-31-A Chance Encounter.
"Sometimes the weight you need to lose isn't on your body."[Riley Brown]
Feeling tired, Riley closed her eyes as she rested her pounding head on the table of the office. Gently she rubbed circles over her temple to ease the headache, but it seemed to be a futile attempt. It was a long day and a very long meeting that had turned out to be a bad one as a consequence of which messed up her mind.
She felt like a thousand knots on her shoulders and everything in her body ached.
A painful sigh escaped from her lips as she thought about her life. More than three months had passed since their fake marriage. 'How she wished she could keep living like that.' she was happy staying with him yet it was wrong of her to keep him to herself. But asking for a divorce might even shatter the little relationship they had. A man who had saved her how could she possibly ask him for a divorce
Somehow the thought of him risking his life just for her made her warm all over. Instantly a smile bloomed on her face. But what were they supposed to be?
God, she had lived with him for three months. She had enjoyed it truly. Now, oh so suddenly she was thinking of divorce again. But in truth, she didn't like the idea of eating breakfast without him not walking alone in the parks. It twisted her stomach when she thought of leaving him.
One weird thing that happened was she never met Christian again after their confrontation. She was considering it weird because he never really left her alone for three months. 'Did he gave up on her in real?' It didn't disappoint her though. It was great to be free. But if he did give up on her. What was she going to do with her marriage?
Shooking her head grimly She rubbed her face and tried to stop her thoughts. They were freaking her out. She had so much work to do, but here she was thinking of divorce again.
....
In the last three months, she was the one responsible to cook for their meals. So It had become her habit to go to the local market to purchase fresh vegetables for cooking.
So At night, when she was in the local market she saw a man that she never thought of seeing again. His blue eyes shone in the street light She was deeply shaken but she still tried to make sure if it was him or not? 'Was she mistaken?' She ran after him in the crowd of hundreds of people. Shouting out his name like a prayer she chased at his back.
"Stuart?"
"Is that you Stuart?"
"Please stop Stuart."
She didn't saw his face clearly, just his left profile. But it was enough for her to chase after him.
"Can't you hear me? Stuart, Please stop!" Her quivering voice betrayed her calm demeanor. As people passing by weirdly stared at her.
However, The man didn't seem to be aware of anyone's yelling. He was immediately surrounded by a layer of bodyguards who then assisted him out of the crowd. She ran behind him in high heels but was immediately pushed down by the people who were passing by. Her leg twisted and she cried in agony.
"Stuart, please stop!"
She didn't even know that was the exact moment when he heard her, he glanced behind himself trying to make out who called his name. But there was no one. He didn't saw anyone. He cursed his mind for tricking him. It must be because his mind was occupied by her. Even last night he wasn't able to sleep easily. Their memories of a childhood haunted him in his dreams. it had taken him so long before he could get rid of it from his brain, and go to sleep. Today though He was here to meet an old friend, but didn't know it was the local marketplace. There was so much crowd that his mind was buzzing with the noise. Promising himself he sighed. 'I will find you soon Riley Brown. I swear, I will never let you go away from me ever.'
Riley whimpered in pain and some kind ladies were kind enough to help her sit down on a bench.
"You should take care of yourself, young lady. It's not safe to come here in high heels."
"Thank you for your help, Aunty."
"Don't mention it."
This was the last time I saw or heard from him. For many months, I thought of him every day, then slowly I thought of him less often, until now I can think of him more or less at will, and not find myself ashamed of the way I went for him in a conversation where I should have been perhaps more alive to whatever was troubling him.
The last time when she saw him was when she saved Christian Evercast. They had run out of luck that day. She was angry at him for accepting to be the boyfriend of the girl who hated her the most. It was her birthday but he had managed to make it worse. She was angry and had left him at the party trying to keep her emotions in check. That was the day she had decided to propose to him. But it had turned out to be their last day together.
Stuart had been following her to wherever she was going. Knowing well what she was angry at. It was just for taking her revenge, that he had accepted Leila's proposal.
After sometime when she realized she was followed by the same man, her best friend who she desperately wanted to stay away from for the time being. She had run away from him on a deserted road. But like a magnet, he ran after her.
She had encountered Christian who was bathed in his blood and was in pain. While whispering for help. His condition was too pitiful to ignore him. So She had immediately helped him trying to stop blood from flowing. While Stuart had asked her to stay away from him. To leave him there. Or they might be involved in a police case.
Yet She had argued with him over it, demanding to call the police from his phone.
Just after Stuart left them to make the call due to a network issue, she was surprised to see four people in black masks surrounding them.
The injured man had asked her to leave him there alone. But how could she do that? It wasn't in her morals to leave a man to die.
He had fainted after whispering to leave him while the goons had started to harass her when Stuart had returned.
Stuart had asked her to take him away while he stood there in the rain taking various blows from the goons.
Though another two of those goons did try to stop her from leaving yet he had managed to distract them for some time. She had seen him taking blow after blow. His shrill screams were enough to make her aware of his pain.
She had managed to find a place to keep them safe and calling the police before passing out.
After returning home, she came to know Stuart never returned to his home. Their middle-class family had declared him dead without his death-body.
For years, she had blamed herself and the man she had saved, Christian Evercast. Even Now she wasn't able to forgive herself for it. She was the reason for his death. Loyalty is only real if it is constantly renewed. She knew that Stuart was the one who has worked enough in their friendship. The sudden disappearance of Stuart had left her numb with an awareness of how patched-together, how improvised, loyal, and loving he was!