Chapter 6 - When Love Stands Trial
845 Words
By the time I left the apartment, the rain had begun.
Sheets of it were falling down the streets and fogging the headlights, banging at the umbrella, which I barely succeeded in opening. Each step was a tearing in my heart because I felt guilty about not staying with Daniel, but on the other hand, I was in dire need of knowing the truth myself.
I had been told to meet at the old train station at the edge of town. Deserted. Forgotten. The type of area that individuals selected secrets.
When I got there, my shoes were wet to the bone, and my heart was racing like a crazed thing in my ears. The big hall was deserted, the sound returning off rusted beams and crazed tiles. And then--footsteps.
The female figure was coming out of the shadows, the one that had presented me with the folder. Her face was serious, hard.
"You came."
I require evidence, I said, steadfast but shaky. "Not half-truths. Not warnings. Proof."
She gazed long, and then she took another folder out of her coat. "This is everything. Documents, record, signed testimony. Daniel is not only defending his family--he is out there defending himself. With him you will be destroyed if you choose to stay with him.
I grabbed the folder, and on the verge of gripping the file, I heard a voice sounding through the cavern.
"Don't touch that!"
Daniel? I froze...
He stepped in out of the rain, hair laid to his forehead, blazing eyes. I could not breathe at the sight of him--desperate, drenched, alive.
The woman's lips curled. "Of course. The knight of his faithful presence comes at an opportune time.
Go away, Emma, go away," Daniel said harshly, commandingly.
But I didn't move. My throat tightened. "Why, Daniel? Why shouldn't I know the truth?"
His heart went up and up, and the eyes met mine. Since that is not the truth she is giving you. It's a weapon."
Shrewd and bitter, the woman laughed. "Typical. He’ll turn it inside out to keep you in the dark. Did he tell you, Emma? Did he tell you that his father stole millions with shell companies and did it in his name? The reason why he is being investigated. He's the scapegoat. And you are the collateral damage.
My head spun. "Daniel...?"
His lips were tight, his hands locked by his thighs. "She's right. My father made me the fall guy. And I left him--because it would ruin my family to say so.
The woman stepped closer. "See? He admits it. And he will pick them over you each time.
"No!" Daniel broke in on the station. He approached me and dripped with water. "Emma, listen to me. I did not say because I was trying to protect you. Knowing you had evidence, you would be made a target. You already were."
His eyes burned, pleading. "I love you, and if loving you would make me lose them, then so be it. But--do not take her account of me. Believe what you've seen in me. Who I am with you."
Tears blurred my vision. Two ways tore my heart--the man I loved, who begged me to trust him, and the woman who was giving me facts that might cut off the end.
I examined the folder that she was still holding. Then, at Daniel, wet to his bones, in terror and affection.
This is up to you, Emma; this is up to you, "she said. The truth--or what you want to be the truth.
The rain beat a ripping on the roof above us. The decision pained me in my chest. Go off, and I would never know whether Daniel would be able to endure the storm in his love. Wait, and I was in danger of drowning in his confidence.
Finally, I stepped forward. Toward Daniel.
He opened his eyes, and I was rushing closer and closer, putting my trembling hands to his wet chest. I do not mind the evidence, I said to myself. "I care about you. And when I fall, I will fall that I chose you.
His limbs enveloped me immediately and squeezed me in his arms as though he was afraid that we would disappear. His lips touched mine hopeless and covetous, the kiss tasting of rain and salt and years of love we had nearly lost.
I did not mind as the woman was scoffing in the station. I was certain, like I had never been before in weeks, maybe months. Not safe. Not certain. But sure.
As we separated at last, Daniel bent his forehead close to mine. "You won't regret this," he vowed. "I'll make this right. For us."
The voice of the woman broke through in the back of us. You'll see how long your faith will last when the trial starts.
Her footsteps died off in the night, and all was left to the rain and the beating of the Daniel heart at my ear.
And the storm was not scary to me the first time.
- Writer
