banquet hall that belongs to OLO. A private function room under one of our buildings that held our wedding ceremony for family, friends, and business partners. The so-called happiest and most important day of our life. He’s going in with the big guns, and I have to