You guys might want to sit down for this chapter, it's 4.6k words long. Grab you tissues and popcorn and remember to vote and comment.

This chapter takes place before the day+on the day of the previous chapter.

There are also two POV. One of Adrianna and Another of Ares.

"Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

― George Orwell, 1984

Eumoirous (Adj.)- Happiness due to being wholesome and honest

Adrianna's POV:

He straightened up, his fingers digging into my flesh, "I don't know what you are talking about."

"You really want me to believe that you didn't lose on purpose?" I chuckled breathily, flicking his scrunched nose. His features softened as he touched the place I flicked, "Ares you sneaky little marshmallow."

His brows furrowed, he looked dumbfounded, "Marshmallow? Really?"

"Why did you lose hm?" I poked his chest, feeling small bubbles of joy bursting in me, "Because you didn't want me to feel bad? Or was it because you were curious?"

He remained silent, his eyebrows raised in defiance.

"You were playing like a pro and all on a sudden you placed the king at the face of my rook and que-"

"I was curious," His fingers threaded through my hair as he softly combed them back. A grunt of approval escaped me as tingles shot through my skin. I hid my face at the crook of his neck as I felt his lips shadowing over my forehead, "I was curious to see what you would ask for."

"What if I asked you to kiss me?" inquisitiveness bubbled within me as I caressed his jaw, soothing myself with the fact that he was real, he was in my arms and.... I would have to leave him soon.

"Especially that," He answered, his rough hand grabbing my bottom, "I was always attracted to you, Anna. It just took me a while to accept my feelings towards you."

I froze and he froze against me too.

Feelings?

Feelings and emotions were still off the board. I had come to take a liking towards him, a liking more than just mere attraction. A liking that could pass as an infatuation. My heart stuttered whenever I thought of him, or near him.

Even now, my heart rate was erratic. All I felt was him, saw was him and I wanted to consume him with every part of me.

But feelings?

I was scared, terrified. I dreaded the moment both of us would bring out their feeling cards into play.

I would never be able to bring myself to voice those out loud. Ares deserved better. Someone who was as intelligent as him, as patient and as good as him. Someone who definitely was not me.

I clung to him, like desperately clinging to a ray of hope, not wanting to remind myself that one day Ares might find someone who was better than me in every criteria.

Till then, I would only savor this.

And who knows, maybe after leaving, I will hold on to these memories too. To satiate myself.

"I wish it hadn't taken me longer," He mumbled, his fingers brushing my earlobe, making me shiver.

Tears sprung to my eyes again, I tried my hardest to hold myself back from sobbing in his chest.

It will be over soon.

"I wish none of this had happened..." I mumbled into his chest, hoping that he didn't hear me.

He stiffened, his arms retracting. Suddenly, I was surrounded by coldness, a blizzard of coldness.

"Do you regret it, Adrianna?" His voice was so small, quiet. It shook as he spoke. Did he.... Was he hurt?

"No!" I answered quickly, "I don't regret it and never will. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me."

His muscles relaxed as he placed a quick kiss on my lips.

"Do you... do it? Regretting it I mean," I was afraid to hear his answer. My heart skipped a beat as my breaths fanned his skin. My fists clenched as embraced myself for whatever was to come.

"No," He rasped, making me release the breath I didn't realize I was holding, "With you, never."

Those stupid butterflies came back, the flutter of their wings summoning a tornado.

It made me want to regurgitate every secrets I had, every scar I had hidden from him. It made me want to confess. I wanted to tell him that what I felt for him was more that just lust. It was something more, something so scary that I didn't want to get to know it.

My heart throbbed painfully in my chest. I closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down and breathe.

What if I came back in the future?

A breath escaped me.

What if I took up Archer's offer and came back here? Not as a girl who was saddled with problems, but as a woman who was successful and could be considered an equal of Ares?

"Let's play that chess game," My voice shook, my inner turmoil only increasing.

"Of course," I got out from the bed and walked over to the bathroom, still half naked but I had no intention of wearing anything as of now. I was drained.

Grabbing a tissue I cleaned myself, splashing some water on my face and taking a seat on the sofa.

He followed me soon after, sitting himself across me. I arranged all the pieces in their places, my mind reeling from what if's and possibilities.

I know that Archer probably offered me that session as a pity but it was actually useful for me.

Maybe I could take up his offer and become a better version of myself for Ares?

Maybe I could recover and meet Ares as a normal woman.

