Mark felt the bottom dropped out from under him at her question, has she regained her memory? No, she had taken her pills, then why would she ask of Rafael, he felt desperation crept into his heart and he fought it, he was not going to lose her, no way, he can't let that happen, his expression guarded, he sat at the foot of her bed, " did you drink your medication?"Crystal frowned at his question, she was asking about Rafael and he was here talking about pills, what has that got to do with anything? Was there something in the pills?"You gave me the pills yourself, why asking?He shrugged, "no reason""I asked you a question, instead you are talking about pills, is there something you're hiding from me?"No", he asked quickly, too quickly and her suspicion grew, there was something he wasn't telling her."You are lying to me, I don't believe you, there's something you're not telling me" she stood up from the bed and walked downstairs angril
Rafael was furious when he saw Mark trying to leave with Crystal, so this was the husband she was talking about, " what are you doing with my wife?" His voice thundered.Crystal withdrew her hand from Mark's clutches, "wife?" This was the man she wanted to get answers from but he had come here looking for her still calling her his wife, "what do you mean by that?" She whispered."Nothing", Mark quickly asserted but she paid no heed to him.Rafael had suspected something was wrong when he had seen Crystal the other day but now he had confirmed it, she had lost her memory and Mark had taken full advantage of it, he held Mark by the neck and rammed him to the wall, " how dare you take advantage of her like this after what you did? You put her in this condition and still have the nerve to hold her hostage as your wife?"Crystal turned to Mark, " what is he talking about?" She chipped in, confused, she turned to Rafael, " what do you mean by put me in this condition?"
Raphael sat in his study brooding, a bottle of wine in his hand, he was pained that Crystal is still insisting on staying with Starlia, didn't she consider the pain he was in? Didn't she miss him at all? Why was she being stubborn, he would have to bring her back at all cost, he was no longer going to take no for an answer, he would use whatever method to bring her back, he had compelled her using their contract and he hoped that work or he would be compelled to use a more forceful method, she would stay with him and this time for good, he was never going to let her go again.Crystal walked into the prison and was shown where her father was, they stared at each other through the glass, her gaze furious, his mocking, he picked up the phone at his corner and stared at her waiting for her to do same, he mouthed something and she finally picked up the phone."Well, well, well, look who we have here," he said as soon as she put the phone on her ears"Surprised to see me
Crystal was dazed, she couldn't believe this was happening right in front of her, Rafael had taken the bullet meant for her, she was numb and time stood still as she watched him fall, right in front of her, crimsonFlowed out of him and dropped on her face as she fell on her, deadweight. A cry wrenched from her mouth, "no" she got out from under him, "Rafael, no, don't do this" but she got no response. The sound of ambulance could be heard and soon it stopped as it reached, " excuse me, ma'am, we'll have to take care of him" the paramedics came out and oxygen was fixed immediately as he was put on a stretcher and taken into the ambulance, Crystal signaled Emilia to take care of Evans as she quickly jumped into the ambulance, holding Rafael's hand with tears streaming down her eyes, " Rafael, please don't leave me, I'm sorry for all the words I said to you, I didn't mean it" she cried. Soon they got to the hospital and he was rushed into the emergency unit, the doctor told
**Rafael has been discharged from the hospital months back and he has gradually recovered. Their contract expired last month but Rafael hadn't said anything about it, Crystal was free to leave and she knew it was time for her to leave, he has recovered and his father has also improved a lot after listening to the message from her father, she had given her mother's ashes to him and told him to let her go and rest in peace, tears misted in his eyes as he carefully collected the jar from her, " thank you so much" he had choked out."No Sir, I should say thank you, thank you for loving my mother the way you did, I'm happy that she at least experienced true love from you, you deserve to be with her, she will be happy where ever she is right now"So they had bid her mother farewell as they poured her ashes into the river and watched it flow out. Now it's time for her to leave, she would have to discuss with Rafael concerning Evans, they will have to somehow come to an agreem
PROLOGUETen years old Crystal walked into the house, her parents had forgotten to pick her up from school, it has been a habit so she wasn't perturbed, she was usually forgotten to be picked up by her parents just like today. She would just hitch a ride with Mrs. Ester, their closest neighbor, and mother of her best friend Starlia.No sooner she had entered her room that her mother came in to apologize. "It's nothing Mum, I am fine" she replied to her mother's apology."I promise I'll make it up to you, I'll make things right" her mother said as she kissed Crystal's forehead and made to leave.Crystal turn to the other side of the bed and pretended as if she is sleeping as she listens to her mother's quiet footsteps walking away, a single tear came rolling down her cheek. She jerked awake and realized she had fallen asleep, her parents raised voices echoed in her ears, it was actually what had w
