89

89
ARTEMIS

Kieran didn’t speak for a long time after that while I spiralled out of control. This was what I was scared of. Of Veronica being correct and confirming that the happiness that I thought I had was a big joke.

I continued pacing, my hands pulling my hair as I tried to calm myself down but nothing was working.

“Is that all?” I demanded, whirling around to face him. “You promised that you wouldn’t leave anything out”

“I didn’t promise anything but…” his words died when he saw the glare in her expression.

“Fine” he sighed, walking back to lean against the wall before folding his arms across his chest. “Do you remember saving a stranger eleven years ago?”

I looked at him like he was crazy. “That was a long time ago, Kieran” I scoffed. “I don’t even remember who I ran into two days ago”

“I’m being serious, Artemis” he said and I straightened.

“I don’t remember” I answered.

“I didn’t expect you to remember” then, he lifted his gaze and met my eyes. “I think you were in college. In the alley of an event you attended, a boy was being beaten and you saved him”

I shake my head slowly. “I… no. I don’t think so.”

But as soon as I said those words, my memory stirred and something flickered in it.

“I think you were there with your parents”

My breath caught as the memory hit me in full.

The scene played out before me. It was a birthday event for one of dad’s acquaintances and he had forced me to come along.

I remembered it being so boring because of all the business talks happening at what was supposed to be a fun event so I stepped out the back and walked a few blocks away from the party.

It wasn’t until I was close to the alley that I heard painful grunts coming from inside. I decided to creep towards the entrance to take a peep at what was happening.

I remembered seeing some men hovering over a boy as they beat him up mercilessly. He looked like he was close to death with all the blood on him and the men didn’t look like they would stop until they killed him.

I looked around but there was no one close by to help so I went online and searched for a siren sound and played it loudly until the men panicked and ran.

I wanted to check on him but my mum had found me and pulled me back to the venue.

“That was you?” I whispered, my hands going to my mouth.

Kieran nodded. “Yes, it was.”

“How? But you don’t …”

“Look like that scrawny loser” he laughed awkwardly. “I know. I wasn’t always Billionaire Kieran Archibald. At one point in my life, I was a reckless kid with more problems than sense. It’s a time I don’t really like to think about. Except the moment you saved me”

“What happened?”

“I was broke and desperate so I took on some loans from private loan sharks and they doubled the interest and demanded more than I could ever pay.”

I listened, rooted to the spot.

“They cornered me that night because I missed a payment so they wanted to make an example out of me to warn others”

My stomach churned as he continued, “I was ready to die that day” he said, “I thought that there was no need to continue living like that but you showed up”

His eyes softened in a way that hurt to look. “You were wearing a white dress,” he says. “And in that darkness… you didn’t look real. You looked like an angel.”

My heart twisted painfully.

“You saved me,” he said, “Not just that night. You did something to me. Something I didn’t understand at the time.”

He shook his head faintly. “For the first time in weeks, I wanted to live”

Tears stung my eyes.

“I tried to find you,” he continued. “For years.”

My breath caught . “You… what?”

“When I finally did,” he said quietly, “you were engaged.”

“The first time I saw him,  I knew he was not up to any good but I had no right to interfere,” he continued. “What would I have said? I was a stranger you didn’t remember warning you about the man you loved”

He let out a humourless breath. “You wouldn’t have believed me. And I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

“So you waited,” I whispered.

“Yes.” He didn’t deny it.

“I wasn’t watching you like a predator that needed to catch a prey” he said, his voice firmer now. “I watched because I hoped, which wasn’t right but I couldn’t help it, that he would ruin things and I would get a chance with you”

My heart pounded painfully, but the fear had slowly drained out of me without me realising it.

“It was a stupid wish but I loved you.” He laughed. “I didn’t even know when I fell in love with you but it was strong enough that I was willing to watch you be with another.”

“It hurt you know? Seeing the way you smiled at him when he didn’t deserve it. I hated that your pure love was his. I didn’t like the way he treated you especially when you didn’t see it at first”

My vision blurred with every word. I didn’t even know what else to say at this point.

“But I loved you enough to wait,” he said “Enough to be patient.”

I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, trembling.

“When I saw you that night, it was so difficult to hold back. I was going to watch from afar like I always did but he went too far and I couldn’t stand there and watch you suffer” he explained, “I didn’t mean to make you divorce him. It was a last minute idea and I didn’t even expect it to work but once I blurted those words out and saw a possibility of it succeeding, I didn’t dare to take it back. Not when I could finally have you”

His gaze locked  onto mine. “I took my chance,” he admits. “Because I believed you could love me too.”

Silence crashed down between us and my chest ached with too much emotions that I couldn’t identify them.

Kieran stepped closer, but still not close enough to touch me.

“So tell me,” he asked quietly. “Am I despicable for that?”

My throat burned.

“Is loving you so wrong,” he continued, voice tight, “that it makes you afraid of me?”