I SWALLOWED. "It's nothing, Gideon. Charlie and I… were just talking about the surprise for you…"
I turned to Charlie to ask for help… but his jaw was clenched as he looked at Gideon.
"Surprise?" Gideon's brows were in a deep frown. "I heard you, Bianca. You mentioned something about the past. Are you hiding something from me?"
My heart hammered inside my chest. My throat dry. My palms wet with sweat.
I didn't know what to say. I wanted to escape this moment… but I knew I couldn't.
I never thought this moment would come. I knew the possibility but I never expected it.
"G-Gideon…"
"What is it that you're hiding, Bianca?"
I tried to move my feet to take a step closer to him. "Gideon… let's just talk about this at home. I'll tell you everything there. But not here."
"I wanted to hear it here," Gideon said, his frown deepening. "Why do you look so nervous?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but Charlie beat me to it.
"You have to know something important, Gideon," Charlie said.
I turned to Charlie and tried to give him a pleading look. But I knew from his face, he would no longer waver.
"What is it?"
"Bianca has been keeping this from you."
Gideon's eyes went back to me. "Bianca… what is it?"
I shut my eyes for a moment. I realized I could no longer escape this.
"I'm sorry… Gideon." I bit my lower lip as I felt tears starting to form in the corner of my eyes. "I didn't tell you about my past relationship…"
I clenched my fist and forced myself to continue.
"I was in a relationship when we first met…"
"You were engaged, Bianca," Charlie corrected.
"Engaged?" Gideon turned to me. "What do you mean? You said we met in a bar in New York, right? We had a one-night stand."
I shook my head. "That's not true, Gideon."
"Then what is true?"
"You snatched Bianca away from his fiancé that time, Gideon."
"Fiancé?"
"I'm Bianca's fiance at that time, Gideon. You snatched her away from me…"
Gideon's mouth dropped open. "W-what… Is that true? Bianca?"
I turned to Charlie. "Please, let me explain this to Gideon."
"Go on, Bianca. Tell him the truth."
My eyes were already filled with tears when I went back to Gideon.
I swallowed hard before I slowly nodded. "Everything Charlie said is true, Gideon… Charlie and I were in a relationship when you entered the picture. You… blackmail me into marrying you."
"B-blackmail? What did I do? And why would I do that?"
"Because you hate me, Gideon," Charlie said. "You used Bianca for your revenge. You married her to get your revenge on me."
With my blurry, I saw the emotions in Gideon's blue eyes. The pain. The disbelief. The betrayal.
My heart hurt more.
"H-how was I able to do that?" Gideon's eyes were directed at me. "How did I manage you to marry me if you're already engaged to Charlie?"
I bit my lower lip to stop my tears from falling more. "You used my father, Gideon. You befriended him and gain his trust to get to me." I took a deep breath. "I was just two weeks engaged to Charlie when he flew to India for work. I decided to visit Dad at home in Portland. My Dad has had a gambling problem ever since my mother died. I found out he lost money to the casino and was in debt to a businessman. That businessman is you, Gideon.
"I went to your office in New York to talk to you. You offered me a deal. Be your wife in exchange for the two million dollars my father owed you. When I refused your offer, you resorted to sending my father to jail. You asked your lawyers to make a fake case against him. That forced me to marry you."
This time, I failed to stop my tears from falling.
"A week after our marriage, you brought me here in LA. That's when I found out that Charlie was your adoptive brother and that you forced me into marrying you to get revenge on Charlie."
"I… did all of that?" Gideon asked.
His eyes were bloodshot in tears. He looked in so much pain.
Gideon looked up and shut his eyes. His jaw clenched. The veins in his neck protruded.
When he opened his eyes and looked at me, tears fell from them.
"You said I was a horrible person, but I think… I think I'm worse than that." Gideon said, his voice on the edge of breaking.
"Why did you keep the truth away from me, Bianca?"
My heart hurt that I was having a hard time breathing. "At first, it was because of Amelia. Your parents didn't know about my relationship with Charlie. They had no idea the ex-fiancee he was talking about. They had no idea that you and Charlie had a rift. You were a good actor, Gideon. No one even knew that our marriage was forced. On the outside, you act as if you're a loving husband to me, when we're alone, you're a horrible person."
I inhaled a breath to calm myself. "After the accident, I told Amelia the truth and decided to go back to New York to continue my life. But then you woke up. Amelia asked for a favor. To take care of you until you recover or until your memory comes back."
Gideon's jaw clenched harder. "You had the time to tell me the truth. Why? Why did you choose to keep it from me?" His voice full of anguish.
"Amelia asked me, Gideon. But later on, I realized, the past isn't important anymore. I see how you'd change, Gideon." My eyes lingered on him. A small smile appeared on my face.
"I witnessed how you became a different person after the accident. You've become a different person. And I decided to keep it from you because I no longer want to remind you of the past. Because I don't want to hurt you."
My eyes widened when Gideon kneeled in front of me. His head was bowed down. But his shoulders were shaking. He was crying.
"I'm sorry, Charlie… Bianca. I'm sorry for ruining your relationship."
"Gideon… Gideon, please stand up." I went to him. "You don't have to do this. Please, stand up. Your knees aren't completely healed yet."
"Bianca's right, Gideon," Charlie said. His voice was different from mine. It was cold.
"Stand up. No matter how long you kneel in front of us, you can no longer change the past. It already happened."
"Gideon!"
Amelia's eyes widened when she saw Gideon's position. The woman hurriedly went to us, her mouth hung open.
"What's happening here? Why are you crying? Gideon! Why are you kneeling? Stand up, oh dear!" Amelia turned to us. "Charlie, Bianca, help him stand up."
Charlie helped Gideon stand up.
"Bianca, what's happening?"
Amelia asked me, but my eyes were only on Gideon.
"I'm sorry, Ma. I need to go."
My mouth dropped open. "G-gideon, where are you going?"
"I need to be alone," he answered, not looking at me.
"Gideon, tell us what is happening?!"
"You can ask Charlie and Bianca. They can provide you with answers. Let me go for now, Mom. Please."
Amelia opened her mouth to say something. But in the end, she only managed a single nod.
"Take your driver with you."
"Gideon." I tried to stop him. "I'll go with you."
He finally looked at me. "No. Bianca. I need to be alone. I don't need you."
Tears continued to spring in my eyes as my eyes followed him.
"Now, could you tell me what this is all about?"