Chapter 18 A Hint
Tonia was expecting someone, but Roger wasn't him, and his mere appearance was a turn-off for her. Who wears cheap sneakers and a one-dollar shirt and pants to see a girl in college?
Still, she felt slightly nervous. "Are you stalking me now?"
Roger swallowed tightly, and as he held her thin waist in his arms, it felt strange. Something was wrong with it, and the worst part was, he couldn't put a finger on it.
Whenever he held Karen like this, it felt just right, though he felt in his heart that she wasn't the one for him. "I'd never. I just want to make something clear. You mentioned we would have been together if not for the pregnancy. I hope you already know..."
Tonia broke from his suffocating embrace, her glare filled with disgust, her words interrupting his.
"You truly believe that shit? My parents were there, so I had to be polite." Roger's heart sank. He had experienced worse from her, but that confession kind of gave him hope. Unable to hide the pain in his voice, he questioned her, "So you never felt anything for me."
Tonia’s lips curled up as she taunted, “You are so full of yourself. What makes you think a broke bodyguard like you deserves someone like me?”
Her condescending look crushed Roger's hope. Despite claiming not to love Karen, he never viewed her in such a demeaning light.
Feeling the sting of her words, Roger asked, “You hate me that much?” The pain etched on his heart, overshadowing his futile obsession with Tonia.
Tonia, arms crossed, remained unapologetic. “No, I hate your poverty. I envision a life of luxury, traveling in private jets, witnessing sunsets in Santorini, basking in the Maldives, shopping in Dubai, and admiring the Eiffel Tower in France, all with the man I love.”
Her gaze shifted to the modest car, which she deemed unworthy. “You can’t even afford a decent car.”
For the first time, Roger felt his eyes welling up. He had never cried before, but the pain he felt was palpable. Everything she mentioned was chicken change to him, and he could give her the world, but her selfish heart taught him a valuable lesson of life.
“Love is stronger than money.”
Tonia rolled her eyes, wondering why Roger was still chasing her after all she had been through to bring him and Karen together.
“Only my stupid sister, thank God we are only bound by adoption, will believe something like that, and that’s why I paired you both. It’s not my fault that she’s dead.”
The paling of her face was a sure sign her last words had slipped out due to anger, but Roger was too smart to not make something out of it.
“What did you say? What do you mean she’s dead?” The pain of hearing such terrible news about Karen caused his heart to bleed, but the scales fell from his eyes, one after the other. “And the pregnancy, was everything your doing?”
Karen had said someone set it up, and from what he gathered from his chat with Tonia, only she could have been behind it.
Tonia realized too late that she had said too much, and Roger’s gaze was suddenly too scorching for her to behold, coupled with the fury smearing all over him. I'm late for class," she said and hurried away, but Roger caught up with her in long, fast strides, pulling her back. She shoved him away rather violently.
"If you follow me again, I'll call security."
This wasn't Roger's plan, but right now, Karen was the priority based on what he had heard. His knuckles whitened from clenching them so hard.
Everything he blamed Karen for was actually orchestrated by her sister, Tonia. Did he hear something about adoption?
Roger had only worked with the Fletchers to win Tonia's love, and no one ever mentioned adoption. He was starting to wonder which of the girls was adopted.
Was it Karen? She seemed to be the outcast of the family, but she also bore a striking resemblance to her mother.
There were too many missing pieces to this puzzle, but Roger felt it was time to put them all together. Numerous emotions overwhelmed him, but the most prevalent was loathing.
Everything he felt for Tonia, fueled by her words, was now replaced by something stronger. Hate. She hadn't informed Tonia about Karen's departure, but Tonia had already assumed she was dead.
Something didn't sit right with him, and it was time for him to take matters into his own hands and utilize his skills.
Relying on the so-called experts had yielded no results, and even Uncle Hank claimed to have found nothing so far.
Instead of heading home, he detoured to the apartment to blow off some steam. There, he began hacking into the security cameras of the Fletchers.
Tracing back a few hours after Karen announced the divorce, which he was relieved to have denied, she had arrived at her parents' house but was not allowed in.
His heart sank upon seeing her curled up on the cold floor with no one caring. Not even a glass of water was offered to her. In her own home, she was treated as an outcast because of him.
Roger knew he owed her too much. Her love for him had destroyed her, but now, he was determined to piece her back together, hoping that Tonia's ominous words about death would prove unfounded.
Then her parents arrived. They drove straight through without stopping. Moments later, her father emerged, and the outcome was even worse.
The longer he observed, the more pain and anger welled up inside him. He had always shielded others while his wife suffered right under his nose. He had never been there for her, not even once.
Another puzzle piece emerged. The time between Karen leaving her father's house and returning to the apartment was approximately ten hours. What happened during those hours?