My vison became blurring as I stared at Anthony’s face. I suddenly realized that my tears were responsible for blurring my vision and that if I blinked, they would freely roll down my face. I didn’t want to have an emotional breakdown like this, but I figured that it might not be entirely bad. Anthony deserves to see me suffering and miserable. If my tears could sway him just a little, then it might just be worth it.
I lifted my fingers up to dab at my eyes as I heard Anthony let out a soft sigh. I knew that he wouldn’t leave me crying like that without doing anything because he was just too nice of a person. I felt slightly rotten inside for using this against him, but it wasn’t like my tears were completely insincere either. Anthony stood up and came to sit next to me on the sofa.
“I guess it must have been very painful for you to live with my brother...” he said as he patted my back comfortingly.
“He’s...quite difficult...” I murmured in reply.
The hand that had been gently stroking my back came to a stop just as an unreadable expression came across Anthony’s face. His blue eyes stared at me as if they could suck me into their depths and I wondered what it was that he was seeing. Anthony did not say anything and I took it that he didn’t have the reply to my question. He must have been going through a difficult situation himself along with endlessly worrying about my sister. I pitied him as much as I pitied myself. Sadly, there was no one else that I could turn to.
“Don’t abandon me. Please help me, Anthony...” I pleaded softly.
“You’re really amazing...” Anthony said.
I was astounded when he suddenly started laughing at me. His reaction was truly unlike him and for a moment, I wondered if there was really some joke that I had missed or didn’t quite understand. He smiled at me a little too brightly for the situation that we were in as his fingers slowly approached my face. I stared at him as my body seemed to have frozen in place as I felt the warmth of his fingertips dabbing at my tears. Something felt off and it felt almost like I could feel the aura around him changing. A sense of déjà vu took over me when I was forced to acknowledge that I had experienced something like this before and not so long ago.
Could it really be?
“Are these tears even real? Are you really crying, Dahlia?” he asked as his fingers wiped the tears away from my eyes.
The man that was supposed to be Antony chuckled with clear amusement before he brought his face closer to mine. His blue eyes had turned cold, and his stare felt lifeless. In short, he was concealing his utmost anger and I had no trouble figuring out why he was feeling that way.
Why didn’t I realize it sooner?
“Seriously, you have to stop falling for the same tricks over and over again,” he said.
In my mind, I could see luxurious velvet red curtains falling as all pretenses were dropped and the truth was revealed. Surprisingly, I wasn’t even that shocked and it was as if I had half expected things to turn out this way. Dreams aren’t supposed to really come true, after all.
“Why are you here? Where is Anthony?” I asked grimly.
I was so overjoyed by the initial success of my mission to escape that I failed to realize that nothing was as it seemed. Just as Bradon had warned me before, nothing was really as it seemed. Although I was in Anthony’s personal office and that meant that Anthony was supposed to be the one here with me, he wasn’t here. I stared at the man who had flawlessly impersonated Anthony once again while I had to admit that I really was a fool for falling for his tricks one more time.
“Before that, shouldn’t you tell your husband why you’re here to see another man?” he asked as his eyes narrowed dangerously at me.
“You’re not my husband...” I muttered darkly.
“You’re one forgetful wife,” he said before scoffing softly.
Although the truth was staring me in the face, it just didn’t make sense. The ends just didn’t tie up. I was certain that no one knew in advance that I was going to come see Anthony at his office today. If Bradon didn’t know, then how come he was here to greet me instead of Anthony?
“Where is Anthony?” I asked again while raising my voice.
“You better stop asking for my brother before I start to find it seriously offensive. I will overlook your wrongful actions if you go home now. Zain will pick you up and take you home,” he said coldly.
My wrongful actions?
“What did I do wrong? I just want to see Anthony. He’s supposed to be my husband and not you...” I said through clenched teeth.
“You were the one who asked for my cooperation and now you’re just trying to get away from me?” he asked, and I could tell that he thought that it was the most ridiculous thing ever.
Our conversation was taking all the wrong turns, and it wasn’t leading me anywhere closer to the truth. I never imagined that Bradon would be here instead of Anthony.
“Stop avoiding my question. Tell me right now, where is Anthony? Why isn’t he here?” I demanded to know.
Bradon suddenly grabbed my arm and yanked me closer to him. He captured my chin in his hand as he stared down into my face. My heart raced fast in my chest, but I refused to back down. I stared up into his icy blue eyes defiantly. It did occur to me that he might end up killing me right then and there.
“Why does it matter to you? I’m the only husband that you need, Dahlia...” he replied softly.
--To be continued...