After his introduction, the world appeared to be spinning around me, and I felt like I was gripped by a sharp and throbbing agony that made me want to vomit. For a second, I prayed that the pain would be gone, but his betrayal was one of a kind, and I glared at him.
“Did you bribe the agency that handled our security?” I inquired when I realized what he had done just to be accepted as my bodyguard.
“No, I bought it,” he replied without feeling any guilt about lying to me.
“What did you say? You bought the entire agency just to keep your lies?” Whoa, I was astounded at his cleverness. Nevertheless, my respect for the man changed drastically, and I was not too fond of his guts. “Why did you do it?”
“Because I wanted to know my fiancée, and hmmm, I planned to convince you about not marrying me,” he answered.
My eyes blinked several times upon hearing his explanation. Yes, I didn’t want to marry the man who was arranged for me, but hearing Lee say those words were like a knife to my heart. It was excruciating, and I had a hard time digesting it into my system. To mask my embarrassment of being played like a fool, I smiled at him.
“Selena, listen to me first. It was my initial plan, but I cancelled it inside my head after I came to know you better. Have you noticed how much I tried to win your affection?”
“Of course you didn’t try to win my heart! What you did, was to seduce me into having sex with you! I was fine being alone, but you taught me how pleasurable it was to do it with you! How dare try to equate it as love?”
“We may have started differently, but your rant wouldn’t change a thing that we are getting married a few months from now,” he declared.
“Lee!” I screamed at him for being obstinate, and his ways of controlling me were on another level. He was a master in manipulating a person! Everything inside me screamed at him and to get relief from the unbearable sensation of being betrayed. “I can’t marry you,” I informed him, and he was shocked to hear it.
“You have no choice in the matter,” he replied.
“Isn’t it funny that you’re trying so damn hard to have me when in the first place, you didn’t want me at all?”
“It’s in the past! Can we just focus on our present? Stop lying to yourself, Selena. I know how you feel about me because I can see it in your eyes, and I heard you say those words while sleeping. Deny it if you can, but you know very well where I stand when it comes to your heart,” he stated.
I was hurting and unable to concentrate. While it was theoretically conceivable to shut out the agony of being lied to, there was no way to block out the fatigue from occurring. I yearned for something to comfort me, my bed, or a hot batch, or even simply a soft pillow to sleep on, but such comforts were out of the question at the moment. All I cared about was to get through the day and lessen the pain of disappointment for the time being.
“After lying to me, did you expect me to take you back? Do you think I’m stupid enough to let you hurt me again! Lee, for your information, I am a strong and independent woman, so I don’t need you to survive!”
“That’s bullshit! You’re just saying that, but deep inside, you needed me. For once, can you be honest about your feelings? Look inside yourself, and admit the truth that you are in love with me!” He said while scowling, and when he did it, his eyes glowed like fire. “I like you so much, Selena,” he said, and his tone was altered like he was sad. “I know you can’t just forget the things we shared, so please try to reconsider your decision.”
“Let me remind you, Lee, that there is no such thing as us. We just had sex and enjoying each other’s company-”
“Shut up! We both understood it wasn’t just about sex! Why can’t you confess that you had feelings for me back then and that you still love me today? Am I right, baby?”
I shook my head defiantly to deny his theory and said, “No, Lee, I don’t like you that much. I just enjoyed doing it with you because you were such a good lover,” I continued to deny his affection.
Lee sighed in front of me before he took a step forward and grabbed my wrist. “We have good chemistry, so it doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is…I adore you so much, and marrying me wouldn’t be that bad. Don’t you agree?”
“Lee…” I murmured, and before I realized it, he was already by my side, hugging me fiercely.
“I require your presence in my life, Selena.” His hold tightened even further, and I was almost tempted to return the grip.
“There must be a reason why you didn’t want to marry me.”
“Same reason as yours. I don’t want to marry a stranger,” he replied.
“Are you sure it’s the only reason, Lee?”
Lee clenched his jaw before he opened his mouth to speak, yet he couldn’t say a word. He just stared at me, and it wasn’t apparent! “I was engaged before,” he started.
“And this woman has hurt your feelings, right?”
“Yes.”
“Why don’t you examine your heart if you’re ready for another relationship? I can tell that you’re still hurting because of your past,” I told him.
“You can help me to mend it,” he said.
“Mend what? Your broken heart?” I asked, and when he nodded his head; I slapped his arm real hard. “It’s not my job to fix you, Lee. Look, if you think you only needed me to forget about your past, then I am telling you that it is not love. Understand? Why don’t you do me a favour and leave for good? I don’t want to see you ever again!”