Shredded past

A fresh start with no lies pt.2

Issac’s POV

“Did grandma hire someone to shoot you?” Her question startled me before I could even begin.

“I know Diana isn’t very fond of me but she wouldn’t kill me because I love her granddaughter,” I paused to breathe, rethinking before I could utter anything, but my heart had to just let it out. “I made my intentions regarding our relationship loud and clear, and she really cares about her little princess.”

“Mmm, and what are your intentions?” She asked—I knew her question would pop out after that confession.

I tugged a stranded hairpiece behind her earlobe as her curious gaze fixated on mine. “I want more than the dating phase. I’ll not push you to make any decisions, but I want you to know that you have been on my mind ever since my eyes laid on you in that hallway…”

I had a lot to say, a lot to confess, yet I was afraid if I said too much I’ll scare her off—Or I’m just afraid of getting rejected because that will hurt like hell.

My thoughts stopped once I felt her lips over mine in a quick kiss. Maybe a reminder that everything between us will be better. “I want that, too, and I appreciate that you are willing to wait for me,” a small smile crept on her lips, her brown eyes staring into my soul.

Yes, the truth would hurt her. She doesn’t know she met the guy who shot me, and after knowing she will beat herself for having her guard down.

I never blamed her and will never blame her because, knowing Oliver, he is a sociopath who is also following the orders of another sociopath. She is endangered, placed into a twisted game that started decades ago.

Having her in my life is like a death sentence for her, something I never realised until recently after knowing most of the actual story.

“Are you okay?” Her question tore me apart from my thoughts and I nodded my head, her hand rubbing my arm to comfort me.

“So, just to let you know, I began to know everything after I got shot—”

“You know who shot you?” She asked, and I glanced at her, concern written all over her face—knowing how guilty she would feel after knowing who did it.

I nodded slowly. “Dean… Dean Phillips was the man who shot me. I recognized him on the day I came to your office, and that’s not only it,” I paused for a minute, trying to rearrange everything in my head.

But her expression of shock just told me whatever I do or say it would still be as if I threw a bucket of freezing cold water at her.

She trusted a man who was sent by her enemy, something I knew Allison wouldn’t do because she always had her guard up, fully aware and picky about who she chose to work with.

“His real name is Oliver Winston, and he’s working for Holland. I know you don’t know much about my family except that they’re mad rich… Well, it didn’t come from thin air, apparently.”

I can’t bear how she’s currently looking at me. I hated the way she looked at me with guilt—the guilt of being oblivious.

“Why didn’t you tell me anything about him? You met that guy, Isaac, the day I signed the contract with him, you were there in the company—”

“What do you expect, Alli? I didn’t want to scare you, and I mostly didn’t want to endanger your life,” I snapped at her, cutting her off before she got the time to finish her sentence.

She doesn’t understand.

I had my hand on her shoulder, forcing her gaze to meet mine. “I figured out everything right when he took you, and I only had two options… if I called the police, he would’ve killed you, if I remained silent, and agreed to whatever he said he wouldn’t have hurt you. Of course, I chose the second one,”

Her gaze wouldn’t meet mine, and the look of guilt that had once been on her face was now replaced with betrayal.

“But you know Holland, and I… I was powerless.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath in right before opening them to meet my gaze.

She cupped my face, her thumb brushing over my cheek. “Isaac, you did what you thought was right,” she tried to tell me that I hadn’t failed her, and maybe for a second I felt my regret die down.

I also got tricked—of course, I chose the safest option for her, thinking Holland would be a man of his word. But he lied, and I had the regret and guilt burning me alive every time I looked at Allison, the way she was hurt and broken.

A humourless chuckle escaped her lips, and I frowned at her. She just shook her head, covering her mouth as she chuckled again. “The one time I let my guard down, I got kidn*pped. And the both of us got played by Holland,” she finally spoke once she calmed down.

“I believe you let your guard down twice. I was the first time,” I corrected her, and she rolled her eyes, a small smile drawn on her lips as she relaxed her back again on the arm of the couch.

