Afraid To Love – Episode 22


Jeremy’s last sentence struck her. It felt like she was stabbed with a very sharp dagger. She’d have preferred the physical pain to the emotional pain. It really hurt bad. At that moment, she wondered who was lying to who – she or Jeremy? Nothing of what he said was the truth. Who could have done this? Who wanted to hurt her this much? Whoever it was, was really getting what he wanted. And what pained her more, was the fact that Jeremy had seen the lies as truth and accused her of them – what she hated so much.

“I do not know any Gerald. I don’t know what you are talking about.”

She had the audacity to tell another lie to his face? She had been caught, she ought to speak the truth and ask to be forgiven. But she’s trying to defend a lie. He knew he was blunt and hard on her, but that was they only way he thought the truth would come out. He really had to know. He disliked lies and those who deceive people. “Cut that crap. You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why did you do this to me? You threw dust on my eye and expected me not to find out? Purity, I trusted you with all my heart.” He stood up.

“Oh, no you didn’t trust me,” she fired back. “Please, get me outta here, I got to get back to the office.” She got on her feet.

Her response angered him. “You are not running away from this! I demand an explanation.”

She gave a strained laugh. “I don’t think so. You don’t deserve any explanations since you’ve already made up your mind and have drawn conclusions about me. Let me go!”

“Oh, yes. I have made my conclusions already, just prove me wrong. You gave me no other choice. I’ve always had to put up with your past. When will all these end?”

“You’re not sounding like the Jeremy I know. When have my past become an issue? I thought you didn’t care about it. That you wouldn’t judge me. Its gone and gone forever.” Her vision was blurred. “I have never imagined you’d stoop so low to believe all this.” She used the back of her hands to dry her tears.

He was hurting her, but still he had to get to the point and make her confess. “I’m sorry I’m making you feel bad. Yes, I don’t care about your past, but you keep lying to me, you d-”

“I did not lie to you!” She was not going to choose her words this time. She’d say whatever she feels like. “You saw all these and believed I had high school sweethearts? And you accuse me of being in contact with one? What proof do you have, where did you get it from?”

“Tell me you didn’t write them.”

“I’m not a liar. I did, I wrote them. I want never involved in a relationship with any guy at school because I didn’t want to get hurt. I was afraid of giving my heart to anyone. And yes, I got jealous seeing my friends have fun with their boyfriends. So I created imaginary boyfriends for myself. I had fantasies. I made up names and wrote letters. It was a secret I shared between my friends and I. It made me feel loved, loved with no sadness. That’s why I made these notes to my imaginary lovers!”

“I don’t believe you. What kind of dirty game is that?” A part of him believed her, the other part did not. He was divided.

Purity flared up. “Who are you to question my past decision? You are claiming to be a saint. Aren’t you planning to divorce me a year after our marriage? You just want to use and dump me! Because I’m a virgin? I hate you for this, Jeremy.”

“I am not planning on divorcing you. Yes, I had wanted to. It was what my dad used in cajoling me to court you.”

“You’re a jerk! A d–n liar. I’m out of here.” She turned her back on him.

He caught her hand and turned her to him. “Tell me the truth. Why did you agree to this marriage? You want me among the list of men you’ve broken their hearts? Just like my cousin, right?”

“I would never have agreed to this. I did it for your mother.”

“My mother, what do you mean?”

“It was her last wish that I marry you!”

“No, no,” he whispered. It can’t be. He left her staring at the wall. He got outside trying to get a hold of himself. His mother had wanted him to be with Purity? Why hadn’t he known? His mother never mentioned her and his father never did till that very day. Why was this kept from him?

A loud scream caught his attention. He had left Purity all alone! He ran back into the house, he couldn’t hear her scream anymore. She wasn’t there. “Purity! Purity! My love, where are you?”

There was no response. He heard muffled cries. He was sure it was her. He was so confused and couldn’t think clearly. He searched the entire living room for her. There was no trace of her. He felt as if a part of him had been stolen. He dug his hands into his pocket and brought out his cell phone and tried dialling 911. The next thing, a bottle was smashed on his head, he fell to the ground, hitting his head hard on the floor and everything went blank. BLACK OUT!

