WHO ARE YOU?

       Nora took Faith to her place. She was surprised to see that Faith was still looking traumatized even after rescuing her from Noah. Faith had not said anything to her since yesterday, she had only looked dazed since then and had cried bitterly after Noah was taken away. Nora had been quick to call Ethan and had told him what happened. Ethan took the first flight coming to Los Angeles the next morning. 

        Nora kept a cup of coffee in front of her and sat beside her. Faith was seated at the dining table, placing her hands on her jaw and looking at nothing. Nora stared at her for a while and started to rub her back. 

      "You know you can talk to me right?" Faith kept quiet. "You have to eat something and tell me what's going on, Faith. What did Noah say to you?" 

       Nora didn't know about the newspaper and the magazine because Faith had tossed them under the couch. She didn't want to talk to anyone about it yet until she was sure if what she heard was true or not. Nora kept rubbing her back. 

      "It hurts me that you are this way. Come on, Faith talk to me." 

     Tears had welled up again in Faith's eyes, she only sniffed and Nora hugged her. 

       "It's alright, tell me when you are ready," Nora said and placed Faith's head on her chest. "Ethan is on his way here, it would be alright." 

      A few hours later, Ethan was at the door of Nora's house. Faith had taken her bath and had freshened up but she still looked melancholic. Nora went and answered the door to an anxious Ethan. 

      "Hey," Nora said. 

   Ethan looked past her into the living room. "Hi, where is she?" 

       "She is at the dining, she has refused to say anything since yesterday and she barely ate her food," Nora said as she led Ethan into the living and toward the dining room. 

      Faith looked up and saw Ethan and Nora approaching her. She quickly wiped away her tears. Ethan came closer to her and took a seat beside her. Nora left them. 

     "I will be upstairs in case you need me," she said and left. 

      "Hey," Ethan said slowly. 

   Faith turned and looked at him for a while then she hugged him. Ethan wrapped his arms around her and her tighter to himself. She felt so vulnerable. They stayed that way for a while, without saying anything. Then he pulled away from her and looked at her, tears were still in her eyes. He wiped her eyes and stroked her hair. 

       "It's going to be alright, you don't have to be scared anymore," he said. 

         "Let's go home please," she said. Her voice was hoarse. 

       He nodded. "Alright, let's go home. He will never ever hurt you again, I promise. 

      He couldn't be this caring if he didn't love her right? Or was he just doing anything to make her his prize? Confused thoughts kept coming to her head, she was completely confused. But she would hear from him first, she would hear from Ethan first. She nodded her head at him. 

       Nora saw them off, Ethan thanked Nora for taking care of Faith while he was away and asked her to send Danny his regards. Faith hugged Nora and they left Nora's residence. 

        Ethan opened the door for them to go into the apartment, he had called someone to change the locks of the house before he went over to Nora's. The house was unusually quiet. He led Faith to a couch and helped her sit. Seeing Faith like that broke his heart, he knew she might be traumatized by it and the whole feeling was just too new to her. He had had that feeling and he kind of blamed himself a tiny bit for leaving her all alone. 

        "I will go cook something for you, Nora said you have not eaten since yesterday." 

        Faith nodded her head and Ethan went over to his room and changed into more casual clothes. He had resolved to tell her about him, about who he was, even though she wasn't going to marry him, she deserved to know but it was the right time that he sorted for. He couldn't tell her in this situation, she looked shocked enough and probably wasn't ready to receive another shocker in her life. 

       When he went out to the living room, she was lying on the couch. He went over to the kitchen and thought of the fastest meal to make for her and decided to make pasta. He sorted out the ingredients he needed and set out to work. 

        A few minutes later, he was done cooking and he took it to the dining table, set the table and called her to eat. He held her seat for her to sit down, when she was seated, he took the seat beside her and watched her as she started eating slowly. He ate slowly too. 

        "How is your mom," she asked in a tear cracked voice that sounded almost like a whisper. 

      Tired of lying about his mother's health, he replied, "Everything is fine over there." 

        She nodded and kept forking the dish. Ethan watched her for a moment.  

     "Did he say anything to you? Tell me what he said to you, this time, I will make sure he goes behind bars." 

       Faith kept mute and kept forking her food. How could this be happening right now? She looked at Ethan and tried to imagine him and Charlie. She would have not listened or believed Noah if the truth had not glared at her yesterday. She tried within herself, trying to convince herself that it was all a lie. But she would only know if she asked. 

       Ethan was still talking when she came back to reality, she looked at him. 

       "Don't hesitate to tell me whatever he did to you alright? 

    She looked down at her plate. "Ethan...I," she paused. She was scared it was all going to turn out to be true. 

         "What's the problem? Did that bastard touch you?" 

     She could as well get it out and over with. "I saw some... I saw something..."

         "What did you see?" Ethan was concerned as well as confused. 

       Faith didn't say anything else, she pushed up from her seat and walked towards the living room, Ethan watched her as she searched for something under the couch, after a few seconds of groping, she came up with a newspaper and a magazine. She took them to the table and carefully placed them in front of him. 

       Ethan stared at the magazine in front of him, where his picture with Flora and Fiona and his mother adorned the page. He opened the newspaper and signed when he saw the next picture. This is what Noah had come to do. This is why she had been crying since he came back. 

         "He said you came here to find a woman and take home as a wife so that your company would be restored to you. He said you have never loved a woman. Are those true, Ethan. Tell me they are lies and I will believe you."

       Ethan kept mute and just stared at the table. There was no point in trying to defend himself. That was the only reason he had come to LA at first to find a wife, so it wasn't a complete lie. But he knew Noah must have presented it in such a way that it would sound so bad. 

      Faith watched him as he kept quiet for a while. She was begging him to say it wasn't true in her mind, but he kept mute, accepting that it was all true. His silence only showed that it was true. Everything was true. She huffed and clutched her chest. 

       Ethan turned to her. "Faith..."

        "Tell me if this is freaking true or not!" Faith cried. 

        "It's true..." 

     Faith let out a low cry and tears poured down her eyes. "So, it has been for your selfish interest all along? You were using me all along." 

        "No, Faith I wasn't using you." 

         "Then why did you hide it from me? You just wanted to use me to get back your company, Charlotte too right? To what extent were you willing to go? Ethan, are you even into women?" 

         "If you can let me explain, please." 

         "I am listening." 

          "I know you might not believe me but I'm saying the truth. I have come here with the purpose of taking a woman back home so that I can claim back my company. But I didn't come just to find any woman, I also came to fall in love. If I just wanted a woman as a wife to take home and get back the company, I would have been married, even the first week I came here. 

       "My parents questioned my sexuality quite alright, but I have never been into men, I am a straight dude, attracted to women alone. I love you, Faith believe me and I wasn't going to make you my wife because of that. I have fallen in love with you and I disguised because I wanted a woman that would love me for me and not because of my status... "

     When he finished, Faith just sat there watching him for a while without saying anything. "I need to process all of this, I need to," She stood up and started walking away from the dining toward her room. Ethan did not go after her.