“I know who you are.” Owen had visited the prisoner known as Jacob Shipman. He wanted to uncover the truth about why he would harm Regina. They speculated Jacob took revenge on Regina when she rejected him, but Owen felt there was something else behind Jacob’s seduction. Bulletproof glass separated the two individuals, but Owen could feel Jacob’s hatred behind the glass. Nobody was allowed to visit Jacob, but Owen got special authorization from the chief of police.“You know nothing, Owen Bennet. You think you’re smart, but you’re just as stupid as everyone else,” Jacob taunted.“Your name is not Arthur Johnson, but Jacob Shipman. You stole the identity of a dead man.”Jacob ignored his statement. “I know everybody thinks she’s the most perfect individual. Ginny is genuinely nice and cares for others, but she rejected me and chose you. I knew it would eventually happen. I told him he was grasping at straws. He could never be with Regina, but he was insistent. He kept saying Regina wa
But we were best friends, so where he goes, I follow. I borrowed enough money to get a ticket and see him. He had been so lonely, so I stayed. He couldn’t stop telling me about Ginny and how they kissed. Everything was so perfect about her. I was so sick and tired of their story I could recite it in my sleep. His parents told him he could not return home until he got a diploma, so he studied like his butt was on fire. It took him three years to finish a four-year course. He took the maximum classes every term with no regard for his health, just to get back home immediately. Ginny was in her second year of medical school, and he could not wait to see her again. Our friends had been spying for us and told us Ginny never had a boyfriend during her time in school, motivating Arthur to get his diploma earlier. “Ginny is really meant for me. It was written in the stars,” he would say. But before he could graduate, he had to take his finals. Day and night he studied for this test, and he
A month later, after Regina was released from the hospital, she begged her father to allow her to go back to work. She had been living with them since her release from the hospital and was getting bored doing nothing. She tried to go out for a run, and they stopped her, giving her some excuse about her condition, even though she knew they were afraid Arthur had an accomplice. Her brothers unhooked the video consoles from her condo and installed them in her childhood bedroom, bringing all her favorite games. She was grateful, but after playing the games continuously for a couple of weeks, she got bored. Her parents did not force Regina to socialize with her siblings, spend time with her friends, or do anything else other than the things she wanted. They were just happy she was okay. But she was not happy, because Regina was used to giving out help, not needing help. She liked the fact that her patients looked to her for comfort when they were in pain, albeit temporarily at times. S
After breakfast, Regina met one of her favorite characters while she worked for Mrs. Bennet. Bella, the golden retriever, got dropped off at the Bennet mansion for her daily visit, and she learned that when she was away, they continued the arrangement with Mrs. Bennet because Bella whined and ate the family’s furniture when she did not see her second family. Regina laughed when she learned about this because it seemed that after several months of being with the Bennet family. Bella was more their dog than the actual family who adopted her. Bella wagged her tail excitedly at Regina and wouldn’t stop licking her face, happy that she had returned. Marius was a wealth of information, telling Regina what happened during her absence. Mrs. Bennet’s alter-ego, Hailey, gave the new nurse all sorts of trouble when she appeared. She acted up more than usual, making it known she was not happy about Regina’s replacement. Most of the time, Hailey acted like a bratty teenager grounded from seein
Weeks passed, and Regina was surprised at Owen’s change in attitude. He was still under home confinement due to his head injury, and though he was functioning normally, his doctors wanted him to stay home to prevent him from exerting himself. Regina surmised Owen was just bored because he had minimal control over the ongoing projects. They were nearing the last phase of the island project, and though he wanted to be there, Gerry stayed in his place. Owen joined his mother more frequently during breaks, discussing multiple topics with her, some from the news, but mostly from his business. Mrs. Bennet appreciated the company but did not fully cooperate. Her mind wandered elsewhere most of the time. But Owen stayed anyway. Sometimes they would include Regina in their conversations, and she would answer based on what she knew, but most of the time, like Mrs. Bennet, she just listened. It was Owen’s way of letting Regina know more about him and his life, to warm her up. He wanted her
Three months to the day of her abduction, Regina began feeling comfortable to go out and run errands like usual. To assuage her family’s fears, she never went without the driver wherever she went, and there were even days when Raffy would come to accompany her. Raffy volunteered since he lived near Regina and was closer to her than anyone else. Every Thursday, they would shop for items she needed for her place and to prepare him a meal. Having been stuck at home, she became obsessed with watching the home network channel and preparing her meals. With her brother’s help, they experimented on dishes from around the world that Regina had tasted from a restaurant or ordered for takeout. “Sis, you look pale these days. Are you sure you’re okay?” Raffy touched Regina’s hair. “I’m okay. I haven’t been sleeping well. I hear so many sounds around the house that I was never aware of.” She leaned back on the seat as the driver navigated through the city traffic. “I’ll bring you one of those
