Stand By Me Darling
Chapter 70: She Was Entirely Wrong

Chapter 70: She Was Entirely Wrong

Talia felt her heart stop beating for a second and as she sat up quickly, she felt the blood rushing to her head.

She staggered as she stood on the floor and feeling cold, she covered herself with the duvet and ran outside.

She really wished Fred was still there.

And as she opened the door, she saw the solemn figure sitting on the couch, holding his head in his hands, looking at the floor.

"Fred?"

She called and looking at the ghastly figure looking back at her couldn’t help but cry.

"I’m sorry... "

Talia couldn’t face Arthur and she looked at the floor. She blamed herself for being too selfish. She only thought of herself and acted impatient and brusque.

And those accusations she made... When he was the one who protected her.

She didn’t remember clearly what happened then. After the image of the figure with the knife, the next image was of Arthur coming close to her, covering her and the warmth.

And so she could fill in the blanks. He must have tried to stop Ray from hurting her and somehow in the scuffle he ended up dying.

And what did she do?

She only figured out till then back then and even that fact made her heart sink like an anvil in an ocean.

But there is more, isn’t it...?

"It was you..." she pointed at him and he looked at her blankly.

It should be him... If Ray was hurt, he wouldn’t have been able to be in the wedding ceremony and so that man beside her that day must have been Fred all along.

She couldn’t feel her legs and she wobbled and ended up kneeling on the floor. She hugged the duvet closely as she needed some warmth as she felt like the floor beneath her was slipping away from her.

Everything she believed turned out to be her misunderstanding and the hate she had towards him all these years... It was all based on that misunderstanding.

She thought he abandoned her to be married to Ray deliberately to help his family succeed and later spread lies to maintain his power. She even doubted her grandfather to be in on the plot to save the prestige of his family name.

But...

The truth is pretty far from her belief.

Fred had killed Ray to protect her from him and he was the one standing beside her that day....

But she, not realising the truth, went on and... Cheated.

She felt defeated and ashamed to face him.

Arthur was pretty mad at her since she blamed him without thinking and so he decided to ignore her when she came and apologised.

What use is her apology?

How could her brain switch the person standing beside her to marry her from him to Ray and then when it comes to the one who hurt her, she is blaming him?

How could her brain be that confused?

It should be because she never trusted him, that’s why!

When she said that he hurt her, he felt that pain he never felt before. Not the pain he felt when he learnt his brother was actually brain dead because of his hit to his skull. Not the pain when he felt everytime he learnt that she had a new boyfriend. And not even the pain when he heard that she moved in with this other guy.

It was worse! A lot worse!

And she thinks she could make him get over it all just with an apology?

’Wait... She apologised?

Because she feels bad for me?’

He looked closer at her and she seemed to be really sad.

’So she remembered that day?

But how much?

Hmpf! Who cares?

She did blame me for no reason!’

He thought if he ignored her, she’d just go back to her room and sleep or whatever. She is one proud woman who feels no remorse. And a good actor.

He almost got up when he saw her plopping on the floor. But he held himself back.

He was angry. Yes, he was angry and so he won’t run to her and hold her like his heart wants to do.

Supporting his head on his hands, he watched her looking down at the floor and her nose was scrunched up and her eyes were shifting side to side. He knew she is in some deep contemplation. Funny how he still remembered everything about her. It’s been ten years and he still remembered all her tricks.

Soon he saw tears streaming down her face and his heart melted.

"Alright, now. Good that you realise how awesome I actually am and how wrong you were to blame me. Now don’t sit on the floor. Get up," he walked to her not able to control himself.

It’s not that he lacks determination, okay? She is just too cute for him to ignore anymore.

She was sunken entirely inside her duvet and her hair covered most of her face and she looked like a stuffed animal. So cute and he wanted to pet her.

He tried to pick her up from the floor. He had never seen her in the floor dejected like that back in those days. But it seems like she likes the floor a lot. She even sat on a pavement that day.

Floor doesn’t suit her. She is a frigging Princess!

But the moment he picked her up, he thought he started to hiccup and he looked at her to see she was not hiccuping but was weeping, uncontrollably.

Her face and eyes were swollen already, her forehead had a lot of veins popping out, there was snot coming out of her nose and her lips were glistening by the tears flowing... Or is that snot?

His entire body froze.

He had never seen her looking this terrible before. Even the day Cyrus died, she didn’t cry but acted crazily.

"Iris?"

He placed her carefully on the bed and wiped her face. She really looked terrible and pitiful. She looked like the lost child he once saw crying for his mother in the airport.

He wanted to kiss her.

To stop her crying, of course... Even his abdomen felt tight and he wanted to just push her on the bed and make her scream his name. He then blamed himself for thinking about s*x this time when she is obviously hurting.

"I... I’m.. Sorry... Fred..." she spoke amidst sobs.

"I told you it’s fine..." he patted her head and covered her closely with her duvet. He wanted to hug her but he knew he won’t stop at just hugging.

"I’m... A whore..." she said and she wailed and her entire body shook making his heart shake like a leaf in autumn.

He couldn’t get why she is saying this about herself.

"I cheated on you..."

She said and her voice was nasal as her nose was already clogged. She tried to inhale through her nose but it seemed like she couldn’t and seeing her like this Arthur felt terrible.

"Come on, Iris. Don’t cry. You’ll catch a cold. Then it will be bad for you," he patted her back.

She doesn’t have strong lungs and she’d easily catch pneumonia. Then she’d suffer a lot.

"How could you still care for me?"

She asked again and hearing her talk like she was in deep pain made him feel more terrible.

"Stop speaking. Stop crying. Let me bring you a cup of warm water..." Arthur tried to get up.

The way she cried was so hurtful to watch. It seemed like her nose was entirely clogged and she couldn’t even breath with her nose.

If this continues, she’d catch pneumonia!

" No, don’t! "

She held him tighter around his waist like a koala and rubbed her head on his chest.

"I really didn’t know... I really didn’t..." she said and she was already coughing since her throat got dry as she breathed through her mouth.

"Yes.. I know. I accept your apology. Now stop crying... Don’t be a child..." he patted her head and could only feel her body shake and his abdomen getting wetter.

"If I knew it was you... I wouldn’t have run away..."

She said still sobbing and only then Arthur realised what she is saying.

She figured out everything...

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