....I shoved her into the trunk of my Mercedes and drove off.....
It was a long drive. I wasn't in a good state of mind, so I drove like a psycho. Why did she have to defy me? I had no idea what to do with her.
I could feel her movement in the trunk, but I turned a deaf ear to the sounds and kept driving.
It was getting late, and the weather started to change, which didn't bother me.
How do I get rid of this pest, Diane? How on earth did I let her creep so deep under my skin?
This is a woman I once felt something for. I never thought she would be so damn cold and indifferent towards me.
Not long ago, I found out that she's a con artist. Her job is to con her way into men's lives and ruin them either by fake marriage or blackmail, then take their properties.
I wondered how many homes she had broken and companies she had rendered bankrupt. If I had completely fallen for her, maybe I would have been one of her victims.
"Could she be capable of killing me?" I asked myself, which sent chills down my spine.
Even though I was a hard nut to crack, maybe—just maybe—she would have succeeded. What if she had hurt Olivia? The thoughts alone were aggravating.
I hit my steering wheel out of annoyance, which made the car move in a zigzag motion. I immediately regained control of the steering wheel and cursed out loud. Traces of disappointment were evident on my face as I kept speeding up.
I suddenly came to a stop at a particular bridge. I took a very deep breath and exhaled before getting out of the car.
I opened the trunk of my car, seeing how she folded herself like a wimpy kitten, her eyes looking terrified.
"What are you going to do to me, Neal?" she asked, the fear in her voice wasn't hidden at all.
I dragged her out, ignoring her question completely, pushing her to the ground. She fell, the harshness of the tarred road bruising her knees and palms.
She must really have tough skin, even though her fall was harsh.
"Please, we can still be together. I swear to you," she kept talking.
The fact that I was considering making her a part of my family was beginning to hurt me. My heart ached a little.
Indeed, looks are freaking deceiving. Who would have thought that this calm lady was capable of embezzlement? I thought, looking at her tear-streaked face.
"Why did you come back even after what you did to me?" I asked her.
Going closer to her, she covered her face in defense, thinking I was going to strike her.
I scoffed and turned my back on her, running my hands through my hair in dismay.
Then I heard her speak.
"Because I love you, even though I wasn't supposed to," she managed to say.
I could feel her close to me, and before I could react, she hugged me from behind. It was calm for a moment, and the sky let out the rain.
I freed myself from her hug and turned to face her. The rain was already pouring down on us.
I held her by her shoulders and looked directly into her eyes, those light brown eyes of hers which looked red due to her constant shedding of tears.
"You can't love anybody. You're simply a fraud," I said to her in a calm tone, but my face showed no emotions.
"It wasn't by choice, I swear."
"Is that not what they've always said when they get caught, huh?"
"I wasn't given much of a choice," she said.
"You mean sending people to their early grave and taking their source of income was your only choice? Don't make me laugh," This time my eyes were bloodshot.
I wanted to throw her off the bridge.
"I could kill you here, and it would be good riddance."
"Then I would die happily, knowing you were the one who put me out of my misery."
"You must be damned 'cause I am not falling for your worthless words ever again," I spat out.
"When I said it wasn't by choice, I meant it..." She was saying, but I tried to cut her off. She cut me off instead.
"...please hear me out," she pleaded.
She took my silence as a yes and continued to speak.
"My stepfather made me the way I am today."
I couldn't believe my ears from the things she would say to make herself look good.
"Lies. When will you stop lying? Even when you stole from me, I forgave you. You even went ahead to blackmail me, I still forgave you... I've run out of mercy for you. I am no God; I do not have enough mercies to go around," I said to her.
"Damn this rain that kept pouring," I cursed, kicking the air.
"I had a younger sister, and she was only fifteen..."
She went on to tell me how her stepdad married her mom when she was just sixteen, and her younger sister was only seven years old.
Her stepdad would make her do all sorts of things, threatening her with her kid sister.
Then the whole thing got worse when her mom passed away. She never had any relatives, so her stepdad was officially their guardian.
He made her do shoplifting, and when she came of age, he used her to swindle money and properties from companies and small organizations.
I listened as she continued to speak, and I was beginning to wonder if maybe she wasn't making things up. I wanted so badly to believe her, but she had done lots of damage, and now she was just making up excuses for it.
She said she tried to quit too many times, but he'd threaten to sell her sister on the black market. So she continued to do his bidding.
Until she met me, and the stepdad was beginning to see slight changes in her. That's why she did what she had to, to remain in his good graces.
She was still waiting for her sister to come of age so that they could both escape.
"So why are you here, knowing your sister's life would be in danger?" I asked her, cutting in.
"Well, she died," she blurted out.
I couldn't believe my ears.
"It turned out my stepdad was starting to do the same thing he did with me to her, abusing her and molesting her, so she took her own life... I read her diary," she said before breaking down once again.
I was in a state of shock because I didn't know if this was another trick of hers to ruin me. So I stood my ground, not being affected by it.
"If you loved me as you claim, you would have trusted me or even confided in me, and I could have protected you. Your sister might still be alive... It's already too late; things already went wrong," I said to her.
"Neal, please," she said, her voice already cracked, and I could see how worn out she looked.
"I don't trust you, and I don't think I could ever trust you again," I said to her.
"I'll work hard to earn your trust," she swore.
"It's already too late for that. I know I'm not a saint, but my bad behaviors are already too good for you," I said before getting close to her.
I planted a soft kiss on her forehead before taking a step back.
"For the sake of what we used to have, I won't harm you..." I said.
She looked at me with her pleading eyes.
"...but I never want to see you again," I added, not waiting to hear what else she had to say.
Not knowing if she was setting a trap for me, or maybe this was just another made-up story she used to lure her victims, I turned to walk away.
"You can't be with me. Is it because of your love for Olivia? I'm not dumb, you know... I've seen the way you look at her."
Her words struck me like lightning, and my legs instantly pinned to the ground.
I was not expecting such remarks from her.
"Answer me! You love her, not like a brother would, don't you?!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.
"I don't owe you anything. You've lost that right," I said calmly, trying to maintain my composure.
I couldn't take more chances with her. I might end up admitting the truth, so I left her there and drove off.
I watched through the side view mirror as she fell on her knees hopelessly.
I left her there in the middle of nowhere under the heavy storm.
I only kept driving without any form of empathy.
What if her story checks out? Then what? That's something I don't want to start to imagine.
"You're in love with Olivia," her words kept resounding.
I don't even know if it is that kind of love I felt for Olivia.
However i wasn't willing to admit the truth, and what's the truth? Am I really in love with Olivia?.