The sudden revelation didn't just shock me but also everyone else in the crowd as gasps erupted from the group of reporters in an instant and the clicks of the camera lingered in the air.
What? Is this some kind of joke? He can't be serious… right?
Million of questions and thoughts started swirling inside my head almost immediately and the memories we shared flashed past my mind like a movie. It felt as though my whole world had come crashing down in a split second.
I was admittedly hurt by his words, they were like salt rubbing into my open wound. Was everything just a lie? Has he always been in love with Evelyn all this time?
I felt so stupid and embarrassed, my only wish was for the world to swallow me whole and I would disappear off the face of the Earth, but the anger burning inside of me was saying otherwise.
The noise snapped me back to reality and I marched forward angrily in a few big strides and found myself coming face to face with him. A cold expression masked my features. I didn't say anything but only raised my hand to slap him across his face without a single warning.
Everyone stared at us in shock and surprise as they watched the scene unravel before their eyes, rendering them speechless at that exact moment.
"So our marriage is a mistake, huh?" I questioned, my voice shaking as I tried to hold back tears. "If you are that unhappy about our marriage then maybe we should just get a divorce," I said impulsively but my voice remained certain as I looked him dead in his eyes.
He looked at me with wide eyes, not knowing what to say as he struggled to find the right words. Instead, only my name left his lips.
"Aurelia… I –"
But I didn't stay to hear what he had to say as I turned around to walk back into the house, leaving him outside alone to face the reporters and their endless questions. I let the door slam shut behind me and immediately made a beeline for my room. I didn't hesitate to pull my luggage out and started throwing all my clothes and everything else into it in a hurry while tears were flowing down my face like a waterfall.
"Are you leaving?" I heard his voice come from behind me, reaching my ears and I quickly wiped the tears off my face and sucked in a deep breath to calm myself down. "Aurelia, you know I didn't –"
I turned my head around to meet his gaze and straightened my back so that I'm standing straight up. There was this distant look that stretched across my face as I looked at him.
"Are you expecting me to stay after you said all that?" I retorted in a sharp voice as I looked at him with a cold look in my eyes, evidently hurt. "I don't want to be the person stopping you from being with the woman you love," I spat the words out like they were poison in my mouth.
He didn't say another word, instead, I watched as he walked towards me, closing the gap between us and he wrapped his arms around me to pull me into a tight embrace. I felt my body relaxed at his touch but feelings of anger, sadness and betrayal were all still coursing through my body, lingering in the air between us.
"Just let me explain, okay?" He muttered next to my ear, a hint of desperation laced his voice. "It's all just a big misunderstanding, I don't actually mean it."
I looked up at him and we locked eyes as I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "You don't?" He shook his head and I punched him in his chest before I could even stop myself. "Then why the hell did you say that?!" I questioned, my voice cracking towards the end.
"I'm sorry, Aurelia… it was my fault," he apologised quickly as he grabbed my hands and held them close to his chest, leaning down to kiss the back of my hand, putting a smile on my face. "The idea popped into my head just then and I didn't have the time to tell you about it. But I can explain it all to you right now if you want."
Curiosity began to burn inside of me. "Idea? What idea?"
***
Third Person POV
Everything was laid out nicely on the ground of the rooftop, the food, the decorations, it was perfect for a picnic date.
It was the same rooftop that Xavier and Evelyn used to have their dates at, one that held many happy memories for the young couple back then. It was almost like a secret spot for the two of them.
Xavier had already sat down on the picnic mat as he waited for Evelyn to arrive. He tapped his fingers on his arm impatiently and just as he looked up, he was greeted by her walking towards him with a smile already plastered across her face.
She ran towards him excitedly and threw her bag aside to wrap her arms around his neck and leaned forward to kiss him on his cheek before plopping down onto the ground.
It turned out that he had texted her the previous night, asking her to meet at their usual date spot for their rendezvous, stating that Aurelia didn't know about all of these. Of course, naive Evelyn who was set on getting her man back happily agreed without a doubt after seeing the news of him proclaiming his love for her in front of everyone on live television.
"I missed you so much!" She exclaimed, her voice filled with anticipation. "I knew you have never forgotten about me, I knew you always loved me. After all, how could you be with someone like Aurelia?" She sneered at the mention of the name of the woman she absolutely despised.
He forced his lips into a smile despite the anger that was burning inside of him as he tried to shake off that feeling.
"Of course, darling," he agreed without hesitation. "She could never compare to you."
She giggled, happy to hear those words come out from his mouth.
"Well, that's for sure. I'm glad you finally thought it through." She inched closer to him as she put her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arm around his with a big smile etched onto her face.
He continued to play the role well. He slung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him and she felt as though she was transported back in time when they were still dating, when everything was happy and fine. She was lost in the moment of bliss and happiness that overwhelmed her in an instant.
"Yeah…" he agreed, he then turned to sit face to face with her. "I'm happy to be back with you. I missed what we have. I could never have that with Aurelia… It's just so different when I'm with you," he said as they locked eyes, as he reached down to interlace their fingers together and she could feel her heart pounding against her chest loudly, threatening to burst out at any moment.
Her features softened upon hearing the words that left his parted lips and she squeezed his hands even tighter than before as she basked in this moment, wishing it would never come to an end.
Silence stretched between them for a brief moment before he broke it.
"What we have is irreplaceable, there's no one else I would rather be with, than to be with you."
She smiled, as a wave of satisfaction washed over her. "You are all mine now, Xavier Wilder."
He let out a deep chuckle. "All yours darling. You don't even need to worry about Aurelia. I can't believe she would frame you for bribing the judges. That woman is unbelievable!" He snarled with a disdainful scorn, putting a smile on Evelyn's face as a smirk started to morph itself onto her face.
She got closer to him as she put her arms around his neck once again, their faces inches apart. She cackled, letting her guard down.
"That stupid whore can have fun in jail," she spat. "While I enjoy my freedom out here, even though my dad did bribe the judges," she laughed.
"She will have to face the consequences of messing with me. All I ever wanted was to get back at her for taking you away from me and thinking that she's better than I am," she continued to confess with a pout on her face. "And now… you are back here in my arms."
She leaned in to kiss him, her hands sliding down his back when she felt something underneath his shirt. She jerked back in response, shock and surprise evident on her face as she stared at him with wide eyes.
"What… what the hell is that?" She asked, stammering as she pulled away within the next second. "What's in your shirt?"
She watched as the corners of his lips curled upwards into a smirk as amusement danced in his eyes. Her eyes darted around anxiously and her heart raced inside her chest.
It was at this moment when her eyes landed on Aurelia who appeared in front of her.
"Hey, Evelyn."