"I'm leaving."
"Wait, don't go sit down and let's talk." Simon insisted. "I have important news for you." He added.
Adriana crossed her arms waiting for him to speak.
Simon carefully took the knife out and placed it on top of a napkin. "Ahem* So, like you predicted Ummm the gang that had been following you that year is indeed back. They still want revenge because you killed their leader but the good news is that just like you planned, me and the other girl finished them off....what's her name….Carmen..Felicia?"
"Olivia." Adriana rolled her eyes.
"Olivia right!" He snapped his fingers at her.
"You know I only see her a few times a year and sometimes only once. I forget her name okay?!" He defended himself.
"Hmm, sounds to me like you have slept with so many women that you forget all of their names. Even the ones you want to sleep with." Adriana exposed him bluntly.
"Ugh…..you are so mean Adriana! See I never forget yours!" He smiled.
"Wow, should I be honored?"
"Well, you are unique how could I ever forget the name of a beauty like you?" He wriggled his eyebrows.
"One, that's disgusting quit it. Two, you use that same line to every other woman it's getting old."
"One, you are super boring. Two, I'm going to fix that. That's why TADA!" He handed her an invite.
Adriana pushed it away with a disgusted look. "No thanks. I got things to do."
"Come on! Please? Do it for the birthday boy please?"
"Who's the birthday boy?"
"Me of course!" He beamed.
"Now, I will even more happily say no." She smiled.
"Adriana…." He placed his head on the table and pouted.
"God no! I wanna puke now!"
"I'm not gonna stop until you accept my invite. Also no kids under 18, it's going to be wild. Also, please dress appropriately, go crazy okay super crazy!!!"
She shook her head and snatched the letter from his hand. "You have to pay." She told him and walked away.
Simon grinned. "So, she's coming great! Now, how do I get that ice block to come as well?"
*****
Adriana walked out of the restaurant but she wasn't in the best mood.
She spotted Ralf and Jona still sitting in the car waiting so she opened the back door and entered. She glanced at Noah and turned to Jona.
"You can take me back to Labels just like our itinerary." She told him.
"Alright!"
"Who else knew?" Noah asked all of a sudden.
"Why does it matter?"
"It does to me!" He tried not to raise his voice but he was really angry.
He took a deep breath and asked again, "Who else knew and for how long?"
"Do you want me to start listing them?"
"Oh, so there is even a list of them? Wow."
"Angel, Olivia-"
"Them too?!" He clenched his fists.
"Yes, they found out when I came to New York for a fashion show." She lied. It was her who approached them first but she wasn't going to say that.
"Who else? Actually, don't even tell me."
"You seem angrier at me than them." She mumbled.
"How could I not? I have the right to be angry when I'm being lied to. Adriana do you not realize the damage you have caused? You were DEAD you were DEAD to me to father to mother, to my sister! To my grandmother! But all of a sudden there are people who knew that you were alive but they didn't say anything…." He lashed out.
Jona flinched.
Ralf patted his shoulder.
"They were married once…" He whispered.
Jona's eyes rounded in shock.
Ralf nodded his head joining his disbelief.
"Well, Noah guess what? I also have the right to fake my death if I want to. In fact, I have the right to a lot of things after what they all did to me!" She yelled.
"No, you don't get to say that when you left us so heartlessly!"
Heartless.....
Heartless.....
They all keep calling her that!
"And you don't get to judge, ignorance to the truth doesn't make you innocent!" She yelled back.
Ralf breath hitched. They looked like cats and dogs fighting back there. Both him and Jona had no idea as to how to react.
"Then what is the truth, Adriana? Please enlighten me with it so I won't have to be the ignorant fool anymore!"
Adriana shut her lips tightly and turned away from him.
Noah glared at her even more angrily.
"I hate you." He gritted his teeth knowing how hard it was to blurt that out.
"I hate you more."
He reminded silent and turned away from her as well. He wanted to leave the car immediately. Her presence was suffocating him. He wished those pretty lips would speak and tell him everything by exact detail but she refused to.
Adriana dug her nails deep into her flesh. "Stop the car." She ordered.
When the car stopped she opened the door and to her purpose with her.
"I'll walk there." She informed them and pushed the door to close it. Noah reached out and stopped the door from closing. He grabbed her wrist and glared at her again.
"Get in." He told her.
"I don't feel like it." She snatched her wrist back.
"Fine. Don't blame me when the reporters surround you everywhere."
"I have no reason to." She then started walking away.
"Stay there Ralf." She warned when she saw Ralf wanting to get out as well.
"But-"
"I told you to stay." She ignored his protests and crossed the street.
Noah closed the door and ran his finger through his hair taking deep breaths. That took so much energy out of him.
Through their short marriage, there were rarely any fights but when there was they would both go for each other like sworn enemies. The odd thing was that even after those messy fights at the end of the day they would sit down and cuddle each other, asking for each other's forgiveness and each admitting what they did wrong.
Of only they could fix this like that as well. This time was different, the damage was far too great.
Jona parked the car in a safe place and waited for Noah's orders.
He was quiet. He had his head hanging low, with his eyes closed still taking deep breaths. He was thinking, he wanted to find a solution.
…..
Adriana pulled out the shades from her purse and put them on. As soon as her face was covered her eyes watered and countless tears rolled down her cheeks.
Oh, this was so hard.
There were two Adriana's. One was squeezing her own heart with all her might. It was doing its best to kill it. No emotions, no attachments to anyone but her children. That was the goal of that Adriana.
That way no one can hurt her.
The other hopelessly begged the other to stop what she was doing.
It was hard to decide what she truly wanted. Which Adrianna should she listen to?
She hailed a taxi and she removed her shades. She pulled out a napkin from her purse and wrapped it around her bloody palm.
She then wiped her tears away and composed herself.
She told the driver where to go and she closed her eyes.
"I can't" She whispered to herself.
"I just can't, I want to but I can't."
"Sorry, did you say something, Miss?"
"No everything is fine." She answered.
Adriana swallowed hard. Her throat hurt like hell. She tried to swallow again but that knot on her throat wouldn't let her.
'I can't. That's why she will do it for me.' She closed her eyes and comforted herself with that thought.
The perfect revenge.
What's better than Briana herself being forced to spit every single thing out of her own mouth?