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*

*

*

He couldn’t see anything. Darkness overwhelmed him. His entire body was weak. He could feel pain all over, especially in his head. It was throbbing badly. He groaned in pain. His eye lids fluttered and opened. They bright light that greeted his eyes made him close them immediately. Seconds later, he gradually opened them, he saw the ceiling clearly and noticed he was lying down on a bed covered in white cloth. That was his room, the smell was unfamiliar. As his eyes roved around the room, he concluded that he was in a ward in the hospital.

His brain couldn’t function yet as he had no idea what he was doing there. He suddenly felt the urge to get up. His body wasn’t ready to carry out any activity cause he ached all over, but he stubbornly tried sitting up. In the process, he flinched and let out a scream of pain.

His scream attracted the person in the ward to him. Edwin Broderick quickly ran to him. Edwin had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed his son trying to lift himyself off the bed. “Are you alright son?” Without waiting for an answer, he quickly added, “Please, relax. You are weak.” He held on to Jeremy and made him lie back on the bed. “I’ll go get the doctor.”

Jeremy fastened his hand to his father’s, preventing him from leaving. “What,” it took him a great deal of energy to utter that word. And the voice he heard didn’t sound like his, it was rough and sounded more like an old man’s. “What happened? What am I doing here? How did I get here?”

Edwin squeezed his hand softly. “My boy, please relax. You need to rest now.”

He stubbornly shook his head. “I’m fine. Its just my head. Its aching. Where is Purity? I need to see her.” His memory was still blank. He couldn’t recollect anything. The headache was so severe that his thought his head was going to split into two.

“Jeremy, listen to me. You need to worry about yourself,” he left his hand. “I’m going to get Doctor Allan.” Before Jeremy could protest any further, he was already out of the ward.

“How is he?” Aaron Theodore inquired. He stood up abruptly on sighting his dear friend. He was very worried.

“My friend, he just regained consciousness, he’s in pains, I want to get the doctor,” Edwin calmly explained.

Aaron heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s great news. Let me go see him.”

Edwin nodded in agreement. He was relieved that his son had woken up. “Thank you, my friend.”

Aaron patted his shoulder, “Be careful.”

*

*

*

“How are you feeling?”

Jeremy’s was already seated on the bed. He slowly raised his to confirm the whose voice he just heard. He was right. “I’m okay, sir,” his voice was back to normal, but slightly cracked. “Did Purity come with you? I want to see her,” he requested politely.

“I was hoping you’d tell me that. You were with her yesterday, nobody’s seen her since then,” Aaron replied amiably.

“I was?” Jeremy rhetorically asked. He tried to recall what happened, but he could not. The headache just seemed to get worse. He held his head and groaned in pain.

“Careful,” Aaron moved to his side and brought his hands down, “Your head is bandaged. You don’t need to touch it.”

“I don’t remember anything. I feel as if my head is going to tear apart. What happened to me? How did I get here? Why can’t I remember anything?” he questioned Aaron, looking devastated.

“That’s because you have temporary amnesia,” a voice whom he recognized to be Dr. Allan’s answered him. He shifted his gaze and saw him with his dad. “You were brought in here unconscious and had several injuries on your head. You need to rest now, I’ll give you medications. Within a day or two, you’ll fully remember everything.” he concluded, assuring him with a smile.

Jeremy exhaled deeply, “I want to be with Purity, let me come,” he demanded, again.

“You were the last person to see Purity before you had this accident. Only you can tell us where she is. Calm down and don’t force it,” Dr. Allan explained.

He nodded and laid back on the bed. He was troubled. He didn’t feel good. It had to do with Purity, where was she?

Aaron and Edwin stared at him with pity in their eyes. They were both concerned about their children.

*

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*

He was covered with perspiration. Panting and tossing on the bed. The nightmare was really horrible. He wished it’d come to an end. Purity, he couldn’t find her. Darkness had taken her away from him. He forced his eyes open. “Purity!”

