Do I take the disk, watch what’s on it? Or ignore it and ask Damian about it?
Emma got up slowly and moved to the sofa. As if it was a snake, she carefully reached out and picked it up.
She held it away from her and made her way to her bedroom. There was a flat-screen TV behind wood panels with a DVD player. But she didn’t go over to it. She went and sat on the bed, the disk next to her.
Emma must have sat there for hours, because when the front door opened, she came to herself. Her bedroom was in shadows, with faint light spilling in from the windows.
Damian called out to her and she thought to answer, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t make her voice obey. So she sat and waited for him. He came searching for her.
He stood there in all his magnificence, confused as to why she would sit in the dark.
Damian switched on the light and the brightness made everything flood into stark reality. It hurt her eyes. She blinked.
“Why didn’t you answer me?” he asked, his voice carefree.
“I’ve been thinking.”
He laughed. “Well what do you say to us going out tonight?”
He moved toward her and she frowned.
“I have to ask you something. And I need you to promise me to not get mad. To not leave. But to answer me.” She took a deep breath.
He stopped midstride. “Emma?”
“Promise me. Promise, you won’t bolt out because you think I’m being stupid or whatever. Promise me you’ll hear me out and answer me.”
This time he was the one frowning. “Okay. I promise.”
“Have you…?” She had gone over so many ways to ask this question and yet now in the moment, it was worse than she could have ever dreamt up. “Have you ever slept with Lizle?”
“What?” He asked startled.
“I know you didn’t date. You told the truth about that. At least I think so. But have you slept with her? And I’m not asking about the video clips either.” She faced him fully now. There was a pause, a very loaded pause. Emma picked up the disk.
“Lizle brought me this, this afternoon. Her publicist seemed to have been far busier than any of you thought. It’s supposed to be evidence, in case you lied.” She made an aggravated sound. “I haven’t watched it, and I’m not going to.”
She stood up and balanced with her crutch. “I don’t need to.”
He stood before her, not saying a word, and glanced at the disk in her hand. She handed the DVD to him. “I think it belongs to you.”
He took it from her.
“If you don’t mind, I would like to be alone right now,” she said.
It looked like Damian wasn’t going to leave, but the way she felt right now, she wasn’t going to give him room for anything, not now anyway.
When he disappeared through the door, she closed it behind him and slid down the door, her head in her hands, her crutch falling with a clatter.
“Emma!” He was still on the other side.
“I’m fine,” she got out past the ball of emotion lodged in her throat. “Give me a moment.”
He didn’t reply.
Emma didn’t know if he stayed or if he had left, but after a while she crawled to the closet. She took out her bag and all the things she brought with her. Everything he bought she left in the wardrobe.
She took out her phone and made two calls, hoping the second one wouldn’t be too painful. With her choice made, she knew she had to face the music. It was the grown up thing to do.
Emma took a firm grip on her crutch, and went to find him.
The apartment had been eerily quiet as she moved through it. Usually they would have music on or a TV playing in the background. Now there was complete silence.
She went to the front rooms, knowing he would be there. Damian stood against the white marble fireplace in the red room.
“I’m leaving.” He turned at the sound of her voice.
“It had been a one-time thing,” he said as if she hadn’t spoken. “It meant nothing.”
“If that’s true, then why didn’t you tell me?” she asked.
He frowned. “Would you have come if I said we had a one-nightstand?”
“No,” she answered truthfully.
He made a move toward her. “See! This would have happened.”
She took a step back. “No, Damian. This wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t be here.”
His frown deepened. “It happened before we met. How can you punish me for something I did before I knew you?”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Enlighten me.” His former casual posture became rigid.
“You lied.”
“I chose to spare us both this drama.”
She gave a short, un-amused laugh. “Is that how you live your life? When you don’t want to explain yourself or you want to get your own way, you ignore the truth?”
Damian ran a hand through his hair. “Emma, it happened once, it was meaningless. I didn’t even want to. She was…there. I regretted it immediately.”
“You see, this is why you should never run off with someone you’ve only known for a week,” she burst out, unable to keep up her thin semblance of calm. “Either way, I’m still leaving.”
“Don’t you see this is what she wants?”
“I know, but she’s smart enough to actually use the truth instead of a lie to get her way.”
She turned to leave, but he stopped her by making a grab for her arm. “Let go of me, Damian.”
“No! This is not over. You told me you loved me. How can you act like you didn’t?”
She tried hard to not let how wounded she was show. “I’m taking a page from your book.”
“Have you never done anything you’ve regretted before? Have you never omitted to tell the truth?” His voice filled with resentment.
“Yes to the first one. But, Damian, you can’t even say you lied. Omitted the truth.” The last part she said on a broken laugh.
“I lied.”
“Thank you. But you still have to let me go.” She replied just as quickly.
“Are you seriously going to let something I did before we met ruin what we have?”
