13: Liking for liking

"What happened?"

Matthew gave Ruth an utterly confused look upon seeing her in the dining hall.

"I just left you in the arms of my twin brother for less than a half day and here you are looking so horribly injured."

He walked closer to her and scooped her up by her shoulders.

His eyes traveled down from her head down to her feet as if scanning her in a surface. His handsome face became distorted upon seeing her injuries.

"Does it hurt?" His face looked so worried.

She saw an opportunity.

An opportunity to get even.

"Yes. It hurts like hell." She started acting like a sick person limping towards Matt.

"What did you two do? Did you already fight?" He turned to his brother who was quietly sipping his tea beside Ruth.

"Ask her."

She glared at Marcus before she turned to his twin mimicking a baby's voice.

"Matt, can we go back home right after we see Nana Beryl? I couldn't imagine what else would happen to me if I stay here for another night with that rude man."

Matt chuckled and gently pinned her down to her seat.

"I guess it's never too early to have a lover's quarrel, my dear sister-in-law." Matt stressed his last words.

"Lover's quarrel, my arse?!"

"But Madame Jo said you hit him in the head earlier."

Blood rushed up to her cheeks.

"That was an act of self-defense."

"Really, huh? Why would you even do that? Did Marcus do something weird?" Matthew's eyes were shooting naughty gazes at her.

She avoided his face.

"No. And I will not allow him if ever." She crossed her arms on top of her chest.

"Besides, I would prefer you as my husband than him."

Both men shifted their gazes at her.

Marcus' narrowing eyes were menacing.

Matthew's gazes on the other hand, seemed more amused and surprised.

"Why are you two giving me those looks?" She grabbed the table napkin and placed it on her lap.

"If I were you, I wouldn't even dare speak like that Ruth." Matt went back to his seat on the other side of the table. He stood there for a while, eyeing her. "Especially now when your memories are quite detached and unavailable."

"And why not? I'm serious. You are really my type, Matt."

Matthew coughed exaggeratedly.

Marcus' jaws tightened.

"You are kind, you are a real gentleman. You took care of me since last night and you were never rude to me." She continued stressing all other positive qualities she saw in Matt.

Matt repeatedly shook his head. He cannot believe what was happening.

"You gotta be kidding me, lady. Don't stabbed your husband in front of his twin brother like this."

"You're right. I shouldn't do that. Maybe I should ask for a divorce first."

Marcus suddenly stood up. His fist clenched. His face was grim. His menacing eyes were locked on her.

"Whoa! I didn't see that coming." Matt tried to cool down the sudden increase of temperature inside the dining hall.

"I actually thought about it and I cannot really put my finger on the memories you claimed I lost three months ago."

"Divorce was never on old Ruth's vocabulary."

She smiled bitterly. "I'm not the old Ruth anyway."

"Still, you are Marcus' wife."

"Which I have no recollection at all."

"That's why we're here. For you to remember us back."

"I'll figure it out on my own."

"How? You've been away from us for quite a while. You totally forgot who you really are."

"Stop it!" Marcus' voice thundered as he stood up and turned to her.

Ruth pressed her lips and looked away. Matthew quietly sat down.

Marcus held her chin so their eyes would meet. His expression was scary. Unaware, she held her breath again and reluctantly caught his gaze.

"You can ask me anything but that, woman. You could have left me before but I will never, ever, let you go again. Understood that?"

She exhaled and just nodded.

"Good." He returned to his seat. "Now, let's have dinner."

...

"Matt, can we talk?" I whispered to him as we were having our after-dinner tea in the balcony.

The magnificent full moon illuminated the entire estate, highlighting the bridge silhouette over the river which can be seen from where we were sitting.

Marcus was on the phone since we finished dinner and it was my most awaited chance to stay away from him. Even just for a while.

God! He scared the hell out of me!

"Sure. But let me ask you a question first?"

"What?"

"Why are we whispering? Are we going to do something naughty?"

Matthew's light personality was finally kicking in.

I was right from the start. I felt so comfortable talking to him as if I found a long-lost buddy.

I chuckled and hit him in the chest.

He groaned.

"Sorry." I spoke on my regular tone.

A breeze of wind suddenly blew and left my already uncooperative locks in a mess.

Matt laughed seeing my embarrassing state. Then he helped me fix my disheveled hair. I felt his warm fingers brushed through my cheek as he tucked some stray hairs behind my ears.

"Thank you for laughing at me." I gave him my most sarcastic smile.

He smiled.

"So, what do you want to talk about, milady?"

I tapped his shoulder lightly. "Please, don't call me that. I'm starting to get chills by the minute."

"Okay. But only until you remember who you really are. I don't want to be thrown to the dungeon for disrespecting you."

"Dungeon? Do you still have that at these times?"

"For the record, you insisted to be called by your first name, okay? I just want to make that clear."

"Fine. Fine. Fine." I waved my hand on his face to dismiss his crazy thoughts.

"Now, tell me. What's bothering the little Missus?"

I let out a deep sigh.

"I want you to be honest with me, Matt. I feel that you're the only person I could trust here. I mean, you brought me here so that means I could trust you, right?"

"Of course! Yet again, please accept my apology for deceiving you. I thought that was the only way to convince you to come with me here." he sounded sincere.

"I don't bury grudges and since we are being honest here, I forgive you."

"Thanks! Or else I would have resorted in kidnapping just to bring you back here in one piece."

"How dare you?!" I punched him hard in the arm this time.

He didn't dodge.

I laughed.

"Really? What's bothering my dear sister-in-law?" He asked while massaging his arm.

I gave him a disappointed glance.

"Are we really brother and sister-in-law?"

He gasped. "You looked totally sad, huh?"

"With all the honesty I can bare tonight Matt, I was starting to develop a little liking on you."

Matt raised both of his hands. "Oh, please stop it. Marcus wouldn't be happy hearing that. Forget about it and just think about my brother. Yes! Just think about Marcus. Only Marcus!"

I glared at him. "How could I?" I gave a sideway glance to Marcus behind us. He was still busy on his phone. I cannot see his face as his back was facing our side. "Look at your brother. Look at me. Do you think we will last this night without killing each other?"

Matt shook his head.

"See?" I sipped my tea before I continued. "I have tried to accept that I really marry that rude man just as what everyone is imposing on me since we arrived here but all I feel from the deepest core of my heart were emotions like anger, hatred, and animosity. I felt I was being attacked. Why do you think I feel like this?"

"Maybe you're adjusting. You know, trying to find that lost feeling within you. Give it some time. It'll come around soon."

I let out a deep sigh.

"I don't know. You have to clear all these questions in my head tonight. You owe me that."

"Promise. But not now. My brother has been throwing killer glances at us since the moment we stayed here. I don't want to be killed tonight, milady."

I followed Matt's line of vision and saw Marcus' serious one-line-brow face in the end. He was looking intensely at us as if watching our every move. He still got his phone on his ear but he was focused somewhere else. Or to someone else.

"Let him be. I hate him." I turned away and looked at the sky instead.

"Hate him? You never really hated my brother even for a second Ruth. You were just in love."

"Seriously? Do we look like we were in love earlier during dinner?"

"No." He said straightforwardly.

"If only his stare could kill, I'd be long gone and cold dead by now. He was so scary. I thought he would eat me up alive."

I felt I even got indigestion. I didn't enjoy my meal because of him.

Matt chuckled at the sight of my distorted face as he gazed at the sky too.

Then he became serious again.

"But were you really serious about the divorce?"