“Not the right time?” I asked, and she placed her hand on the back of mine, her gaze travelling from where she was touching me to my gaze.

“You are trying to lighten the mood. That’s okay. Anyway, the story gets bitter after that, right?” I nodded, and she nibbled on her lower lip, obviously thinking of something.

“Why is Dean… I mean, Oliver is working for Holland? Was it just to kidnap me? Or is it for the money I took from him?” She asked—I knew she would ask that question.

“Holland wanted to get you back for taking his money because you caused more trouble than you think…” I stopped talking, remembering the last journal left that does have evidence of what happened in the past.

Aside from my father, her grandmother, and her aunt, that journal is the only thing that has the events of what happened in the past documented by my grandfather.

“Give me a minute,” I announced, and she nodded her head slowly with visible confusion. I moved her legs carefully aside so I could get up.

I went to the kitchen, going through the cabinets to find the journal I hid right before going to the airport this morning. I was in such a rush to hide it from my father that now I couldn’t remember where I hid it.

It clicked in my head where I hid it and went to the cabinet that was under the sink, finding the journal in the same spot I placed it. I grabbed it, second thinking about my decision whether to show it to her or keep it hidden.

I promised to be honest with her because my lies are what led us to this very moment. I should’ve never lied to her, especially when I knew what could’ve happened, but I risked it all for love, too afraid to have her hate me.

I just made my way back to the living room, seeing Allison lying lazily on the couch with her feet on the coffee table, leaving room for me on the couch so I could sit next to her.

“I know the rule of no feet on the coffee table, but I can’t have them dangling all the time,” she said as I approached her, glancing at her less swollen feet.

“It’s okay. You can have them wherever you want, and I could give you another massage.” I offered her a warm smile once I sat next to her. Her lips curved into a small smile as an answer to mine.

“I’ll consider that generous offer, Izzy.”

It was awkward between us, and saying I hated that awkwardness was an understatement. I hated every awkward silence that fell between us, and I hated how I acted awkwardly around her.

We just need time. I tried to tell myself that I was just burning my brain cells over something that would be considered in the past once everything was patched between us.

I ignored what I felt and pushed the black journal towards her. “It’s the only one left… Dad burnt the rest because he doesn’t want us to know whatever happened in the past,” I said, feeling her fingers brush mine when she took the journal.

“I’ve seen a similar one in my father’s office before,” she murmured as she opened the cover, her gaze landing on the first page that had a date in the upper corner.

“Great… your grandfather was in love with Nana,” she commented after reading the first paragraph, which I had already read.

“She loved him but she wasn’t going to disobey her father and rebel against him, so she married her father’s business partner,” I explained further, and she lifted her gaze to mine, waiting for me to continue—to explain why her family and mine don’t interfere.

“My grandfather had a brother called Frederick. He was always rebellious, doing whatever he wanted. He joined some gang, the same one my great grandfather was in—”

“So, your family’s money was made from selling drugs?” She cut me off, giving me an apologetic smile as I narrowed my eyes.

“How about you leave the questions after I tell you everything because there will be a lot by the end of this,” I offered, knowing Allison. She would cut me off every time I told her new information.

“At the beginning of the business, yes. My family and yours started dirty—your family only stuck for a few months once they got everything settled they left. Mine stayed for two years then stopped when things turned serious,”

“What does this have to do with lying to me?” She asked, and a low snicker escaped my lips as I rolled my head, which obviously annoyed her.

She slapped my chest, and I grabbed her hand before she could pull it away—she was tense at first, then relaxed under my grasp. “I told you I’ll tell you everything, Alli. But I have to build things for it. I don’t want to leave details.”

She is stubborn, and it’s not brand new information—I have always known she is hot-headed with the mind of a stubborn toddler, but it rarely showed up.

She gave a little nod, and I slid my hand in hers, grabbing the back of her hand closer to my body—I was still afraid that after what she heard next, she would choose to leave me for her safety.