"Done?" Ares' voice was suddenly enthusiastic, devilish. A conspiring smirk pulled at the corner of his lips as he wickedly rested his face on his hands.

He was up for a game alright.

I shook off my thoughts, trying to concentrate on the brewing game here.

"Don't go easy like the last time.." I spoked in a haughty manner as is eyed the board, calculating the possible moves.

"Trust me baby, I won't," He smiled, "Lady first."

"I am no lady," A huff escaped me as I pushed the first piece, it made a specific sound on the board.

"Interesting, but I would beg to differ," he moved his piece, placing it before mine.

We tossed pieces back and forth, me passing a snarky comment or two once in a while and him, returning them.

"I see you are feeling zealous today, Ares," I sighed, smiling victoriously, eliminating a rook, "Isn't it straining for your old, rusting spine?"

So far, we had managed to eliminate 5 pieces of each other. Him eliminating one of mine and me doing the same after a while. Back and forth having each other by throat, it was an exciting anticipation nonetheless.

A shadow of smirk tugged at his lips, making my heart clench a little bit, "Maybe you will finally learn to not fall for a pawn," I gasped as I lost two of my pieces. He was baiting me! "When you are old and zealous like me."

"This is not fair!" I whined, pouting, "You are a far better player than I had anticipated."

A smug smirk was his only response.

"Teach me your technique," I huffed as crossed my arms, "I want to be as good as you."

"You can be better than me," He smiled. He actually, genuinely smiled. My breath stuck in my throat as I took him in. He was the most beautiful person ever, my heart skipped a beat as I stared at the breathtaking man.

"You are so beautiful," I blurted out.

His smiled faded a bit, but it still remained there. I immediately felt shitty, digging my nails into my palms.

"Thank you," His voice was a small whisper, it was uttered with disbelief but it was uttered nonetheless.

My heart bubbled with joy as I reached out and grabbed his hands, grasping his hand firmly into mine. It was a weird emotion, the happiness seeping with the overwhelming sadness. Overlapping like the colors of the sky in dusk.

"No thank you," I breathed, "Thank you for believing."

I knew that he didn't believe it, but I knew he would eventually start to. It was just the first step. It was just that I wouldn't be able to witness it as he did.

"Adrianna..."

"You are perfect, Ares," I whispered, bringing our joined hands to my lips and placing a small kiss on the back of his hand.

He let go of my hand and captured my lips with his in a heated kiss, warmth seeped into my veins as his fingers gripped my jaw, tenderly, as if he was afraid that he would break me into two. Our tongues entwined as he deepened the kiss. My toes curled, head swirled, the game long forgotten.

My abdomen pressed against the small table as he brought me closer to him. My eyes closed in bliss as stars glistened behind my lids, my nails gripped the back of his neck as I sucked his lower lips into my mouth, shock coursed through me as his fingers tugged my hair.

A distant sound of the wooden chessboard hitting the marble floor echoed as he hoisted me and sat me on the table in a manner that I had both of my legs around his torso. A breath escaped me as he finally broke the kiss, my lungs burning. His pepper and bergamot scent surrounded me, like a warm hug.

My eyes were glassy as I took him in, his thumb caressing my jaw as his nose skimmed over my face. A drop of lone tear escaped me, my heart breaking into two. He caught the drop with his lips, kissing it away and placing a lingering kiss on my cheek.

His eyes were closed as he slowly devoured me, kissing down my jaw, my lips, my chin and then my neck. A warm breath escaped me as I shivered from the intensity of it. A chess piece dug into my thigh, his lips spelling my name on my skin.

"Adrianna.." He rasped, his voice like molten chocolate, "How is it that the more I have you, the more I crave you?"

I shuddered at his words, electricity zapping my insides.

"How is it that you are so addictive?" He frowned, licking my throat, "Like a drug."

I cradled his face in my hands, my eyes taking him in. His bruises, the small cut on his forehead, his burnt face, his mismatched eyes that looked into nothingness, his lips that were red from kissing. The sharp jawline, his protruding cheekbones. His eyebrows that were pulled into a confused frown. His ink black hair with shades of grey. The small wrinkle that shadowed the corner of his right eye.

He looked like a boy who was lost and desperately trying to find his place.

A teary chuckle escaped me as I traced my thumb on his brows, softening the crease. Sirens sung in my ears as I placed a small kiss on his lips, making him smile again.

That darned smile. It would be my ruination.

My heart skipped a beat as I rested my head against it, gulping down the dryness that began to seep into my throat.

