Once the door closed behind Joey, Rose sat near Aden's unconscious form. "I still love you; you know. I really want to hate you, but I can't. I knew everything about you and why you befriended me all those years ago. I knew the deal. I knew the reason behind the deal. I knew who sent you and why. I knew the guilt that you felt. And the fear. I knew everything. And yet… I still fell for you. My heart still skips at the sight of you. My dreams are still filled with you. I still wish you could love me as much as I love you or at least as much as you pretended to." She took a deep sigh and released it as she slowly took hold of his hand.
*
Aden had been sitting in the brightness of the nothingness he was in. That woman who called herself Joey had unlocked his memories in their entirety. He remembered his given name, Jaden Kristof. Jaden. The name sounded just as foreign as it did familiar. He remembered his parents, Michelle and Michael. His mother had been diagnosed with an incurable cancer when he was in high school. That's when and why he met Jason for the first time.
At that time Jason was a doctor; an oncologist to be precise. At least, that it is what he had told Jaden and his family. He referred Michelle to a specialist in Twin Falls, namely, Dr. Nickolas Sumatre. After the initial consultation appointment, he and his family took up residence in Twin Falls as the treatment plan was to last for months. The entire family was required to attend every appointment which Jaden found a bit odd. Odd enough for him to lie to the man about his name. He introduced himself as Braydon and thankfully his parents didn't correct him.
By the third appointment, the doctor started focusing his attention on Jaden by asking about his likes and dislikes. What kind of activities he participated in school? Was he popular? Did he have a girlfriend? None of which pertained to his mother's treatment in his mind.
By the sixth appointment, his mother took a turn for the worse and this is when Nickolas made his move. Jaden and his father were both desperate to save Michelle. Both were willing to do anything, thus the deal that Nickolas had offered. Befriend the unapproachable freak in his school; make her love him and then betray her.
Nickolas told him the girl was not human, but a demon that he and his colleagues have had trouble getting close enough to destroy. The reward for his help was the cure for his mother's cancer and enough money for his family to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Great deal, huh?
He agreed to save his mom, then he was introduced to the others involved, including a man named Tommy who would give him a temporary new identity, temporary new parents, and a new school for the duration of the mission. Once the job was done and the demon girl was defeated, he would get his family back in good health. That's when he became Kaden Michaels.
He met the girl and pursued her as instructed. Part of him started to like her more than he was supposed to. She didn't seem as bad as they had made her out to be. In the beginning she was skittish and shy yet bold and brazen. She was adamant about keeping her distance from everyone to protect them. From her. Admittedly the first time he touched her, it hurt. He felt every fiber of his being burn with lightning intensity. He thought he was going to die in that moment, but he didn't. Every physical contact he had after that didn't cause pain at all.
Every time he felt he was getting too close to her; Nickolas would take him to visit his mother to remind him of his purpose and to not let himself get emotionally attached to the demon girl. In the end, he had no choice. He had to see it through to its end to save his mother. He dated her for years before proposing but it wasn't until the wedding was planned that the betrayal would take place. He had thought Nickolas would send her killer before the vows, but he didn't show until after the vows. "You may kiss the bride," the preacher said, and Jaden's heart broke in two. His bride. He had betrayed his bride. He wasn't supposed to love her. He wasn't supposed to care. It was too late to protect her and his mother's life was on the line. All he could do was apologize as their lips met, but it was her kiss that changed him forever. She cleared his memory of everyone he knew and everything he had done. Gone was his dying mother and broken-hearted father. Gone were his friends and his dreams of the future. Gone was his new bride that he had betrayed. Gone were the people who blackmailed him. Amnesia was her gift to him, a new life without guilt.
She had loved him. He understood that now that he could see and remember everything. If he ever got out of here, he would find a way to make it right. "I still love you know…" came a whisper of words within the nothingness so faint he could barely make out a few words. "I knew everything…" It was her voice haunting him. Of course, she knew everything. Who could hide anything from her? All he knew is that he didn't want to try to hide anything from her ever again. And since he had betrayed her at the wedding, wasn't he free now to love her? Wasn't his obligation fulfilled? He felt a touch on his hand followed by jolt of electricity. His whole body felt like it had been fried and beaten. It was her; he was sure of it. He welcomed the pain and relaxed into it let it burn away the lies he had been living.
*
Rose watched Aden's body jerk at her touch; her eyes widening at the smile that crept on his face. His eyes shot open and focused in on her. Without warning he sat up and pulled her into his embrace and before she could protest his lips were on hers with a passion she had only hoped for in the past. She returned the kiss with equal passion, relieved to see the love she had hoped for in his memories was genuine. He did love her after all.
"I am so sorry," He mumbled against her lips. "Please, forgive me. I was wrong." He took her face in his hands and rested his forehead to hers. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "I hope you can see for yourself how I feel about you."
She nodded. "I do." She leaned away to make eye contact. "I see everything… Jaden. Now I need to tell you a few things. First, your mother is fine; perfectly healthy now. So is your father. After the wedding and the fire, I started working with the police and used them to find out what happened to your parents. They were told you killed in a car accident shortly after our wedding and were even given a body to bury. To them, you are dead. I'm sorry to say that, but it true. They are living back in your hometown and have been fostering teenagers to help fill the void of losing you. You did indeed fulfill your obligation and Nickolas kept his word to heal your mother. Though I afraid that since he knows you and I are still very much alive, he may go back for her to get to you. Until I am dead…"
"He won't stop." He finished for her. "I won't betray you again."
"Yes, you will. You have to. If you don't, it won't just be your mom he hurts. Trust me."
He nodded slowly. "I don't like it. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want anyone to hurt you."
"Don't worry, too much. I am a phoenix. Only God can kill me. Don't be afraid of what Nickolas or Adrien might do."
"A phoenix?"
"Yes. It saddens me to know it took so long for me to learn and accept that. Is that a deal breaker with you?"
"No! No, that actually makes a ton of sense. It explains so much. The bloodless wounds that heal instantly, the fire that should've killed you but didn't. The ability to see only truth becasue your gift burns away the lies."
"Still a bit of a freak, though."
"Maybe, but you're my freak," he said as he captured her lips again.
She pushed him away playfully. "Okay, that's enough, Jaden. I would love to spend a lifetime loving you, but we have to find Adrian first, before he kills another innocent."
"I think I prefer Aden. After all, isn't Jaden dead? And Kaden never existed..."
"Aden it is then. And I prefer Rose. Shall we?" She gestured towards the door. It was time to face the enemies she had been running from her whole life.
He bowed gracefully before her. "Whatever you say, my love. I am yours to command."