“You stood in front of me. My sister. Lizle. And you lied!” She cocked her head and suppressed anger raged through her. “You weren’t even afraid she’d say something. And why’s that, Damian? Because you knew what she would think? I’m some kind of fling. A distraction from the scandal you left here.”
Her words caused him to stagger back and let go of her arm.
“I hit the nail on the head!” she said though she didn’t feel triumphant.
“Yes, I lied. I lied. To get you here with me.”
“I thought I knew you.” She let out a breath. “Once again, the smart girl not being so smart.”
He didn’t reply. She gulped air into her lungs. “Damian, how do I trust you again? How do I believe a word you’re saying? That lie…. It came so easily. Don’t you get how wrong that is?”
“No,” he said with conviction.
She gasped.
“It brought you here. It kept us together.”
“Wow. And scene.” She couldn’t help saying, “Maybe you’ve spent too much time in a fictional world you can’t distinguish what’s real or not. Relationships based on lies are determined on make-believe. You make yourself believe the lie!”
“So all of a sudden you don’t love me and I don’t love you? It wasn’t real?” His face was grim.
“You better than anyone should know how relationships come with conditions,” Emma retorted.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” His eyes narrowed.
“You and your father,” she blurted out.
His jaw clenched. “Oh don’t stop now.”
She clamped her hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry…that was uncalled for.”
“Clearly you didn’t think so.”
“I do now.” Tiredness swept in. “I don’t want to do this, Damian. I don�
�t want to argue with you.” The tears Emma held back all afternoon, threatened to choke her. She swallowed them down. “Let’s make it a clean break.”
He gave a short laugh. “A clean break?”
“Okay, it’s gotten a bit messy. But we can still walk away from this without having to do this.” She gestured between them.
He stood tense before her. She held herself back from reaching out to him. “I booked a flight for later tonight.”
He looked at her like she had punched him.
“Don’t leave.” This time there was desperation in his voice. “Please.”
She didn’t answer him, unable to fathom how she could have been so wrong.
“You knew who and what I was when you met me, Damian. I didn’t hide anything from you. You knew the kind of person I was. And still you chose to lie to me. You chose the one thing that would make me stop believing in you. Because I had believed in you.” She paused. “Even when I was told not to, I did anyway.”
“You can still believe in me.” His voice was hoarse.
“Why?” She was desperate to know.
“Because I love you.”
They stared at each other.
Emma would lie if she said when those words left his mouth it didn’t make her catch her breath. She could feel her treacherous feet as they wanted to make a move toward him and her hungry arms wanting to go around him. She had to keep herself still so she wouldn’t give in.
“My flight leaves at nine.”
His gaze didn’t leave her face as if he was trying to see something. “If that’s what you want, then I’ll take you.”
She let out the breath she didn’t even know she’s holding. “I could get a taxi….”
“No. I’ll take you.”
She gave in. She wasn’t going to argue; they’d done enough arguing already.
***
The car ride to the airport was eventful. Paparazzi followed them from the apartment complex right to the airport.
There wasn’t time for last-minute words or final thoughts. Only an awkward hug and both of them held on a little longer than they should have and then she boarded the plane.
This time, not a private jet.
But she was glad for it. The talk and the movement of everyone around her distracted her. She didn’t want to think about what she had done.
Whether her choice had been rash, whether they could have worked something out, or whether they were not supposed to have gone for the relationship in the first place.
She didn’t want to think about what she decided or him. She chose to drown all of her thoughts out with music, with chatter and watched a movie. Later she dozed a little, but mostly she kept her mind occupied with other things.
The plane landed in Cape Town much sooner than she expected, but she knew the return from anywhere always felt like that.
When she went to get her bag and searched around, she steeled herself for what lay ahead. She hadn’t explained why she returned early and she wasn’t going to. Not to Stephanie anyway.
Her sister would have a huge I-told-you-so moment and she wasn’t in the mood.
Emma spotted her and made her way to her. Stephanie rushed to her as she approached.
“Wait, let me carry your bag for you.” Stephanie wore a happy smile on her face.
Emma couldn’t help but think Stephanie was happy she returned in once piece. She handed over the bag and got engulfed in a tight hug.
“So glad you’re back.”
Emma smiled, though her cheeks strained from tightness. “Glad to be back. What have you been up to?” She diverted her sister.
Stephanie took a step back and laughed.
“More like what have you been up to? Engaged! In all the gossip mags. Hanging out with celebrities.” Stephanie listed everything on her fingers.
“Well you can’t believe everything you read in the gossip mags.”
“So the picture of you and Tom Hanks is a lie?”
Emma grinned. “No that’s real.”
They started to walk.
“And the engagement? Mom’s been going on and on about it!”
“Damian wanted to put her mind at ease.” She cringed inside. A warning bell if there ever had been one. The lie had come so easily off his lips. “It never was real.” She blinked. Now it felt like nothing had been.
