Chapter 91 The Truth in His Eyes

Chapter 91 The Truth in His Eyes
Justin's brows furrowed as he searched for the memory.

“I’m not completely sure,” he admitted.

“When I met him, he said he couldn’t see anything. The doctor mentioned it might’ve been due to some accident. He said a lot, but it’s been so long, I don’t remember every detail. I tried to convince him to seek treatment, but he refused. He said… ‘I don’t want to see a world where my loved ones aren’t there.’”

Rainee felt her chest cave inward. Those were her words. Words she once threw out in despair, never imagining he’d build a life around them. Questions burned inside her, but the answers were already forming.

“Can I go into the kitchen to see him?” she asked gently. “I won’t disturb his work. I just… I just want to see him.” Justin hesitated, then nodded slowly.

When Rainee cafe's entered the kitchen, she paused, momentarily captivated by the sight before her.

Alex Fraser, was carefully washing the dirty dishes, his movements precise, almost hesitant, as though he feared breaking them. Every swipe of the sponge and every careful placement of a plate on the drying rack spoke of a meticulousness that seemed almost foreign to her memories of him. Then, without missing a beat, he moved to the counter and began chopping vegetables.

Rainee’s breath caught in her throat, the skill with which he worked was alarming, almost too professional. She remembered the long afternoons when she had been the one guiding him through the motions, teaching him how to hold the knife, how to slice vegetables evenly. Those memories flooded her suddenly, bittersweet and sharp.

“Bro, did that lady leave?”

Alex’s voice cut through her thoughts, low but firm, as if he had sensed her presence at the door. Rainee opened her mouth to answer, but hesitation rooted her in place. She didn’t want to force herself into his world uninvited.

There were too many questions she had yet to answer, too many uncertainties. Today, all she wanted was to observe him, to know how he had been living in the seven months since their paths had last crossed.

“J-Star, are you sure you don’t know that lady? She seemed pretty serious when she said she knows you,”

Justin spoke up behind her. Rainee realized with a jolt that he had silently arrived at her side. Alex paused, the knife in his hand stilling for a moment, lost in thought, before he resumed chopping vegetables as if nothing had happened.

“I don’t know her,” he said finally, his voice calm but distant. Rainee couldn’t tell if he truly didn’t remember her or if he was pretending.

Was he angry? Hurt? Confusion and sorrow tangled in her chest, tightening painfully as tears threatened to fall.

She remembered his last words, whispered in a moment that had once promised everything,

“I love you.” -Alex

Until the end, he had tried to make her believe in that love. And yet, she had chosen to turn away, to ignore his efforts and his heart.

__________

The night passed quietly in the restaurant until closing time. Alex bid farewell to Justin with a nod, then began walking down the street, the evening air brushing past him. Rainee, careful to keep her distance, followed silently, bowing her head slightly in gratitude toward Justin for not revealing her presence.

Alex moved with a cautious precision, alert to every shadow, every sound. Relief washed over Rainee, he had not noticed her. Finally, he stopped in front of a small, modest house. As he fumbled with the keys, Rainee hesitated at the threshold, unsure whether to approach.

“Are you planning to come inside?” Alex’s voice cut through her thoughts, calm yet edged with suspicion. Rainee’s eyes widened.

“You knew I was following you?” she asked, disbelief mingling with hope.

He turned, and that signature, infuriating smirk appeared on his lips. For a fleeting moment, Rainee glimpsed the Alex she had once loved, the boy with reckless charm and quiet confidence.

“It’s hard to ignore your… annoying perfume,” he said, mock irritation softening the edge of his words. “I almost got a headache from you trailing me all day.”

Rainee scoffed, irritation lacing her voice.

“‘Annoying’? You used to love my scent.” Alex’s frown was genuine now, confusion written plainly across his features.

“Ms. Garcia, I really don’t know you, so please… don’t follow me. You’re making me uncomfortable. Justin is soft-hearted, he can’t refuse beautiful girls.”

Her chest tightened. He remembers her, she never told him her original surname but he knows it. She sighed in relief nut decided not to expose him.

“How do you know I’m beautiful? Do you… do you remember me?”

Alex paused, his expression unreadable, as though weighing the words she had just spoken. “Aren’t all girls beautiful?” he finally asked, his tone casual, dismissive, yet somehow wounding.

Rainee bit the inside of her cheek, frustration and jealousy flaring in equal measure. Memories of their messy past surged, sharp and insistent, refusing to be ignored. She recalled the time when he used to a fuck boy.

“Alex Fraser ,” she said, her voice low but firm, trembling slightly with suppressed emotion.

“Remember your words. I’ll hold you to them once you remember everything. Go inside and rest tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow… and I won’t be as polite.”

She turned to leave, but a thought struck her, compelling her to spin back around. “One more thing,” she said, her gaze locking with his. “It’s not Ms. Garcia. It’s Mrs. Rainee Fraser, I’m your wife, the wife of Alex Fraser.” For a heartbeat, his eyes widened, and the color rushed to his cheeks, a flush of embarrassment, or perhaps realization, spreading across his face. Rainee allowed herself a small, victorious smile before finally turning and stepping away into the quiet night.
_______

Andrew entered the hotel room without hesitation, worry etched into every line of his face. The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a pale hue across the space where Rainee sat restlessly on the edge of the bed.

She hadn’t slept a minute; every thought she had led back to Alex.

“Mrs. Fraser… are you alright?” Andrew asked gently, his voice soft but strained.

Rainee lifted her gaze to him, her expression devoid of surprise or restraint.

“You can stop pretending,” she said quietly. “I know everything.”

To be continued