Chapter 10

Jessica's POV

I was not able to sleep well that night. All of Aaron's accusations kept on playing inside my head.

Am I really an evil person? Did I influence Troy and made him so bad?

Aaron must be talking about someone else. I was not that sort of person. I knew it by heart and I could feel it in my bones. I did not like anything to do with drugs, and I would never encourage anyone to be an addict. I also hated gambling and a man who drank too much alcohol. I would never tolerate such vices.

But how come I married a man who was hooked on all these vices?

These rings on my finger and those photos in Troy's room were enough to prove that we really got married.

There was a photo of our wedding. It was on the beach. We looked really happy and in love there. But I wondered why a wedding on the beach? When I felt like I always wanted a church wedding with all my family and close friends present.

I tried to picture Troy in my mind, imagining myself in love with him. But the more I tried to awaken such feelings, the more frustrated I became. I could not force myself, the feeling was not really there. I was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness that I cried so hard that night. How I wished I could remember him.

I thought of my family. I needed them now. At least they could feed me the information that I needed.

I had been wanting to ask Aaron about my family during dinner. It had been a week since the plane accident and yet I had not heard anything from them. I was certain they were worried sick by now. Did they try to contact the Latsises?

But before I could ask Aaron, he was back baiting me again. He was very savage, not considering the fact that I just got out of the hospital. I was still recovering from a trauma, and yet he was trying to give me another one by yelling at me and accusing me of things that I did not have any idea about.

Literally, he just wanted to put me down. I knew one hundred and one percent that he wished I did not survive in the plane crash. His attitude towards me showed that very clearly.

I decided to contact the airline. They could give me my exact address, phone number and some personal details. No doubt they would compensate the surviving passengers and victim's families after that terrible accident. They would arrange my flight easily back home.

The thought of being reunited with my family made me feel so happy. But do I have a family? Well, I'm pretty sure I have one.

Once I knew where I came from and what to do, I would leave New Zealand right away.

The following morning, I went down at eight and found my mother-in-law in the living room, playing piano. She looked so beautiful and confident as she played a Mozart piece expertly. She was so engrossed that she did not notice me entering the room.

I sat down on a padded stool and enjoyed watching and listening to her. After she hit the last note, I clapped my hands gently so as not to surprise her.

"Jessica." Mrs. Latsis's face lit up as she looked at me. She stood up and extended her arms, for me to go to her. "My dear, I'm so glad we finally met."

I went to her and she hugged me so tightly.

"Mrs. Latsis."

She pulled away a little, but still held my arms. "Call me Mother. You became my daughter when you married my son."

My face burned with embarrassment. I felt so shy and intimidated. She was a very classy and elegant beautiful woman. Calling her Mother sounded so strange to me. It was like a household mouse calling a queen's Persian cat her mom.

Still I nodded, and her smile widened.

"Thank God you survived the plane crash. I'd probably go crazy if we lost another member of our family. Troy just died four months ago and all of us are still grieving."

"I... I'm so sorry." Guilt suddenly overwhelmed me. "Aaron said that he was in a helicopter accident. I can't remember where I was at that time. I wish I could tell you everything that happened but..."

"Shh, don't pressure yourself. You lost him too, Jessica, and just like us, you were grieving. Don't worry, your memories will come back soon. What's important is you're safe and you're with us now." She sat back on the chair behind the grand piano and invited me to sit with her.

"Kora said that you can play the piano well. Come on, let's play together."

"Oh. I don't think I'm that good. It just came out naturally the moment I touched the keys."

"Well, let's see how well your hands can remember."

She played the piano and I recognized it right away. "Fur Elise" by Beethoven. My right hand followed her as I tapped the upper keys. Then she stopped playing and let me play the piano by myself.

"How about this one?" Her eyes gleamed brightly, matching mine.

She played Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca" and I was able to catch up with her. She was surprised, and so was I. The more she played other piano pieces, like Debussy and Chopin, the more I became confident that I could play the piano.

"Troy never mentioned that you could play the piano so well. Did you happen to join any competitions?"

"I really can't remember."

"Oh," Mrs. Latsis gave me a sympathetic look, "I'm sorry, Jessica, I got excited that I forgot you lost your memory. I'm happy now that someone in the family other than me can play the piano so well."

She told me about the international piano competitions she entered. I was tongue-tied when she told me about the many awards she got in different categories. She was even once a world champion.

"Come on, let's have breakfast. It's just the two of us. My husband left early with Aaron to see a new car. I don't know what's in that car that they can't wait to see."

We went to the garden area and inside the gazebo there was a table with a breakfast charcuterie board waiting for us. Ham, bacon, croissant, pancakes, fried eggs, berries and grapes, cheese, honey and almonds. There was also a pitcher of orange juice and a porcelain kettle of tea.

"I hope Aaron was nice to you. He can be overbearing sometimes. That's his nature already, being raised so independent and taking big responsibilities at an early age." Mrs. Latsis said, then ate her croissant.

I smiled and was tempted to say, If you only knew. Your son did so much worse. He was so savage, not hesitating to show his ugly side on our first meeting.

"We had an interesting talk," I said, then I took a bite of the delicious pancake.

"Good. I'm glad that both of you had the chance to get to know each other better. I really want you to be friends, because we're family."

"Of course. We're getting... there." Sure we did, but both of us took a U-turn.

We were done eating and sipping our tea, when Mrs. Latsis opened the topic about Troy's death.

"It was devastating for us that we did not get Troy's body. The helicopter exploded and his body was torn into pieces."

I gasped upon knowing how tragic the accident was. I could not believe that my husband suffered such a horrible fate.

"I'm so sorry." My eyes welled with tears, but I was trying to be strong and held back my tears from falling.

She squeezed my hand and said, "Don't be. You suffered too."

"Where was I at that time?"

"Honestly, we really don't know. Aaron went to Florida to have the accident investigated and of course to see you. But you were gone."

Gone? Why would I be gone when I just lost my husband?

"The investigator could not find you either. You just vanished like smoke," Mrs. Latsis continued. "Aaron was so mad at you when he came back. I told him that maybe you were so hurt that you wanted to be alone and lick your own wounds."

"But how did he find me? Why did I come here?"

"A few weeks ago you contacted him and I don't know how he convinced you. You just agreed to visit us here in New Zealand. I was surprised because you were very elusive."

"What do you mean being elusive?"

"No, not really elusive, but a very private person. That was what Troy told us. Even your marriage was private. We were just surprised that the two of you had gotten married already."

"You mean, the whole family was not there at the wedding?"

"Exactly. I was a bit disappointed because it was my first child to marry and I felt like I should not miss that special event. But I respect your decision. So, no hard feelings."

Darn it. That was so heartless of me. Maybe Aaron was right. I'm evil.

I could not deprive a mother from attending the wedding of her son. It was a joy and pride to see your son starting a new chapter of his life. A wedding should be a very special moment and should be shared with your family.

"What do you know about my family?"

"Not much. According to Troy, your mother died when you were fourteen. Your stepfather raised you, but later on you ran away."

My heart suddenly felt heavy knowing about my background. So there was no family and no home to go back to.