Before Stephanie could pick up on her sullen mood, Emma asked, “Where did you park?”
Stephanie stopped walking and held her back. “About that, some journalists are hanging around at the doors. I tried to get parking close by, but it’s still a stretch.”
Emma nodded. “It’s okay. Once they see Damian isn’t with me, I don’t think they’ll care much about me.”
Those were her famous last words as she walked through the huge sliding doors and a dozen journalists waited for them.
She was relieved she had straightened up in the plane’s tiny bathroom.
“Where’s Damian, Emma?”
“Did you two break-up over the sex scandal?”
“What do you have to say about the latest sex tape?”
Some of the airport security came over to help them to their car. But the journalists didn’t relent. They were after them like hungry dogs for a bone.
She kept her head down, and moved with her crutches as fast as she could and said nothing.
They got into the car, and Stephanie nervously tried to maneuver around the journalists and the security guards.
“Was it like this over there?” Stephanie asked.
They drove out of the parking lot.
“Worse.”
They didn’t speak again after that, but, when Stephanie drove them to the beach house, she straightened.
“You guys are still here?”
Stephanie smiled. “Thought I’d give myself a little beach holiday.”
Emma frowned. “When are you planning on leaving?”
She didn’t want to be there. It was the last place she wanted to be.
Stephanie looked intently at her.
“What happened, Emma?” Her voice was soft.
“You were right. I shouldn’t have gone.” She wrung her hands together.
“I’m sorry. I was hoping something like this wouldn’t happen.” Stephanie didn’t say what Emma had expected she would.
Emma turned to her. “Really?”
“Obviously! You’re my little sister. I don’t ever want to see you get hurt.”
“Hopefully it’s not permanent.” She kept her voice light.
“Is it what they said? The sex tape?”
“When I left, there had been nothing in the media about it. Must have gotten out. But yeah, indirectly, it was about a sex tape. He lied about never having had anything to do with Lizle.”
Stephanie’s mouth gaped open. “But he said…?”
“I know. It’s the lie that got to me the most. He had no problem lying to any of us. As if he would never be caught in the lie.”
Stephanie made an angry sound. “Did he say why he did it?”
Emma rubbed her eyes. “He wanted me to go with him. He knew if he said they had something on before, I wouldn’t have.”
“The weasel!” Stephanie hit the steering wheel, and Emma laughed.
“Let’s go inside,” Emma said.
Emma knew she would have to fight off the memories. The sooner the better.
***
Damian stared out of his bedroom window.
He hadn’t slept at all. He came back to his apartment and found himself standing in his bedroom staring out at the night sky.
The day had dawned and he still hadn’t moved.
His phone started ringing and he ignored it. He had never been so lost before.
After quitting medical school and leaving SA, he had been more angry than hurt by his parents. The hurt had come much later but even then, it didn’t stop him from moving on.
However, this was different. He couldn’t make himself move on. He coul
dn’t get past how Emma had looked at him like he was a complete stranger, like they hadn’t shared anything of significance.
He ran a hand through his hair and when his phone went off this time, he walked over to the nightstand and answered.
“Hi, Ian.”
“Another tape surfaced.” Ian’s voice lacked its usual warmth. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Damian knew what he referred to. He should have mentioned something about him and Lizle when the first tape materialized.
“I didn’t think it was important. It happened once.” He cringed at his words. He had said the same thing to Emma.
“Well it is now.”
Damian closed his eyes. “Handle it, Ian.”
“I will. Isn’t that what you pay me for?” He went off, “But for future reference, please do try to give me a heads-up, will you.”
And then the call got disconnected.
Damian clenched his jaw. It seemed everyone was mad at him. He didn’t dare browse the Internet to see what they would be making of this.
The headlines didn’t matter. The video clips had already caused more damage than they had the first time.
He also didn’t care about who leaked them this time. It wouldn’t change the truth of Emma leaving him. This was what his father had always accused him of, being rash and not thinking of the consequences.
His phone rang again, and he picked up.
“She arrived safely,” he heard before he could even say, “Hallo.”
Stephanie.
“I was going to call,” he replied.
He would have; he just needed to work out exactly why. To ask her to come back and to give them another try or to know if she arrived safely.
“Damian, I’m going to be very blunt with you. You and Emma’s relationship was a bad idea from the beginning. My sister isn’t like you. And I’m not saying this to be cruel. Emma isn’t naive by a long shot, but she’s still untainted when it comes to relationships. In that regard she’s innocent. She doesn’t say it, but she does believe in forever after, I think it’s the reason she’s held out for so long. Why Richard didn’t make the cut.”
She was quiet for a moment. “She puts a high price on love and trust. It’s who she is. If you had known each other longer…you would’ve known. You probably wouldn’t have….”
“No. I would still love her.”
Falling for Mr. Unexpected Page 16