Chapter 76: Chapter 76

"ARE you sure about this, Bianca?" Helen asked me from the other line.

I took a deep breath as I glanced at the plane ticket on the nightstand.

"Yeah… I'm leaving, Helen."

I heard her sigh on the phone. "Don't you think it's wise if you talked to Gideon first, Bianca? Maybe this is just a misunderstanding."

I bit my lower to stop my tears from falling. "How would I talk to him when he clearly doesn't want to talk to me?"

It's been two days since Gideon woke up from the accident, and since then, he never looked for me.

I remembered how he immediately looked for Diana when he woke up.

"Can we go inside and talk to him now, Doc?" I asked the doctor. It was hours after the doctor announced Gideon was already awake.

"Are you Diana?" the doctor asked me.

I stilled. Diana? "I'm not, D-doc."

"I'm Diana, Doc." I heard the woman's voice behind me. Diana stood up and went beside me. "Why are you calling for me?"

The doctor turned to Diana. "The patient was looking for you, Miss. He said he wants to talk to you."

My lips parted. I turned to Diana who also seemed shocked. "Doc, are you sure Gideon's looking for Diana and not… me, Bianca?"

The doctor adjusted the frame of his eyeglasses. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Henry. The patient was specifically asking for Diana."

I could feel my heart breaking as my eyes followed Diana until she disappeared into Gideon's hospital room.

At that moment, I knew my worst nightmare had already come to life.

"Bianca, are you there?" Helen's voice brought me back to the present.

"Yeah," I answered. I immediately dismissed the tear that escaped my eye. "I need to hang up now, Helen. I still need to pack my things."

She sighed on the other line. "You should seriously talk to Gideon first before doing this, Bianca. You can't just leave without clearing up things with him."

"Everything is cleared to me, Helen. Gideon's memory has already come back. He realized that he's still in love with Diana. And that… a-and that… he no longer wanted me in his life."

My voice cracked at my last words.

"You can't assume those things without talking to him!"

I shut my eyes tight to prevent my tears from falling. "How can I talk to him when he doesn't want to?" I repeated. "He didn't even ask for me when he knew I was there outside his room, waiting for him! It was obvious that he didn't want to see me!" My face contorted in pain. "I'm sure he'd finally realized that he wasn't really in love with me… and that he was still in love with that woman!"

"Bianca…" Helen's soft voice reached my ears.

I knew she felt the pain in my voice.

"I don't think… I could face him now and have him break my heart."

I don't think I could talk to Gideon right now… and not cry in front of him. I don't think I could face him right now… and not show how much I was hurting.

My heart was breaking into pieces thinking he was with Diana right now. My heart was torn apart imagining it was her who was taking care of him.

My heart shattered the moment he asked for Diana's name and not mine…

"But you're married to him, Bianca. You even have an upcoming wedding, right?"

I shook my head, tears already falling from my eyes. "I don't know… I don't know, Helen. I just…" I bit my lower lip. "I just need time to think about things… I just need time to process things…"

"Alright…" Helen breathed. "Just call me when you board your plane. I'll be waiting for you here."

I sniffed. "Thanks, Helen," I said before I put down my phone.

I looked at the small luggage on the edge of the bed. Unlike what I said to Helen earlier, I had already finished packing my things. I only have a few things here in LA with me. My things were still in New York, anyway.

I knew this could possibly happen. I knew that once Gideon's memory came back, everything might change between us.

I knew about that possibility but I chose to trust him. I chose to put my trust in the love that he'd show for me. I chose to believe in his promise. Thinking that he would never break it.

But now this has happened. His memory came back. He chose his first love over me.

Come to think of it. Gideon and I only happened because of her. Because of his love for him.

And now… his memory came back after she came back for him.

I wiped away my tears as I picked up my plane ticket. It's time for me to get out of the picture.

"ARE you okay, Aunt Bianca?"

Helen's daughter, Andrea, asked me. I was in the town's grocery store with the kid.

Helen needed mangoes for the cake that she'll be baking earlier for a client. I volunteered to buy them for her.

Her daughter tagged along with me.

I tried to smile at her. "I'm fine, baby. Why are you asking?"

I picked up a couple of ripe mangoes and put them in the cart.

She raised her cute brows at me. I could already see Helen on her. She was just four years old but she already talked like an adult.

"Really?" she asked, looking doubtful. "But Mommy says you're sad because a man broke your heart." The kid pursed her lips. "Is that true, Aunt Bianca? A guy broke your heart?"

My lips parted. What was Helen saying to her daughter?

I cleared my throat. "Listen, baby. Sometimes, you don't have to believe everything your mother has been saying."

Andrea pouted her lips at me. "Are you saying that Mommy is a liar, Aunt Bianca?"

My lips parted. Then I shook my head. "No, baby. Of course not." I crouched to meet her eyes. "What I mean to say is that you're still too young to understand those kinds of things."

"But I'm already going four!" She pouted her lips. "Dad said I'm already a big girl."

I lightly chuckled as I ruffled her curly hair. "Alright. You're already a big girl, but still young enough for an adult's conversation."

"So… you're here in Texas because you left your husband?"

Andrea asked while we were on the way home. I thought she was already done with her adult questions, but it turns out she's not.

"I… I didn't leave him."

"But you're here."

It's been two days since I arrived here in Texas.

I have my phone with me. But never once did I receive any text message from Gideon.

But I bet one of these days, he'd contact me to ask for a divorce. I didn't know if I could face him for that. I wondered if he was back to the old Gideon. Ruthless. Cunning. Asshole.

Well, it was my fault. I had nothing to blame but myself. I fell in love with him. I believed in his promises. I hoped that his feelings for me were enough to cover up the past.

But it wasn't.

I smiled bitterly at myself. So, maybe that's it, huh? He really didn't care about me at all… I bet he was busy reuniting with Diana.

"Hey… are you crying, Aunt Bianca?"

I blinked away the tears in my eyes. "No, Andrea. I was just… having an allergy." I glanced at her and smiled.

"Oh. There's a car in front of the house! We have a visitor, Aunt Bianca."

Andrea exclaimed when we reached the house.

There was an SUV parked in front of the house.

"Come on, Aunt Bianca. I'm excited to see who it is!"

I stiffened when I saw a familiar man on the porch with Helen.

It was Gideon!