Chapter 13

The car ride home is devoid of conversation; neither of us speaks. I know that this peace will end as soon as we get home.

I don't think Zach will let this go easily, and I won't let it go, either. Why will I feel guilty? I have never done anything wrong.

If going into that bar and finding out who he was by accident is my fault, then Zach hiding his identity from me is much worse.

I never wanted to find out about this, to begin with. I sighed. I knew that I was only brave in my head and that when I was actually facing him, all my courage would vanish like smoke.

It is already the middle of the night, and the entire house is silent. My husband walks silently to our room, and I do the same. The quiet atmosphere makes me feel even more nervous.

I'd rather he yell at me than give me the cold shoulder, which I can't stand.

Zach went straight to our bedroom, and I stood at the door and watched as he took his clothes off without showing any emotion. There were still spots of blood on his suit, and as he took it off, more blood was visible on his white sleeves.

Unlike before, he appears unconcerned about concealing it from me, blatantly displaying it in front of me. I understand; it's pointless hiding it now that I've found out.

I grab the door handle behind me as I stand not far away from him, emotions pouring out of nowhere. I should be mad at him, right? That’s the most logical reaction!

But instead of being mad, I'm more afraid. What if he really did leave me now if I got mad at him? What if, because of what I found out, Zach becomes even more furious at me than he already is?

This sucks; my emotions are flawed. This is not healthy.

"I'm sorry," I said, breaking the silence and apologizing once again. I’m so pathetic. I can’t even become mad at him for even a minute. I want to, you know.

Part of me wanted to be angry because it hurt and made me jealous that Zach's annoying secretary knew more about his other side than I did. And the fact that Zach is upset because I discovered it.

And yet, my mind and the ringing in my ears make it harder for me to do so. What I really want is for Zach to love me again. It doesn’t matter who he really is. I’ll get to know this side of him, too; that’s how I love him so much.

His movements come to a halt, and he looks at me, thorns constantly piercing my heart with how he looks at me.

"Why would you go there? I told you not to wait for me. Then you did the opposite by coming to see me instead. How did you even find that place?" With his eyes narrowed, he came toward me.

I lowered my head and gripped the door handle a little tighter as I bit my tongue. His harsh tone makes me nervous once more; I know he's angry. To be honest, I often see him mad than happy that I began accustomed to it.

But there is a difference this time. He is not only angry, but he looks like he is bursting with rage. This emotion may not be directed at me at all, but rather at the stranger I met.

Right, they were enemies. From how they talk to each other, it's clear they really hate each other and want to kill each other.

"I already gave my reason," I argued, even though my mind didn't want me to, and my head was already hurting. I need to say what I really want to say. I look him in the eye and don't know where all this courage comes from. Even though my head was hurting, I kept going.

"Then are you mad that I'm there or mad that I found out this side of you?" I yelled with a voice that was shaking, but that's not all. I also want to ask him why he didn't tell me this before or why he hid it from me.

Since I'm supposed to have amnesia, there are still things that I can't say. It's truly amazing that I can remain rational despite the pain I'm experiencing right now. However, I'm not sure how long that will last.

He is surprised for a moment as he looks at me and doesn't say anything. A few seconds went by before he answered.

"I told you before, and it's just that you can't remember now because of your condition." His tone didn't even tremble, as if what he was saying was true.

Has he already told me this? Now that I'm looking at him, I'll probably trust him without thinking if I'm not making up my amnesia. I didn't know this would be when he could finally at least believe what I had made up. It's to prove his point and deceive me once more.

We just looked at each other. Zach was watching how I reacted, and I was having doubts because of what he said. He has never told me about this identity of his before, as far as I can remember.

Then why is he telling me this? Why is he lying to me?

My mind became a jumbled mess combined with the pain, and Zach is now confusing me. I can only stare at him without saying anything.

As Zach continues watching me, I'm unsure what emotion I'm wearing.

"You really did?" I asked quietly as if to confirm.

He nods and moves a little closer to me this time. He looked me in the eye and touched both of my shoulders.

“What did that man say to you?” He asked me a question I hadn't expected, which caught me by surprise, especially since his face was getting darker again. Even his grip got tighter as he waited for me to answer.

"Nothing," I shook my head and told him the truth.

Besides bringing me there and giving me hints about Zach's other identity, that man didn't really say much to me.

However, at some point, I can’t tell Zach the familiar feeling that I sense toward that stranger. The most important reason I follow him. This feeling is wrong. I should be honest and tell my husband the truth. As that man said, he wanted to seduce and use me to mess with Zach, but I held it in.

My voice stuck, and I tried hard not to avert my gaze away. If I did, Zach would know immediately that I have something to hide from him. I don’t want us to fight; my head is too painful for that. With what happened this night, I really want to rest.

He narrows his eyes and observes me for a few more seconds, his grip on my shoulders loosening slightly.

"If you see him again, stay away from him." Zach orders, leaning his face closer to mine as if instilling in me what he said.

“Why?” I suddenly blurted out, and I was really curious why. With their conversation earlier, something really is up with the two in which I’m involved.

The Agreement, I'm more confused about that. However, I know that if I ask Zach this, he will be angry and will refuse to answer. I'm getting used to this side of Zach so much that I'm starting to forget how he treated me before.

His hold tightens again, stares darkly into my eyes. I can't help but be hypnotized by those eyes as I stay silent and listen to him.

“He is obsessed with you. Did you hear? We have an agreement.” I swallowed. I couldn’t believe he would tell me about this. “That he will not approach you again,” he informs me.

Although Zach seems to be telling the truth, he also doesn’t tell the whole truth either.

An upheaval of emotions began circulating inside of me. Is that man obsessed with me? The face of the stranger, which gives me a familiar sensation, appears in my mind.

I shake my head, forcing out that stranger's image in my mind. “Then, do I know him before?”

I might be rude to ask this in front of my husband, but I want to know. I'm so curious that it sometimes drowns out the other thoughts in my head.

Zach's jaw tightened, and he narrowed his eyes. “Yes, you do. And you hate him so much.”

I frown and say, "I hate him?" My eyebrows furrow, and I look confused.

It seems the confusion showed up on my face as Zach removed his hold on my shoulders and drew back a little, gaze remaining locked in my eyes.

"You don't believe me?" he said, arching his brows and narrowing his eyes dangerously.

“No, I just... want to confirm, that’s all.”