Ch 248 - The Truth

David put away his cell phone, looked at Leona, and asked, "Leona, what are you doing here?"

Leona sighed a little, sat down beside David, and said, "We are husband and wife. Why shouldn't I come to see you?"

Like David, Leona felt that their marriage was just as final as if the ceremony had been completed without interruption. Over the past three days, she had been worrying about the fact that she and David were sleeping apart. She thought he seemed very cold and awkward with her and assumed that it was something to do with what his father, Reginald, had said to him.

Leona didn't want to appear forward by inviting David come to her room, but she felt very puzzled and anxious about the situation.

That evening, she had spent a long time in her room thinking about it, and had finally decided that she needed to discuss everything with him.

"David, has your father said something to you?" Leona decided to come straight out and ask him the question that was bothering her.

"Um," David hesitated because he was unsure what to tell her. The truth was that his father was afraid that Alex would be angry with the Drake family because of Leona, so he had forbidden him to sleep with Leona.

He thought, How can tell her the truth? She will think I'm a coward.

David took Leona's hand and said softly, "My father talked to me. He told me that although we're as good as married now, I still have to focus on my career. He was afraid that I would be too distracted by you. That's why I've been distant the last few days. Leona, do you hate me?"

"Is that really all he said?" Leona asked softly. She had a feeling that things weren't as simple as David said.

"Of course, how could I lie to you?" he replied.

He rubbed her hand gently and looked at her small face, stunning eyes, long curled eyelashes, and snow-white neck. He thought that Leona was the most beautiful woman in the world.

His heart skipped a beat, and he slowly stepped closer to her, hoping to kiss her plush lips.

Leona's heart started to beat faster. She was worried that if she kissed David, things could get out of control. It would be her first time, and she didn't want it to happen like this.

Just as he was about to kiss her, she said, "David, I'd like some coffee. Can you help me make some?"

She's wasn't ready. She needed to give herself a little time to prepare.

"Of course. If you sit here, I'll go and make it."

David was so impatient that he almost kissed her again. He knew that once they'd kissed, he could move things to the next stage, which he'd been anticipating for so long. For now, he had to contain his desire for a little longer.

"You wait here and I'll make you a cup of coffee," he reiterated, then gave her a loving smile and walked out of the room.

He walked into the kitchen and checked with Martha that his father was not currently at home. He was sure that he had gone to deal with the aftermath of the wedding, as he had done every day since his marriage.

He couldn't help feeling happy about the situation now that Leona had come to see him. He had decided that he would consummate his marriage to Leona that night. He would simply make sure that she didn't tell his father.

He thought, Leona is so uptight that she might be too reserved in bed. I'll ask the security guard to bring me some aphrodisiacs.

He dialed the security guard's cell phone and asked him to send him some aphrodisiacs immediately.

In David's room, Leona was sitting on the bed. Her heart was fluttering and her mind was confused. What would she do if David was too much for her?

She thought, David saved me and we have experienced so much together. I do truly love him, and besides, he's my husband now. Of course he wants to sleep with me, it's perfectly normal.

As she pondered over the situation, her cheeks flushed.

"Don't think about it too much," she warned herself. She saw a row of books on the desk, so to distract herself, she walked over to look at them. She was interested to see what sort of books they were. She thought, I didn't know that David likes reading so much. I wonder what kind of books he reads.

She picked up two books at random and saw that they were both about business so she put them down.

Then she noticed a battered little notebook amongst a row of neat books. It stood out, so she picked it up.

When she saw the name "Debbie" written on the first page, something jolted in her memory.

Debbie?

That's the name of Alex's girlfriend. Why is her name on this notebook? Alex used to believe that I was his girlfriend. Is this notebook hers?

She opened the first page and found that it was a diary.

Leafing through the pages, Leona read about how difficult life had been for Debbie and all the unfortunate experiences that she had been through, and she was moved. She sympathized with Debbie and thought again about Alex. It was no wonder that he was so desperate to find her. She had been through so much.

In her heart, her hatred for Alex lessened.

Soon, she turned to the page dated April second, the day that Alex and Debbie met for the first time.

She read that Maddison and her friends had humiliated Debbie in a restaurant, so she ran to Ramsey Lake. She was so desperate to end it all that she jumped into the lake. But before she drowned, a boy jumped in to save her. He told her that his name was Alex, and they ended up sitting on a rock, eating risotto together. He gave her hope for the future.

After reading about that day, Leona felt moved, but also very puzzled. How could what happened between Alex and Debbie be similar to how she and David had met at Richmond University? Even the meal they had eaten was similar. Debbie and Alex had enjoyed risotto, while she and David had shared paella.

