The Substitute Bride

Anthony stared into his empty hands as if he were hoping that, there, he could find the words he wanted to say. After a moment he said, "I fell in love with you that first moment that I saw you, but you were married to Charles, and carrying his child. It left me with no other choice but to bury my feelings for you deep in my heart where only I knew the truth."

Then, a rueful sigh escaped his lips, and he continued, "I had even planned to take myself on a long trip abroad after you gave birth to the babies. Thinking, maybe, if I don't see you, I won't constantly feel this heart wrenching pain I feel every time I see you and know that I can't have you; maybe, my feelings for you will disappear over time, and then I can truly move on and start anew."

Unfortunately, fate had other things in mind, and his plans were interrupted by a disaster. Anthony looked up at Sheryl, his eyes reflecting his anguish. He had never told anyone before about the struggles he had been facing back then. But today, he wanted to let her know all of the things he had endured, and every trial he had to deal with on his own.

"But I didn't expect you to be as determined as you were with taking the medicine. It allowed me to grasp at a glimmer of hope in the back of my mind. How could I leave you alone? So I..."

"So, finding out that I had lost my memory, you manipulated the situation, you lied to me, and told me you were my boyfriend? Does that sound a bit right?" demanded Sheryl with an emotionless nod. She could understand what Anthony had done, but she could not, by any stretch of the imagination, comprehend, nor stand the fact that he had framed Charles just so that he could be with her. What kind of person could do that?

"Yes," Anthony replied in a tone not much louder than a whisper. She could clearly see traces of shame and embarrassment strewed across his face. "Listen, honestly, I was hit with an insurmountable exhilaration when I learned that you had amnesia. Then, when I told you that I was your boyfriend, I did it almost without hesitation or thinking. I was being impulsive because I knew how I'd always wanted the opportunity with you, but was unable to pursue it because your heart belonged to another. I simply could not see my chance to finally do so, and let it... let you just pass me by."

Then he thought to himself, 'Now that I've told Sheryl this, there is no need for me to hide anything else.' He slowly took in a long, deep, centering breath and decided to come clean about the other bad things he had done privately. "I went above and beyond, doing everything in my power, to make sure that no one was able to find your whereabouts. Despite my best efforts, Andy started asking questio

"Anthony, that's enough. Just stop." Sheryl did not feel any anger, sadness, or regret at this point. She calmly looked at Anthony and said, "I agreed to see you today because I thought we needed to be able to formally say goodbye. You know, get some closure. You're right though. You did take care of me and Shirley for three years. I have been grateful for your thoughtfulness to Shirley and me all this time."

Looking into his eyes, she continued earnestly, "However, in the end, gratitude is not love. I tried, for three years, to make myself fall in love with you, but I failed. I never felt any kind of romantic connection to you. At least now I know the reason."

With a heavy sigh, she added, "It's going to be hard for us to even remain friends, so I think it would be best if we do not keep in touch."

Anthony was stunned and taken aback by what Sheryl had said. After a moment's silence, he forced a smile and asked, "So... tell me please... even though I've been with you for three years, I'm still not as good as Charles?"

"Anthony, you don't have to compare yourself with Charles. You two are totally different people." Sheryl grimaced at his words. She could not understand why, for the life of her, Anthony had to drag Charles into everything between them. "I'm sure you'll meet the right person for you. I'm just not it. I wish you well."

With that, Sheryl broke free from Anthony's grip. Still, Anthony was reluctant to give up, but Sheryl had had enough of this. When Anthony grabbed her hand again, Sheryl immediately pulled away from him.

She looked at him indifferently and questioned, "Anthony, there are several things that I didn't mention, but that doesn't mean that I don't know. One last thing... By the way, have you ever thought of Sue when you are wrapped up with me?"