I laugh, the sound cold and empty. “I remembereverything.”
“Aoi-”
“Oh, I’m not done yet. The best is about to come.” I smile, but there’s not an ounce of warmth in me anymore. “At first, it was mere fragments. When you said something I had already heard before, when you smiled at me, when you gazed at me…it all felt so oddly familiar.”
“I can explain.”
I close my eyes, nausea churning in my stomach. It takes every ounce of strength for me to stay sat and not bolt through the door.
“But it’s one phrase that sealed the lock.” I exhale a shaky breath, my fingers trembling as they clench tightly. “Now and forever.”
He stands up and moves to my side, but I flinch away before he can touch me.
Thick poison drips down my tongue with each word, “You knew about my memories. You knew what your departure did to me, how it damaged me irreversibly. But you uttered that phrase. You knew what you were doing. Was it funny to play with the truth infront of me? To dangle my memories in front of my eyes while I was ignorant?”
“No, no, Aoi, that’s not it! I didn’t mean to do that. I was stupidly hoping you’d remember me but-”
I glare him down, daring him to say another word. “You lied about your identity. Gave me a fake name and pretended to be someone else. For what? To fuck me? Youdisgustme.”
He sinks to his knees, clinging to my legs so familiarly that I gasp, my body burning painfully. “No, no! Aoi, listen to me. I messed up, I know I did. I wanted to tell you, but I was scared you’d still see me as the kid you raised. I just wanted a chance, but then I found out you didn’t remember our years together and I thought it could be a fresh start for us.”
“A new beginning based on a lie? How fucking selfish can you be? Who the fuck even are you?” I spit, disgust filling me up by the second. “You’re not my Visha. He would never use my weakness against me. That kid would have never lied to me like that!”
He’s about to speak when I lift my finger, gesturing for him to stop and letting all my rage sizzle underneath my skin. “I hate you. Do you hear me? I fucking hate you!”
“Please, don’t. My Paradise, you know I never meant for this to happen. You know I love you! If I had known this would happen, I would have told you sooner. I wanted to- I was about to!”
“Oh, shut up. I don’t care about your excuses. You think it will change anything?” I demand, slamming my hand on the wooden table, making the vase tip and shatter on the ground. “We’re over. I’ll get someone to pick up my stuff. I knew getting involved with you was a mistake.”
“Don’t say that! It wasn’t a mistake!” He reaches for my hand, lips quivering, but I yank it away. “I didn’t mean to hide it, I swear.”
“Aw, you didn’t mean to hide it? Well, thank you very much that makes it all so much better.” I want to scream my lungs raw, but I know I’ll start crying if I do, and I don’t want to show him how hurt I actually am. Anger is better, it locks him out. “I don’t know what’s worst. You lying and hiding your identity from me or the fact that you let me open up to you while you knew about everything. Was this some kind of power play? Did you get off on fucking me over?”
I shove him off me and glare at him as he falls on his ass. And yet I feel no satisfaction whatsoever from seeing him so desperate and pathetic.
“Of course not! Please, Aoi it can’t be that you believe me capable of scheming something as twisted.” He gets to his feet and grabs my hands, pulling me against his chest as he holds me close. “You know me. You know that this was a stupid mistake. I should’ve told you! I know it, but you’ve forgiven me before. Do it again, one last time. I promise, I’ll never lie to you again.”
A pang of pain jolts in my chest. I thought I knew him, but I was so wrong. Aiden was right to warn me about him. I’m so fucking stupid for trusting him and even more stupid for falling for him.
“I don’t fucking know you anymore.” My body recoils from his touch and I stumble backwards, looking down at my shaky hands as nausea churns in my stomach. “You’re fucking disgusting.Youdid this! You did this to me–to us.”
“No, you know that’s not true!”
“All I know is you’re a liar.”
I dig my nails into my forearm, drawing blood. He reaches for my arm in an attempt to stop me, but the mere thought of his touch makes me stagger back.
“Don’t say that. Don’t throw me away,” he raises his voice, body trembling, and the sight breaks my heart once more. “I love you. I love you so much that I can’t live without you. Please…please forgive me.”
“Then die.”
He shakes his head, tears welling up in his eyes, matching mine. “I recognized you the moment I saw you in that hotel hallway,” he confesses in a whisper.
“No, you didn’t.”
“Yes, I did.”
“No, you fucking didn’t, you lying piece of shit!” I yell, feeling myself slowly losing my mind. “All you do is lie! Let go of me! I fucking hate you!”
