Author's notes:
Another chapter is here. Hope you love it. It's a long one. Next chapter will be a turning point in this book. I might post it in a couple of days. Please vote and share your views. I am welcome to criticism. So please let me know if you hate something.
Love you all
Ethan's POV:
The cool morning breeze blows away Amy's hair. I slowly lift my hand which was holding her to tug the stance of hair behind her ear. She snuggles closure seeking warmth still sleeping on my chest. I stayed awake all night. I couldn't sleep. After seeing Amy cry so hard, it was impossible to. There was a lot going on in my mind. I was trying to remember why we ended up separating. With Amy so close, all the reason seemed unimportant.
Amy stirs again and slowly wakes up. She sets her foot on the ground and immediately cries out in pain. I jump up and lift her foot easing her pain.
"Easy, there."
"It's fine. Thank you. No one came yesterday?"
"No, it's only a short trek. I will carry you.". It's only 6 o clock. We can reach there in an hour.
"What... I am heavy. You can't carry me all the way... You go. I will wait here"
"I am saying it again. I am not leaving you alone here", I say dismissing her idea. I don't wait for her to reply. I carry her bridal style and start walking through the forest to avoid going down the slopes of the rocky hills. It took more than an hour to reach the mansion. As soon as we enter, we see James, Greg, Mr Lockhart and a few of my cousins and staff are gathered together discussing something. James is the first to turn around and spot us.
"Amy, we were just coming to look for you. Are you alright?", James says rushing towards us and trying to take Amy off my hands. I shrug away and take her to the nearby couch. F***, if I will let James lay a finger on Amy.
" What happened", Greg asks looking pissed.
"We went on a trek and Amy slipped on the hill. It started to rain so we took shelter under a tree.", I explain.
"Mr Lockhart can you call the on-call doctor and also bring in some coffee".
James somehow sneaks between me and Amy and starts removing her tennis shoes. That shealthy bastard is taking full advantage of the situation and I want to punch him. But I tighten my fists and let him help her. He must have helped a wounded soldier or two so I am assuming he knows what he is doing.
To my relief, soon the doctor arrives and checks her feet. It's a muscle strain and he ties a bandage around her feet and gives her some painkillers. Once the doctor leaves, I tell everyone to get back to their work, mainly to kick James out and stop him from gushing over Amy. Then I carry her to our room and help her to get changed. After having breakfast we both sleep for a few hours.
It's almost noon when there is a knock at the door. Amy is fast asleep next to me. I open the door to find Greg standing outside.
"We need to talk", he says looking even more pissed than he was in the morning. I slowly close the door behind me and we walk to the theatre room which is next to my room.
" Ethan, I told you bringing Amy here was a bad idea.", he says pacing.
"Nan is happy to see Amy. I actually think everything worked out fine", I say trying to reason with him.
" No. She already has you wrapped around her little finger. I can't believe this. You are falling in her trap again"
"I am not falling into any trap. I went with her yesterday because she doesn't know the island. And she hurt her leg so I am helping her.". Even as I say it I know I am lying. I am spending all the time with Amy because when I am around her it feels good. Even when we don't talk or do anything interesting, just being there makes me feel different. Truth is I didn't realize how much I missed her all these years. It was lonely. Even now, knowing she is around, I feel warm and whole.
"Have you forgotten everything? How she used you, lied to you? Should I give you more proofs?"
Greg gave me all the proof that ended our marriage. He showed me what Amy really wanted from me. How she lied to me. But my gut says I should trust Amy and she didn't lie to me. I am confused about what I should trust. I have proofs of her betrayal. The falsified document that showed how she lied to me. I don't know how to explain all this to him. Greg only wants what's best for me and telling him I am hoping my gut feeling is correct and all the proofs he gave me was wrong will not go down well with him. So I remain silent.
"Did you know she is living with James?"
"What?"
"James was the one who noticed Amy has not returned yesterday. He won't shut up about how Amy hates to be in the dark. So I asked him how he knew Amy so well. He said she is been staying with him for the past two weeks. What kind of woman stays with a man who she just met? She has James eating out of her hand in two weeks. And now she is trying to get her claws all over you again and you are blindly letting her."
Greg continues to talk, but I stood still trying to recall if Amy said anything about James. I remember the day at the airport when James and Amy were together laughing like old friends. And in the flight, he acted as if he knew her well. Yesterday, she told me how James gave her brochures for University. Even today, Amy was comfortable with James when he helped her with her shoes. They did know each other well and there is no doubt James likes Amy. Was there something going on between them? My mind keeps flashing back to the moment they were laughing together that the airport. Their familiarity drives me mad. I walk back to my room determined to know what is happening between them. When I near the door I hear James voice.
