“Impossible,” Emery argued. “Don’t think that you can imprison her forever. I am her best friend. The Stovall family…”
“The Stovalls?” Marcus laughed coldly. “Not even a death obituary could stop it. Do you think that she would be able to live in peace if we returned to the past?”
At the mention of this, Emery was speechless.
Marcus took the opportunity to get up and adjust his coat. At the same time, he haughtily said, “I can’t take it back now. Rather than having all of us live in confusion from now on, let’s pretend that Scarlett doesn’t exist anymore. I will arrange for her to take on a new identity. If you really want the best for her, you would mind your own business.”
Alexander could not bear the sight of Emery being speechless with anger. “Marcus, watch yourself!” he warned.
Marcus pretended not to hear him. “See our guests out,” he called out to the maid.
Alexander was probably not used to being asked to leave. Being young and brash, he stood up and raised his arm but was stopped by Emery. Without another word, they departed together.
Marcus watched their backs disappear and was motionless for a moment. Suddenly, as if he had a sixth sense, he turned to look upstairs where I was.
I was still in a daze processing what I’d learnt when Marcus turned to look at me. I narrowly missed being spotted by retracting my neck violently.
The night was peaceful but my emotions were in turmoil.
Emery and Marcus had my best interests in mind from different angles. However, they made the same decision of hiding it from me.
The old memories buried deep in my subconsciousness–were they really as unbearable as everyone made it sound?
If they were worth cherishing, where did the pain and suffering come from?
I realized that even I was unaware if I could bear the consequences of rediscovering my lost memories.
After that day, I led a dull, dreary existence that lasted for a long time.
Marcus was left to his office by day, leaving me alone at home like a full-time housewife. Other than the occasional foray out of the house to kill my boredom, my life basically revolved around the daily happenings of the villa.
It was likely caused by having plenty of rest that I have recovered exceptionally well. Though I still had trouble putting on weight, my mental health was comparable to an ordinary functional human being. At least I didn’t spend two-thirds of the day sleeping anymore.
Marcus gave me a new phone. It was completely foreign to me and I did not know how to use it.
One day, Emery called me.
“Scarlett, let’s go out shopping. I’m outside your door. Come on.”
Before I had managed to ask her how she had gotten my number, she hung up on me.
When women hear the phrase “shopping”, they would become very excited; I was no exception. After a hasty change into something simple and comfortable, I exited the house into Emery’s car.
“How’s life with Marcus?” Emery asked with forced casualness as I sat down.
“Not too bad.”
Marcus and I were rather courteous towards each other. During this period of being with him, we began to run out of things to talk about. Occasionally when I mentioned the past, he would calmly divert the subject of conversation. Though I knew that it was done in my protection, I still thought that it was an overreaction on his part.
The fact that Marcus was not in a hurry to repair our relationship had put me at ease.
“Is that so?” Emery nodded thoughtfully. She looked as though she had something to say but after a pause, she decided to let it slide.
Soon, we arrived at the largest mall of the city center.
Emery had practically emptied out the outlets of designer clothing in a frenzied spree, to the shock and awe of an ordinary citizen like me. Nevertheless, the art of selecting and filtering products in a retail store was a familiar process to me, and I spent an enjoyable afternoon in Emery’s company just chatting and shopping.
The only person I interacted with in Marcus’s house was the maid. They treated me as the mistress of the house. Whenever I made some lighthearted banter, there always seemed to be a distance between us.
It was a lazy afternoon well spent. As we were leaving the mall, we were suddenly hounded by the paparazzi.
Over the past six years, Alexander had dabbled in showbusiness in K City. He became famous overnight after receiving the award for the best actor. As his girlfriend, Emery was placed under the constant spotlight. People were desperate for a slice of gossip in regards to Alexander’s private life.
