“I am not interested in whatever you say”. Hinata replied strictly. Angela felt sudden anger from her reply. Talking and convincing is hopeless. She had hoped to find some understanding, but instead, Hinata was desperate to keep Antonio to herself. "He will regain his memories one day, and think about how hurt he will be to know you knew all this while whom he really is and kept it a secret from him”. With that, Angela turned and walked away. Hinata clenched her fist tightly, her heart was pounding loudly. Her head felt a bit dizzy and she took an unsteady step backwards. “There's no way it's true”. She murmured to herself and immediately rushed inside to grab her phone. “Hey Hinata, where have you been?” A co-worker asked. “Where is Diego?” Hinata replied with a question. “He is on an errand, what's up with the lady outside?” “I… I will be right back”. Hinata said and walked out of the restaurant to a quiet place. Her curiosity had driven her to search for information about Antonio Montero, the name Angela had mentioned. “Antonio Montero”. Her fingers trembled as she typed the words. What she saw was nothing like Diego. The fierce and playboy pictures, the naughty articles. It was all strange, but that's the same face, same tattoo and same smirk! Her hands shook slightly as she scrolled through the details on her phone and her eyes darted over the articles and social media posts, containing the details of Antonio’s past life. The more she read, the more her frustration and panic grew. The glamorous lifestyle, the scandals with top models, the awards, and mafia links. Sexiest man of the year! She knew he had a unique look and handsomeness but being this was popular in America is a whole new level. Suddenly, the thought that Antonio might return to his past life, leaving behind everything they had built for this high-profile lifestyle, felt like a crushing blow. What hurt even more was the realization that Angela wasn’t just any ex. From the information she gathered, it was clear that Angela had been more than a fling; they had shared a deep, intimate relationship, the same was said for a woman called Diana. Who was tagged late. Died from unknown cause. However, the Article tagged Angela as the one true love of Antonio, whom he put even before Diana. This was confirmed by his late grandma during an interview before her death. Hinata went further to ask about where Antonio Montero is currently. “Declared dead, with his body not found” She felt a shiver down to her feet. The thought of Angela or any other woman being his lover filled Hinata with a fiery mix of nervousness, jealousy, and anger. No wonder that stranger Angela was displaying such weird behavior around him, she thought. As Angela disappeared into the night, she walked slowly like a lost soul, she had many thoughts rushing in, but none gave her a good solution. How can she get Antonio without Hinata always coming in between? How strong is the bond between Antonio and Hinata? What if he still loves Hinata after she told him their past. Is their love a past story? Will she be asked to move on? The thought of losing Antonio, combined with the strange Hinata's insistence on his past, left her feeling conflicted and unsettled. She walked with her head down and eyes focused on the ground that she bumped into someone accidentally, just a stone throw away from the restaurant. “I am so sorry”. “I am sorry”. They both apologized at the same time, but something was familiar about that voice. She looked up with her face filled with tears, and immediately her breath caught in her throat. Antonio was standing right there in front of her clutching a delivery bag. Antonio’s eyes widened with recognition as he recognized Angela to be the same woman who acted weird towards him in the restaurant earlier. “You…” he said slower, his voice filled with confusion. Angela’s heart raced. She tried to control her emotions, but she couldn't. She hugged him tightly and cried out. “Antonio, please, I need to talk to you. Just give me a moment.
I can explain everything.” Antonio glanced nervously over his shoulder towards the restaurant and pulled her out of the hug. Angela's shoulders were shaking visibly, and her face messed up with tears. “Look, I am genuinely sorry I don't know what you want. I really don’t want to have issues with Hinata. I have a girlfriend.” The mention of Hinata’s name was like a slap to Angela’s already shattered heart. “What…what about me?” “What…” Before he could finish his statement, she reached out and pulled Antonio towards her, pressing her lips against his in a fervent kiss. She clung to him, her hands gripping his jacket as if it were the only thing anchoring her to reality. Antonio’s eyes widened in shock; however, he took too long to pull back. Their kiss deepened like he was still in shock about the whole thing. When he finally pulled back, he wiped his lips with his hand, confusion written across his face. “What do you think you are doing?” he asked, his voice tinged with shock and confusion. “Remember me Angela, Freckles! Remember what we shared, how we started! Our love, our moments together, Grandma! Jace!!… Fox! Do you remember! Please remember”. She hit him severally on the chest with weak fists in frustration, crying. Her tears flowed freely, and her voice broke as she tried to control her emotions. “I have been waiting, Antonio… I have been waiting for years… I am sorry…please remember me”. She dropped on her knees crying Before Antonio could respond, the sound of hurried footsteps approached. Hinata, having spotted the scene from a distance, ran towards them, her face flushed with anger and disbelief. “What is going on here?” She shouted, and turned to Angela. “What do you think you’re doing? Kissing someone else's boyfriend out of nowhere? Are you crazy?” Angela was still sobbing, mourning her grief and trying to control her pain. Antonio stood between the two women, his expression a mix of confusion and distress. He glanced from Angela to Hinata, trying to process the situation and understand what had just transpired between all of them. Also, who is ANTONIO? Hinata glared at Angela. “You need to leave, leave this place and leave my man alone,” she shouted at Angela, about to go physical when Antonio pulled her back. “What are you defending her, she kissed you, I saw you two! What lies did she tell you”? Hinata barked angrily. “I think she is depressed enough, please”. Antonio replied. “He is my man, get that into your stinking head”. Angela rose that instant. “You are crazy, Kureiji! Baka!” Hinata cursed at her angrily in Japanese. Angela smirked, seeing the wetness in Hinata's horrified eyes. She could tell she had seen every information about Antonio. “You searched about him, didn't you!” Hinata was silent after that comment, she left a lump in her throat. Angela continued. “I can see the fear in your eyes… I am not here to fight you, Hinata. I understand you, but Antonio is mine. His heart belongs to me only… I will wait, no matter how long it takes. He will look for me …that I am sure of!” Antonio looked at both confused. “Well, you can wait forever! Antonio is dead. This is Diego, and Diego is mine! You heard that Mine” Hinata snapped back, then she turned to Antonio in tears and brows arched. “Tell her who your woman is, Sweet”. “Baby, you are my woman”. “Say my name and tell her I am your woman”. Hinata sobbed loudly. “I love you Hinata,you are my woman”. With that, Antonio pulled her in and hugged her, and she melted in his arms, crying loudly. He looked at Angela, still hugging Hinata. “You need to leave, you've caused enough troubles. Please leave”. Angela’s eyes immediately summoned tears as she took one last, pained look at Antonio and Hinata before turning to walk away. Her steps were heavy with sadness. The cold night air was harsh against her skin, but it was nothing compared to the emotional storm raging inside her heart. Antonio watched her as she left, then Hinata pulled away from the huh, drying her tears. "Hinata, I….” Hinata cut him off sharply, her voice shaking slightly. “Let’s just go home. We need to talk.” Antonio nodded, still trying to process everything that had happened as they made their way back to the restaurant.