Chapter OneRafael Manuel Wade sat in his office, fuming, his body was stiff in anger, the look on his face was formidable. His assistant stood by him, fidgeting and looking unsure. " how dare they give me an ultimatum?" He voiced out in anger." Ehh...S. Sir" Val his assistant murmured , unsure of what to say to his boss, his boss is indeed fearsome when he is angry and he wished to be anywhere but close to his boss right now. "I...I...I..." he stuttered again but was interrupted by a knock on the office door, he breath a sigh of relief and hurried over to the Godsent at the door. It was Vince, his boss's friend, he quickly ushered him in and left."Seems to me like someone is in a very bad mood" Vince said looking at his friend speculatively shutting the door close behind him. He stood in front of his friend and eyed him. ' what's up? ' he asked." They want me to get married before I can bid for be entrusted with Trip
"The CEO assistant is in charge of conducting the interview, I will direct you to him" he said. His charming smile didn't make him a talkative, Crystal thought,she just wanted to get a bit of information of her chances, anyways she would have to wait and see she thought. The receptionist left her in the care of another, who directed her to another before she was finally directed to the CEO assistant office. She knocked on the door and got a reply to come in. She entered into a very polished and cool office, the man behind the desk welcomed her and told her to sit, he looks like he is in his mid forties,he look cool but he isn't smiling at her like the receptionist, infact, he is frowning at her and her heart skipped a bit."I am sorry I'm late " she said in a hoarse and shaky voice, she cleared her throat and repeated herself so she can be heard."I was caught up in traffic"" You're lucky,the CEO isn't here yet, he is attending a business meeting, so wh
**Rafael has been discharged from the hospital months back and he has gradually recovered. Their contract expired last month but Rafael hadn't said anything about it, Crystal was free to leave and she knew it was time for her to leave, he has recovered and his father has also improved a lot after listening to the message from her father, she had given her mother's ashes to him and told him to let her go and rest in peace, tears misted in his eyes as he carefully collected the jar from her, " thank you so much" he had choked out."No Sir, I should say thank you, thank you for loving my mother the way you did, I'm happy that she at least experienced true love from you, you deserve to be with her, she will be happy where ever she is right now"So they had bid her mother farewell as they poured her ashes into the river and watched it flow out. Now it's time for her to leave, she would have to discuss with Rafael concerning Evans, they will have to somehow come to an agreem
Crystal was dazed, she couldn't believe this was happening right in front of her, Rafael had taken the bullet meant for her, she was numb and time stood still as she watched him fall, right in front of her, crimsonFlowed out of him and dropped on her face as she fell on her, deadweight. A cry wrenched from her mouth, "no" she got out from under him, "Rafael, no, don't do this" but she got no response. The sound of ambulance could be heard and soon it stopped as it reached, " excuse me, ma'am, we'll have to take care of him" the paramedics came out and oxygen was fixed immediately as he was put on a stretcher and taken into the ambulance, Crystal signaled Emilia to take care of Evans as she quickly jumped into the ambulance, holding Rafael's hand with tears streaming down her eyes, " Rafael, please don't leave me, I'm sorry for all the words I said to you, I didn't mean it" she cried. Soon they got to the hospital and he was rushed into the emergency unit, the doctor told
Raphael sat in his study brooding, a bottle of wine in his hand, he was pained that Crystal is still insisting on staying with Starlia, didn't she consider the pain he was in? Didn't she miss him at all? Why was she being stubborn, he would have to bring her back at all cost, he was no longer going to take no for an answer, he would use whatever method to bring her back, he had compelled her using their contract and he hoped that work or he would be compelled to use a more forceful method, she would stay with him and this time for good, he was never going to let her go again.Crystal walked into the prison and was shown where her father was, they stared at each other through the glass, her gaze furious, his mocking, he picked up the phone at his corner and stared at her waiting for her to do same, he mouthed something and she finally picked up the phone."Well, well, well, look who we have here," he said as soon as she put the phone on her ears"Surprised to see me
Rafael was furious when he saw Mark trying to leave with Crystal, so this was the husband she was talking about, " what are you doing with my wife?" His voice thundered.Crystal withdrew her hand from Mark's clutches, "wife?" This was the man she wanted to get answers from but he had come here looking for her still calling her his wife, "what do you mean by that?" She whispered."Nothing", Mark quickly asserted but she paid no heed to him.Rafael had suspected something was wrong when he had seen Crystal the other day but now he had confirmed it, she had lost her memory and Mark had taken full advantage of it, he held Mark by the neck and rammed him to the wall, " how dare you take advantage of her like this after what you did? You put her in this condition and still have the nerve to hold her hostage as your wife?"Crystal turned to Mark, " what is he talking about?" She chipped in, confused, she turned to Rafael, " what do you mean by put me in this condition?"
