Bryan’s loud outcry sent them into a state of fright. The sudden jarring interruption shattered their tranquility. A truck had crashed into the Rolls Royce, and the collision pushed the car backwards, slamming them into another car behind them.
It was too sudden for Bryan to react in time, while Ivy on the other hand already did what she could think of at the moment. She gripped onto Zack, nestling into him and holding onto the collar of his suit so tightly that her knuckles almost turned white.
Her heart hammered in her chest as terror enveloped her senses. All she could hear was the sound of glass shattering all over as her eyes were shut tight.
‘No, no… not again, not again.’ She screamed repeatedly in her head as her body stiffened, freezing in place while she still held onto Zack.
“Ivy…” Zack encircled his arms around her in a tight embrace trying to comfort her as he could sense her tight muscles due to fright. “It’s alright, you’re safe….”
With all his words, her body was still tensed up, clutching onto him and not letting go. “Ivy, everything is fine…”
Unbeknownst to Zack, Ivy’s mind had traveled far off reality. The accident sparked a memory, a painful experience she had been trying to bury beneath her for the past many years. She pressed her lips tight, a stray tear escaped her eyes flowing down her cheek. “Father,” her voice was barely audible, but Zack still picked up the word ‘father.’
He frowned. “Ivy, it’s me, Zack…” He lifted her head, cupping her face with both palms. That’s when he noticed tears on her cheek. Her eyes were shut tight, her breathing was heavy. “Wifey, open your eyes, look at me…”
She shook her head vigorously, refusing to listen to him, “no…”
“Ivy….” He called her again, stroking a strand of her hair. “Calm down…”
She wiped off the tears with the back of her palm and sniffed before opening her eyes.
She was still gripping his collar, trying to steady her heavy breath, but it seemed like an impossible task, her heart pulsated while floods of memories clouded her mind. “Just go away…”
Zack raised his eyebrow, surprised by what she said. “What…”
She hissed, “no, not you…” She let out a sigh and released him from her grasp. “I’m sorry, I held you like that…”
“I understand you were scared…” Zack replied, helping her wipe off some tears she left on her cheek.
Ivy chuckled. “Scared…” She was more than just scared; she felt her world spin, dragging her into a daunting mist. “I suffered from a trauma at fifteen, acting… was my cure.” She confessed with a sad smile.
Zack didn’t know how to respond; he had always perceived her as a strong, intrepid woman. This was actually the first time he had seen her this vulnerable.
“Sir, are you both hurt…” Bryan’s voice interrupted them. He opened the door to the backseat so they could come out.
“We are fine.” Zack guided Ivy out of the car, her face a bit brighter than before, which was one of the qualities he loves about her
“What happened, Bryan, how did this accident….” He trailed off as his eyes landed on Bryan’s face. His left part of his face was tainted with blood. Though he looked sound and alright, Zack was still concerned. “You need to get to the hospital.”
The piercing sound of sirens filled the air as the ambulance drove in their direction.
“Zack, I think someone died…” Ivy’s eyes widened, tugging Zack’s suit and pointing to a crushed car beside them. “Oh no… no, no, no…” The same memory appeared overhead again. “This is the same way father died…”
She clutched onto Zack’s arm and Zack, in turn, held her tightly to himself. “Hey, calm down, okay, nobody died…”
“I hate the smell of blood, Zack… I hate the sight of this…” Her eyes wandered around the whole place in horror as her face was scrunched up in discomfort.
“Sir, please take the madam out of here…” Bryan said as he observed the distress painted on her face.
“Let me call Louis to come to take the both of you to the villa.”
Zack nodded and led Ivy out of the scene. He made her sit on a bench close to a bus stop. “Are you okay now?”
“Give me a few minutes I’ll be back to normal…” She rested her head on her lap, doing some breathing exercises.
A few minutes later, just as she said, she was back to her normal self. “I’m fine now.”
“When you’re ready, you can tell me all about it,” Zack tucked the strand of her hair off her face.
“Hm.”
Just then, a black car pulled over a few meters away.
“Let’s go home, wifey…”
Louis bowed with a warm smile; he was once Ivy’s driver before Edmond became her bodyguard. “How have you been, Louis?”
“Been good, ma’am…”
They arrived at the Villa less than an hour. They were greeted by Xavier, the butler, at the entrance of the building.
“Welcome back home, Madam.” The middle-aged man bowed, smiling softly at Ivy while at the same time avoiding eye contact with Zack.
When he mistakenly met Zack’s gaze, he fiddled with his fingers and looked away.
“You have something to tell me, don’t you?” Zack immediately caught his nervous act; Xavier had been working for him for years so he knew there was something he was hiding from him. “Speak up…”
“Well, sir… um… let’s go inside…” He diverted from the topic as he led them inside.
Zack shot him a hard stare before following Ivy inside.
“I know he will get angry; I just hope he won’t fire me for this…” Xavier muttered before going inside, bracing himself for what was coming next.
Ivy sniffed in the smell of the villa.
“Home…” She really had accepted this huge building as her new home. She did miss the coziness.
“You seem happy to be back here, I thought you liked the hotel better…” Zack said, his lips curved up in a smirk, getting ready for another round to tease her.
“Are you kidding me, I loved it here; it made me remember the most bold step I took in my whole life.” Of course, she meant the time of her proposal to Zack.
“Do you mean the time when you eavesdropped on me and….” He trailed off as his gaze was pinned ahead. “You..” He pointed at a certain individual sitting casually on his sofa.
Ivy looked further to the direction his fingers were pointing at. She immediately flinched, caught off guard by the surprise guest in their living room sipping a glass of wine.
Deep lines etched Zack’s face, displeased by the unwanted guest. “What are you doing here uninvited? Who let you in….”
Who else had let him in…
“XAVIER!”