Arabel's POV
It is exhausting.
Spending my time thinking of a future that seems far-fetched. Hoping for a new beginning with him.
Each time I hope for something more, something bad seems to spring up.
At first, I thought he had recovered his memory with that look on his face, but now I find out that the marriage Eve claimed was between them is real.
How?
Richard had been in the hospital since his accident. I have been with him all along, until now.
How did that marriage happen?
Was it before the accident?
As I drive to Ashley's place, I keep fuming, fixating my eyes on the road so I don't lose focus.
This is making me question my decision to be close to him, care for him, and even give him a chance when he eventually recovers his memory.
Richard couldn't defend himself. He couldn't say anything until I saw the certificate in his hand.
I don't need a soothsayer to explain what that means.
The marriage is genuine.
However, marriage requires both a man and a woman. A woman cannot be married without the presence of a man. Same goes for the man.
Which means that Richard was present there.
I slam my fist on the wheel as I come to an abrupt stop. My body is trembling with anger and confusion.
My anger is intense and tangible, coating every corner of my system like poison.
After a moment of exhalation, I release my balled fist and ignite the car engine into action before driving into Ashley's garage, where I park my car roughly before coming out.
Something about Richard is suspicious. The moment I saw that guy, Leo, or whatever his name was, I knew something was up.
I didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but I did by mistake.
I just went to the room to change my clothes so I could head to Ashley's place before going to the penthouse to grab a few things I will be needing.
My things are still at the penthouse. I am not moving in with Richard fully. For the time being, I am just there until he is back to his real self.
After changing, I went over to the study to inform him that I was heading out, when I heard the name Eve. I was shocked to my bones.
When Eve mentioned she was Richard's wife, I didn't believe her one bit because I felt she was lying. Now I don't know what to feel.
I feel really silly for having trusted Richard fully. To have thought he would never…
“Bella?” Ashley's voice breaks into my thoughts, making me lift my head to see her worried expression.
I am standing at the front door. Instead of walking in or telling her what happened, I pull her into a tight hug.
Simultaneously, a tear rolls down my eyes.
“Are you okay? What happened? Where is Richard?” She demands with concern.
At the name, I pull away and wipe my tears quickly before walking in. She follows behind.
“Bella, what happened? Why are you crying?” She asks behind me, rushing over to grab me to face her.
I stop and look down, unsure of where or how to begin.
“I…I… think Richard is really married to Eve,” I suddenly announce, and her eyes grow wide as she steps backward in shock.
“What?!”
I nod gingerly, my head spinning with questions that I have no answers to. Why the hell he refused to defend himself is what I haven't figured out.
“How did you know that?!” She demands in a loud voice before leading me to a sofa. We both sit down, and she asks. “Are you sure?”
“I heard him. He was discussing it with Leo. I believe he asked Leo to investigate Eve's claim, which proved to be accurate. They are married, Ash,” I explain, sucking in the sob which is threatening to burst out of my chest.
Ashley remains silent, pondering over my announcement.
“The certificate turned out to be real too. It wasn't fake like we thought,” I add, leaning my head down and holding it with both hands.
“But Richard has been in the hospital all along, and you've been with him. How could they get married…” she trails off. “Did you check the date?”
“No, I didn't bother to.” I answer her quietly. “I also thought the same. We've been together since the accident. I have no explanation for how this happened, and he isn't making things any easier either.”
“Perhaps this happened before the accident?” Ashley questions the possibility of Richard doing this while in his right mind. “Perhaps he forgot all about it?”
The latter sounds more like a question. There are creases of confusion in her expression, adding to my misery.
“Does this mean he has been deceiving me all along?” I can't help but ask the one question which continues to pop up every second in my mind, making my heart race.
Ashley shakes her head. “I don't think so, Bella. Perhaps we should listen to him first and give him a chance to explain himself. According to what I have heard of him, he would never make such a mistake twice. He loves you.”
A short chuckle leaves any mouth. “Really? He loves me, yet he married another woman.”
"Richard is not the man he used to be. He barely knows himself. Perhaps he didn't defend himself because he doesn't even remember shit and can't tell what is real and what isn't.”
That hit a spot.
Richard is still unsure about who he is, who I am, and who everyone around him is.
How did he then recognise Leo? When did he ask Leo to find out the authenticity of the so-called marriage? Is he having doubts about me?
"That woman is desperate, and she would do anything to pull you two apart again and get to Richard. What gives us the assurance that she wasn't even involved in his accident? Think about it. Richard was involved in an accident the night she went to his apartment. She left right before your eyes but turned out to be by his side when he was rushed to the hospital. Haven't you thought about how everything is working in her favor? Do we even know what that doctor gave Richard before we got there? Apparently, she wanted this. The loss of memory. The doubts you are having. And everything. She wants Richard back, and she will do anything to get what she wants.”
Everything she is saying keeps hitting a spot in my system.
A spot that releases nothing but pain and agony in my heart. Making panic stream through my veins.
“But…how…”
“How did they get married?” Ashley inquires, staring at me with confidence.
“Yes. How did this happen? Even if he doesn't remember, we ought to figure this out when…”
Ashley scoffs and leans backwards, dragging me with her. “I won't be surprised if it wasn't Richard standing with her at the registry.”
My heart skips a beat.
With my anger visibly abated, hope shoots up my spine. “What do you mean?”
Ashley only smiles at me.
“You mean she might have presented someone else at the registry as Richard Giodano?” I ask her, and she nods with full-blown confidence.
“It's possible. With Richard bedridden and you watching over him every second like a hawk, it leaves us with one thing. If this marriage didn't happen before the accident, which I am sure it didn't because Eve wouldn't even mind tampering with the dates on the certificate to make it look like Richard got married to her in his right sense before he got involved in an accident, then it means she married someone else, impersonating Richard. She not only married him, but also included Richard's name in the ridiculous document.”
Slowly, I process every word, and my jaws drop open alongside my heart.