"WHAT happened, Bianca?" Charlie probed.
His eyes were bloodshot. This was the first time I saw him like this. "How did you end up with him? You said you met him in a bar. And s-something happened between you two."
His fist clenched in anger. His chinky eyes got sharper like a knife. "Did Gideon seduce you? Did he put something on your drink? Did he force himself on you? Tell me what he did!"
I almost jumped on my seat with the anger I heard in his voice.
I shook my head and swallowed the lump in my throat. "N-no. We didn't meet in a bar. That part was a lie." I shut my eyes for a second. "I met Gideon because of Dad. He used my father to get through to me."
"What did he do?"
"I didn't know that Dad's gambling addiction resurfaced, Charlie. After I drove you to the airport that day, I visited Dad home. I found out that Dad owed someone two million dollars. That someone is Gideon Henry. Gideon threatened to put Dad in jail if he didn't pay him back within a month." I couldn't help but cry as I went back to the past. "I tried to talk to Gideon. He offered me a proposition. He'll forget about my father's debt if I marry him. He said he needed a wife to cement his position as the CEO of his company. Of course, I refused. I was engaged to you and I loved you."
With my blurry eyes, I looked at Charlie. His eyes were closed. His back was leaning on the car seat. His jaw clenched. His face… full of anguish. It was as if he was trying hard to control his emotions.
"But then… I didn't expect he would really put my father behind bars. I was in our house in Cleveland when the police took Dad." I bit my lower lip to stifle a sob. "I couldn't let my father go to jail, Charlie. That day, I was forced to marry Gideon."
"Fuck!" Charlie angrily slammed his hand on the steering wheel. "Fuck Gideon!" He continued to curse as he kept on slamming the steering wheel.
"I'm sorry, Charlie. I'm sorry. I was desperate at that time. I didn't want my father behind bars."
Charlie slowly turned to me. There were tears in his eyes.
"Why… didn't you ask for my help, Bianca?"
He had bruises on his fist. I wanted to take his hand. I wanted to erase the hurt I saw in him. But instead, I just bit my lower lip. "You're away, Charlie."
"You know I'm only one call away, Bianca!"
"I was panicking at that time, Charlie. The only thing on my mind at that time was how I could get my father away from jail."
"No. Even before that. The moment you find out about your father's debt. You should've asked me for help."
I tried to wipe the tears on my face with my hand. "That's two million dollars, Charlie. I know you're loaded. But I wasn't sure if you're willing to help me."
"Of course, I'd help you. You were my fiancée, Bianca!" He retorted as if I just said something dumb.
His words cut through me like a knife. "Maybe I didn't want to ask my fiancé then for help, Charlie." I couldn't help but raise my voice. "Because I have pride. I wasn't used to asking other people for help."
"And look at where your pride brought you?" he asked in a sarcastic voice.
I lowered my head. I slowly nodded as another tear fell. "Y-yeah. I… ruined us. I'm sorry."
I made hasty decisions at that time. Charlie was right. He was my fiance. But I had kept him in the dark. If I only asked for his help. If I only didn't allow my pride to get on me. Things would have been different.
We were both silent for a moment. The sound of the vehicles outside filled my ears.
"I'm sorry, Bianca." I felt Charlie's hand on me. His voice was now gentle.
I slowly looked at him. His eyes were still bloodshot. But his face softened when his eyes lingered on me.
"If only I didn't leave…"
I shook my head. "No. You're not at fault, Charlie."
His hand went to my face. He gently dried the tears on it. My heart wrenched when I felt his soft touch on me. I've missed this.
I looked at his face and saw the familiar gentle expression on it. This was the man that I love.
"G-Gideon… how did he treat you? Did he ever hurt you, Bianca?" He asked while caressing my cheek.
I swallowed. "No… He never hurt me. W-we're civil."
I didn't know why I lied. Maybe I was scared of what Charlie might do once he found out the whole truth. His expression earlier frightened me.
Or maybe I did lie because, at the back of my mind, I could still hear Gideon's voice in my ear.
"Tell him everything and I'll fucking hurt you, Bianca."
"You don't have to lie to me, Bianca," Charlie said in a soft voice. But despite his gentleness towards me, I could still feel the anger inside him. His other hand was still balled in a fist.
"Whatever Gideon has told you… he can't do it anymore." He shut his eyes and clenched his teeth for a second. "He's in fucking coma."
I swallowed. "I'm not lying to you, Charlie. Gideon… he's an asshole but he never hurt me."
"What about your baby, Bianca?" he asked in a weak voice. I could see how his Adam's apple moved. "Was it Gideon? Or mine?"
Right now, I could tell Charlie the whole truth. But in the end, I still chose not to. I already let my emotions win over me when I told him the truth about my relationship with Gideon. But not this.
I'm sorry, Charlie. Let me bear this pain by myself.
"It's Gideon's."
He slowly nodded his head. His eyes closed as a tear fell from them. My heart was twisting inside my chest.
I'm so sorry, Charlie. But I've already hurt you enough. I can't… I can't hurt you more.
"I'm sorry, Bianca." He took a deep breath as a sad smile appeared on his handsome face. "I'm sorry Gideon used you to get his revenge on me."
"I'm sorry, too, Charlie. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for making wrong decisions."
I'm sorry for still keeping the whole truth from you.
"No. None of it was your fault, Bianca. It was Gideon's." He cupped my face as he moved closer to me. Our foreheads touched.
I wanted to close my eyes as I felt his familiar breath on my face. Something ached inside of me. I didn't know how long we were in that position before he slowly moved his head away from me. But his hand… it didn't leave my face.
"I'm still in love with you, Bianca," he admitted, looking straight at me. "I haven't once forgotten about you. Even though I know you're married to Gideon, I never managed to erase you in my heart. I'm still in love with you, baby."
"C-Charlie…" I could feel the familiar loud beating of my heart with the way he called me. But at the same time, my chest tightened.
"S-stop calling me that, Charlie," I said. I removed his hand from my face. "I'm married to Gideon."
"He only forced you into marrying him." His face hardened. "You don't love him, Bianca. You're in love with me." He took my hand. "You're still in love with me, aren't you?"
Of course, I do. I still love you. "Even if I do, I'm now married to Gideon, Charlie." I looked away. "Besides, I don't think I still deserve you."
I turned outside. It was starting to rain. Even the weather was comforting me.
"What are you saying, Bianca? I told you none of it was your fault." He pressed my hand. "We can make this right, baby. Leave Gideon, Bianca."
I looked at him. My eyebrows were in a deep furrow. "Can you hear yourself, Charlie? What would your parents say?"
"We will tell them the truth. That you and Gideon didn't love each other. That you're supposed to marry me. Not Gideon."
My lips parted. "I can't do that. Not right now." I shook my head. "Gideon is comatose right now. Amelia's hurting, Charlie. You said you don't want to hurt Amelia, right?"
He swallowed. "I'll try to explain everything to her."
"Not now, Charlie."
"But you don't love Gideon. You're trapped in a marriage you never wanted in the first place."
"I'll stay married to him until he wakes up."
"We didn't know how long he'll stay in that condition, Bianca. And what if he doesn't wake up? The doctor… he told us Gideon might stay that way, Bianca."