“Do you know why my idiot twin brother brought up the annulment? Because he thought it was what’s best for you without even considering your feelings. Do you also know that your life is in danger at the hands of Marion Huff?” Gianna asked. I was taken aback by her last statement.
Marion? What is he planning? I knew he was upset with us, and our last conversation wasn’t pleasant due to what happened to his mother, but I thought maybe he was just overwhelmed by his emotions.
“He was targeting you, Millie. Gio found out about it because Dad talked to him, and my stupid brother misunderstood our father’s words. Moreover, Aleeza also informed him,” Gianna said with a deep sigh, sounding as though she was disappointed in her brother. “Yes, that’s why they were together. They were actually planning how to prevent Marion from assassinating you. But, you got angry, and an argument ensued. It only confused my brother even more. He thought he was only causing you pain and suffering, and he believed that separating from you was the solution to bring peace to your life. As I was still processing my thoughts about Marion’s intentions, another layer was added to it.”
“He was just too overwhelmed with his emotions, and a man like him, not accustomed to such emotions, is prone to making unwise decisions.”
I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t think of what to say because I was still trying to figure out how I should feel.
“You don’t have to say it out loud because I know you’re aware of his feelings for you, Amelie. I’ve witnessed all his foolishness and craziness for you since we were kids,” Gianna continued. She took a deep breath. “He planned to chase after you the same night you went missing, but he couldn’t reach you in time. I know he hurt you, so maybe you should hurt him in return.”
I furrowed my brow at Gianna’s words. She smirked at me.
“My brother loves you, he just doesn’t know how to handle overwhelming emotions because he’s not used to them. Trust me, his words can be even harsher when emotions take control.”
“And should I be thankful that he only mentioned annulment to me? Is that what you’re saying?” I sarcastically retorted.
“No, not at all,” she replied. “What I’m saying is that there are times, even you, when we say hurtful words due to intense, uncontrollable emotions. We’re all likely to make mistakes. He made a mistake, and so did you. In reality, both of you have faults and shortcomings.”
I looked at Gianna with a meaningful gaze. Was she trying to clear her brother’s name? I hadn’t expected to see this side of her.
She returned my gaze. She looked at me with distaste, as if signaling to me to stop whatever thoughts were going through my mind.
“Don’t get me wrong; I’m not here to clean up his mess or his reputation. It’s his fault, he should fix it,” Gianna continued with a deep breath. “I will never defend Gio’s mess, especially when it comes to his relationship with you. If you think I’m doing this for the two of you to reconcile, you’re mistaken. If there’s one person who absolutely detests his marriage and is against your relationship, it’s me. So, instead of whitewashing his name, I might even tarnish it further.”
I bit my lip. I remembered how she used to dislike me. She was the reason I became more motivated to change… to gain her acceptance.
“But I’m not the type of person to badmouth someone for no reason. My brother is already too obsessed with searching for you, and I don’t want to see him go even more insane. It might make me sick.”
Kyrie and Gianna stood up after our conversation. Perhaps they noticed the emotional turmoil their words had caused me.
“Rest now. We’ll visit you again later. If you have any more questions, I’ll answer them later.”
Kyrie left first, and as Gianna was about to exit, I spoke again because I had something I wanted to clarify.
“Gia, I remembered something. It’s about my mom’s murder.” I looked directly at Gianna, but she remained with her back to me. “I’m the one who killed her, but Gio took the blame for the crime. D-Do you know why he did that?”
This time, Gianna turned to look at me. She tilted her head and raised an eyebrow.
“How would I know? When it comes to you, I’ve never understood my brother’s actions. So, beats me.”
Gianna left after saying that. I remained silent in the room, carefully reflecting on everything that had happened, even though I knew it might adversely affect my state of mind.
~***~
I’ve already had dinner, and I still haven’t seen Gianna again. So when a nurse entered my room, I immediately inquired, “Where’s Gia?”
“She’s taking care of some matters, Miss Millie, but she might be coming here later. Do you need anything else, Miss Millie?” the nurse asked me.
I shook my head and gave her a faint smile. I was waiting for Gianna because I had many questions, especially regarding Marion and what was happening outside this room. I also contemplated what Gia had told me about her twin brother. I grinned to myself, unable to decide if she was trying to reconcile Gio and me or exacerbating our situation.
The door opened, and Gia walked in. She immediately took a seat by my bed and gazed at me.
“How are you? I saw your nurse, and she told me you were looking for me. Why?” I asked.
“I want to know what’s happening outside. I want to know if Marion has been caught. He wants to kill me, doesn’t he? Is he the one behind my accident? Is he working with Dad?”
Gia stared at me for a moment. “Are you sure you want to discuss this right away? You’ve just woken up, and it might be too much for you.”
“I’m fine now,” I insist. If Marion really has such plans, he needs to answer for them. And if Gianna has a plan, I want to be a part of it. There’s a reason why I ended up in Gianna’s hands instead of Marion’s. I have a purpose in recovering my memories rather than losing them.
“Do you remember when you and Gio had a fight at a bar because he saw you with another man? He didn’t go to Russia and chose to be with you because of a misunderstanding between you two.”
I nodded to Gia because that was one of the things I would never forget.
“Did you know that someone almost killed you that night? My brilliant brother didn’t notice because he was too focused on your fight. That’s when Marion’s plan started well, it might have started when Rory Green returned to your life.”
I remained silent. I would let Gianna finish speaking before I said what I wanted to convey.
“Rory is one of his pawns, causing chaos in your married life and giving Marion Huff a chance to exact whatever vengeance he desires.”
“Is this because of the death of his parents that he blames on Gio? How did Marion gain such influence? They have nothing left-”
“Not quite as you think. The Huff family is penniless, but the Belleza family still has assets. When Gio apprehended Nicolas Belleza, he handed over all the money and resources Marion needed to continue their shared goal of toppling Gio. Marion and Nicolas share the same objective, which led to their deal: to vanquish Gio. Who do you think provided Marion with the information that Gio was responsible for the downfall of their company? Now, to achieve this, who do you think they would target? Who is Gio’s current weakness? You, Millie.”
My mouth hung open as Gianna spoke. I was slowly processing everything in my mind. I had never imagined Marion would be this way.