“I don’t break my promises, Isaac. I know we have a long way to go to get our relationship back to normal, but I won’t break my promise,” she said, giving my hand a small squeeze as reassurance.

“Go on now, and I’ll stop interrupting you,” she cajoled, and I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes, knowing too damn well she will interrupt with a question.

Anyway, I picked up from where I left off—Retelling exactly what I remembered from the pages I read. “Frederick was best friends with your grandfather—more of like brothers. But he used your grandfather to clean the gang’s money, which led to your grandfather fighting with Marcus, who was also his best friend…”

I paused, and then Allison filled the silent gap. “I didn’t know our families knew each other… Nana never mentioned it nor did Dad.”

It was because of what happened next—Diana feared the wellbeing of her family being around the Winstons, and as Allison said, that woman would kill to protect her loved ones.

Especially after losing her family.

“They grew up together, their kids even grew up together. But you know life, the money. Their greed tore them apart,” I murmured.

“Frederick murdered Diana’s brother, but it didn’t stop there… he killed Harris Miller. He was still a young boy, only sixteen.”

The more I thought about Frederick, the more I thought about Oliver and what he was capable of.

She took her hand out of my grasp—they at least told her about Harris. I mean, my family never even told me. All I knew was that they had some rivalry with the Winstons, and I assumed it was over something stupid.

Never that big.

“So was Austin. Her brother was Harris’s friend. I remember when I asked Nana, she told me it was a car accident, never mentioned a murder,” she mumbled, her gaze shifting away from mine to stare at the nothingness.

“Telling a child about a murder isn’t a good idea, don’t you think?” I questioned her, and she nodded her head in agreement—seeming to be lost in her thoughts, absorbing the truth in her mind.

“But the murder didn’t start first. Frederick got in between a business deal. He ruined it for all of them. He’s bipolar, and what happened was in his mania episode, but no one expected he could…” I paused at that specific word—thinking again about Oliver.

I don’t care if he hurts me, but I care about her. Having her in my life means endangering her life, and I already failed once to protect her.

“Kill. That he could kill.” She continued my sentence, her gaze was focused on the cover.

“You didn’t fail to protect me.” She darted her warm brownish eyes to my gaze which was already focused on her frame. “Whatever you would’ve done, I would’ve been harmed, anyway. I’m the one who messed up with Holland, and he had it for me. It’s not us as a couple that is the problem.”

Hearing those words from her somehow gave me a little peace—something I wanted to hear these words, especially after she abandoned me.

She grabbed my hand, tightening her grasp around mine. Her eyes held so many emotions as if she had something to say—I know that look on her face whenever she had something to stay, but she preferred choosing silence, withdrawing her hand that once held mine, and returning to our previous conversation.

“Why didn’t Marcus warn my grandfather? I mean, they were like brothers. A little warning would’ve saved an innocent soul,” she questioned, shifting her eyes to the journal, going through the white-yellowish pages—trying to understand what happened from Marcus’s point of view.

Eventually, she will tell me whatever she’s hiding. She needs time, and I’ll give her the time she needs.

“He warned him, and Daniel cut out not only Frederick but Marcus as well. They got our great grandparents involved and banished Frederick, but as they say, you can’t walk out of something unfinished.”

A silent gap fell between us. I paused to let her ask whatever was on her mind because I wasn’t even done with the hard part. Her family, whenever they thought the worst had passed, something horrible came after.

“Nana told me she loved someone before Gramps, She never told me who her secret lover was, but her father got in a fight with his father, so she got that arranged marriage with Gramps,” her soft voice crooked out, lifting her gaze again to mine.

“What happened to Gramps and Marcus’s relationship after that?” She asked, wanting me to confirm her thoughts.

“Diana married Daniel Miller, and his friendship with Marcus was in the past. It tore their friendship apart.”

The Browns knew about the gang, so they wanted to protect their daughter and ensure her the best future. Daniel Miller seemed like their best option, a well-established man with a bright future and a successful business.

They found comfort in the Millers.