"Amy, we need to tell someone about this", he says angrily.
"No, James. No one can know. Please can you keep it a secret for me"
"F***, Amy, you are putting me a difficult position. "
"I know James. Please. It's only two more days. Then I will get the money. You know how much I need the money. Please let this one go."
"God, Amy. Seeing you like this kills me. I feel like I need to take you back home this very second"
"James please", Amy starts crying.
"Don't cry, Amy. You know I hate it when you cry. Okay. I promise I won't say a word", James says softly and a minute later I hear footsteps coming towards the door and hide behind the pillar.
James stomps off like a man on a mission. So Greg was correct. Amy is living with James and she has him doing as she says. I never expected the strong Navy man to give in so easily. Looks like Amy can really charm anyone. I am an idiot for even considering Amy is innocent. It's all about money. Isn't it? I should thank James for showing me Amy's true self otherwise I would have been fooled again.
I stay clear of Amy for the rest of the day. I spent most of my time at the beach thinking why I got myself into this situation again. I realized I can't stop my attraction for her. She has some kind of power that pulls me to her. I shouldn't have let myself get emotionally involved again. I should be detached like all the girlfriends I had in the past three years. I pull myself together and get back to the room, promising myself that I will shut down my heart when I am around Amy.
It's late when I return back to the room, Amy is wake and walking with a limp. I don't say anything to her and pull out my laptop to pour myself in work so I can stop thinking about Amy and James.
" My leg is much better now. Doctor Fraser said I just need to take it slow", Amy says trying to start a conversation.
"Good", I say brushing her off and continue working.
Amy gets my memo and leaves me alone until the next night.
I walk back to my room to get dressed for dinner tonight. Nan and pops favourite musician, Elton John is performing for them. Getting him to perform for a private party was not an easy task. He only agreed because he had met my Pops before and we promised it's only for family.
I enter the room and see that Amy was not there. I hear her in the bathroom, so I went ahead and changed into my three-piece suit. As I was adjusting my cufflinks, I hear the bathroom open. I turn around and stop dead in tracks. Amy walks out in a black dress which fits her in all the right places. The dress is strapless which shows off her long neck, high cheekbones and creamy shoulders. The slit in the dress runs up to the mid thigh exposing her shapy legs. As she turns around to the shut the door, I catch the glimpse of her back. It's covered in a transparent lace fabric which hides most of her skin yet makes you imagine what's underneath it. Her hair is made professionally with few tinsel of hair falling on the side of her face and natural-looking makeup. To say she looks gorgeous is an understatement. She looks like every man's wet dream and words fail to explain her beauty.
I walk out of the room and take a couple of deep breaths to collect myself. She caught me by surprise. It's been so long since I have seen her all dressed up. Every time she used to dress up for a party, she would knock the wind out of me. There were so many parties we have missed 'cause I couldn't keep my hands off her. When I see her like this my logical mind flies out of the window and all I can think is dragging to the bed and do wicked things to her. I try to remember the lies she told and remember her relationship with James to calm myself down. But all I want to do is go back in there, bolt the door and have her all to myself.
" Is everything alright?", Amy asks which make me jump. I gather myself and say
"I had to make an important call. Are you ready? Shall we go?", I ask her trying to avoid looking at her.
We walk down the stair towards the garden where canopies have been set up for the evening.
" Ethan, can we go a little slower. My foot is not completely healed yet", Amy says. I slow down and walk with her.
"Do I look okay?", she asks trying to make a conversation again.
"Everything is fine", I say grinding my teeth. It takes everything in me to stop from throwing her over my shoulder and taking her back to our room. God, this is absolute torture.
"You are so quiet today", she says slowly.
" There is a lot on my mind Amy. Let it go", I say rudely. Amy doesn't speak after that.
When we enter the banquet area, all heads turn towards us. Every man and woman is awestruck looking at Amy. Amy looks uncomfortable with the sudden attention she is gets. I lead her to the table where Nan and Pops are seated trying not to break anybody's nose as they continue to stare at her like she the eighth wonder of the world. Nan immediately starts gushing over Amy and Pops on the other hand secretly told me I am a fool to let a beautiful woman like her go.