"I don't think we should..." the lightest shade of pink dusted the bridge of his nose as he cleared his throat, "You won't be able to walk tomorrow."

A drop of tear escaped me, "Can we stay here? Like this?"

He chuckled, it was such a warm sound. My insides twisted as I heard him laugh.

"We can, but I needed to give you something."

My eyes widened as he stepped away from my embrace and reached for his coat. I hoped down, lending him a hand. He searched his coat pocket.

My eyes fixated on his hand as he dug out a small box.

A gasp escaped me as I stood frozen, staring at the black box.

"Don't freak out," He let out a smile, "This is not what you think. You know, the other day, you wore a necklace to the club."

My eyes widened, as I remembered the only piece of jewelry I had owned.

"Well, I kind of felt the rusty metal when we were... dancing. It was on the verge of snapping into half."

My body flushed in embarrassment. It was true, the necklace was old and rusty but it was the only piece of wearable ornament I had.

"So, I thought, I should gift you something," He took a step close to me, opening the box.

Another gasp left me as my eyes fell on the delicate piece of jewelry nestled safely into the velvet. I reached out, taking out the piece with my trembling fingers. A sob threatened to tear through me as I looked at the pendant.

"I asked for a blue butterfly," He rasped, "I have no idea if they gave me the right color, but the shape felt okay."

"W-Why blue?" My voice quivered as I brushed my fingers on the small azure butterfly.

"You said your eyes are blue," He handed me the box, "I thought it would be a nice contrast to your eyes. Although I barely remember what blue looks like."

"It's like sky," A drop of tear fell on the glistening stone, shining under the soft light, "You... didn't have to."

His frown deepened as he took another step closer, brushing his thumb on my wet cheek, "Why are you crying, Anna? Did you not like it? Did they give me the wrong necklace? Let me call-"

"No!" I sobbed, it felt as if someone took out my heart and tore it into half, "No! I love it you stupid man! How can I not like it?"

"Stupid man? A while ago you were chanting a whole different tune."

"Shut up!" I cried, "I-I don't know what to do, I have no idea what should be done-"

"Adrianna," He placed a thumb under my chin and placed a peck on my lips, "Calm down."

I took a deep breath, the pendant heavy in my palm.

"Give me that, I will put it on for you."

I frowned, "But you can't-"

"You'd be surprised at the things I can do," He rasped, smiling smugly extending his palm, "The necklace."

I gave it to him, unsure of what he would do. He felt it with his fingers a couple of times, getting an understanding of the lock.

"Turn."

I turned, brushing my hair, baring my neck to him. His fingertips grazed my neck, making my heart stutter. The cold metal was draped over my neck and he clasped it in place.

"How did you do that?" I exclaimed in shock, "It takes me at least two or three try! You even put it in the most perfect place."
"I have a good memory," He breathed in my ear, making the tip of my ear warm, "And I have memorized you."

I sucked in a deep breath as his fingers trailed down my bare neck, to my exposed shoulder. His hot breath fanned the bare skin of my back, making goosebumps arise through my skin.

"Your smell, the feel of your skin, your taste, your voice, your aura..." He whispered, as if letting me know the darkest of his secrets, "I know every bit of you Adrianna.

His hand stroked the back of my neck, subconsciously, calming me.

His palm explores the curve of my back, brushing against the tattoo on my torso. His touches were warm, as if seeking reassurance.

"We should sleep, Anna," He whispered, placing a kiss on my chin, scooping me in his arms and cradling me, "I have something important to do tomorrow. If we keep this up, we are going to end up fucking for hours. I won't be able to stop myself."

I smiled against his lips, silent tears streaming down my eyes.

I needed to do what would be right. The right thing would be to call Archer and telling him that I would take the therapy.

Working on my demons, it would be the least I could do for myself. To become that person Ares made me believe I was.

I grasped the pendant in my fingers, the cold metal heavy against my skin.

Ares' POV:

"Are you sure that we have the upper hand today?" I asked my attorney as the hum of the air conditioner echoed in my ears, "Did you find the evidence of that truck?"

"Yes sir," My attorney, Mr. Smith uttered, "Here's the paper sir, it states when that truck left it's garage, the time was 6:46 PM and the accident took place at 7:03 PM. The truck owner, John Miller, was also nowhere to be found."

"I already know that," I gritted out as my fingertips touched the dotted lines, "Tell me something that is useful. John Miller is old news."

"What if I told you John Miller had a help?"

My fingers froze, "There are two people?"

