9 Her past.
1101 Words
Bruce closed the door to the guest room. He sighed as he leaned against it. He closed his eyes for a second before pushing away. He didn’t think he could do this.
“She needs time to adjust to life. And since she doesn’t remember you its best you don’t bombard her with everything. Let her live her life as she remembers it. It’s a miracle she’s alive,” the doctors had said. Bruce wiped at his face as the memory of him sitting next to Larissa’s bed all hooked up to machines and tubes, barely looking alive, the doctor telling him not in so many words to leave filled his mind.
Fuck.
He needed fresh air, he thought as he walked out of the house. He went to the garage, got in his car and drove off. He didn’t know where he was going but he needed a break. He couldn’t be in the same room with her and not touch her the way he wanted to. He needed her and she didn’t even know it.
Bruce swallowed the scream he could feel forming in his throat.
Fuck…. f**k…fuck… he slammed his hand into the steering wheel. He was going out of his mind. He drove for what felt like forever and then he slammed the brakes, knowing he couldn’t run from this. He couldn’t run from her even though she didn’t remember him.
He turned the car around and drove to the place that he knew he will get the reassurance that he needed that this will work.
He drove to her commander’s home. Larissa didn’t know that Bruce knew her commander. He was the one who convinced him to do this. To bring Larissa close in a way that he never imagined while they tried to figure out who tried to kill her six months ago.
Six month ago, Bruce was the happiest man alive. His career was right where he wanted it to be. And he was married to the love of his life – Larissa. He should have known that her job would be the very thing that would end their relationship.
Bruce met Larissa through her work. She was a consultant for a film he was working on. The director wanted an authentic representation of the CIA, and she was their liaison. They feel madly in love, and had a secret affair. Larissa didn’t want anyone to know because of her job. They even got married in secret. But Bruce didn’t know that she was working on another case. A case that involved Alexei Malkovich and his boss. A boss he was yet to be invited to meet.
Alexei’s boss somehow found about Larissa, and he ordered a hit on her. She was in a coma for five months. And when she woke up, she didn’t remember him or their life together. All she remembered was that she was a CIA agent and she lived in her apartment, alone without him.
Bruce wanted to make her remember, when he noticed that she didn’t remember him. But they cautioned him against it, because she didn’t react every well to him.
She hated him on the spot.
She knew him as Bruce Tak the playboy.
Everything they shared together was totally erased. It was as if he never existed in her life.
But he was going to change all that. He was going to find out who placed a hit on her, and solve her case while making her remember him.
She needed to remember him. He didn't want to live without her. He tried it for six months and it didn't work for him.
Bruce came to a stop as he arrived at her commander's house. He got out of the car and walked up to the door. He knocked and waited for him to answer.
Herald took his sweet time to come to the door, and when he finally opened it. He just stared at him.
"I was wondering how long it was going to take you to break," he said moving out of the way. Bruce growled in irritation as he walked in.
"I didn't break. I just needed a moment to breathe," he said walking through the house. He entered the sitting room and sat on the couch.
"And you came to me for oxygen?" Herald laughed shaking his head. "Some man go to a bar, they call a friend. They don't go to their secret wife's boss."
"Yeah. I don't have any friends," Bruce said a sour taste in his mouth. He used to have friends. Now he didn't trust any of them as far as he can throw them, especially Harry. He had a feeling that Harry was deeply involved with Alexei and his boss far more than he let on. Bruce just needed to find out if he betrayed him or not.
Was he the one who gave Larissa up?
Bruce wasn't sure because he kept his relationship with Larrisa a secret from everyone. But that doesn't mean that they didn't know.
"How is she?" Herald asked. Bruce groaned. "That bad huh?"
"Worse. I think I might have given myself away today. I can't keep my distance away from her. She's my wife. I worry about her. The doctors said that she might not be fully recovered, any small thing makes me anxious. I don't know how I am going to do this, pretend to be her fake husband when I am not."
"You have to if you want to keep her close. I could put her in witness protection but that will confuse her even more. And besides, she knows things that we need unlocked from her mind in order for us to finally put Alexei and his boss away. She's seen this man, and she's the only one who can identify him. Without her we have nothing and she will be in danger once they find out who the CIA agent who was investigating them is."
"Are you sure they don't know who she is?" Bruce asked. He was still confused as to how Herald kept Larissa's identity a secret.
"I am sure. Or she would be dead by now. She's been out of the hospital for a while now. And no one has come after her. It's clear they ordered the hit, but they didn't know who it was."
"Right," Bruce said. And he hoped that they never find out.
"Go home Bruce. You can't leave your wife alone."
Bruce sighed and got to his feet. "Thank you for listening."
"Anytime," Herald said as he walked out.
- Writer