“I still don’t understand the cause of you lying to me. One woman ruined a friendship. It wasn’t like she had a choice because her father would’ve always picked up the Millers over the Winstons.” She retorted, tossing the journal onto the coffee table.

“You knew Scott was your brother, and my cousin, since the beginning of our relationship—”

“Jesus Alli, I wasn’t sure, and the more I dug into the truth, the more I found out about our families, and mine specifically,” I cut her off, and she pressed her lips together before muttering sorry.

“But why did Frederick kill Harris?” Another question that needed an answer I haven’t figured out.

Harris wasn’t supposed to be there during Frederick’s d*******l. But he was there, and he got killed, and that’s what I told her, watching her lower her gaze to her lap.

“I didn’t even expect things to reach where someone takes away a soul. I only thought they were fighting over the money, the recognition, the partners,” she murmured in denial of the truth.

“Frederick was cut out from the family inheritance, even out of the family after he killed Harris. Also, Marcus hated his best friend for taking the woman he loved. He wanted to ruin everything, so he went to Frederick.”

A huge mistake Marcus had regretted to the day he died—he regretted the day he had to hurt the woman he loved because when she looked at him, it was when he got his heart broken for breaking hers.

I grabbed the journal she tossed earlier, getting a piece of paper cut from an old newspaper out, and handing it to her. Her gaze sharply flickered between my gaze and the piece of paper.

Hesitantly, she read the headline and then got deeper into the article. Her eyebrows crossed with obvious confusion after she was done.

I took the piece of paper out of her grasp and returned it to the journal as she uttered in confusion mixed with disbelief.

“He killed Keith Brown?”

“Marcus wanted to hurt her the same way she did. It shouldn’t have been Keith, but he was protecting Diana that night,”

He took the bullet, and she watched him bleed out until he died in his sister’s arms as she waited for an ambulance to arrive.

“Diana took her revenge, or that’s what everyone thought. She accidentally killed his child—”

“She never intended to, right?” She cut me off, knowing about what her grandmother is capable of, but she will never harm a child.

“It was all a misunderstanding. She was trying to help him, even took him to the hospital, but he just died. Frederick couldn’t get this through his thick skull. The rest is history.”

Lola fell for Mike and they had a kid together, then Marcus took the baby, giving it to his other son, shipping them off to another continent, afraid that Frederick would come for him as a payback for what Diana did.

“Marcus wasn’t the bad guy after all. He was afraid of the innocent soul that could get into this mess. He knew too well Diana wouldn’t have killed a living soul, but Frederick wanted a soul for the one that was taken from him,”

“So, what now? He told Lola that her kid had died, took him from his father, and gave him to his uncle to be raised away from his real family. Well, you and I came perfectly to this world. Why didn’t Frederick kill us, Isaac?”

It made no sense to me. Everything made no sense. Greed and money blinded both of the families. One was insane enough to even kill for it.

“No one understands him. He left the gang after his son died, living alone in a farmhouse. Oliver was supposed to kill my father, but I jumped in front of him taking the bullet instead,” I paused, pulling her necklace from my pocket, the one that started everything.

The necklace had two copies. One was with my grandfather, and the other, I assume, was with Diana when they were secretly dating—it was before everything went down the drain. Marcus was the man she first fell in love with.

Marcus kept his until the day he died, while Diana passed it down to her granddaughter.

She took the necklace from my grasp, flickering her gaze between the necklace and my gaze—waiting for me to continue.

“They had a plan… if their parents wouldn’t allow them to have a relationship, they would run away together. It was a promise necklace.”

A promise neither Diana nor Marcus kept for each other—even Marcus knew their relationship could’ve never become a thing. He referred to their relationship as forbidden love. Despite the love they had for each other, their family wouldn’t allow it.

“He loved her, and to protect her, he had to let her go,” I murmured.

I won’t take the same path as them. Allison means a lot to me. I tried to forget about her from our first meeting, but it’s like she imprinted on me, leaving a mark and attaching my soul to hers.

We indeed took our relationship far at a fast pace. We had done it wrong. I haven’t admitted that out loud, but after thinking I realised if I took it slow, it could’ve been better.

