" Phoenix Rora Derricks, 23 years old... daughter of Mr. Stanley Derricks of AURA GRAND COSMETICS" Dave addressed. " She's currently battling an unnamed heart malfunction. Del Fern, her long-term boyfriend gaslighted on their wedding day."
" Interesting..." Zaylee sneered, sipping on her glass of baileys. Her crossed leg flung down the couch as she placed the glass on the table right in front of her. " Keep an eye on her...Update me on any new developments." 
She said, gliding past him as she headed to her room. " why are you doing all this, Zay?" Dave horned. His countenance changed immediately. He still couldn't wrap his mind around her sudden actions.
"What am I doing?"She played dumb at his accusations and Dave knew it. He was pretty surprised.
" This is new...coming from you" 
"We decided on this together, Dave, and this is how well I can protect our secret." 
 Zaylee was by now burning with rage. It felt like her heart was shredding into many pieces and it hurt. All she wanted was to enjoy true love. Someone who could stand for her, someone who would go to the ends of the world for her like how Irish rushed out for Phoneix earlier but it felt like she was asking for more. As she spoke, her voice shook with strong emotions.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she bit on her tongue.  She spoke with so much heat that for a moment she remained silent.
"You were the one who couldn't stand for our love not me...this is how best I can prove to Dad that there's nothing between us." Zaylee pushed her point further and it was obvious she was very upset.
Hiding away her tears, she stormed off to her room but he noticed the tears trickling down her face. Dave felt guilty. He stopped behind the door and his hand hung midway about to knock but her loud sobs slowly dropped it.
.
.
.
.
.
.
                            HOSPITAL
" Doctor!, Doctor!!" He rushed out of the door. Phoenix who was still in awe watched his back fade from sight. " I don't think we were this close," She thought.
Her mind struggled to keep up with her memories but the pain was unbearable. Her head ached.
" Phoneix...!." Denzel was the first to barge in with Irish right behind him. " Den~" She mumbled in a faint voice as he neared.
" You remember me?" He said, examining her pulse and temperature. The question was no longer funny ~ this was the second time in just a few minutes of gaining consciousness and this question kept repeating itself. 
"Why this strange question?~ Is there a reason why I wouldn't have my memories ?" She goggled at the two, her gaze quite skeptical. " what if I have memory loss..." She found a light at the end of the tunnel. This was an opportunity worth taking.
" Where's my husband ~where's Del?" She asked out of the blue but Irish caught on her tricks.
 He knew she was pretending to have amnesia but kept quiet–he had a special affinity for her and felt like protecting her at all costs. He couldn't risk losing her again.
Phoenix needed to find answers and that was the only way to get to those ungrateful beings. She had to know what was going on and when it all started without her notice. She wants her revenge~ they had to pay for what they'd done, for betraying her trust and love. 
The room was silent for a while. Denzel could not approach the issue directly since her condition wasn't yet confirmed.  What if it triggers her memories, bringing back the past? He thought.
" Um..." He feigned a smile, tucking her in thereafter. " I believe he's on his way" He reasoned and she nodded with a soft wary smile. " well, I need to go now~I'd to attend to a few patients."
" Sure..." Irish opted in. " Thanks a lot, Dave. I'll keep her company till they get here." He said and Dave agreed. He bade a goodbye and hurried off.
Soon, she became conscious of the fact that they were alone in the room. It felt uncomfortable and suffocating – she had heard a lot about his cold, narcissistic character but had never been this close to him. 
They weren't this close as long as she could remember. It felt strange. Irish saw the looks in her eyes. He noticed she became uncomfortable and knitted his brows in confusion. He knew she had a lot to ask about their relationship but couldn't gather the courage so decided to steer matters along the comfortable path.
" Care for water?" 
" Huh?...water, yes" Phoneix fumbled, and he smiled.
" Why did you lie to him?" He finally asked as he filled the glass "... I know you're not with amnesia"  She choked on her saliva. Her eyes shot with surprise.
She coughed. " Did I lie?~ what for?" She saw trouble looming ahead. Had she been exposed before getting started? It seemed the world was against her.
" Since when did you acquire the habit of repeating sentences this way?"He chuckled, handing over the glass of water. " Is this about Del and Berla? He asked on an impulse, settling in the chair.
Her brows arched in surprise, wondering how he got to know about them. She slowly shook her head in perplexity. 
" What was he up to and how did he know about them?" The question penetrated her confused mind after a while. " Did you know about them?" There was a tremor in her voice as she mentioned it.
" Not until your wedding night~ I followed you to Flora Villa," He said in a soft concerned tone. The image of that evening replayed over and over in her subconscious mind. Her heart was heavy with tears.
" How could they do that to me ?~ upon all those years?" The tears she fought back freely streamed down her eyes. " why did they make it sound so normal... as if it was all my fault? as if I had no right to complain? why"
Irish couldn't stand it any longer. He instinctively wrapped her into his bosom. Her face was buried in his chest and her tears soaked into it. 
" It's not because of you, Phone...it's them." He consoles. " ~they didn't deserve you." 
She discovered a friend who could share her pain with her. "They must pay for this...they should know how it feels to be trampled upon emotionally and treated like nothing " She vowed, trying hard to hide her uneasiness. 
" Sure..." Irish paused as he looked at her reflectively with so much passion and for a moment, he felt lost in her. He gently took her hand and squeezed it affectionately.
The atmosphere felt awkward as they were engulfed in silence.