Rina always thought Finn was just a cheat and an opportunist who looked out for only himself, even in the most serious of relationships. But now, she had another title to add to the list – delusional. Who was he kidding saying that he was a victim where Kayla was concerned? They were both partners, as far as Rina was concerned, and if she was counting the number of persons that hurt her, they were both on the top list. In fact, they had given the rest of the world the freedom to.
Dry laughter escaped her lips at his last words, and Rina shook her head, wondering when he would stop covering his face with a thick cloth and come to terms with the person he truly was. “I’m certain you didn’t ask to meet up to talk about your travails with Kayla, which by the way, is none of my business. So, if you don’t mind, can we get around to why I am here?”
“Of course. We should sit.” They moved further into the pack and settled into one of the benches built like a bicycle, with handles and wheels at both sides. Rina crossed one leg over the other and turned halfway to face him, an amusing smile on her face. She wondered what he was thinking of at that minute, most likely a way to word the fact that he was sorry and wanted to get back with her. He had to be out of his mind to even think for the slightest moment that Rina would reconsider him. But she let him have his foolery, as always. At least, this time, she was fully conscious of it.
“Rina,” he said softly, taking her hands in his. “I know this might have come pretty late, and that you might have been waiting for a long time for this, but I’ve not had enough balls to face you after all that happened, and…”
“Are you looking for the right word to call yourself a coward?” Rina tilted her head. “Because if that’s what you were looking for, I have it right here.”
“Yeah. You are right. I am a coward. But I have realized all of that now, and I am back here to say I am truly sorry for everything I put you through. I shouldn’t have believed everything I saw on the internet when I knew the kind of person I was married to. And then, I got on with Kayla because she was the only one that offered me a shoulder to lean on when I had to deal with the drama of losing a wife and a child.”
“Don’t you think it ironic that the same person you trusted with your whole heart was the same person who killed your child? Yet, you slept with her on the same bed and laughed with her through the day. How do you even do that? She is as bad a person as you are.”
“She did what?” he regarded her disbelievingly. “Kayla could never do that kind of a thing.”
Rina scoffed. “You are dining with the devil, Finn, but you are still willing to support her to the very end. That’s one hell of a consistency, but I’m glad you have each other. I need to leave now.”
“I haven’t even said what I have to say.” He seemed to count to three in his head before shooting. “Rina, I want you back. I know how much you used to love me and I believe you still do. I can see it in your eyes, even though your lips say differently. You miss the moments we shared together, and it is one of the reasons you agreed to meet here in the park, where we used to go on nightly strolls together. I miss you too, Rina, and I no longer believe the rumors. Whoever did that to you deserves the worst treatment possible, and we are going to get that together. I just want you by my side, like old times.”
Disgust stretched on her face as Rina watched him, suddenly wishing she hadn’t obliged his request and that the meeting hadn’t happened. She looked around her, noting that Zayn was no longer around them. He had kept his eyes glued to her since the walk began but he was nowhere to be found.
“Say something, Rina,” Finn whispered suddenly, pulling her attention back to him. “Anything.”
She got off the bench and shook her head. “You had the nerve to tell me to meet up just to say something this stupid.”
“Rina…”
“I didn’t choose this place because I missed you, Finn. To be honest, your asking for a divorce is one of the best things that has happened to me in a while, and I am entirely grateful that you took that leap. If you hadn’t left, I wouldn’t have realized who you truly were, who you still are a conman. You only move towards people in a way that can be totally beneficial to you, and that was what you did with me. You planned on doing this with Kayla, thinking she was as naive as I was. At least, that is the one thing I give her credit for.”
“I have never treated you that way.”
“You didn’t need to for me to notice, Finn!” Rina snapped. “And I didn’t pick this spot because I miss you. Quite the opposite. I wanted you to see what you threw into the trash because of your superficial nature. We lost our child, Finn. Kayla killed our baby. But you didn’t care about how I felt in that moment, and you only sought ways to make me feel worse. I am going to act like this conversation never happened, because I don’t want to keep thinking about all the ways I could pay you back. But I never want to see you near me ever again. I am going to be married to the one person that loves and respects me, and won’t hesitate to kill you if you come too close.”