Chapter 17

"Honestly, Mom, I got carried away," I said, my own words killing me. "I had an argument with Ace and wanted him to suffer a little. But everything is fine now. You saw the picture of the diamond necklace I sent you? Ace gifted it to me today. He begged on his knees for forgiveness."

Ace rolled his eyes and Christina chuckled.

"Dalia, what are you saying?" asked Mom. "Did Ace find out about your flight? Did he threaten you?"

I laughed, wiping my tears. "No, Mom. I was hurt and upset. I'm sorry for uttering such rubbish to you. Our argument is resolved now and I'm very happy. Besides, Ace helped me select a university today. I will complete my enrollment process tomorrow. And guess what? I am going to buy a car tomorrow."

"Why do you sound like you're crying?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice.

"Well, you know how I am. When Ace apologized for hitting me, he cried. Seeing him, I cried. Then we both made up. It was an emotional moment. Our relationship reached a new level. We learnt from our mistakes," I said. "Please cancel the ticket, mom."

"You're sure Ace is not there with you right now?" She sounded unconvinced. "Say yes or no."

The call was on speaker.

I bit my lip, trying not to scream. I was stranded on an island, watching the only ship leave the shore and unable to use my voice to stop it.

"Yes. Mom, he's not here," I said.

"Okay then. I will cancel the ticket. But visit soon, Dalia." Her voice cracked. "I miss you."

"I miss you, too," I said, and a part of my heart died. "Bye."

I cut the call and Ace snatched the phone away from my hand. Then he moved the knife away from my neck.

Bringing my knees close to my chest, I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on my knees.

Ace stood up and went to sit next to Christina.

"What now?" she asked him. "The mother did not sound very convinced."

"Don't worry," he said, sighing, "I know how to handle her."

"Why?" I looked up at him. "Why are you doing this to me? I don't understand."

"For that matter, my dear," said Christina, smiling at me, "you don't understand a lot of things."

If looks could kill, then the venom in my gaze would have poisoned her fatally by now. During both the parties, I had hyperventilated when she had gotten closer to me. I could not wait to get away from her presence that time and now she was constantly before me.

My gut feeling had been right. The way she had made my blood run cold, the way her eyes had sent shivers down my spine. It all seemed justified now.

"Oh Lord, I'm tired." Ace changed his position and laid down on the bed, then he rolled onto his stomach. "Christina, you begin."

She nodded and diverted her complete attention towards me. "Well, Dalia, as you have already figured out, Ace and I love each other."

I swallowed.

"We met two years ago, when Ace started frequenting Peachville due to his work. I had just joined the marketing department and found out that the Peachville branch of the Hotel was going to be taken over by the younger son of the owner," she said.

I listened in stunned silence as the anticipation of the worst twisted and turned my gut ruthlessly.

"Then, of course, we met. And speaking on behalf of us both, I can safely say that we were intrigued by each other. Ace finally stepped into his permanent position as the head of the branch and moved here for good," she said.

Her eyes adorned a faraway, dreamy look. "We saw each other every day at work and developed a good friendship. We started hanging out and spending the weekends with each other. We had fallen in love sooner than we had realized."

Christina's voice broke. She shook her head, the sparkle gone from her eyes within a second.

Ace's hand found hers and he gave her a comforting squeeze.

"Business was flourishing. Our branch was performing far better than the goals we had set," said Ace, taking over, "I invited Dad and your father to attend the celebration that we were holding to honor our success. They visited. Everything was going fine."

I swallowed, knowing that the harsh, hidden truth responsible for my current fate was going to be voiced out now.

"Christina left the party alone because of a headache. I couldn't leave with her because I still had to play the host to some important clients who had attended the party. Dad and your father left soon after. It was already past midnight," he said, taking in a deep breath, "Christina's car broke down. She was stranded on the road alone. Her phone died as well, thanks to fate."

"I-I was scared. There was no one around at that time of the night," said Christina. "Then a car zoomed past me, and I realized that I had to stop someone and ask for help. So, I did just that."

She sighed. "A minute or so later, I saw another car coming down the road. I waved like crazy, shouted and cried, but it did not slow down. I realized that the driver had no intention of stopping and helping me, so I was about to step out of the way. But the car was too fast, it ran over me."

My breath hitched.

"He had the headlights on. He saw me. Yet he did not slow down or stop. He was cruel. He did not care. He probably assumed that I would stumble out of the way. I tried to, but the fast-approaching vehicle had suddenly numbed my senses. I was frozen. I-I just don't know what happened." Tears flowed down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

Her eyes snapped up to me. "I saw the car clearly. I saw the number plate. I saw the color. Do you know whose car it was?"

Ace glared at me. His and Christina's rage was palpable in the tension hanging in the air.

I shook my head slowly.

"Your father," said Christina.

Her words rang in my ear.

I thought I had misheard her.

Gauging my confusion, she repeated the same thing.

What the hell?

What is she talking about?

My dad?

That is impossible. No. It couldn't be true.

"You're lying," I said, forcing the words out of my throat that had gone dry.

Ace raised his hand as if to slap me and I flinched, closing my eyes shut quickly and turning my head sideways. My hands raised up in front of me to defend myself.

I waited but the hit never came.

I opened my eyes and brought my hands down.

Ace was still in the same place. He had not moved an inch.

Christina had probably held him back from getting up to hit me.

"Whether you believe it or not, it's the truth," said Ace, through gritted teeth.

"And you're going to pay the price now for your Dad's crime," said Christina.