Are you holding a fault against me?” He lifted my chin and looked into my eyes.
“No. I want to know the truth.”
“The first time happened when I was drunk, and the second time happened after she forced herself on me while I was also drunk. And believe me, nothing happened after that.”
I scoffed, half-amused, for being jealous of Kim while he assumed Zed and I did it many times as a married couple.
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Really?” Kim laughed, then pulled me over for a kiss.
“By the way, when did you stop investigating my case?” I pulled myself upright so that I could look straight into his eyes.
“When I learned that the last video footage showed Zed taking you out of the room.”
I froze. That’s exactly how I saw it on Maezy’s video.
“What could that mean?” My voice turned hoarse suddenly.
“The fact that Zed never told anyone about that part in your life could mean that he had something to do about your amnesia. On the other hand, maybe he got jealous when he saw you naked and forced himself on you. Who knew the truth then?"
“Although that incident with Josh and I could also be a factor, out of my respect to you, I stopped the investigation because I saw how happy you are with him.”
My mind screamed over, denying Zed’s involvement. All he did was loving me tenderly and placing me on an altar like some precious ornament.
“What if he came to help me?” I argued. I could never imagine Zed harming me.
“Maybe? But why would he hide the fact that he was the one who brought you back to the country and the one who brought you to the hospital?”
Glints of massive shock registered on my face. Then, a few days ago, I went to the medical record and didn’t see his name. But instead, the record said Maria Zenaida was the informant of my case.
“But the record said it was Maezy. Haven’t you asked her about this?”
“Of course, I did. But she said Zed contacted and asked her to cooperate. And since her name and her phone number showed that she was your last contact before you disappeared, she knew her name could be implicated in the investigation process.”
Kim had a point, but I could never accept Zed’s participation in my traumatic incident.
It was already afternoon when Kim and I went to the office. Kim had a meeting to attend, so he only peeped at the door, sending me in. But before he said goodbye, I pulled him inside the room.
"I have something to tell you."
Kim glanced at his watch before he gave his full attention to me.
"When I ran out of that room, I met three men along the corridor. One of them forced me inside a room, and there he took advantage of me."
"What?! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Before I could answer, his phone vibrated. He raised his phone, and I followed his eyes. His secretary's name appeared on the screen. Kim then turned it into a speaker mode.
"Sir, all the shareholders are already in the function room, except you."
"Cancel the meeting," Kim roared, glaring at me.
"No. Give him five minutes," I spoke into his phone.
"Yes, ma'am," the secretary replied.
Kim put back his phone in his pocket before he held my shoulders firmly.
"Who is it, Jakara?"
"I don't know."
His face turned red, and he already scowled.
"Just when did you know that you were raped?" Kim asked, gritting her teeth.
"Just today. A scene flashed in my mind."
Kim sighed before he pulled me in a tight hug.
"I'm really sorry, Jakara. I'm sorry for not protecting you back then. Every time I remember that incident, I would never stop blaming myself. Be sure to tell me who he is once you can already identify him because I will avenge you."
"It's all in the past, Kim. I don't want to relive that past anymore."
Kim hugged me tighter, but his phone sounded again.
"It's the secretary."
"Go now," I said, pushing him away. "We have all the time to talk, but not the shareholders."
Kim finally left but did it reluctantly. Only then I realized how much it affected him.
To shake off those thoughts, I buried myself into my heaps of documents waiting on top of my table.
At about six in the afternoon, my phone rang. It was Kim.
"Please come over," he said. "We'll be waiting for you."
I would have wanted to protest, but since I knew he was in the middle of a meeting, I just agreed right away.
Kim walked to meet me the moment I peeped in. I made a slight bow and pursed a smile, sending my respect to the small crowd of shareholders who were watching us.
"Ladies and gentlemen, standing before you now is our new Asian branch manager, Miss Yen Ramos. Please welcome her into the family."
A soft round of applause followed, and I made a slight bow to show my respect. But to my shock, Kim continued his speech.
"And as I told you a few minutes ago, she is also the wife I lost five years ago."
The crowd only gave another round of applause, but they didn't look surprised.
"You're still as beautiful as how I remembered you, Jakara." A male voice rang in that hall, making us all look up.
I smiled, acknowledging his compliment. But when my eyes fell on his face, my spine crept again, sending goosebumps all over my body.
"Thank you," was all that I could say. I couldn't explain why, but there was something in his eyes that sent my heart into some turbulence.
"Is there anything else?" I smiled as I whispered into Kim's ear. I felt like burning from these people's gazes.
"There's none, but please stay for dinner," he said.
Just as Kim and I started eating, that man I didn't feel well with took a seat in front of us.
"How are you, Jakara?" he asked, smiling at me. My breathing then became heavier, and I felt suffocated.
"I'm good. But by the way, have we met before?" I asked, fighting against my sudden fear over this man's aura.