Richard's POV
Drowsily, I lie on my sides.
I no longer feel the throbbing in my head, yet I continue to experience aches in my chest. It started when I couldn't recognize my own mother until I was told.
That was when the gravity of my situation dawned on me.
Not only can't I make out who I was with between the two women and who betrayed me, but I also can't remember my mother.
I should have known the moment she walked in, sobbing and calling me her boy. But I didn't want to trust anyone, not when I could barely recognize myself.
I feel like a shadow.
Merely living. For a moment, I was tempted to ask the doctor to give me some sedative so I could sleep it off and wake up.
Back to myself.
Not to this man I don't know.
Not remembering anything about my past. Or who I was.
Arabel had empathy written on her face. Not regret or fear of me finding out I know who she was; a cheat like Eve claimed.
Eve, on the other hand, looked desperate to get me out of here. To protect and guide me from even the woman they call my mother.
Suddenly, the door creaks, but I don't turn to see who is coming in. Feeling pathetic, I stay frozen as the person walks in quietly.
When I don't hear any sound anymore, I sit up abruptly to see Arabel already sitting on the chair beside my bed, her gaze fixated on me.
She jerks upright with my action. “Sorry, I thought you were asleep.” She gets up immediately to go. “I should let you sleep.”
“Wait.” I find myself ordering as she halts.
“I'm sorry. I didn't know you were not asleep. I just wanted to…” She trails off, making me watch her face, mesmerized by her beauty and confidence.
One minute, she is slapping someone. The next minute, she is stuttering.
The doctor requested that they all go out and let me rest for a while. Why did she come back in? Where is Eve?
“Sit,” I say quietly, and she hesitates before obeying. Leaning my head on the headboard, my gaze on her doesn't waiver. “Are you Arabel or Bella?”
She looks down, causing my heart to race as I begin to believe that she is the bad one, not Eve.
Why isn't she answering me if she has nothing to hide? Why the hesitation?
“I am both,” she finally replies. “I am Arabella and Bella. Bella is a name derived from Arabella. They are the same thing.”
With realization dawning on me, I nod. “Did we get divorced?”
“Yes,” her reply come quickly this time. There is no hesitation in her tone. And she is staring at me this time while fidgeting with her hands.
“Why?” If I can't remember anything, then I need someone to help me remember.
She shakes her head. “That is for you to remember, Richard, but I assure you, whatever comes out of Eve's mouth is nothing but lies. I didn't cheat on you, I would never do that.”
She can't tell me the reason for our divorce, yet she doesn't want me to believe Eve.
“Why can't you tell me then? Perhaps it will help me remember what happened and how it happened,” I insist, hoping it will let her speak the truth, but she only shakes her head again, determined not to tell me what happened.
“That isn't something I am supposed to tell you, Richard. All I know is that you asked for a divorce, and I granted you that…”
“Even when we had a child?” I cut her short, finding it very hard to believe that I would ask my wife for a divorce without even considering our child.
She looks shocked, her eyes are trained on me. “You didn't know I was pregnant when you asked for a divorce.”
Silence falls.
That explains it. If I had known, I wouldn't have asked for a divorce. But why? If my heart had always beat for this woman, why ask for a divorce?
No matter how hard I try to figure things out, I can't help but doubt her. She ought to tell me everything. I have plans to do the same with Eve, just as I am questioning her.
I want to be able to figure things out myself. And with my mother's help, even though I don't know if I should trust her too.
I keep asking myself why she wasn't here when I woke up. She left me in the hands of strangers.
“Why did I ask you for a divorce?” This time, my curiosity reaches its peak, causing goosebumps all over my skin.
She responds by darting her eyes away. I don't know.”
My instincts tell me otherwise. She knows. If she didn't, she wouldn't avoid my gaze. She wouldn't hesitate the very first time I asked her.
Why?
A knock comes to the door, and we both turn.
The door creaks open, revealing a small child peeking in alongside a woman who isn't Eve. A wide smile spreads on their faces as they come in.
“Daddy!” The girl shrieks, jumping forward, until Arabel stops her from lunging at me.
“Daddy is still recovering, baby. "Don't jump on him the way you always do, okay?" Arabel informs her, and she nods her head in agreement before slowly coming towards me.
Pretending to know her, I open my arms, and she rushes in with excitement. “I miss you, baby girl.”
“Me too, Daddy. I love you.”
My heart skips a beat, and I lock eyes with Arabel.
When we disengage, I peer down at her intensely. The stark truth in front of me threatens to bring a tear to my eyes.
I don't need to be told she is mine.
Her eyes. The striking resemblance between us says it all.
My blood.
If I actually divorce Arabel for a reason best known to me, why haven't I made up for my mistakes after knowing we have a child together?
There is pain in Arabel's eyes until she looks back at me, a joyless smile making its way to her face. Pointing at the woman who brought in my child, she introduces. “This is Ashley, your former secretary. She was your secretary until two months ago.”
I smile faintly at Ashley, and she nods at me in acknowledgement. Her expression of pity suggests that she must have heard about my situation.
Arabel continues talking. “Ashley is married to your friend, Caleb.”
I nod again, even though I don't know who Caleb is.
“Where is he?” I ask abruptly before I have a chance to consider my options.
Confusion spread across their faces.
“Who?” Arabel demands.
“Caleb.”
“Let me get him,” Ashley replies and hurries out.
Worry is etched on Arabel's face as she questions. “Do you remember Caleb?”
“No,” I answer sharply. “But I want to.”
The door opens again, and Caleb comes in. He is a good-looking guy, wearing blue pants and a white T-shirt.
Well-composed, he makes his way to me.
With my gaze fixed on him, I question. “Can everyone else excuse us?”
Arabel shares a knowing look with Caleb's wife before picking my child up. If I don't trust the women in my life, then at least I can trust my friend.
He wouldn't be here if we weren't close. Being close enough meant he knew almost everything about me.
If I can't get answers from my mother and the other women, then I should be able to hear the truth from him.
He scans my body before asking me when the girls are out. “How are you?”
I want to reply. Tell him how shitty I feel. And how pathetic it is to be reminded of everything, including everyone's name.
I want to tell him I can't remember a thing and I need him to help me out.
"Eve and Arabel," I utter aloud as if making a formal announcement, keeping my gaze fixed on his face to ensure I don't miss any hint of emotion in his expression. “Who among these two women is my wife?”
Silence falls.
He balls his hand into a fist but doesn't look away. When he opens his mouth, I wait patiently until he closes it back.
Before I can persuade him to tell me quickly because I have other questions to ask him about myself, he replies calmly. “Arabel is the woman you love, Richard.”
His words are laced with confidence, causing nerves to spin in my stomach.
Arabel.
I should have known.
My heart doesn't beat as strangely with Eve as it does with Arabel. If I loved her, why did we get divorced? Did she cheat on me?
“If…then, why are we divorced?” I ask him the second question, and he shakes his head.
“You asked her for a divorce because you wanted another woman!” He announces, causing me to jerk backward in shock and drop my jaws.
With my fingers trembling slightly as the stark truth of my life rears its ugly head at me, I demand quickly. “Tell me everything!”