Bound by Shadows

14

We finally made it. It took some convincing, but Zavian eventually agreed to let us go.

In the end, Tadashi stayed back at the house as some sort of leverage, which seemed ridiculous to me, but at least it gave me the chance to find out if my dream was real.

We also managed to escape the debate on whether there were rats in the house as it turned out the squeaky noises I inadvertently caused last night reached Tadashi's room. Stella, however, seemed to catch on as she glanced at me and Caelus during breakfast, yet chose to remain silent on the matter.

On the road to our destination here, Caelus found it odd that I chose a flower shop farther away, but he didn't mind driving us for hours to get there.

Walking into the shop together, the doorbell chimed, and we were greeted by a teenage girl with a ponytail. She was in the middle of arranging a bouquet. "Hi, welcome to Petal Palace. How can I help you?" she asked.

Caelus, sporting his sunglasses and hands tucked in his pockets, nodded as I introduced myself. True to form, he was clad in his signature black suit from head to toe. "Hey there, I was curious if you've spotted me around here before? I'm Zanya," I said, extending my hand for a shake.

"I'm Catherine, but everyone calls me Cat," she replied cheerfully. "Honestly, I'm not sure. We get a lot of customers in and out, and I'm not great with faces," she admitted shyly.

I nodded in understanding. "Was there once an elderly woman here with short hair and a mole above her upper lip?"

Cat nodded. "I'll go get her for you," she said before darting off to the back of the shop. If the woman I described was real, then my dream has been a memory after all.

While waiting, Caelus and I explored the shop, admiring the variety of flowers and their pleasant aroma.

"You've never been here before, right?" I asked.

Caelus turned to me and nodded. "Feels familiar?"

"Yeah," I replied as we leisurely wandered down the flower-filled aisle. I finally decided to share with him the dream I had last night, omitting the terrifying aspects of it. He attentively listened, offering his support, and suggested that if I had anywhere else to be, I could let him know, and we would go there together.

I took out my phone, snapping pictures of the flowers that caught my eye until I came across a bouquet that triggered a flood of memories from my dream—the sensation of blood on my hand, the struggle for breath.

I turned abruptly, realizing Caelus was no longer beside me. He stood gazing out of the expansive windows, his attention drawn to a bookstore in the distance. "I might linger here a while," I informed him, following his line of sight. He turned to me. "Go ahead, I'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll give you a call."

"Are you sure?" he asked once more, to which I nodded. He leaned in, lightly brushing his lips against my forehead. "Alright then, let me know when you're finished," he said before exiting the shop, crossing the street, looking back at me one last time and disappeared into the bookstore.

A voice called out, interrupting my train of thoughts. Of him.

"Is that you, Zanya?"

I turned to see the exact woman from my dream, now a lot older and in a wheelchair, with Cat pushing her. "My goodness, it's been so long."

Elizabeth and I opted for a quiet catch-up over a cup of tea in the secluded garden behind the flower shop, a serene retreat away from the bustling streets. As we settled in, surrounded by the lush greenery, I couldn't help but notice her genuine joy at our reunion, though I couldn't shake the guilt of not recalling our past encounters.

In the midst of our conversation, Elizabeth mentioned her granddaughter, Cat, who helped with the shop during school holidays.

"So, about that accident..." she began, her concern evident in her voice.

I shared a brief overview of what had happened, and her reaction was a mix of shock and sorrow. Taking a moment to glance around the garden, I remarked, "It's funny, I just found myself drawn back here. Didn't realize I used to visit so often."

Elizabeth chuckled softly, her warm gaze fixed on mine. "Oh dear, you weren't just a visitor. You were the backbone of my business in the early days," she said, gently clasping my hand. Her weathered features spoke of years of hard work, her touch comforting. "You were the one who kept this place thriving, always coming in for flowers. Daffodils were your favorite, aren't they?"

Surprised by her observation, I couldn't help but smile. "Yes, they are," I confirmed, basking in the warmth of her praise. "Do I look any different now besides the flowers?"

She regarded me with admiration. "You've always had that glow about you. And that smile, it's just like my daughter's," she remarked proudly, her eyes lingering on my ring with affection as she patted my hand. "The handsome young man from earlier, is he your husband?"

"Indeed, he is. Married for a year," I replied, but there was a sudden change in her demeanor, a reaction that hinted at something more.

"That's odd. I must be mistaken," she dismissed with a shrug.

"No, please. Tell me," I urged, curiosity getting the better of me.

She hesitated before continuing, "I could've sworn you were already married while you were studying here. Was it seven years ago?" She questioned herself and continued, "This man and I had a few exchanges... well, sort of. He used to drop by the shop before you, occasionally picking out roses for you and paying for them himself."

My heart sank as she spoke, realization dawning upon me. "Was it really my husband you saw back then? What did he say?"

She noticed my growing unease and took a sip of her tea before responding. "I might be mistaken. He always wore a mask, so I can't be sure. But he did instruct me to give the roses to his wife if she ever came by. I recognized you immediately when he described you in detail. I happily played along with his romantic gesture, until I noticed how uncomfortable you were with the situation after a few times."

"He claimed I was his wife?" I repeated, my mind racing with confusion and concern. Did I have an ex-husband? And if so, why hadn't anyone mentioned it before? "Was that all? Did he stop coming after I left New York?"

"Well..." she hesitated, shaking her head. "There's more. He caused quite a scene outside my shop one day. He demanded to know if you had visited after you left, and when I said you hadn't, he became enraged and destroyed my flowers," she recounted, her voice filled with dismay as she described the unsettling incident that led to police's involvement. Multiple times.

Her words left me pale and shaken. It was like the atmosphere around us suddenly turned heavy, suffocating me.

"Zanya, the man I described... he's not the same man you're married to now, is he?" she asked, her concern evident.

I wasn't sure if Caelus had been truthful about how we met. Zavian once mentioned that I was seeing him behind his back, and Tadashi only filled me in on the events of when I stormed into my husband's office after we had been dating. The guy Elizabeth described, who had a violent streak, could have been the one who attacked me. Although Caelus suspected someone else, there was a possibility he was shifting the blame onto them. It all seemed to circle back to Caelus for answers.

Yet, against my better judgment, I found myself saying, "Nope, that's not the man I'm married to."

Denial.