Quote of the day : Love always prevail they say, even above lies.

    The smile on his face couldn't be wiped out by anything now, Greg was sure of that, he had everything he ever wanted. He opened the door to Ashley's apartment with a dance, yeah, he was that happy, he was finally going to do it. For over a week now he's being trying to plan it well, hiding it from Ashley and getting Chloe not to spill the beans, which was quite hard. He went straight into her room knowing she would definitely be dressing.

    He didn't find her in her room and for a little while he panicked not until he heard the water running in the bathroom.

     "Greg, is that you?" He heard her ask from the bathroom. He smiled at hearing her voice again, he thought of joining her in the bathroom, but he knew it would only delay them, and he was definitely not in need of a bath.

   "Yes, mi amor," he answered sitting on her bed.

  "Can you help me pick out a clothe?" Once he heard her ask this he got to his feet and went over to her closet. He started rummaging through it, trying to see what fits.

    "Do I pick out underwear too?" The stupid perversive side of him asked, damn, he couldn't stop himself from smirking.

     "Yes please," she answered, and was he elated? Oh yes he was.

  Greg decided he would pick out the underwear first. He started pulling out several drawers open trying to figure out which contained her underwear. He pulled out a particular drawer that seemed empty and he pushed it back in, only to pull it out again to be sure he saw right. And he still saw it lying there, alone in the drawer.

      He brought out the object that as been a part of his ordeals for a while now, he looked at it intensely. He could tell it was the same mask, the one that girl wore two years ago, but why will Ashley have it in her possession? It could end up been a totally different mask that she just possess for carnivals, but this mask was not different. It was the first of its kind he had seen, it was made with leather, and it had three holes, two for the eyes, and one for the nose. He was damn sure it was the same mask. It was a plain but devilish mask. 

   Greg stood up with the mask still in hand, several thoughts began to play on his mind. He thought about Ashley's auburn hair, her hazel eyes, and they were exactly like that of the girl. It has to be a coincidence he was sure, definitely it wasn't the same mask, yes it wasn't. Just because they have the same color of hair and eyes doesn't mean they are one and the same person, right? Moreover the girl had curls, Ashley doesn't have curls, yeah, it wasn't her.

   He kept on telling himself it wasn't her until he heard the bathroom door open, he turned swiftly to face her with conflicted emotions. Ashley dropped the towel that she was using to clean her hair immediately seeing him, her eyes was fixated on the mask in his hand. He watched as shock, fear, and guilt pass across her face. It couldn't be, could it? Her hair was falling in soft curls around her probably because it was still wet, then he remembered that night in Spain, he had noticed how the base of her hair were curled up. It had looked like she forced them into been straight. Fear and disbelief gripped him, he stepped towards her, but she stepped back.
 
    Realization began to set in that maybe it could be her. He moved towards her again, but this time she didn't move back, she had a look of resignation on her face, maybe she had given up. Getting to her front he placed the black mask on her face and gasped at what he was staring at. The resemblance was uncanny, the hair, the eyes, only a blind man would say he couldn't see it, but he refused to accept it. She couldn't be the one, that girl had died that night, Humphrey said so. It couldn't be his Ashley, no never, but then she did what shocked him.

       She fell unto her knees crying, saying, "I'm sorry."

    But she shouldn't be sorry, she had nothing to be sorry about, he wanted to tell her this, but he saw it on her face, she was the one. Everything shattered before his eyes, the mask fell out of his hand. Staring down at her crying form made Greg's heart clench. Tears stung his eyes as pain and anger washed through him, he looked at the woman at his feet feeling nothing but immense hatred for her.
 
      "You...it was you?" Greg stuttered out staring at her crying form on the floor.

        "I'm sorry Greg," she said sobbing.

     "You're sorry?"

     "I didn't mean to."

     "You didn't mean to?" He asked not quite believing his ears.

      "I swear to you it was an accident, Greg I'm sorry," she pleaded tears coating her voice. He stood there, still confused as hell. He found everything happening right now impossible and it had to be.

    "An accident?" He asked, he remembered the day so well. He had tried so much to forget that day, but now he couldn't.

    "I'm sor..."

     "Stop!" He yelled at her. "Just stop."

   Greg pulled at his tie, trying hard to make sense of what was happening, Ashley was indeed the girl from that night. He steadied his breathing and tried to analyze the situation with a clear mind. He shouldn't be surprised, should he? She was the daughter of Hunt Wells after all, the psychotic bastard. But it hurt, the fact that she was the one hurt so much.

      "Why?" He asked the question he had always wanted to know. He peered down at her and saw that her head was bent over, tears were spilling out of her eyes and for once he wasn't moved by it. "Why Ashley? Why?"

