Savior

Chapter Twenty-five

Sole

Past few days all I’ve been doing his fighting. First it was Daniel, then Jake and now today, it was Dave. In my defense, he came on to me first. The way he was angry, it wasn’t just about not finding anyone in the conference room last night but something else. The best bet was he saw me with Luna. If he did then it was great for then the wedding would be called off. But then the jerk announced that he’d be marrying her tomorrow. That let me unleash all my suppressed feelings on him. No one ever dared to boast in front of me and here he was telling me that he was going to be Luna’s husband from the very next day.

He was lucky that Luna interrupted in between us for he could’ve been the ugliest groom on the planet who would’ve been missing a lot of teeth. When Luna fought with me for him I wanted to shout but didn’t because I knew I worthy of her ire. Then she brought me to my room and kissed me. As much as I wanted to turn it into something more I was aware she was doing it out of anger towards me. To calm her down I hugged her, if not my words then maybe warmth of my actions could melt her.

And then she asked the formidable question. Why hadn’t I come to see her in all these years? Moment of truth was here and I was ready to face it.

‘I didn’t know about our child.’ I said.

‘So I’ve been told.’

‘But you don’t believe me.’

‘I came to your house numerous times and tried telling you in person but when you refused to meet me, I told your step-mother.’

‘She never told me.’

‘That’s why I’m asking, why didn’t you try to meet me at all Sole? Maybe if everything was a misunderstanding, if you’d just once tried to talk to me, we would’ve sorted out everything.’

I licked my lips, and gulped before saying, ‘I thought you cheated on me.’ She didn’t move so I continued, ‘My step-mother showed me some pictures of you and my business rival. I thought you gave him the key.’

‘The cheat-code sheet that holds the security to all the programs you’ve designed?’ I nodded. ‘I still have that.’

I looked at her and she moved away from me. ‘Our business was failing, someone was breaching our security program and I thought…’

‘It was me.’ Her eyes were accusing me of being distrustful right now. And I couldn’t deny the blame. ‘When you shared about your past and gave it to me three years ago, since then it has been kept safe in a locker in my room. I’ve never touched it myself.’

‘I’m sorry, Luna. I really am. As you said I should’ve come to you and clarified things but I was fool not to do that.’

‘Just on the basis of few pictures you thought I cheated on you?’

I tried to hold her hand but she refused to let me. ‘I saw you with him in the golf-course and perceived the rumors to be true.’

‘Golf-course? Who was I with?’ She thought for a moment and then said, ‘The only people I’ve been to the golf-course with are either Gina or Jake. Did you think I was romantically involved with Jake?’ She stood up with a jerk, ‘Sole! Jake is Gina’s boyfriend!’

‘I know. When I went to your house yesterday, I met him there and Gina told me about him.’

‘So it was only yesterday you got to know there wasn’t anything between me and him. If you’d not met him there, you would still be thinking wrong of me.’

I stood up too and placed my hands on her shoulders. ‘Luna, if I hadn’t met him yesterday then I would’ve come to you to clarify everything between us.’

‘Oh really?’

I nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘Well, if we’re on the way of clarifying things then I would also like you to come true about something.’

‘What is it?’

‘That you were upset with me for not coming to the church that day and later being with Jake the only reasons you didn’t come to meet me all these years?’

‘What else would be there?’

‘I saw you with a girl too.’ She said and slid my hands away from her shoulders.

A girl? What was she talking about? ‘There was no one. I’ve never dated anyone after you.’

‘Here I thought we were clarifying things.’ She said and started to leave but I stopped her.

‘Luna! I swear there was no one else beside you.’

‘Stop lying! I saw the two of you together.’ She walked out the bedroom and while turning the knob of the main door she said, ‘I really wish you would tell me the truth at least now.’

I ran after her but she kept walking. The corridor seemed unusually long today. I called out a few times but she didn’t stop. When finally her speed seemed to slow down because of the high heels that she was wearing that I was able to catch her. But when I did, I lost the balance myself and to support the both of us I placed my hand on a room’s door not realizing it was open.

‘Ouch!’ Both of fell to the floor inside that room.

‘I’m sorry.’

‘What are you doing Sole?’ Luna said and she tried to get up.

When both of us got up I thought it would be better to apologize to the people to whom the room belonged but when I saw them I was sent in a state of shock.

‘Sole.’ The name escaped from her mouth and I looked from her to the person accompanying her.

‘You said there was no girl.’ Luna said from beside me. I looked at her in confusion. ‘Both of you clearly know each other. There was no need to lie to me. After all this time you could’ve come clean.’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Her! I’m talking about her. She’s the one I saw with you in the hospital, Sole.’

‘Hospital?’

‘The day your father died, I came to visit you. And you were crying in her arms.’ My eyes widened from surprise. She saw me with Luisa. And thought I was cheating on her. Huh. The heights of misunderstandings that there are between us. What do I do with them?

