The Choices We Make (Revenge)

Loss

Maldives, Beach House

When Emily woke up, she felt something sticky on her face. She sat up, jerkily, and opened her eyes. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed, when she realized the sticky stuff, that was spread over the blanket, her hands, and the face, was blood. At first, she thought her wound was burst open again, but she quickly realized that it was dripping from her nose. Probably still a result of the fall, she thought, as she leaned to the side of the nightstand and began to rummage through the drawer for handkerchiefs. But the drawer was empty, except for a small box in the rearmost corner. She had to go to the bathroom! There were washcloths and towels, which could stop the bleeding. Quickly, she jumped out of bed. Too fast, because an intense dizziness hit her, and just in time she managed to get to the bathroom, before she collapsed in front of the sink. Dazed, she reached for a towel, tore it off the hook, and tried to stop the nose-bleeding.

What's wrong with me? She had been dizzy and sick for days. The doctor had said that she would have to fight with the symptoms of her head injury for a while, but now more than two weeks had passed. She was about to get better. She had tried to hide her weakness from Aiden. He was already worried enough anyway. But gradually, she was worried, too. She still couldn't remember anything. And Aiden wasn't helping either. She had begged him to tell her more about her past, but he had refused to give her exact details. Supposedly, the doctor had said it would endanger the recovery process if she remembered too quickly. It could lead to an overload in her brain, followed by a permanent damage. She was not a doctor or an expert in the field, but even for her, as a layman, the whole thing seemed implausible.

Slowly, she rose from the floor and went back to the bedroom. The bleeding had stopped. Now she had to take care of the blood splatters, which were everywhere. As she bent over the bed to peel off the sheets, her gaze fell automatically to the drawer, which was still open. Magnetically attracted and full of curiosity, what my be inside, she reached grabbed the small box. Opening the lid, she looked amazed at the two rings that lay there: one narrow and golden, the other decorated with a dazzling diamond. No doubt, this piece of jewelry was of great value. Reaching for the golden ring, she frowned at the engraving:

"Forever and ever"... Daniel

"Amanda?"

Aiden had entered the bedroom unnoticed.
Frightened, she flinched, dropping the ring in the process, that fell from the bed to the floor and disappeared under the nightstand.

"What are you doing?"

Quickly, she bent down and pulled out the ring from under the nightstand.

"Who is Daniel?" she asked while holding the jewelry out to Aiden.

Emily's beach house, Hamptons

It was the first time since the fateful events of August 8th, when Daniel went back to the beach house. He didn't know why, but something attracted him, almost magnetically. He slowly went up the stairs and put the key into the lock. For a moment he hesitated before opening the door and then entering. Immediately, he perceived the familiar smell of Emily's perfume that filled the entire interior, and he felt a painful pull in his chest. Memories were suddenly awakened; it was a time, back then when he had lived with her and been happy. He had loved her and believed that Emily had been returning his love. Only a few days before the marriage, he had split up with Sara, because he had felt ready to settle down with Emily and their baby. He had given up everything because he had had the hopes of becoming a better father and husband than his own father had ever been. And now he stood there, right in the shards of his existence. He had lost everything; his faith, his hope, a baby that had never existed, and Emily, for whom he had become a murderer.