Mark felt the bottom dropped out from under him at her question, has she regained her memory? No, she had taken her pills, then why would she ask of Rafael, he felt desperation crept into his heart and he fought it, he was not going to lose her, no way, he can't let that happen, his expression guarded, he sat at the foot of her bed, " did you drink your medication?"Crystal frowned at his question, she was asking about Rafael and he was here talking about pills, what has that got to do with anything? Was there something in the pills?"You gave me the pills yourself, why asking?He shrugged, "no reason""I asked you a question, instead you are talking about pills, is there something you're hiding from me?"No", he asked quickly, too quickly and her suspicion grew, there was something he wasn't telling her."You are lying to me, I don't believe you, there's something you're not telling me" she stood up from the bed and walked downstairs angril
Crystal looked back and was glad his car wasn't following her anymore, she reached home still shaken about what just happened and was glad Mark wasn't home yet, she thought of what had happened earlier, why was he referring to her as his wife, the man must have lost it, she can't tell Mark about this, he would so hit the roof, she regretted going out, she hadn't understood the compulsion on her to go out and now she regrets it, she wasn't his wife, her husband was Mark, her mind traveled to the dream she had the night before, of the faceless man and for some reason, this stranger fits into it, tears burned in her eyes, she felt so lost, her headaches terribly, she had to call her doctor and explained about her dream to him, was her memory returning, if so, she wants to know who that man was, she realized that she had this dream on the day she failed to take her medication. The doctor told her it was nothing and that she must continue taking her pills, his voice sounded tensed to
Crystal got home and was relieved that Mark wasn't back from wherever he had gone, she was just dropping the juice and beverages on the table when he walked in, he hugged her and she stiffened but didn't pull back, she has to try and act like a wife to him no matter what, he pulled back and looked at her, did you go somewhere?" He asked staring at her intently.She nodded, "I got us some fruits and beverages". Be stared at what she had bought on the table, she had gone out? But how was that possible, if she had taken her pills, she has been sleeping by now, his heart skyrocketed, she had seen Rafael on the news yesterday, although she had not recognized him, he was still perplexed with the fact that she was interested in watching him, he was a businessman and might even have business here in Demero, he would not allow her to go out, not until he was sure that Rafael was not in any way close to Demero, he narrowed his eyes on her, " did you meet anyone?".She frowned at his
Crystal walked into the house Mark took her to, it felt strange, she had absolutely no memory of the house neither did she even feel like she had been here before or lived here. She went into the unfamiliar house, looking around and hoping something would trigger her memory. "Are you alright?" She heard Mark asked as he placed his hand on her back, for some reason, she felt uncomfortable with his touch as she moved away from him, nodding that she was okay and needed to rest.Mark noticed how she had moved away from his touch, his eyes narrowed but he let it go."Why are there no pictures of us in our house?" She suddenly gazed at him, even in this state, without memory, she was still smart. He was at a loss for how to answer."Huh?""I mean no family portrait of us, not even our wedding pictures?""Oh, yeah we have but you see, our previous house caught fire, I only just managed to get you out of there, so this is a new house, we lost our family pictures and
Crystal felt the wave washed her away and she welcomed it, she had no strength left in her, suddenly she felt a hand pulled her out of the water but she was too weak to open her eyes or fight it, she gave in and welcomed the blackness that enveloped her. Rafael opened his eyes in the hospital, he must have passed out, memories rushed in, Crystal, he can't believe that she was gone, why did he wake up, he wanted to join her, his heartfelt like bursting, "you're awake" Vince walked into the room, "how are you feeling?"Rafael shook his head, "like my heart is about to wrench open in pain". Rafael stood up from the bed, "you have your car with you?"Vince nodded, and Rafael walked towards the door, "get me out of here".Vince followed closely, " the doctor hasn't said you should leave".Rafael kept walking, "I am leaving, the doctor has no solution for my ailment, only Crystal does".In the car, Rafael placed a call, his eyes cold and unfeeling, "