Ever since he stopped taking the medication, he had reoccurring headaches. He steadied his hand again as he reopened his eyes.
"You're delusional." Gabriel said again through his gritted teeth.
"Can you please put that gun down?" Claire said in a higher pitch, feeling panic wash over her. Her lip quivered. "I don't want you to get hurt." She took a step forward.
"Do not come any closer!" Gabriel yelled.
"Gabriel, I don't want you to do anything you will regret. Please put the gun down." Claire was near begging him but it was as if he didn't even hear her.
"You would want that, won't you?" He spoke through his gritted teeth again. His jaw, his body, were all tense. There were sweaty droplets on his forehead.
"I want you to be safe." Claire said pleadingly. "Put that gun down. Please. Let's talk." Claire continued but without any acknowledgement. She took another step forward. Against her own expectations, metal ripped through the air. The silence befell long before she could recognise what has happened. She closed her eyes in anticipation of the force of the impact and pain. But she stood in place untouched. Claire reopened her eyes slowly. Gabriel's hand was directed elsewhere. Claire couldn't quite comprehend what has happened.
"Michael Moore, you're under arrest." Rosa pointed the gun at Michael's head, the same place that Gabriel was now pointing.
"That's a misunderstanding. That woman needs to be taken away. She broke into our home and stalked my son!"
"Oh fuck you." Gabriel strode towards his father and punched right in the nose, causing the sudden blood fountain. At least ten heavily armed officers appeared and pointed their weapons at Michael as Rosa handcuffed him. Gabriel took out the bottle of pills and threw it at his father. "I hope that you rot in jail."
"Have you lost your mind?!" Michael roared. "What am I being arrested for?"
"You are arrested for orchestrating the murder of Claire Elise Moore." Rosa said as she ensured that Michael couldn't free himself.
"Are you mad? She's alive, she's fucking here." Michael thrashed violently.
"Who?" Rosa asked innocently, winking at Claire.
"Her!
"That is Elise Cooper. Now, let's get you all accustomed to the cold confined space as that is where you will be for a long long while."
Claire stood motionless, too afraid to move.
Once Michael was dragged out of the room, swearing and still thrashing violently, Gabriel turned towards Claire and smiled softly with guilt written all over his face. "I'm sorry, Claire."
"I don't understand." Claire uttered as her lip still quivered. Gabriel unloaded his gun and put it away. He embraced Claire.
"I'm very sorry." He repeated his apology. His chest proved to be a comfort that Claire desperately needed to calm down her oncoming panic attack. His hands gently stroke her head. "It's all over now."
"But…" Claire wriggled in his arms.
"I'm so sorry, Claire dear. I am sorry for everything that you had to go through because of me. I am sorry that I have forgotten. I am sorry that I do not remember everything yet." To Claire's surprise, Gabriel went down to his knees. "Claire dear, I cannot remember it all but I remember enough to know that I love you. Since you showed up, I could feel this inexplicable tugging towards you and now I know why. I cannot apologise enough for all that you had to go through. Also, I am not certain if I can love you in exactly the same way as I did before. My memories are still fragmented, but I remember how much you mean to me."
"I don't understand." Claire repeated again.
"Turns out that my memory was affected by the pills my father gave me. A new Moore Pharmaceuticals invention. I have stopped them fairly recently and I am still going through the withdrawal. My memories are coming back gradually but without a clear timeline. I hope my head will be fixed one day, but for now, I need to live with the jigsaw puzzle in my head."
Claire was still silent as she looked down at Gabriel. "And the other night… I wanted to tell you about the plan. Rosa tried to tell you too. But I failed as I was distracted and driven by…" Gabriel gulped. "By my desire. And in the morning you were gone. I wanted to warn you. I wanted to tell you that you will be fine. I just needed this to end."
"What about your engagement?"
"I am not engaged to anyone." Gabriel furrowed his brows. "Ahhh… the news. That's as my father. As expected, he wanted to get something more out of me. The engagement never happened and it never will."
"But…" Claire took a few steps away and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I am very confused right now."
"Understandable." Gabriel nodded as he stood up. "A lot has happened."
"Did you say that you remember?"
"I remember some things. My memory is coming back in parts. It is like a jigsaw puzzle where I get one piece at a time and I don't know where it fits."
"I see." Claire hesitated.
"Would you ever consider being with me and building our relationship from anew? I know that you've said that I've changed so… would you be willing for us to learn each other again?"
"But you've said that you cannot love me like you did before…" Claire said with hurt in her voice.
"That is true. I love you but my love is growing and still fresh and new. I am yet to remember more and learn more to catch up to where we were. But… I love you. I love you in my way. I love you as this messed up new Gabriel. I love you in a new way. Perhaps differently than before but I doubt that it is going to be any less." Gabriel gulped. "I cannot recall our dates, a lot of the things that we did together, the plans and dreams we had, but I recall how much I've cared about you and I feel it even if I don't know where it came from. If you can stand it, the pains and frustrations of it, can you help me rebuild from the ruins and build very new memories with me?"
"I-…" Claire stuttered.
"I love you, Claire dear. And this time, this is truly the end of that chapter. It is the very new beginning."
Claire hesitated as she looked directly into Gabriel's eyes.
"Yes…" she answered at last feeling so many emotions flooding her. The tears streamed down her cheeks which Gabriel gently wiped with his fingers. He leaned in and kissed her wet cheeks. He was gentle, careful, exactly like he always was with her.
"Let's go somewhere else. Perhaps my house." Gabriel suggested as he looked back at a door where he heard distant hums of voices of all the people in the ballroom. "And then… we can finally build our home."
Claire smiled as she wrapped her hand around his arm and allowed him to lead to the car.
It was definitely a very different chapter as they've sat in the car and arrived in a villa that Claire saw barely once before.
That night, they've sat in the living room, still dressed up in the elegant dress and tuxedo, and Gabriel attentively listened to what Claire told him. He then told her of his dreams and flashbacks and she tried to help him fill in the blanks.
It was the new beginning…