Chapter 11

It’s been two days and Alex still could not talk to Marissa. At first, he thought he would try to have a chat with her after her class, but that couldn’t happen as Linda hadn’t asked Alex to pick Brook up yet. It was as if she was purposely avoiding calling him. Even Jenny isn’t talking to him, and he doesn’t expect Ronny to pick up his call.

It was Sunday; Alex was walking on the footpath. He still could not digest the fact of what happened to Marissa.

When he was walking, he saw Rob and Marissa walking together. Before he could think about what would happen because of his actions, he impulsively

stormed towards them, got hold of Rob’s collar, and punched him in the face.

Marissa wasn’t expecting Alex to show up in the middle. Yes, after Ronny confronted her about Alex and her marriage, he mentioned the fact that they

told Alex about what happened between her and Rob.

She was expecting her ex-husband to talk to her in the past two days, but that didn’t happen, so she thought that it didn’t matter to him.

But his reaction now differs completely from what she was expecting. Alex was furious. He was punching Rob brutally, and if it wasn’t for her, then he

might have even killed him. Yes, he is impulsive like that, plus all the events and guilt have taken a toll on him.

“Just stop it, Alex.” She pushed Alex away from Rob. He was lying on the floor with blood coming out of his nose and mouth and various bruises on his

face.

“After what he has done to you, you are still protecting him,” Alex yelled at her, which made Marissa furious.

He had no right to interfere in her matter. In particular, after not confronting her for two days, he now remembers what Rob did to her. Plus, not to forget

that Alex and Marissa haven’t crossed the bridge of friendship yet, so he didn’t have any right to be protective of her, especially with the past relationship

and current fragile bond. This didn’t settle well with her. All her life, she has done things to satisfy others. But no one ever thought of her.

“I can protect whoever I want.” She told him angrily.

Before anyone of them could talk anymore, Marissa stopped a cab. She helped Rob to get inside and was herself about to leave when Alex grasped her

hand.

“You are not going anywhere with him.” He told her firmly.

“I can do whatever I want. You have no say in my life.” She jerked her hand away and went to the hospital with Rob.

Alex was burning with rage. He took a taxi and went to his apartment to get Marissa’s keys. This time he was going to talk to her. He went to her condo

and opened the door with the spare keys that she had given him in case of an emergency.

Rob could sense that Marissa was tensed. “Marissa, are you alright?” He asked her.

“I am really sorry. I should be the one asking you that and not the other way round.” Her eyes glistened with tears.

“That’s ridiculous. He hit me because of what I did to you.” Rob tried to reason with her.

“But that’s between us.”

“Marissa...” He might have dated Marissa only for eight months, but he knew her enough to know that she was exhausted with all the drama.

“I am leaving the country.”

“What... Why?” She asked him in shock.

“Because I have got a promotion. And it’s time to start fresh. Things I have done to you have always burdened me, but now that you have actually

forgiven me, I feel lighter, and I am glad that we are both on good terms. Now you go home and take care.”

“So, it’s goodbye.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Yes.” He smiled.

“Take care.”

“Marissa, please do not be hard on Alex. I have seen the way he looks at you, and he cares about you.”

She didn’t have any words to say, so she left for her apartment with the last nod.

She wanted to do nothing but go to sleep. When she opened the door, she was shocked to see Alex sitting on the couch and tapping his foot.

“What the hell are you doing in my apartment?” She asked him angrily.

“I want to talk to you.” He told her calmly. He knew that shouting would lead to nothing, and he didn’t want to deal with her the way he had always done.

“There is nothing to talk about,” Marissa stated.

“I know you are angry with me. But I didn’t know that Jenny and all would have found out about our marriage.”

“Alex, are you even hearing yourself? I don’t even care if they found out about us because it was just a matter of time. I didn’t tell them because it wasn’t

my thing to tell. They are your siblings. Jenny had told me in the past not so good things about you, but when I found that you were Jenny’s brother, I

knew that if she found out about us, she might have cut all her ties with you. That’s why I kept quiet.”

“Then what about Ronny?” He asked her curiously.

“I didn’t want to open my past.”

“Why did you never tell me about Rob?” He asked her.

“Why should I?” She retorted back.

“Because I am your husband.” He exclaimed.

“No, Alex, you were my husband. Goddart! Have you forgotten the fact that we are divorced? Don’t you remember the day when you literally threw the

divorce papers in my face and kicked me out? So, instill this in your brain that you have got no say in my life.”

“Marissa, I have told you how sorry I am about that. I knew that our past would not just be blurred by memory, but didn’t you tell me that you forgave

me? I thought we were friends?”

“Listen to me, Alex, I forgave you, but I cannot forget what happened to us. If you cannot forget what you did to me, how can I when I am the one who

suffered? I was honest that day when I told you that I had forgiven you and was thankful because you had helped me. But you cannot just expect me just

to accept you into my life and treat you as one of my best friends. You had no right to punch Rob.”

“Marissa, he almost killed you.” Emphasizing the word kill.

“So what? I am alive now. Whatever happened between Rob and me is between us. You were not even part of it, to begin with. I have forgiven him. We

have both been victims of our parents.”

“But...”

“No, but Alex. It’s in the past, and stop bringing it up. In fact, I am done with you. I cannot live my life with my past hovering above me all the time. I

don’t understand why the hell are you so bothered with it? You knew about Rob and me for three days, and now you found the time to talk to me about

it.” She walked past him, but Alex grabbed her elbow and pushed her towards the wall.

They were too close for comfort. “Because I was scared. If it weren’t for me, he would have never come into your life.”

“It’s not your fault.” She told him softly.

Both of them were breathing deeply. Alex was about to close the distance between them, but Marissa pushed him slightly.

“Alex, leave me alone. Don’t start something which we can both not handle.” She told him.

“Marissa...” He tried to come forward, but Marissa showed her hand to stop him.

“No, Alex. Just leave.” Alex obliged her wish. But before he could touch the handle of the door, Marissa spoke. “Give me back my spare keys.”

Alex kept her spare keys on the side counter and slammed the door.

Both of them didn’t know what or how it happened. One was determined to block the feelings and move forward, but the other one was determined to

make things normal and follow the heart.