Edmund's POV
The presence of crowds surrounding us faded into the background. All I could think of was my wife, whose cheeks and ears were reddened by the harsh cold air, in the arms of another man! I did not care if he was my nephew or some stranger.
At that point, I wanted to rip him apart. The limbs that held her. The body that touched hers. I wanted to tear him into pieces but I knew it would not solve anything. If anything, she would fear me more when we had progressed so much. So I restrained myself. Terribly.
"Why don't you just worry about your own wife and son?" I snarled under my breath.
I needed to resolve this as soon as possible. Any delay would freeze her to death. And for the most part, I wondered why she was not fighting back. Why was she running away again?
"I do!" Alistair defended himself with stutters. "B-but I also worry about Maise."
"I don't understand why you are worried about MY wife, Alistair." I growled. If this prolonged, he would find out her memory loss.
"Because she's-"
"NOT your wife." I stopped him from even finishing the sentence. My eyes shut tight. I was restraining myself real bad from unleashing the rage within. It was already unbearable to see the woman I love talking to her ex, let alone being carried by another man.
"Weren't you escaping from him, babe?" He patted her thigh. In an instant, my jaws tightened and my fist clenched. It was too close to her bottom. But what hurts the most was the way he called her.
'Babe?' My heart shattered into a million pieces. Their body language felt natural and I envied how they seemed to complement each other. Even their relationship felt more loving and stronger than I had with hers. Who am I to compete with someone who knew her longer than my marriage?
My throat grew dry. I wanted to stop her from answering that question. What if I could not handle the truth and she walked out from my life forever? But I could not. She had her own voice.
"No?" She finally answered. There was a hint of confusion that I thought I misheard her. Apparently, so did Alistair.
He stood frozen momentarily but quickly regained his composure. His head, who had my dewdrop still on his shoulder, turned to face her. However, due to the awkward position, he had his head leaning towards her rear. It took all of me from committing murder that morning.
"No? What do you mean? Are you telling or asking?"
"I-I…"
"If you fear how he would respond you could just-"
She cleared her throat, shutting that bloody nephew of mine quiet. "I'm telling you."
"No, for real! You don't have to de-"
"Put me down. NOW."
Alistair cocked his head sideways as he carefully put her feet back on the ground. "You don't have to defend him. I can protect you."
The crowds murmured at the unfolding drama. Some even appeared to realise that they were supposed to head for work when the pedestrian countdown beeped loudly. Whereas I? I was feeling a great sense of happiness bloomed within, knowing she had subtly chosen me over her ex.
No doubt her answer was vague but still, she shut him down. And that was enough for me!
"I don't need your protection -"
"But you're wearing a hospital gown underneath that and your feet! Have you looked at yourself???" Alistair stared at her up and down in disbelief.
The people, too, whispered and pointed at her unreasonable footwear. But how did he know she was wearing a hospital gown underneath?
"I was only-"
"And you were running in fear."
"I did not!" Maisie stomped her feet down, looking slightly embarrassed when our eyes met.
"Then tell me why are you being hospitalised? Last time you were there too!"
The whispers of the crowd began to grow louder, talking to the strangers beside them as they speculated about my family affairs. I kneeled down, took off my shoes and realised how biting the cold air was as soon as my feet touched the cemented ground.
"Well, that's because… that's because…" She stuttered. It was then I knew I had to chime in.
"My wife's health is none of your business." I walked gingerly closer to her but still kept my distance in case she would start running again. I handed her my shoes and gave her my coat without a word.
"Yeah!"
How happy was I when she inched closer to me! The fact that she willingly did so right after she wore the coat and shoes meant everything to me!
"Babe. You can tell me the truth! I know you well -" Alistair closing the gap between them while trying to block me from her.
"Stop calling me that! I'm not your babe!!!"
People dispersed when the siren of a police car roared across the now busy junction. The sun, unaware of the earthly problem we had, had risen higher than it was, gracing the spots where its rays touched with warmth.
And the sun was not the only thing that brought warmth that day. Maisie defending herself from being called Alistair's babe made my already fretful day brighter.
Not even when I realised the police car was called in as a result of our commotion could dampen my day. Surprisingly, our mini argument had attracted too much attention that it caused a major traffic problem in the area.
"Move out of the way! Tsk! Go to work, you sillies!" The police officer grumbled loudly, waving his hand to the onlookers.
"Good morning, officer. My greatest apologies," I greeted as soon as I saw his figure.
"You should be! Dispatching so early in the morn-" the uniformed man suddenly stopped in his tracks. His eyes widened and immediately bowed. "I'm sorry, Mr. Bainbridge, Mr Sutcliffe. I didn't know it was you. I was only responding to a complaint."
"I understand. Thank you for your service," I dismissed him.
On the other hand, Alistair nodded his head to the officer. His hand was gripping Maisie from moving closer to me. He whispered god knows what but it piqued my curiosity when Maisie shook her head with a disgusted look.
"Sirs, I err…" the same man addressed us. I raised my eyebrows, wondering why he was still lingering.
"Since it's a formal complaint… errr… I have to know what the issues are at hand to write a report." The man fiddled with his thumb, head down.
"Ah… but of course." I took a deep breath, glancing at the pair of them bickering quietly. "My nephew, Mr Sutcliffe, was kidnapping my wife. I merely asked him to let her go."
The police eyes' widened. Maisie yelped. Alistair no longer stood next to her, trying to do some damage control. The few remaining people had their heads nodded in agreement.
"No! I was not kidnapping her! There is something weird happening here. I mean, look at her! What husband would let their wife who was hospitalised walk in this weather like that?"
Maisie did not react. Instead, her head only hung lower and her shoulders hunched more.
I let out a sigh. "Do you truly think I would let my wife walk out like this, Alistair? Hmm, Officer?"
"I don't know! There must be something horrifying at play for her to be out like this on her own will! She hates the cold!"
"And right now, you are the biggest contributor in that."
As we spat, the policeman pulled her aside, "Excuse me, Madam. May I have a word with you?"
"No, you're not!" Alistair pulled Maisie and prevented her from moving away.
"Be a grown up and let the man do his job, Alistair."
My words seemed to have struck a nerve. He let go of her hand and pushed me with his chest. "None of this would have happened if YOU had taken care of her better!"
"Why worry now when she's no longer yours?"
His pupils dilated and his mouth gaped. "You knew?"
"Why? Was it a secret?"
He poked my chest with his finger and then whispered between gritted teeth, "Then know this. You're just a stepping stone. The one she truly wants is me."
I ignored him completely. I did not respond nor did I react. Which seemed to frustrate him even more.
He took a step back and raised both of his hands. "Whatever. I'm done here. Let's go, Maise!"
He walked towards her and the policeman. His hand was waiting for her to hold onto his.
I was afraid of this moment. My heart raced and my breath held. I was not confident that she would choose me over him.
When she stood still, he asked, "You're not seriously thinking of following him back home, are you?"
Maisie looked at me hesitantly and then looked at the police officer, who now stood behind her like a true bodyguard.
"I think I'll follow my husband home."