Arthur who was holding back his anger stemmed from the hurt he felt looked at her demeanour like the angel from hell and he knew it won't be any good. Still he let her vent. Maybe she'd speak the truth.
" Throw out your ring and announce that our marriage is annulled way before. That our marriage isn't valid. Do not disturb me in any way. And then, I'll give my eggs and will find a surrogate to carry your child or if you want, I can find a random sperm donor. I won't bother with you and the child. You will have the power you want and my grandfather will also be happy with his great grandchild and I will be happy with my own life. What do you... "
Arthur who was listening to her words felt his heart pricked by thousand needles at the same time.
What nonsense is she spouting?
Annulment?
A surrogate?
Won't want our child?
Wanting power for myself?
She has crossed the limit.
" Enough! "
Arthur growled as he stood up from the couch and grabbed the armrest of the swivel chair and looked at Talia with his eyes bloodshot out of anger and gritted teeth. The indifference in her eyes made hurt him more.
"Why?" he pulled the chair closer and her knees touched his legs making Talia shiver unconsciously. His deep baritone voice was shaking and his green marble eyes were gleaming with anger that shook her heart a little as his warm breath fell on her face.
He was enraged.
"Why can't you believe that I might actually want to spend the rest of my life with you? That I might want to build a family with you? Why can't we have children together and raise them together? Why not?" he shouted his grievance he held in his heart for ten years.
He went through so much just to stand beside her that day and she just tore the paper like it was nothing and ran away.
What does she think in her heart?
"You are asking me?" she snorted and tried to push him away but he wasn't moving an inch. He is the stronger one she knew and trying to fight is futile.
"Because I know for sure you don't care for me!"
She shouted back. That day, wearing that white dress, she was despondent. Yet she had a little hope that he'd save her. But where was he? She searched for him everywhere but he was not there. In the end she had to stand up for herself. If not, she'd be married to that awful Raymond Sinclair.
At that time, the door bell rang, making her get out of her old memories and Talia tried to get up to get the door but Arthur wasn't letting her go. He wanted to know the truth.
" How? How do you know? How can you say what's in my heart?" he pressed her and she got mad.
"You don't even realise what you did? Then why should I tell you? Think through what you did that day! Didn't you feel a little apologetic? Are you a psychopath? " she asked and tried to get up she was pushed back to the seat.
"I don't know. Tell me," it was a command and Talia only got more furious. She wanted to get it over with.
"Where were you that day when I had to sign a piece of paper that would have ended my life? Why wasn't I sent to jail but was forced to marry a drug addict? Where were you when I stood there alone not knowing what to do? How were you able to watch me get married to your second brother of you had me in your heart? Which safe place were you hiding in? I tore away the marriage certificate I signed before your brother signed it and I had to escape. You weren't there, Arthur! When I ran away desperately, not knowing where to go or how I'd live or what I'd do..."
Talia's voice broke as tears streamed down her face and Arthur's face went pale as he stepped back. He was entirely frozen as she spoke.
" You weren't there..." she continued not seeing his reaction ,
"And just after I made my escape from that place where my face was plastered everywhere as the purple eyed monster, you were announced as my husband in all media. Did you know how much it hurt me? How much.... " she sniffed, "How much I felt betrayed knowing the past three years with you had all been just a game for you... That game you played to get your family to win..? At first I didn't believe you'd do that... But then as I heard you stayed in my home and started working at my grandfather's company and.... Now... You are the CEO. You won, Arthur. You made your family proud by defeating me. I accept my defeat. You played your hand well. The old method of honey trap..., and it was my fault I fell for it. " Talia smiled wryly.
" It's fine. You don't have to pretend anymore. I won't hold anything against you. Just leave. You can have everything of the Brunton's except me."
Talia stood up and looked at the door as the bell was still ringing. She washed her face in the kitchen sink and patted it dry using the tissues.
Arthur was still standing there motionless and his eyes blinked fast as he was in deep thoughts.
What do you mean by I was not there and you were getting married to my second brother? What did you mean by saying you searched for me?
I was standing right beside you the whole time, Iris!
The whole time, I was beside you! You searched everywhere but to your side? Why? I was there...
Even if me and my brother were alike... You knew me. How could you have seen wrong?
You signed our wedding document and tried to tear it before I sign it but you got the wrong document and tore it and ran away. I was so shocked I didn't understand why you tried to break our marriage and before we could find you, you disappeared from the face of the earth for an year.
I just wanted to hold on to a place in your home and I finished the marriage papers and put marriage was registered with the influence of our families.
I wanted you and that's why I left my own family and lived in your home. I was waiting for you to return. I knew wherever you went you'd return back to your home. And so I waited there.
And that day when Cyrus stopped us from going further, he mentioned that you'd only marry a King and so I worked hard from the bottom of the company and studied hard and did everything I can to gain the name "King".
It was all for you! For you!
Arthur was confused by her words. He could say that she is firmly believing that he was not there.
But, I was there.
How could she have not seen me?
But then he remembered, the previous day, she was drugged. Heavily drugged and she already was in a pretty unstable state by the death of Cyrus a couple days back. That day of Cyrus' death, She even barged in their estate and waved a sword at them blaming the Sinclair family for the death of Cyrus.
Arthur's father stopped the bodyguards from shooting her. Then as if she had lost her mind, she tried to kill herself saying if she died in the Sinclair's estate, her grandfather will avenge her death and end the entire family and they'd deserve it for killing Cyrus.
But she was the one who shot Cyrus! Everyone knew that.
Arthur's father asked him to lock her in a room and watch over her until he figures out the what to do and immediately informed her grandfather that she is at their place. Her grandfather asked him to keep her in their place since the Lockhart family is searching for her everywhere to kill her for killing their family member and the next head of the family.. That day, the Sinclair estate was the safest place for her.since no one would expect her there.
She was tied to keep her from hurting herself in Arthur's room and she didn't eat or sleep the entire evening and night. Due to her fear of needles, the doctors couldn't even help her and Arthur was the one who stood watch the entire night as his heart bled seeing her suffering. She was mumbling and muttering incoherently the whole time as if she'd lost her mind.
And the next day.... Something more terrible happened to her and maybe that's why the next day, she was not in the right mind...?
She didn't even know who was standing beside her?
If so, our marriage really is not valid, is it?