37

Brian's words made Laurel gasp in surprise, her face turning pale. "What the hell are you saying?"

"I'm not talking nonsense, Laurel, I have proof." Brian pulled the files out of his bag. “You must have some questions, why did you get into Aaron's company so easily, why did he marry you so easily. It's all for a reason: he is the same person whose car crashed into your father's car and killed him ten years ago.”

"What?"

Laurel had actually been able to digest all of Brian's words. Her mind had concluded from what the man had said. Nevertheless, her heart screamed, refusing to believe it just like that.

“You remember the person who bumped into your father was also named Aaron, a son of a rich businessman who got away with it simply because they had a lot of money, right?” Brian bombarded Laurel with all the information. “The Aaron you married is the same Aaron, the rich kid who got drunk and was speeding, then ran a red light and hit your innocent father.”

"No, that's impossible!"

"I've investigated it for you." Brian opened his files and showed them to Laurel excitedly.

“Look at this newspaper article. I printed these articles from historical data in the national library. These articles are about the accident that your father and Aaron had. See here, it says ‘Son of a billionaire named Aaron Silverwhite’. How many billionaires do you think Aaron Silverwhite has in this country? You have to understand, Laurel, this is all Aaron Silverwhite's crazy plan. He may want to lure you into the marriage for some reason. To be sure, he's been lying to you this whole time."

Laurel's memories drifted back to the vague past ten years. When she was in great sorrow over the unjust death of her father, and then followed by the death of her mother who was sick since her father left them.

Laurel is alone in the world and hates a man named Aaron, the son of a rich man who has ruined the life of her small family. Then, the man came arrogantly to her house, bringing flowers.

Laurel attacked him just then. She did not remember that time and did not pay attention to the man's face. What she remembers is that she took all her anger and hatred out on the man who killed her father. Then the man left, never to appear again in her life.

Aaron Silverwhite… her husband?

Her heart was beating fast and her hands began to shake. By God and His angels, she should have noticed that. Their names are the same and Aaron's attitude should make her suspicious. The man was in a hurry to marry her and for what? Aaron said he loved her and Laurel has doubts. Laurel doubted everything, because indeed everything was a lie.

“Aaron made it all up, Laurel. That night I was framed. Lyn herself told me that he told her to get me drunk and seduce me. He wants to separate us both." Brian's voice sounded disgusted. “Looks like he has a hidden obsession to have you and apparently he succeeded, because he managed to marry you. I, however, did find out and I found this secret. You're just being used and that guy lied to you.”

Laurel froze with a pale face. Her eyes were teary, but she tried to remain calm. She looked at Brian expressionlessly. "Thanks, Brian, for the information you provided."

This calm reaction was certainly not what Brian expected. This man thought Laurel was going to cry, and then he could hug her and comfort her, making Laurel fall into his noose again. However, Laurel was so calm despite her pale face and teary eyes.

“Are you all right, dear Laurel?” Brian tried to grab Laurel's finger, but she avoided him.

“I'm fine, Brian, thanks for the information you gave me. I also thank you for being so considerate and worried about me.” Laurel took a deep breath. "After this I hope we won't see each other again."

"What?" Brian was taken aback, half standing in shock. “Why do you say that, Laurel? Don’t you know that I love and worry about you so much? Then what are you going to do now? Are you going back to your husband who has clearly cheated on you?”

Laurel put on a straight face. "That's my business with my husband, which we will settle ourselves later. I'm sorry, Brian."

"You can go with me," Brian changed his strategy to pleading. “Please, Laurel, that man has tricked you. You can leave him and go with me. I'll take care of you, I swear."

Laurel shook her head and smiled apologetically at the man. "My feelings for you are dead, Brian, maybe they never really existed."

She looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Brian."

Brian was silent for a long time and stared at Laurel deeply, trying to find something that could indicate that she had changed her mind. However, the woman's face remained flat and he found nothing in her expression.

Finally, he took a deep breath. "I guess I should give up."

Laurel nodded, repeating her apology. "I'm sorry, Brian. You're a really nice guy and I'm sure you'll find the right person for you in the future."

Brian sighed again, as if he was carrying a very heavy burden. “I just want you to be happy, Laurel.” The man rose from his seat. "I'd better leave these files here, in case you want to read them further. Goodbye, Laurel."

With unsteady steps, Brian stepped out of the cafe, leaving Laurel who was starting to feel her defenses crumble. Tears started to roll down her cheeks, but she quickly wiped them away, realizing that she was in a public place.

She quickly called her personal driver, asking to be picked up. She would go home and confront Aaron.

On the way home, Laurel burst into tears. Her personal driver glanced repeatedly from his rearview mirror, but did not dare to disturb his crying mistress.

Laurel cried remembering everything, remembering all the kindness and tenderness of Aaron; their first night, the hot romances with him after that. Everything turned out to be based on a lie that was built by the man named Aaron.

The man turned out to have a terrible secret for her, an unforgivable secret.

Laurel remembered that night. Her father actually had a cough, but he still went to take a taxi because he needed money to pay for her school fees, while her mother was also having a fever at home. Her memories drifted back to ten years ago.

"Father, are you still going?"

Laurel handed her father a cup of hot tea, looking worriedly at her father who was coughing non-stop. Her father was old, but could not stop smoking. Now his aging lungs cannot bear to wallow in smoke every day, thus making her father cough all the time.

Her father smiled and looked at her gently. Laurel is the only daughter and the girl is bright in her school. He fought desperately to send his daughter to school. At least Laurel should graduate from high school so she can find a better job, a better future, her father thought, unlike him.

The money was spent yesterday to take his wife to the doctor and buy a few liters of rice and food needs at home. Moreover, tomorrow Laurel has to pay tuition. They have been late paying several times and the school has already issued a warning letter. If Laurel did not pay anymore, she would be expelled from her school.

It was a weekend night, definitely crowded and many would use the taxi service. He can borrow the money from his income to pay for Laurel's school fees. Tomorrow he will circle all day looking for customers to pay back the money he deposited with the taxi company.

"I still don't have enough money to pay for your school, kid. I will be looking for some customers tonight. It must be busy tonight. I am alright." The man smiled and stroked her hair lovingly. "Take good care of your mother okay?"

After that, her father left. Laurel was still watching her father leave at that time, striding through the narrow alley ahead, towards the taxi company where his taxi was parked. His father's body was slightly bent and aged prematurely from the burdens of life. At that time, Laurel watched his father's back which was getting further away and disappeared at the end of the alley with pain. How she wished she would grow up soon at that time, be able to earn her own money so that she could help her parents.

Unexpectedly, it was the last time she saw her father. In the early hours of the morning, neighbors knocked her door and several people informed her that her father had died in an accident. An irresponsible drunk driver who ran a red light hit her father. Her father did come home, but in a state already a corpse in a tightly sealed coffin. Even Laurel was not allowed to see her father's corpse at his last moment.

At that time, when her father's funeral, Laurel promised in her heart, she would never forgive the person who had killed her father.

Aaron Silverwhite was his father's killer. The person she married, whom she thought she loved and loved, was her father's killer.

The man engineered the whole thing, trapping Laurel into a marriage for some unknown purpose. All his kindness, all his words of love, all of it is full of lies and falsehood.