Leona vaguely felt that something was wrong. She continued to read the diary.

In the entry for April thirteenth Debbie wrote that she didn't know why Alex wanted to steal money from Mr. Morgan. She hated him for that, but she knew she couldn't give up on him. She decided to leave school to work and get the money to pay back the school, feeling it was more important than even her own education.

On April seventeenth, Debbie wrote that she had been eating corn and couldn't stop crying. It made her think of the time when her mother was sitting on the street selling corn, and she asked her to buy them hamburgers. She was furious with herself for having been so selfish.

In the entry on April twentieth, Debbie wrote that their school read out the top donations to the charity for the poor mountain village children that day and the one who donated the most was Alex. When his ex-girlfriend tried to expose him, claiming that it wasn't his money, he gave another huge donation on the spot.

On April twenty-fifth, Debbie had written that Alex had defended her in a restaurant. Someone attacked her, and he made them kneel on the ground and lick the floor. When they got back to school, Maddison threw her in the water. Debbie feared for her life, but Alex saved her. He was seriously injured trying to protect her. In the end, his family sent a helicopter to rescue her.

Leona became increasingly confused as she continued to read. The events recorded in Debbie's diary were identical to things that had happened to her and David.

She thought, If it was just one similarity I'd call it a coincidence. But so many things are the same. How can that be?

She looked back at the words in the diary, and was overcome by a feeling of empathy, as if she was actually Debbie writing about herself in the diary.

A complex feeling of melancholy and familiarity rippled through her body, and an image of Alex appeared in her mind. He was saying, "You are Debbie."

Leona held her head in her hands and thought, No, that can't be what's happening. Her head started to ache.

The door opened and David walked in with a cup of coffee. Leona didn't know that he had already added the aphrodisiac to her cup. When he saw her standing at the desk looking at the diary, his heart trembled. He dropped the coffee cup on the ground and it shattered into pieces.

"David, can you tell me what's going on? Why do you have Debbie's diary, and why is everything that happened to her now happening in exactly the same way to us?" Leona was anxious to know the truth, and when she saw David drop the coffee cup, she was even more certain that he was keeping something from her.

"Ah, well, I just found that diary in the street. I found it entertaining to read, so I kept it. I've finished with it now so I'll chuck it out," David replied. He walked over to the desk intending to get the diary and throw it in the trash.

But Leona quickly grabbed the diary, looked at David, and then ran out of the room. She was convinced that David was hiding something.

She had started to think that maybe she really was Debbie. According to her diary, Debbie only knew her mother, and she had died a few months previously.

If she was Debbie, then what relation was she to Charles Marvel?

She had so many questions that she needed answers to. She felt she couldn't live her life until she found out who she really was.

Leona left the house and took a cab to Arlington Heights. She wanted to confront her father and find out what he knew.

When she arrived, she ran straight into his villa with the diary.

"Leona, why are you looking so worried? What's going on?" Charles had been sitting on the sofa in his living room, thinking about how to grow the family business.

"Leona, what are you doing back? Are you homesick?" Lindsey heard the noise and came out of her room.

Leona stood in front of her father and asked, "Dad, are you hiding something from me?"

Charles avoided making eye contact with her as he replied, "What are you talking about? I'm your father. What would I hide from you? You're tired and overwhelmed. Try to relax. Why don't you stay here tonight and rest?"

Leona summoned up all of her courage and said, "Dad, I can tell you're lying to me. You are, aren't you? I need to know whether I'm really your daughter."

If she really was Debbie, then her mother was a woman named Carla Clifton and she had no father. Therefore, Charles couldn't be her real dad.

"Leona, don't talk nonsense. How could I not be your father?" Charles answered hastily.

Lindsey embraced her and said anxiously, "Leona, how could you ask Dad that? Of course you're my sister. Stop thinking such crazy things."

Leona looked at her father and asked, "Dad, can you tell me who Carla Clifton is?" She was convinced that he was hiding something and that it was to do with who she really was. She wanted to know what he was hiding.

Carla Clifton.

Hearing that name, Charles's heart skipped a beat. Has her memory come back? he wondered. He tried to calm down as he looked at Leona. His hands were clenching involuntarily.

"Dad, I have the right to know my past. I will never be happy until I know the truth. Maybe one day, I'll remember everything and then I'll hate you for not being honest with me. Please tell me who I really am. Am I really Debbie or not?"

Charles was shocked. He realized that although her memory hadn't come back, Leona had already worked out a lot of what he had been keeping from her. It was clear that he could no longer hide the truth. He lowered his head, closed his eyes, and sighed. He was silent for a long time before he finally said, "Leona, you only arrived in our house four months ago."