67

“Ah, papa,” Tricia excitedly called her father, “he’s awake. He has opened his eyes,” Tricia tugged her father’s shirt and ran over to the bed. She smiled widely, as his eyes ran over her.

David frowned and yawned. He was very tired. His daughter had made him spend the night in the hospital all because her fiance had an accident. The same fiance who had failed to honour his invitation. He wasn’t impressed. “That’s great,” he responded getting up from the chair he was sitting on, “I should get going.”

“Say hello to him first,” Tricia said to her dad. “Jeremy darling, I’ve missed you so much. I was so worried about you when I heard what happened. I’ve been here since last night. How do you do?” She grinned.

Jeremy just lay speechless, staring at the pretty woman who was full of smiles. She was gorgeous and attractive, but her face was different. She wasn’t the one he had dreamt of, he didn’t want to see her. He had no feelings for her. He just wanted his Purity.

“Jeremy Broderick,” David called, dragging Jeremy out of his reverie, “My soon-to-be son-in-law. Its nice meeting you.” He smiled faintly.

Jeremy only gazed at him with wide eyes. Soon-to-be son-in-law? That really shocked him. “What did you say?” Jeremy managed to ask.

David was taken aback by that statement. “You are my daughter’s fiance, right?”

He shook his head, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Before the scene got ugly, Tricia had to do something. Her father was bad tempered when it had anything to do with her. She could feel his anger rising as he stared with Jeremy with blazing and confusing eyes. What was going to save Jeremy was the face that he was lying in a hospital bed. She was going to help out too. “Papa, its not like that. I heard from the doctor that he has temporary amnesia, so he’s not able to remember me as his fiancee,” she smiled reassuringly as her father, giving him a signal to calm down, then she smiled at Jeremy. “By the time he’s okay, he’ll definitely remember me, not so honey?”

Jeremy only scoffed and threw his face away from hers. Someone else occupied his heart and mind. Someone else was his fiancee. Someone else he needed. That person, he wanted to be by his side, lying close to him and clinging to him. That was his pretty witch, as he had earlier called her, but now she was his princess and not the lying devil smiling devilishly at him.

His daughter’s soothing words managed to drain away the anger he felt towards Jeremy. He unclenched his fists and breathed. His only daughter, his favourite child meant the whole world to him. Noting was going to hurt her while he was still alive and no one was going to make her cry. This Jeremy better be serious with his daughter or he’d regret it. He glanced at his wrist watch. It was fifteen minutes past eight. “I have to get going. Please, Jeremy recover your memory quickly and don’t break my daughter’s heart. Bye, my love.”

“I love you too, dad.” Tricia replied.

That was all he needed to hear and he walked out of the room with an air of confidence. His daughter better be taken care of.

“Does your head still hurt?” Tricia inquired, trying to sound concerned.

Jeremy did not make a sound. Purity clouded his brain and nothing seemed to be real, he couldn’t even hear what was being said. All he wanted was to be with Purity and not lying on a hospital bed. If she wasn’t coming to him, he had to make the first move, he was the man after all.

“You don’t want to talk to me?” Tricia cooed. “Alright, I get it. You are too tired to talk. I’m sorry for coming unannounced and bothering you, its just that,” she played with his fingers and had an innocent look on her face, “I couldn’t sleep after I heard you were brought here. I was not really happy. I felt all your pains, I was worried and had to come see you. I spent the night here, but not in your ward. They wouldn’t allow me. You see how much I love you?” Playing with his fingers was what she really missed. It was what she always did over the years when they dated. Playing with them always seemed to do a trick for her, luring him into getting what she always wanted. Recently, he had forbidden her from even seeing his face, now that she had the opportunity, she had to make wise use of it. She smiled to herself in satisfaction. She still wasn’t sure if he’d fall for it, but she had to think positively. Her hopes were up.

Jeremy felt it was time for him to pay attention to the devil who had been bugging him. He had to make her leave, she had been distracting him and what he needed was privacy and a time to think. “You’ve seen me, I’m okay now. Don’t you think you should leave?”

The smile on her face disappeared and was soon replaced with a frown. That wasn’t the reply she was expecting.

…to be continued

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