Leilani shook her head and swallowed hard.
Perhaps she was hallucinating.
Or… maybe the drugs that were used on her the previous night were still in her system… if that was possible.
Because… how the fuck was this man… this crippled man walking?!
"Are you okay?" He asked, and then took a step closer to her.
"Stop there!" She exclaimed unconsciously, pointing her fingers at him.
"What?"
"D… don't come any closer!" She exclaimed and moved back.
But he didn't listen to her. He kept walking towards her and then asked. "Why?"
"B… because… because you are fucking walking like it is not a big deal!" She screamed as her back touched the wall.
"Oh… that?" He asked, covering the space between them.
"That?"
"It is not a big deal," he stopped in front of her.
"It is not? Y… you know that it is. I thought… I thought you were… crippled?" She said, looking down at his legs.
"I am crippled," he raised a brow.
"But you are walking!"
"And yes, I am."
He was making her feel crazy, not to lie.
Standing in front of him, she could not help but notice how tall the man was.
He was so tall that she had to raise her head to look at him.
"I know you are confused," he said.
"Confused? That is an understatement. I know I don't know you but at least, I thought I knew a little about you but… fuck! I don't even know what to believe and what to not believe! Is there even anything that is real with you?!"
"Just because I am 'not' crippled does not mean I am a different person… from the things I have told you, at least," he said and then turned away from her.
"Do you wanna explain? According to the Internet, you have been crippled for eight months and it is surely not a miracle that you stood up the same day that you married me."
He shook his head at the woman who panted heavily, opened the lid of the bottle, and then drank a little from it before he dropped it on the table and then turned back to look at her.
"I was never crippled, Leilani."
"So… you have been… lying?" She raised her brows.
He moved over to her, bore his eyes on hers, and then continued. "Pretending, yes."
"So… you have no problem with me finding out? You walked in front of me without a care in the world. Do you not think I could tell on you?"
He shrugged his shoulders off, shook his head, and then waved his index finger at her, "You won't."
"You sound so sure."
"I am certain, Leilani. You would never tell anyone, I know that. In fact, you will keep this secret like it was your own."
"You never can't tell," she shook her head.
"I can. You need me, Leilani, and because of that, you will not have a soul hear ofthis."
She swallowed hard, moved away from the man, and then swept her hair to the back.
"This is so…"
He was right, she knew that.
Even if she ever wanted to tell anyone, she wouldn't because she truly needed him.
He was her only chance at redemption and she was never going to ruin that because she wanted to rat on him.
"But, why? Why didn't you tell me this before you…"
"Does it change a thing about my promise to you?"
She shook her head gently and then sniffed. "Who else knows about it and why… Why are you pretending to be crippled."
"Nicholas and one of my men, and then you. That's all," he said and moved away from her.
"Go and freshen up. We should have dinner," he added.
"You're not going to tell me why you're pretending to be crippled?"
"It is not yours to worry about," he said as he unbuttoned his shirt.
"Lorenzo, you are…"
"And you will not worry about it. Go freshen up. We are going downstairs for dinner," he cut her short, and then walked out of the room, slamming the door gently behind him.
Leilani parted her lips as she stared at the door for a while before she breathed out and then shook her head.
What the hell was going on?
She doesn't even know what to believe and what to not believe anymore.
The man whom the whole world had believed was disabled due to the accident was actually not disabled and was more than okay!
To top it all, he was acting as if it was no big deal, and as if he knew her too well, he was damn sure she would never tell another person about it!
"This is so messed up," she shook her head,
~~~
After she finished freshening up in the bathroom, she moved to the closet as he had said and then picked one of his white polos, wore it, and then a pair of shorts that belonged to him.
Adjusting the oversized shorts with the ropes, she walked out of the room, and then a knock came on the door.
"Come in."
It was Lorenzo.
Entering the room, he scrutinized her from head to toe and then chucked gently.
This might actually be the first time she had seen him smile at all.
She frowned, "What?"
"Sorry, I expected it to fit you a little bit better, you know?"
She looked down at herself again and then rolled her eyes.
She could only imagine how she was looking as the polo was almost touching her knees and the shorts were baggy on her.
"Oh," she rolled her eyes.
"Let's go have dinner?"
He said and she nodded her head.
"Will I be meeting your family too?" She asked and he nodded his head.
She looked down at herself again and then shook her head.
What a nice way to meet her 'in-laws' for the first time
She watched as the man walked over to the wheelchair, settled on it gently, and when he wheeled it to the door casually again, she opened her mouth.
"This is so crazy," she said softly, but he heard her.
"What is?"
"The way you do this whole thing like it is nothing! Jesus!"
"Well, it is nothing," he shrugged his shoulders off and then wheeled out of the room.