Shocked, I stared at Anthony for a few seconds before finally breaking the silence. “Nora Oberick? Could it really be her?”
“You’d rather she be someone else?” asked Anthony rhetorically.
“No, of course not. But you and I both know that she was at the center of the explosion that day. There was no way she could’ve survived.”
Nora and I used to be close, so naturally, I was glad to know that she was still alive. However, because of her relationship with Nathaniel, I was unsure how to feel about her then.
The man was like a walking disease because he had infected the minds of many around Anthony and me.
Even Marcus told me that he would never have made a deal with Nathaniel if it were not for me, for he knew that nothing good ever came from dealing with that devil.
I did not mind Nora blaming us for not saving her, but I worried for her well-being if she continued to stay with Nathaniel.
“But she’s a mother. Armond thought he could control everyone, but like everyone else, he fled in the face of death. If Nora had been left behind, there’s a chance that she could’ve survived. I believe she was only able to look like you because she could not escape in time,” suggested Anthony calmly.
“You mean she got disfigured and had plastic surgery?”
With Anthony’s help, I finally figured out what happened back then.
Nora had a chance at survival because Armond left her behind before the explosion. Forced to choose between living on for her child and dying with the man she loved, Nora hesitated when she should be running.
In the end, she decided to choose her child but barely survived the explosion because of her hesitation. Then, Nathaniel somehow managed to save her and turn her into my doppelganger to serve him.
Still, that did not explain why Nora was so hostile toward Anthony and me.
I remembered how surprised I was to see her on the island and how strong she was then. Even though Armond was no longer around, she was ready to raise their child all on her own.
“How did you convince Nora to go to the island anyway?” From the way the woman talked to Anthony, I could tell she was more upset with my husband than me. Anthony is a businessman, so if I had to guess, I would say that he promised Nora something in exchange for her to go to the island. She probably got upset because Anthony didn’t live up to his promise.
Anthony then chuckled at my question. “You’re definitely on to something here. How did you get so clever? At this rate, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep anything from you anymore.”
“Don’t change the subject; I’m being serious now. You had amnesia after the explosion, so do you think that’s the reason why you couldn’t remember what you promised Nora? If that’s the case, that means we’re still in her debt.”
Anthony tightened his grip on the steering wheel and straightened his back before replying, “I promised her that I would keep Armond alive for her.”
“What?” At that moment, I did not know what else to say.
What Anthony meant back then was that he would not harm Armond. However, nobody expected the man to give up on his own life like that.
I don’t think Nora is an unreasonable person. Even though Anthony failed to keep his promise, she should know that he was not to be blamed for what happened. She’s not trying to make Anthony pay for Armond’s demise, is she?
Fortunately, what Anthony said next relieved me of my puzzlement.
“The child. He’s not with Nora or Nathaniel; I’ve checked. Nora must’ve lost him in the explosion.”
With that, Anthony finally cleared things up for me.
Nora only went to the island with her child because she trusted Anthony. What started with the hope of saving Armond eventually ended with Nora tragically losing both her loved ones.
Although nobody was at fault for Armond’s demise, Nora had more than enough reasons to blame Anthony for what happened to her face and her child. To her, Anthony was the one who ruined her life.
I remembered how emotional and irrational I got when my children were kidnapped. Back then, I would rather the kidnappers took me as their hostage instead despite what Anthony and John said.
With the love of her life dead, her child missing, and her face modeled to look like someone else, it was enough to fill Nora with hate and change her completely.
I knew Anthony would have disarmed the bomb if he could, but that was just not possible. This is probably what Armond wanted. Even in death, the man continues to haunt our lives, and there’s nothing we can do about it.
Feeling helpless, I sighed before asking Anthony to take us home. Nothing much we can do for now. What’s bound to happen will eventually happen, whether we like it or not.
On the way home, I could not stop thinking about how I could make up for Nora’s losses. Her child was still an infant when Armond’s men took him away. Maybe he’s still alive somewhere. But even Nathaniel couldn’t find him; what chance do we have now that it’s been six years?
As much as I wanted to help Nora, I could not come up with a practical solution.
Because of how sudden our meeting was, I forgot to confirm with Nathaniel if he had really dealt with Marcus, who personally told me that he gave his life in exchange for mine. If that was true, then I owed Marcus my life.
Even though I met Anthony after the six-year coma, Marcus could have taken me somewhere far away and had me all to himself, but he did not do that. I wonder if Marcus hesitated to keep me to himself because he knew that he was going to die soon. Even the kindest man sins sometimes, so it’s not that hard to believe even the evilest man is capable of kindness, and Marcus is definitely not the evilest man I know.
I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I did not even notice that we had reached home.
Leaning in, Anthony unfastened my seatbelt for me before giving me a comforting smile. “We’re home. If you continue to frown that, I’m afraid that our daughter will have no choice but to smother you with love.”
I could not help but chuckle when I thought of how Audrey would always put her arms around my head to comfort me. “There’s no better way to die,” I remarked jokingly before getting out of the car.
Then, I waited for Anthony to walk over to grab my hand before we entered the house together.
John had witnessed Anthony’s cooking skills when the man pretended to be an amnesiac, so when Anthony promised to make desserts for Audrey, John was ready to see the whole thing flop. Like a pesky fly, John followed Anthony around in the kitchen and made disapproving sounds and faces while the man worked.
Fortunately for John, Anthony was in a good mood, so he decided to ignore any form of disturbance.
Anthony put the cake into the refrigerator when he was finally done but realized that the children were nowhere to be seen.
When I went outside to wait for the children, I saw the chauffeur watering the flowers in the garden as if he had completely forgotten about his other duty.
“Boris.”
“Yes, Mrs. Featherstone? Is there anything I can help you with?” Boris put the watering away before turning to me.
“No. I just wanted to remind you to pick up the children. That’s all,” I replied with a polite smile.
Boris was not getting any younger, so I could understand that he would need a reminder from time to time.
“What? I thought you picked them up today. Aren’t they in the house right now?” The chauffeur was utterly puzzled by my reminder.
“Me?” At that moment, I could feel that something had gone wrong.
“What’s going on?” inquired Anthony, who just got out of the shower and was already in his pajamas.
Sensing that he had made a mistake, Boris hurriedly explained himself. “I always arrive at the school one hour early to pick up the children, but you were there yourself today. I wanted to send you home along with the children, but you told me that you wanted to bring the children elsewhere and asked me to go home.”
Boris’ face was as pale as a ghost when he paused for a while to figure out what had happened. “Could it be that you’ve just forgotten about picking them up, Mrs. Featherstone? Maybe they’re in their rooms napping right now. Yes, that must be it! I’ll go check on them right now. Just give me a minute.”
Losing three children was no small matter, which was why the chauffeur got so nervous that he did not even wait for my response before dashing into the house.
At that point, Anthony and I exchanged looks, for we both figured that it was Nora who pretended to be me and took the children away.
Then, both our phones rang at the same time.
Anthony picked up his phone but remained silent until he hung up. Whoever it was that called him, I could tell that they did not bring good news.
“Who is it?”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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