I Can Be Your Nightmare, Mr. Ex

Chapter 14

Wilona straightened her body, her eyes staring sharply at Sonny who was standing in front of her, the man's face pleading, as if begging for a chance to speak. But Wilona was too fed up, too tired to give him the slightest opening.

"Go away, Mr. Kendrick. I don't want to talk to you," Wilona said firmly, her voice shaking with emotion. "There's nothing to talk about. At all!"

She moved closer to Josh, as if seeking protection. Josh immediately caught the hint. With a calm but alert attitude, he stepped forward, his body half protecting Wilona as before.

"This woman is with her fiancé, Mr. Kendrick, can't you see? Respect her personal space. You have no manners at all," Josh said coldly.

Sonny clenched his fists, his face red with anger and shame mixed together. "I just want to talk for a moment, Wilona. There are a few things that--"

"I said no! Go away," Wilona interrupted, her tone getting louder. "Or we'll call the police. This is a public place, so don't just disturb it!"

Josh added in a low but threatening voice, “This is the last warning, man.”

For a moment, Sonny seemed about to retort, but seeing the firmness in Josh’s eyes and the indifference on Wilona’s face, he could only grunt in frustration.

With heavy steps, Sonny finally stepped back, his eyes still watching Wilona as if holding back many unspoken words.

Josh put his arm around Wilona’s waist possessively, leading her away. Wilona let herself be led, too tired to think. She pressed her body against Josh, giving the impression of a very affectionate couple.

They stepped out of the crowd of the mall, towards the parking lot where Josh’s car was parked.

As soon as the car door closed and the roar of the engine filled the silence, Wilona could no longer hold back her feelings.

Her tears spilled uncontrollably. Her body shook violently, and her sobs filled the car.

Josh did nothing but glance at her and said nothing. He only accelerated the car, looking for a quieter place to stop. He knew, sometimes old wounds don’t need advice, they just need space to overflow.

After a few minutes that felt very long, Wilona finally wiped her face with the back of her hand, trying to stop her crying. Her breath was still short.

The car stopped on the side of a fairly quiet road. It was a detour to their apartment, a bit far, but not many vehicles passed by there. Josh turned off the car.

“Sorry...” Wilona's voice was soft and hoarse. "I... Was too emotional."

Josh shook his head lightly, a warm smile appearing on the corner of his lips. "Wilona, ​​you don't need to apologize. With me, you are free to show whatever you feel. I won't mind."

That simple sentence made Wilona's chest feel warm and sore at the same time. There was something about Josh that she had never found in other men. His calmness, his understanding, and his open nature made Wilona want to trust this man wholeheartedly, especially at a time like this.

“Thank you, Josh...” Wilona said in a broken voice. "It means a lot to me."

Josh reached out and patted her shoulder gently. “If you want to tell me, I’ll listen, even though I already know more or less.”

Wilona nodded slowly, staring out the window before finally whispering, “Facing that man again earlier… brought back all those bad memories. All this time I was confident that I had buried everything deep beneath my consciousness and would never be able to make me collapse again. But…”

“It turns out you were wrong and everything wasn’t as easy as you wanted and thought,” Josh said, continuing Wilona’s words. “We’ve met him before, when he was with his wife and daughter, right? At that time, you probably hadn’t really processed your feelings of pain because of him. Now, when he boldly touched you again, your feelings rebelled and rejected you.”

Wilona was stunned. Josh described the situation so easily and clearly. He was like a director giving directions on how a scene should happen and what his actors should do when acting.

"Sometimes, an old wound does take time to resurface and cause a painful itch. I can understand why you're emotional now, unlike before," Josh continued softly.

Wilona's voice trembled as she spoke, "Back then... he didn't just destroy me. He destroyed my child's life... my daughter... He and that woman..."

Wilona closed her eyes, trying to block out the horrible images. Josh waited patiently, not pressing, just accompanying her in a calming silence.

"My daughter died because of their negligence. I... I will never be able to forgive that," Wilona finally said, her voice barely audible. "I don't understand how he still dares to face me now. Does he really have no conscience?"

Josh looked at her empathetically, but still let Wilona take control of her story and emotions.

All the stories she was pouring out were not something new, because Wilona had also implicitly told them before, but now, her emotional side took over and made the picture of the bitter past clearer in Josh's mind.

After taking a deep breath, Wilona said again, “I’m afraid he won’t stop, Josh. I know his nature. I don’t know what he wants, but after this meeting… I’m afraid he’ll keep bothering me.”

Then with a guilty look, Wilona turned to Josh. “I also want to apologize… about earlier… about saying you were my fiancé. I really… I used you without permission. I shouldn’t have said something like that.”

Josh chuckled lightly, as if it wasn’t a problem at all. “Hey, why are you being forgetful. Previously, I was the one who claimed to be your fiancé to keep him away, and I guess that was the case earlier too. You didn’t take advantage of me at all, I was the only one who took the initiative. I think you do need me for that.”

Wilona’s eyebrows knitted together. “Need you to…?”

“To be your fiancé. You can’t say you’re engaged to me now, then, if he comes back later, I’m not your fiancé anymore or you appoint someone else as your other fiancé, right?” Josh said lightly. “I can be your fiancé as long as you need that reason.”

Wilona widened her eyes, dumbfounded. “But... what if your girlfriend gets mad?” she asked, half panicked. “You must have a girlfriend, right? Or... maybe... fiancé?”

Josh just smiled casually. “Yes, I have a fiancé, but I’m sure my fiancé won’t be mad.”

Wilona was silent for a moment, trying to digest his words. There was something odd about that statement.

A strange silence hung between them before Wilona finally dared to ask.

“You... do you really have a fiancé?”

Josh turned his head, still with his mysterious smile. “Yes. But if you want, I can be a fake fiancé for you.”

Wilona froze in her seat. The world seemed to stop for a moment. She didn’t understand what Josh meant.

He already had a fiancé, but he was willing to be a fake fiancé for her and was sure that his fiancé wouldn’t be mad.

Wilona held her head with both hands. “Ah, my head hurts.”

Josh smiled and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "I will be your fiancé and someday, I will introduce you to my fiancé."

Something in Josh's voice made Wilona turn her head and for the first time, she saw Josh's smile looked so mysterious.

This man, is he reliable?