"We cannot define it sir, as of yet. There could be more than two. Or John Miller was simply a pawn to some big scheme. Something is definitely not right here."

"Who is the second person?"

"We have no clue sir, for now all we have is-"

"Another accident of the same manner occurred three days ago."

"Yes sir."

My jaw clenched, my fingers tightened around the piece of paper.

"Sir, all we found about the patient you asked about, in the St. Nicolas hospital."

"Was he called.... Thomas? Tommy?"

Damn it.

Why did I not make the connection before?

"Thomas Campbell sir, you asked of him," My attorney muttered, "His death was an accident with some engine failure. A truck of the same style caused the accident of Thomas Campbell, but it seems that John Miller had no connection with it."

My jaw clenched as I took a deep breath, memories flooding my head.

"Third person? We are lost here, Mr. Smith. I have no idea what is going on."

"Let me summarize up this for you, sir," My Attorney muttered, "An Accident took three days ago before yours, the victim, Thomas Campbell was admitted to St. Nicolas hospital. Our investigation reveals that the truck that caused the accident of Thomas Campbell was the same brand of truck that caused the accident of you and your family.

Turns out, the one that was driving the truck was not John Miller. It was a regular driver and it seemed that it lost it's balance. The driver died but his dead body disappeared five days later from the morgue. The case was closed after a year. Both accidents were eerily same, brake problem and losing balance. The same place. Different time.

Three days later, the accident occurs, taking the lives of your older brother, Sergio Liam Estevan, your dad, Emmanuel Estevan and you, live by the thinnest of the chance."

The paper crumpled beneath my fist as I tried not to think back to that night.

My brother, my father. I had to bury them with my own hands. The fire I thought had died, flares with vengeance as I feel rage seep in my blood.

"How far are we?" I gritted out, the question directed to the driver.

"We are almost there sir."

"There's a missing puzzle here, Smith," I blew out a breath, frustrated, aggravated, "I feel like I know this piece but I have no clue where to place it."

"We are here, sir."

"Do you want to keep on think about this piece sir?" My attorney questioned, his voice wistful, "What if this piece doesn't exist in the first place."

"I think I want to keep thinking about it," My mind riveted back to Adrianna, a smile graced my lips, "An intelligent person once told me that I am a better player than they had thought."

We walked into the court room, our case against John Miller's company. Their claim so far had been quite one-way. John Miller was missing after the truck accident, we had collected enough evidence to prove that the driver in the truck was him.

"Please be seated," The judge announced as I took my seat, my hand clenching on my stick.

"Milord, Mr. Estevan's case so far presents that the truck was of our company. Our company deals with transportation, if anyone was harmed by one of our auto-mobiles, it was the driver's fault!"

"Exactly," My attorney's voice buzzed through the room, "Your honor, please take a look at these documents. These evidence point to a man that was driving the truck, approximately of 5 foot 9 inches. Which, oh so coincidentally happens to be John Miller's height."

"John Miller was never found after that day! He has been missing ever since!" The attorney of opposition countered, "We have already submitted enough papers to prove that Mr. Miller has been always missing. It was a case for government and I believe it has been closed perfectly!"

"Our evidence suggests otherwise."

"That could be anyone! The report suggests that the driver that was supposed to be driving the car, called in sick and so the truck was not supposed to leave the garage. It left anyway."

"So did John Miller. He had a history of money laundering with the Estevan corporation when Mr. Emmanuel Estevan was alive. He also has a history of trying to con the CEO."

"That simply isn't enough reason to plot someone's death! He is innocent unless proven otherwise."

"He is also guilty unless proven otherwise and if he does turn out to be guilty, Miller transportation must pay for it."

"Order! Order!" The judge's calm voice echoed through the court room, "We cannot assume this based on some little handful of evidences we have found, however, we also cannot deny the possibility of John Miller's involvement with the deaths of Emmanuel and Liam Estevan, taking in account of his history of money laundering. Therefore, this court is adjourned until enough evidences are found. Meanwhile, the Miller corporation will be kept under strong scrutiny as to avoid any mishap or suspicious activities from happening."

I stood up along with everyone else, resting my hands on the head on my stick.

I heard footsteps around me, people leaving the court.

"I tried my best to summarize sir-"

"You did fine," My jaw clenched as I heard a familiar footstep nearing me. I raised my chin acknowledgement, "Your honor."

"Cut it, Estevan," The judge, my long time friend Kardashev muttered, "I think you should really look into this other case that's pretty similar to yours."