‘Luna, yes I do know her but she’s…..’

‘You’re late. I don’t want to hear it now.’ Luna said and ran out the room.

I wanted to chase after her but there was someone I needed to talk to first. ‘What are you doing here?’ I asked.

‘Sole’ Luisa began and I waved a hand to stop her.

‘I wasn’t talking to you.’ I said and tilted my head to look at the guy without the shirt who was no one else but my secretary Ricci.

‘You. What are you doing here?!’ I shouted.

Luisa might not be my real sister but she was sibling to me. Not going after her mother she’s been supportive of me throughout the tough times even at times going against her own mother. I might not be showering her with brotherly love all the time but I was protective of her and right now seeing her with Ricci was bringing out the protective brotherly feeling in me to a point where he could go home with a dislocated jaw or something worse.

‘Let’s go out and talk.’ Ricci suggested. He still had the guts to tell me.

We went out and when we were in the laws I turned to him and glared. ‘So, what is going on? Is this why you were on a leave, to spend time with Luisa?’

‘She and I are dating.’

‘Didn’t you hate her?’

‘No. I just didn’t like her. But then when I got to know her better, like changed into dislike.’

‘Right. Just like that.’

‘I know it might’ve come as a shock to you.’

‘Are you serious about her?’ He nodded. ‘And she?’ He nodded again. ‘Were you ever planning to tell me?’

He hesitated and then said, ‘We were going to but…’

‘So you weren’t.’

‘It’s not like that.’

‘Then what is it like Ricci? Explain because I’m already in tight waters with Luna, I can’t have to worry about Luisa too.’

‘You don’t have to worry about Luisa. I might’ve not planned on telling you about us anytime soon but that doesn’t mean we were never going to tell you. We were looking for the right time.’

‘Whatever.’

‘So are we okay?’ He asked and without a warning I punched him in the face.

‘Now we are.’ He didn’t retaliate which meant he was ready to take it for Luisa. ‘If you veer hurt her…’

‘I won’t.’

I stared him down and asked, ‘Is that why you’ve been talking informally with me these days. Because you thought you’re Luisa’s boyfriend so you got the edge.’

‘No. I was talking that way because I thought you were being a jerk to Miss Agosti.’ He smiled and I my jaw twitched. This guy knew how to get on people’s nerves, no wonder out of all people he’s dating Luisa, the feisty one.

‘I’ll try to be less of a jerk from now on. Also I want you to find out something for me.’

‘I’m on a leave.’

‘Do you want me to call Amanda here?’

He shook his head. ‘What do I have to do?’

‘Dave Furrow is hell bent on marrying Luna, find out why?’

‘Didn’t she also want to’ He stopped mid-sentence when he saw me glaring.

‘He knows about me and her but still shifted the wedding to tomorrow. You have less than a day to find out about him. Make it fast.’

Ricci nodded and went his way back to Luisa’s room much to my dismay. Why out of all people they had to be together?

My next target was to find Luna. She had misunderstood me and Luisa and I needed to clarify everything with her. Going back to her cottage I noticed someone inside it. I looked through the window and saw Luna sitting on the couch and crying. The tears fell from her eyes and she didn’t even bother to wipe them. She rested her head on a pillow and laid there clutching another one. When she dozed off, I stepped inside through the window and brought a blanket form her room to cover her. She looked so disturbed even in her sleep, I missed the girl who was sleeping peacefully in the morning.

She started babbling something in her sleep and I caressed her cheek slowly to calm her down. A bad dream I suppose. I wish I could turn back time and change everything that went wrong or maybe remove myself from her life completely. She could’ve been happy by herself, I entered her life and made it more of a mess than it already was.

‘Sole, is that you?’ She asked as she opened her eyes slightly.

‘I’m sorry I woke you up.’

‘Why are you here?’

‘Luna, she is not girlfriend.’

'But she once was.'

'No she wasn't. Let me explain.'

‘Can we not talk about this please?’

‘She is Luisa.’

‘I don’t want to know.’

‘But….’

‘Sole, I don’t feel well. Please stop talking.’ He said and closed her eyes, sighing in pain. I immediately placed my palm on her forehead to check her temperature.

‘You’re heating.’

‘I took the medicine but it’s giving me a headache.’

‘You need a doctor.’ I picked up the cordless and dialed the reception.

‘How can I help you?’ The person said over the phone.

‘I need a doctor. My friend here has a fever and…’

‘I’m sorry sir. The in-house doctor is on leave today. You’ll have to take your friend to the nearest hospital.’

‘What? What kind of hospitality is this? You don’t even have a doctor in an emergency!’

‘Sorry for the inconvenience sir. If you want we can call and make arrangements in the nearby hospital, you just need to take your friend there.’

‘No thanks, I’ll take her there myself.’ I said and ended he call. I took Luna in my arms and she winced as if in pain. Carefully bringing her out I carried her to the parking area and put her in the back seat of the car and drove to the nearest hospital.