OLIVIA
People say that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. How do I know I’m not rewatching my life and have already died multiple times the moment I physically attacked Rene?
Over the past few hours, I’ve fought with my last drop of blood to ensure that Cyril gets back in shape. I got what I ever wanted but would everything ever return to normal again? That, I can never assure myself.
“Where do I even start apologizing to you? I did you wrong, and I know you must hate me right now. I don’t even like myself either.” I spoke to Rene in a soft tone. I was lost for words.
“Of course, you should hate yourself because you’re so full of shit. However, I might be willing to help with this little piece of advice. Start by paying me every damn penny you owe me then you can consider liking yourself again.” Rene demanded.
I never saw that coming. With her outrageous demand, she just opened a can of worms.
I signaled her not to speak further, and what did I get in return? She neglected me like I didn’t even exist.
“What payment are you two talking about?” Cyril asked enthusiastically. He took the situation more personally, as though his life depended on it.
“It’s nothing.
I don’t see why you should worry yourself about it. Remember, you just got out of the hospital. You don’t need anything that will stress you out,” I pleaded with Cyril with a fake smile just to get his mind off my case.
Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t working. Not even the accident was enough to inculcate a bit of decency in him. At that point, I wished he never regained his memory.
“I wasn’t talking to you, so stay out of this.” He pushed me aside to go speak to Rene.
“What exactly is going on? And why does Olivia have to pay you? Did you two have any agreement?” Cyril asked Rene. He was tossing too many questions at her that she couldn’t even resist.
Rene was making plans to speak when I intercepted, “Rene, stop! You don’t have to tell him. We mutually agreed that no one was ever going to know about this, and you were cool with it. So what changed now?”
“Blame it on your rage!
If you hadn’t pounced on me like your prey, perhaps I would carry your dirty little secret with me to the grave.” She smirked at me.
That was the last time she ever spoke to me before going ahead to reveal our secret to Cyril. To portray herself as the saint, Rene spilled what never existed.
I couldn’t defend myself from some of her lies, knowing that I screwed up from the onset.
Like a dummy, I glared in awe and widened my mouth astonishingly in a fly-catching position. It took me a while to realize that.
“You’re not going to say anything about that? Wait a minute, why am I even asking you to defend yourself? Your actions already show that you’re guilty as charged,” Cyril condemned me.
It would have been better if he did it in private. The worst of it all? Kate and Adrian were there to witness my humiliation.
I thought Cyril regaining his lost memory was going to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Unfortunately, it turned out to be my biggest nightmare ever.
“I can explain!
It’s not what you think,” I started my apology with the outdated lines. He would have heard them a thousand times before.
A few minutes after I uttered them, I realized how stupid I sounded. I wouldn’t even forgive myself if I was in Cyril’s situation.
“Indeed! It’s not what I think. How about I tell you what I think? I think you don’t even regard me a bit. You see me as one worthless that can be sold off cheaply to some merchant,” Cyril continued to be outrageous towards me.
Not for a second did he consider my tears or allow me to explain.
The old Cyril was back. I could barely notice any significant changes in him. It’s almost like the accident made him worse. This was the moment I wished I had abandoned him at the hospital to go on my planned vacation. Perhaps, I won’t have witnessed my humiliation.
“I did it for you,
I did it for us; to save our marriage.
I couldn’t bear to see you lose your mind. I needed to act fast because the doctor said your condition would worsen if Rene doesn’t show up,” I explained. In the process of trying to win him over, I embraced Cyril firmly and cried my eyes out.
He went mute for a second and held me. When he couldn’t endure it for too long, he pulled me away.
I was convinced that my trick worked when Cyril stopped yelling at me to ask those provocative questions.
“So, how much are we talking about here?” Cyril rejuvenated his torment on my soul just when I thought he was done.
I was too scared to speak. That was the part that was most likely to have me admitted to the hospital.
“I am not going to ask you again. How much did you mutually agree to pay her to help me regain my sanity?” He repeated the question. This time, with a baritone voice that conveys fear to my soul.
I was close to having a panic attack.
I was already sweating profusely and quivering despite the air conditioner that was turned on.
“Ten thousand dollars,” I mumbled in shame. I lacked the guts to speak fluently, knowing that I screwed up!
“What the fuck did I hear you say? You are way out of line. What you owe me is 15 thousand dollars. The five dollars is for the extra work I put in,” Rene sharply cuts in after staying quiet for most of the time.
I thought she was never going to speak anymore. I never knew she was harnessing her utterances before dispersing them to puncture my heart like a dagger. She made so much sense when she was mute.