Jason’s POV
Only I knew the fear that had filled me when I saw Melissa try to drown her in that bathtub, knowing that if I had been a minute later the story would have been different and I may not have gotten to see my Evelyn again. I needed her back.
I left the door open as I walked out and took delight in knowing that I had caught a glimpse of the Evelyn I knew just seconds ago. I saw the longing in her eyes and if I weren’t still shaken I would have thrown caution to the wind and made love to her.
“How is she?” Melissa asked and I fought the urge not to call the cop and have her locked up for life.
She was technically a criminal no matter how you ate to sugarcoat it.
“I’m no lawyer but you do know that was attempted murder?” I asked her and she nodded, she looked guilty enough.
“I’m sorry, I let my rage control me. She just wouldn’t stop talking and enraging me,” she said like it was a good defence.
I shook my head, finding it hard to believe my ear. “She was talking and ‘enraging’ you and the best thing to do was to kill her? You disgust me!”
“I am so sorry,” she whispered and I knew she didn’t mean it, she was sorry, but that was attuned to the fact that I had caught her and now Alex was going to cut her off.
I knew her time, slimy, promiscuous and utterly vile.
“I want you far away from here, if you ever step within a five-mile radius of her I will skin you alive and tear off anything that makes you you,”
“But I have a job here, a life! You can’t do this,” she pleaded, tears were falling from her eyes and I reckon she just realized the gravity of the whole situation. “She’s just a mere girl and you’re going to ruin my life because of that, I didn’t mean it that way!”
Then it all made sense, she had behaved that way because she believed she was a nobody and no one would fault her. My Evelyn!
“If I ever see you anywhere close to Miami, I will hunt you down and destroy everything you have and care about,” I said to her, trying my best to keep my tone low and collected.
“Fuck you!” She spat and walked away, I watched her leave and prided myself on my ability to control myself because if I had let my emotions control me she may not even be walking out like she was.
l went back to the balcony of the penthouse and I stood there overlooking Miami. I felt at home here like I did in my park.
I didn’t know how to be here knowing she didn’t recognize me or the love we had shared that was alone to make it less of a home to me.
I was going to talk to her about it and see if I could trigger any remembrance and if I couldn’t, I would leave, maybe return to the park and find a solution to the darn curse!
I needed a shower.
“Hey,” her familiar voice jolted me to the harsh reality and I realized then that the conversation would have to be pushed to now.
“Hey, why are you up? You should be resting,” I scolded but I’m not sure it registered to her as scolding.
She smiled, her bright eye glinting smile.
“I’m okay, it was just an attempted drowning.” She said and I scoffed.
“Don’t ever call it that, you almost died,” I whispered and let my hands caress her jawline and her wild red locks.
I saw concern in her eyes and anticipated what she wanted to say. “I heard you argue with her, I didn’t want anything like that to happen. I was just being precautious and maybe I had said things she didn’t like but it was never my intention,”
It was odd that she still had those same character traits that endeared me to her, she still had the subconscious movement she did that made her unique and her empathy was still annoyingly showing through even with the sort of threat Melissa had been to her.
I couldn’t do this. This stranger was so close yet so far.
“She had to go, she’s not just a threat to your life she is to others, I’m not sure you want other people getting hurt because of her,” I said, I knew the card to play and yes this one did hit the right spot and she recoiled her concerns of Melissa.
“That makes sense,” she commented and looked up at me. “I don’t know but I think we had some sort of relationship before I forgot a chunk of things about my life, I can’t recall the last few years, only blurry images of my teenage years, I feel a sort of connection with you. As though we are being led together by a string of thread,”
My eyes widened as she said this and I felt a glimmer of hope.
“We were,” I muttered and cleared my throat, which sounded too weak and desperate. “We were. We were to get married and it still hurts me to remember how…. You’ll be alright, I promise you will remember it all and you won’t be so robbed of all your memories,”
“But till then?” She asked, sensing a large BUT, and there was. “I feel attracted to you, I can learn to love you again” I could see the longing in her eyes but how do I know if it was not just some sort of unduly commitment, an unwillful pull from the spiritual, how do I know that truly my Evelyn was in there.
“That’s the problem, I don’t want you to forget what we had. I know I’m in love with you but how do I know it’s true and not just something within you that is telling you we used to share something, I want you to love me wholeheartedly, not just because we used to be in love,” I said and she looked at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Why would she cry now?
“Used to? Don’t you think it’s driving me crazy? Don’t you think I also feel deprived? I can’t do this, I can’t,” she cried and ran off from the balcony leaving me to feel guilty and self-loath.
I needed to fix this, and I knew I wouldn’t feel complete if I hadn’t done that.
That night I packed again, took a long shower and washed off my guilt and pain. It didn’t quite work but I tried harder, I would be in Silver Crescent for a week, a month or however long it took to fix the mess I had succeeded in making.
I didn’t wait till the next day, when she was fast asleep I slipped out, I had ordered an Uber and I was going to take a train from the station and return home.
It was all getting started.