Soon Elton John starts playing the piano. Pops is the first to ask Nan for dance and slowly one after another join them. After a couple of songs, when Nan is busy talking to her friend Elena, Pops urges me to ask Amy for a dance. It annoys me so I leave the table to get something to drink. At the bar I order a few rounds of gin and tonic, when my brother-in-law Sandro joins me. He looks pretty hammered already.
"I heard you are paying Amy to be here. How much are you paying her?", he asks. I look towards the table and see James talking to Amy. He takes Amy's hands and walks her to the dance floor. Amy looks at me nervously like I would do something. The truth is I want to f***ing kill that asshole for touching Amy. I look back at the table and Pops shakes his head disapprovingly.
" Hey, did you not hear me? How much are you paying Amy?", Sandro asks again.
"50 thousand dollars."
"That's steep for a week don't you think", the cheap bastard said. I have no clue why my sister decided to marry him. Even though he is a billionaire he nitpicks every penny. Something in him always rubbed me the wrong way.
I ignore him and watch as James and Amy dance. James whispered something into Amy's ears which made her chuckle. My blood boils looking at them together. Amy continues to dance but looks at me every now and then. James notices that and turns her in an angle where she can't see me. That was last straw and I gulp rest of my drinks and stride towards them.
" Can I dance with my date?", I ask James
James looks at Amy and when Amy nods he lets her go. He acts as if I am asking something that belongs to him. I fingers curl into a fist to punch him. But I control myself.
"James, You should stay clear of Amy. While she is her. She is mine", I say harshly and drag Amy in my arms.
"I am not anybody's. Not yours or James", Amy says irritated. I twirl us around a couple of times, so we are far away from James. James blows out a breath and marches of the venue.
" If I recall, I shelled out a lot of money for you to be here", I say bitterly. Even though I know I am digging my own grave, I continue to talk.
"You are paying for my attendance and nothing else. I am not your property"
"All you want is money right, Amy. How about I give you half a million dollar, 10 time of what I am paying you now, for a night with me". As soon as, the words leave mouth Amy goes still in my arms.
" Wh.. What do you mean?", she shutters. I should shut my mouth but all the anger and rage consumes me and I say.
"Sleep with me, Amy, I will give you half a million dollars". A single tear rolls down her cheek and she turns around and rushes out of the venue.
Shit! Did I actually say that to her? I need to make this right. We might not be together but I never thought of her like that. She was my wife for god's sake. I run after her and see her near the steps in front of the mansion.
Amy's dress slows her down so I catch her before she enters the mansion. I catch hold of her wrist and turn her to face me.
" Let me go", she says struggling to get out of my hold.
I pull her to me and say,
"Just calm down and listen to me"
"Why do you hate me so much? Why did you leave me? ", she asks punching me like when she cried in my arms the other day. "You told me you loved me. I left everything for you and moved to San Francisco. Did you leave me because you think I am a prostitute? What did I do to make you think I am such a person? You promised you will take care of me. You promised you will not abandon me like my mother. But you left me without a word"
Until she brought up her mother, I was ready to apologize to her. But when she mentioned her mother, I lost my cool. I push her away from me and shout
"You can stop acting now Amy. I know about your mother".
" What do you mean?"
"I said enough acting. I know she is not really your mother."
"What..", she says. Her voice trembling.
"I know she is your aunt. I saw the forged documents. You knew she was your aunt and you lied to me so you a extort money from me."
"What money?", Amy asks acting all innocent again.
"The quarter million. I gave your aunt for house, car and what not. Every time she came to me saying she has a financial problem and asked for help, I gave her money. She asked me to keep it a secret from you. She said you will think she came to you for money. She said she didn't want to hurt your feelings. So I gave her money every fu***ng time without thinking. To me, all that mattered was that you are happy. But it was all an act, wasn't it? You and your aunt conspired together. You acted all innocent and sent your aunt to get money. God, I was such a fool. I didn't know what kind of woman you were behind all the innocent act. When Greg told me, I didn't believe you could do something like that to me. They I saw all the documents and proofs. It fu***** tore me apart. If it was money you wanted, you could have asked me straight. I would have given you every single penny I owned. But you lied and conspired against me. It broke me Amy and I will never forgive you for that", I say and walk back to the bar. I don't want her explanation. I don't want to see her tonight. I ask the bartender to give a bottle of Jack Daniels and take it with me to the beach to drown myself in the misery that won't leave me. Every time I remember how she lied to me, it feels like someone ripped my heart out of the chest. I drink to erase all the pain and hollowness Amy gave me.