“What about Frederick? Why is he targeting you?” She rushed with the questions, and I honestly didn’t have an answer.

Not only does Frederick want me dead, but apparently Holland does as well. And both of them are using Oliver as their assassin. Somehow, Holland dragged Allison into the picture, wanting to eliminate his competition.

“Some pieces are missing, and I don’t know why Frederick is targeting my father, or me, but he wants us dead,” I sighed, throwing my head to the back as my gaze met with the ceiling.

I haven’t dug that deep, and my father’s advice was just to leave it as it is—he is hiding something from me, a lot of things he will never share.

But I know someone who might know something about the past, and it’s Diana. I’m sure Allison is avoiding them as well, but eventually, she will seek answers from her grandmother because what I gave her isn’t all she needed.

“I think we can’t have a normal life,” she retorted, and I moved my head to the side where she sat, meeting her gaze.

She cupped my cheek, and I placed my hand over hers—feeling an uneasiness in my guts from her previous words. I can’t provide her safety as long as she is with me, or that’s what my inner voice told me… that she is better off without me.

My only fear was her rejection, and now, after I told her everything, I was afraid she would change her mind and leave me.

“They want me dead as well, so we are tied. And no dumbass, I won’t break up with you because even if it means death, I don’t see myself with anyone except you—”

Her phone rang, and right before she removed her hand, she gave me a quick kiss on the side of my lips. “I don’t know for how long I’ll need to reassure you, but I’m not leaving you,” she whispered, ignoring her phone that kept ringing.

“You probably need to answer,” I said as I glanced at the screen, seeing Rafael’s name.

She grabbed the phone and answered the call. “Yes, Raph,”

“I already booked a suite, dumbass,” she hissed, rolling her eyes at whatever Rafael said.

“Okay, take care,” she finished the call, lowering her phone to her lap.

“A suite?” I questioned, and she sighed loudly. Probably wasn’t planning on telling me that.

“I’m relocating. The penthouse isn’t safe anymore—”

“You could stay with me, Allie. You know you are welcome to stay here,” I interrupted her, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know I can’t be forgiven way too fast, and I’ll work to earn your forgiveness—”

“Isaac—”

She cut me off, but I still carried on, ignoring her attempt to interrupt me. “You would be much safer here with me, I promise.”

She grabbed my face with both of her hands, looking at me with her soft brown eyes. “It’s not about you, Issac. It’s me. I can’t stay with you just yet. I’m exploring our relationship from a different perspective. Yes, I love you, but I need to fall in love with you again. Find the spark that made me fall the first time.”

“But if there’s anything you will stay with me,” I said, taking the chance to repeat myself when she paused. I didn’t ignore what she said. I heard every single word and made a mental note to help her find the spark, but I had to make sure of her well-being.

I found mine when she walked into me, a spark at first sight. And that woman had already invaded my poor heart, making me a desperate man in love.

“I’m currently safe at a hotel downtown, then I’ll move to a house in a secured place. There’s nothing for you to be concerned about,” she shrugged.

Another silence gap fell between us before I found a smile form on her lips—I forgot she loved teasing me.

“But if there’s anything, I’ll stay with you,” she repeated, her lips still stretching with the smile she wore, caressing my skin with her thumbs.

“So, am I allowed to enlighten that spark again?” I questioned, feeling for once normalcy seeping into our relationship.

“It’s hard work for you, buddy, but I’m sure you will handle it, and yes, you are allowed,” she drawled, moving one hand to my shoulder, and bringing herself to sit on my lap.

“Maybe we should work on the nicknames,” I cajoled, seeping into that moment we were sharing—the smile she had on her lips, making my heart skip a beat.

I’m thankful for her, and I’ll do everything to protect her. She wrapped her arms around me, and I found myself hugging her back, burying my face in her neck, breathing in her scent that always brought me peace in my mind.

I wished we could stay like this forever, peacefully cuddling in each other’s embrace, and not have to deal with the outside world or worry about anything that was happening.