      "I didn't mean to," she said again irritating him. He bent towards her gripping her arms with his hand raising her to stand up. Her hazel eyes were filled with terror and guilt, now he knew why she always felt guilty. It wasn't because of her father, it was because of what she did.

      "Tell me, why? There has to be a reason. Why!" He yelled at her face again and all she did was cry harder. This only infuriated him the more, he shook her harder and yelled. "Just why Ashley? Why did you do it? WHY DID YOU KILL MY MOTHER? WHY!"

      "I'm sorry Greg, I'm sorry." He gripped her arms more tightly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, he couldn't believe her. "Greg, you...you're hurting me." She clutched at his hand and he proximately pulled it off as if burnt.

   Greg ran his hand through his hair, thinking of what just happened, he wished fervently that she wasn't the one, but she was. "All this while, you worked for me, even became my girlfriend, ohh now I see. Everything you did was because you felt guilty. Nora, my father, everything. You don't even love me as you claim, right?"

      "I do Greg, my whole being may be a lie. My personality itself may be a lie, but my love for you is true Greg. Believe me it is." Her voice sounded so genuine, but he knew otherwise now, she was a devil. She took a step closer to him making to touch him, but he stepped back avoiding her touch. He saw the look of hurt and pain fill up her tearful hazel eyes.

     "Stop, just stop." He raised a palm up as he said this. "Were you ever going to tell me this? Were you? No right, now I understand why your father said you've cost us both a lot." He chuckled lightly. Things were so crazy it almost felt like he was also going crazy.

       "You." He stared at her, pain washed through him again as he realized that he fell for her. For her pretense, he thought he had finally found that one girl. He was so damn wrong. "You disgust me."

     "Greg...I..."

    He walked out of her room not wanting to hear what she has to say anymore, and seeing her only made him want to hurt her, and he didn't want to. There was no way she could justify herself, she had shot his mother, and all this while pretended like she did nothing. She was definitely the devil's spurn. When he opened the front door he saw Chloe about to come in, she was definitely back to dress for the whole surprise thingy, what a waste of time and energy.

     "Greg, you are..." He ignored her and walked to his car, he was far too angry to talk to anyone.
    
   Seated in his car he discarded his stupid tie and turned on the engine. He drove crazily out of her street, he knew he could get into an accident but he didn't care, not anymore. He was far too angry and hurt to care about anything. He parked the car at a very serene spot and got out, he needed fresh air. He rested his back on his car and memories of that night played before his eyes.

   He remembered arguing with his father. He remembered how his father had stormed out of the house, then he remembered the gunshot he had heard while he was still busy getting angry in his room. He could still feel that same feeling of fear he had felt when he ran down the stairs to the sound, he still felt that feeling of dread he felt at seeing his mother on the floor in a pool of her own blood. Then he remembered her, the girl who had been standing over her, with a gun in hand. He could still remember the fear and terror that filled her eyes, he remembered how she had ran when he made an attempt to get her. He could still see those auburn wild curls bouncing behind her, he had felt nothing but hatred towards her, and now he felt nothing but that.

   He thought she was dead, then who was the girl Humphrey killed? He still found it hard to believe that all this while Ashley was the one, everything seemed to fall into place now. Her reason for wanting to resign, that guilty face that she always has, oh he had been a fool.

     He brought out the tiny box from his pocket that had been poking him for some time now, he looked at the box and thought of throwing it away but he stopped himself. He couldn't believe he had almost proposed to the devil herself, he had wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. What a stupid move. He shoved the box into his pocket again and got back into car.

    He drove home a little more gently but still very angry, he was angry at everything and everyone. Driving into his house he saw that beautiful lights were lit outside and he wanted to rip it all out. He stormed into the house to see his father, Nora, and Davis busy arranging food on the table. Oh yeah the party to celebrate his engagement to Ashley and Nora's birthday, what a joke.

   He stormed off into his room ignoring everyone present. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to speak to anyone and right now he just wanted to be left alone. He shrugged out of his suit once he was in his room, he brought out that stupid box with anger and threw it against the wall. He bent over his desk, thinking of her, her face, her voice, all this reminded him of that night. He knew he could never see her the same way again.

     "Greg, what happened?" He heard Davis voice ask from his back. "Did she reject your proposal."

      "How much I wish that was the case." He chuckled, this was very unbelievable, very. "It was her Davis, she was the one."

    "One, who?" Davis asked again.

     "Her, the girl who...the girl from that night." He said forcefully. A part of him still wished it was all a lie, he prayed fervently for it all to be a dream.

      "It can't be, Ashley wouldn't do that." He turned at the quiet and fearful voice to see Nora walk into his room with pain evident in her eyes, and he felt her pain also. Ashley had sparked hope in Nora, he knew it would be harder for her to cope with this.

     Damn her to the pit of hell!

    Chapter fifty.
Mary Aden.