Chapter 78 Who is it?
CHAPTER 78: Who is it?
Silas
The scent of the damned flowers was a physical assault on my senses. It wasn't just a fragrance; it was a thick, choking vapor that was dragging up strange memories. It was so much that I couldn't stand the sight of the pale, funeral-white petals that seemed to mock the shadows of my own bedroom.
Who were they from?
With a sharp, violent motion, I turned on the bedside lamp. The harsh, clinical light filled the room, slashing through the semi-darkness. I wanted answers and I was not going to wait till morning to get it.
Vera began to stir, a soft, confused moan escaping her lips as she squinted against the sudden illumination.
I stood at the edge of the bed, in nothing but a pair of sweatpants, a dark silhouette, waiting for the fog of sleep to lift from her eyes.
The second I saw her pupils begin to shorten, I dropped the bouquet on the bed. The heavy bundle hit the silk sheets next to her with a dull thud.
Finally, she was fully jolted awake, her breath catching in an uneven gasp as she scrambled backward against the headboard.
“Silas—”
“Where did these come from?” I demanded. My voice was low and measured despite the internal storm that had been wrecking me.
At first she was confused, not understanding what I was talking about. She looked down at the lilies, her hands trembling as she clutched the duvet to her chest.
“Speak.”
“They... they arrived this afternoon,” she stammered. She looked up at me, another flicker of confusion crossing her features. “I thought that… that—”
“That what?”
“Weren't they from you?” She asked in a lower voice. “I thought you sent them.”
“Do you really think that I’m in the habit of sending anonymous flower bouquets to my own house for fun?” I snapped, my irritation flaring.
She shook her head, obviously frightened. “That’s not what I meant—”
“I wouldn't be standing here asking you if I knew who it was.”
“I’m sorry. I just assumed... after everything… I thought that they were from you as well. I didn’t mean to—”
“Don't assume anything,” I cut her off. I stepped closer, and got on the bed, my knees digging into the mattress.
Her wide eyes were frightened, but she didn't make an attempt to get away.
Maybe it was the strange fragmented memories that were springing up in my head, or pure male jealousy that someone was sending her flowers behind my back.
“Who is it?”
She blinked, confused. “Who?”
“Is it Damien? Has your worthless ex lover finally found the courage to mark his territory in my home?”
She shook her head. “No—”
“I thought I made it clear to him that I didn't want to see him around my home.”
“No! Silas, please,” she cried, her eyes shimmering. “I swear on my life, there is nothing between me and Damien.”
“I’m afraid your word doesn't account for much.”
“Believe me, I haven't spoken to him since. I have no idea who sent these. The maid just brought them to me.”
I didn't back away. I looked at her fixedly, trying to find out if she was lying. I leaned down, hovering directly over her until our faces were inches apart. Her soft lemony scent hit my senses, but I forced my head to focus on the issue at hand.
“Make very sure you aren't trying to make a fool of me, Vera,” I warned.
Contract or not, I would never tolerate her entertaining other men. She was still my wife.
She shook her head, once, twice—quickly. “I'm not.”
As I stared into her eyes, the room seemed to shift on its axis. Another fragment of the strange memory, jagged and red, pierced through my skull.
I smelled the lilies, and then I heard it again, the same disoriented female voice, flashes of red hair, tangled sheets and a dimly lit room.
“Please...stop it...”
I shut my eyes, trying to silence the voice in my head. My jaw clenched so tight it ached. I couldn't place the voice.
I couldn't remember the room. I couldn't even see the face of the woman. It was a ghost in my own head, and it was driving me mad. I kicked the bouquet blindly and I heard it fall to the floor.
“Silas? You're shaking,” Vera whispered. “What’s wrong?”
I opened my eyes, just as her hand reached out and tentatively landed on my biceps.
I recoiled as if her touch had burned me. “Don't touch me.”
She quickly withdrew her hand, her face burning with humiliation and a flash of hurt.
I straightened, my pulse thundering in my ears. The frustration of the disturbing memory was now a secondary fire in my blood.
“One warning, Vera,” I said, my voice like steel. “Do not even think that anything has changed between us.”
Her face fell, the brief spark of hope that had been in her eyes dying instantly.
None of whatever had happened earlier today meant that I had forgiven her.
“And don't you ever lie to me. If I find out that you were lying about not knowing the sender of those flowers, I promise you that the consequences will be dire.”
I didn't wait for her to reply. I got off the bed, and turned on my heel, storming out of the room, the scent of the lilies clinging to my nostril like a vengeful curse.
I walked through the silent, dimly lit halls, and ended up in my office, slamming the door behind me. I sat in the darkness for a moment, my head in my hands, trying to force the memory to form a shape. It wouldn't.
Whatever it was, it was triggered by the sight and fragrance of that flower bouquet.
Was there someone who knew what I was struggling to remember? Whoever it was that sent those flowers probably wanted this to happen.
But who was it?
They must have known exactly what they would do to me.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed a number that always came in handy for times like this. I used it only for emergencies. The line rang once before the other person picked up.
“Max, I have a job for you,” I said into the silence.
“Sir?” The voice on the other end was gravelly, professional.
“I need a full sweep of the mansion’s perimeters. Check the surveillance for every delivery log and every blind spot in the security footage from the last twelve hours,” I ordered.
“Okay, sir.”
“Someone had flowers delivered to my wife earlier today, and I want to know exactly who it was by dawn.”
“Consider it done, sir.”
“And one more thing… find me Damien Vane.”