I raised an eyebrow, remaining silent for a moment, "Are you by any chance talking about Thomas Campbell's case?"

"How did you know?"

A muscle in my face twitched, "Let's keep it a secret between us, Kardashev but, I have feeling that these two cases... are connected. I just have no idea how."

A breath escaped him, "A girl is fighting this case alone."

My fists tightened. It was Adrianna vs the world and I wanted nothing more than just to hide her from it. The very world that had shattered her to the point of her having mental and physical trauma; I wanted to shred those bastards in half and feed them to the wolves.

"And who is her opposition?"

"Alexander."

My eyes widened, my ears started to ring as I felt my sanity slowly slipping away.

"What?" I spat out, "Mr. Smith, why did you leave out that piece of information while narrating the Thomas Campbell case?"

"I thought it was irrelevant-"

"How could you think that, goddamn it! I pay you to tell me every last bit of info and that includes this too! Adrianna Campbell is my-" I faltered, stopping for a moment, preventing the words that urged to come out, "Is my nurse. Adrianna Campbell works under me."

"Oh wow," The judge muttered, "That's... very weird. Did you know about her before?"

I let out a breath, "I did. It just took me some time to remember."

"Sir?"

"Let's go," I mumbled, feeling a numb headache creeping on my temple, "We have enough information to lead us to the evidence."

I climbed into the car, my mind reeling from everything. Alexander, was the guy who Britney had ended up with and as far as I know, they had also gotten married. Alexander was Adrianna's opposition.

"Sir, you never told me that you know Adrianna Campbell?"

"I never exactly knew her," I uttered, "I heard of her before knowing her."

"Sir?"

"Let me think, Mr. Smith," I rested my head on the plush headrest as memories washed over me like wave of sea.

I remember waking up, exhausted, pained, afraid and without any vision. Half of my face was wrapped in a heavy bandage. I could still see, like a blur of color.

"Brother, will you stay here?" Archer was young, way shorter than me. His voice was only starting to break, an indication of his impending puberty, "I will have to let the doctors know that you have awaken."

I breathed heavily, I was wired to a saline. I didn't like being confined to the bed.

"Anna..." Someone's hoarse voice muttered from beside me, "My Anna..."

I tilted my head. Right, I was at the hospital, at the verge of losing my eyesight. The patient beside me had spoken up. His words were a jumbled mess. "Hello? Are you... conscious, sir?"

"I am... fine," He sounded anything but fine. His voice was hoarse from pain, "Tell them to release me... would you? I have a daughter, she is alone. She is probably looking for me."

"How long have you been here, sir?"

"I.. d-don't know.... Anna... take me to Anna."

So his daughter's name was Anna?

"I will ask of them sir, please calm down." I was in pain myself, Archer had only delivered the news of Liam passing away. Both of them had been transferred to the morgue and I would have to sign some papers to complete the procedure. A numb agony weighed upon me, I only felt the hollow in my chest getting larger and larger. I was half waiting to jolt awake from the nightmare and find out everything was alright.

"You won't... tell them, would you?"

I remained silent.

"I-I don't think I have much time. Can you please tell Anna that I love her? I am sorry that I couldn't be with her. I also couldn't buy her those shoes she wanted. I have a small insurance, she can make it to high school w-with that."

His words became hoarser as I heard louds beeps getting louder. The smell of disinfectant turned more violent as it invaded my senses. "Anna is a strong girl, please tell her that I believe in her."

I closed my ears, it felt as if my eardrums would burst from the beeping sound of the machine. Everything was just a jumbled up entropy of blur. My heart pounded rapidly as sweat formed in my forehead.

"My smart little girl," He mumbled as he gasped for his last breaths, "H-Help h-her, p-please."

I jolted awake as a lone drop of tear escaped me.

Adrianna's father had taken his last breath beside me. He had uttered his last words to me.

Adrianna was that Anna and he had asked me to help her.

My fists clenched around the head of my stick, the wood snapping into two from the pressure.

If only I had remembered her.

If only I hadn't forgotten about Anna.

If only I had found her 13 years ago.

Guilt and regret gnawed inside me as I leaned against the window, the mask had never felt heavier.

I would have to convey her father's words, the question was, how?

Extremely sorry for not updating earlier. I had a lot of school work.

So what do you think?

Amy theories?

Adrianna?

Ares knowing about her?

Drop your comments, I love them!

Also since the votes and reads dramatically decreased in the last chapter, the next chapter will be uploaded when this chapter has 350+ votes and 4k+ reads.