When Regina did not report for work the next day, Owen came to visit her place with his mother. He knew something was wrong when Raffy called him the night before to let him know his sister needed a day off. It was wrong to use his mother, but Owen knew Regina would not let him into her apartment if he came alone. Jeffrey, the doorman, had announced that Mrs. Bennet and her son came to visit, so Regina tried to tidy up her place and fix her appearance as much as she could, without exerting too much effort. The hospital gave her an IV bag to take home, and it kept her up the entire night because she was afraid her blood would flow back into the bag when the IV drip was completed. Without makeup and any color on her cheeks, she looked sickly, and Mrs. Bennet immediately took action when she saw Regina standing by the door, looking like she was about to pass out. “Owen, carry the poor girl and bring her back to bed. It was a good thing we came. It’s our turn to take care of you.” “N
During the past week, the Bennets helped themselves by visiting and taking over her kitchen whenever they wanted. So Raffy was surprised that people who were not his family were in Regina’s house when he came on the day he and Regina got together to get her groceries.He called her every day, but she never mentioned a new family had taken over her house.“Regina, what is Yvan doing lying on the carpet in front of our TV while his mother and her maids are cooking in your kitchen?”Regina sighed. “You told them I was sick, and they’ve taken control of my kitchen and house. They won’t leave until Owen arrives at night, so I just let them be. I have no energy to fight with anyone, and having people here passes the time.”“What? Are you sleeping with Owen? I thought you didn’t want to get back together?”“Of course, we’re not together. He’s staying in the guest room. I can’t get rid of him, so he comes every night to watch over me.”“That sounds a lot like being together.”“We’re roommates
“Regina, are you okay?” Arthur’s softer voice asked from the other side, and she looked up as she wiped her tears away. “I need to tell you something before he comes back. I drugged you the entire time you were with Jacob because he wanted you to cry and scream when he raped you, but he wouldn’t touch a sleeping body. He said it felt like he was fucking the dead. So I made you sleep.” “You what?” “I drugged you, so he couldn’t do anything to you. All the things he told you were lies. None of them happened.” “You did that for me?” she asked, confused about whom to believe. Was this version of Arthur telling the truth, or was it also another lie? “I couldn’t bear the thought that I stood by and watched while he harmed you.” “Why?” “I always loved you, Regina. I always will,” Arthur said before his face changed again. “That stupid shit. What did he tell you?” Armed with the knowledge that nothing happened between them, Regina stood to taunt Jacob. She wanted to get to the bottom o
“I wanted to see.”“And there’s a reason I told you no.”“Babe…”“That guy left me for dead, Regina. Would you like to see a picture of that?”“Yes. I want to understand why a man with a face so kind could be so horrible.”“I will show you the footage from the precinct and how they found out Arthur’s mental illness.” Owen sighed, knowing that keeping the truth from Regina would just give her more reason to sneak around. “Then will you come to bed and forget about this?” She nodded as Owen retrieved a file from his computer and showed her a video of Arthur arguing with himself at the precinct. He was fighting with himself as if there were two people instead of one, and Regina felt unnerved. “The doctors said Jacob was too traumatized by Arthur’s loss that he erased the fact that he was dead. In his grief, he developed the Arthur persona, who was kind and smart, just like the actual person. It was a form of coping mechanism.”“Where is he now?”“In the psychiatric hospital inside the
“YOU KILLED ARTHUR! YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE HAPPY!” It said before images began appearing on the screen. Regina was frozen and horrified because of the text, she was trying to figure out what the images were but Owen closed the lid before she did.“Don’t touch the computer. It was just a virus. I have a friend who can clean this for you.“Who would send such a horrific message? And what is that message about Arthur? Is he dead?”“Yes, no. It’s a long story. Don’t worry about it.” He said as he moved the laptop to his desk.“Don’t lie to me, Owen.” Regina stood up to face him. “We said no secrets. What was that about? And why is there a naked woman on my screen?”“Did you have an affair and not tell me, because gods help me, I am not taking this crap from you.”“No babe, I wouldn’t do that to you. You have to sit while I tell you what that was about.”“I can’t sit. My blood is boiling right now.”“Okay, let’s go to the kitchen, get a glass of water for both of us while I collect my tho
“Dad, thank you for giving me the extended leave. France has inspired me a lot with my artistic side. Did you see my paintings?”“Yeah, I have a few of them put up in the hospital and around the house already. Is that what you want to do now? Paint?”“Oh no, that’s just my side hobby. I was inspired by the nursing home in France and wanted to build a non-profit nursing home as a branch of our hospital.”“That sounds like a good idea. I think someone suggested that before and we just didn’t have time to look into it. Talk to the project manager so we can get this started. Which wing do you want it in?”“Well, that’s the thing. I want it to be separate from the hospital, in a more scenic setting so we can usher the old people to rest peacefully. I don’t want them to feel like they’re in the hospital all the time.”“Are you willing to put in work for this project? This will be a lot of work, starting with finding available properties. You can’t just quit mid-way because it’s too hard.”R
“What are you telling them?”“Don’t worry about it, sweetie. I have everything in control.” He said confidently as they walked to his mother’s room.“Mom? Are you awake?” Owen asked. Myles was reading her a book Regina sent from France, and the scenes were getting steamy, so he was glad that his mother’s attention got diverted to the guests. “Look who’s here?”He stepped aside, and Regina softly exclaimed, “Surprise!”Mrs. Bennet stared at Regina, wondering who she was, and then it clicked. “Mandy? Oh, I’m glad you’ve come. I’ve missed you so.” She grew emotional as Regina sat on the bed and hugged her.“So did I Mrs. Bennet. I am glad to see that you are better.” Regina touched her forehead to get the temperature and her wrist to check how fast her pulse rate was.“Oh, it was nothing. They just worry too much. Now I’m in the hospital when all I want to do is see that dog.” Bella had been constant in her life, and like Regina, not having seen her for a few days, threw everything out o
News of Owen’s mystery woman spread throughout the nation as pictures of the couple were shared across every website on the internet. “Owen, what are we going to do? Can we hire someone to delete the pictures?” Regina asked as the car sped away. He smirked, “No.” “No? But your reputation?” “I’m a single man in a relationship with a beautiful woman, so I don’t care about the pictures.” “But the paparazzi, they’ll know.” “We’re not hiding our relationship, my love. Unless you want to.” “I don’t.” “I know you don’t want your face in the media, so we won’t tell them who you are. Let them find out on their own.” “I don’t care if they find out. I’m through hiding. It didn’t do me any good, anyway. I kept lying to people I really liked. I just hope they could forgive me,” she said, leaning back into the seat, more relaxed. “Well then, that’s settled,” Owen smiled and leaned over to nuzzle her ear. “You know they’ll be at my apartment waiting. What do you say we go to yours and lock
Regina asked how they all knew each other, and the three men regaled her with stories of when they met while re-constructing the apartment she was staying in.“So I have a question. If Owen owns the complex, then why do I have a small apartment?”Caelan and François both laughed and teased Owen.“Well, I didn’t want you to get suspicious about paying such a small price for an enormous apartment, so we gave you the smallest unit. It was Caelan’s place.”“Aww…” Regina looked at Caelan, “You gave it up for me? I’m sorry if I brought in mismatched furniture in there.”“Don’t feel sorry for him. He got a bigger apartment out of the deal, so he’s happy about that.” Owen butted in, and Regina laughed.“I don’t mind how you decorated the place. I like it and will keep most of the furniture,” Caelan replied.“So I heard Owen hired you to follow me around and disrupt my dates with Jason. Is that true?”“Well—I—He—Yes, it’s true,” Caelan could not defend himself, so he admitted the truth.“So th
The sun was peeking through the horizon by the time the couple fell asleep, satiated and full of love. Neither wanted to sleep lest everything was just a dream. Regina woke up first, staring at the sleeping man beside her, waiting for him to awaken. “What are you doing?” Owen asked, his voice husky from sleep.She blushed that she got caught running her finger down his chest, tracing the lines of his abdomen. “Waking you. Did it work?”“It did.” He grabbed her waist, pulling her toward him. He hooked his legs around hers and kissed her neck. “I missed you so much that when you stopped sending me messages, it made me go crazy.”“I’m sorry. I was so ashamed about what happened that I did not know how to handle the situation. How could I not know anything about my body?”“There were a lot of things happening during that time. Stop blaming yourself. We’re here now, where we should be. Just don’t shut me out again.”“I promise I won’t.” Owen nibbled her neck, and her body came alive. “W
“I had a baby—”“I know.”Regina scrunched her brows in shock. “But I never told you. The diary said you didn’t know.”“The baby was ours,” he said, holding her gaze. If her mouth wasn’t hanging open before, it was now.“How—”“How did I know? I have the same tracker app you do, and they were synched together so I could watch your cycle. I wanted to know when it would be safe because we were having unprotected sex. We needed to take extra precautions to prevent having an accident.”“But we still did.”“It doesn’t make a difference. I still love you.” “You knew, and you didn’t tell me?”“I was waiting for you to share your troubles, so I gave you the space you needed, but you just distanced yourself from me. I didn’t want to nag you because you’ve been through so much already. So I waited.”“The diary said I couldn’t tell you because I felt guilty.”“I know.”“But I didn’t tell you…”“You said it in the letter that you sent me.”“The letter that you keep talking about?”“Yes, do you w