She stares at me, "So you remember things now? Your memory is coming back?"
I drag my fingers through my hair; wince when I brush the bandage at my temple, but at least, the pain is bearable now. "When I don't make an effort, things seem to filter back into my consciousness."
"So, what else do you remember? Can you recollect why you made the deal with Aurora in the first place?"
"It doesn't work that way." I rub the back of my neck. "With every day that passes, my mind gets clearer. Then someone says something which triggers a thought, a layer shifts, and I recall another chain of events."
"So, she told you to distract Christian?" she prompts.
"Which is why I shot at him."
She stiffens, "You do realize that's not the same thing, right?"
"Isn’t it?"
She gapes at me. "How can you say that. She told me that she specifically asked you not to hurt Christian, but at the most pivotal moment, you told him the exact opposite."
"So?"
She blinks rapidly. "So, that makes you a liar. Not to mention, what you did was so wrong. You clearly came between them. It’s because of you that she returned to London."
"I'm sure that only made him realize how much he missed her. Bet he went after her."
She scowls at me.
"He did, didn't he? Poor bastard must have groveled in front of her and now they are together."
She flushes, "But they almost split up."
"Only, they didn’t," I point out.
"Are you taking credit for the fact that they are together today?" She stares at me.
"You have to admit that it’s only after my little push that he went after her?"
"Christian loves Aurora. He simply needed a little time to come to terms with it, and once he accepted it, he pursued her and brought her back."
"And all I did was hurry things along. If it weren’t for me, they might still not be together."
"You are delusional," she mutters. "Fact is, you lied to their faces."
"I was simply testing them. They should be grateful to me that I gave them a chance to assess their relationship beforehand. They emerged stronger for it."
"Still doesn’t change the fact that you lied. Also, you did threaten to harm her family unless she cooperated with you in spying on the Sovranos," she says in an accusing tone.
"So?"
"Jesus," she throws up her hands, "can’t you see how wrong your actions were?"
"Nope," I make a popping sound with my lips. "I did what was needed to survive."
"Why, though?" She peers up into my face, "Why did you do all this? Why did you need to get information on the Sovranos? Although, considering you're right here with them now, you don’t need anyone else spying on them. You can do it yourself."
"You have a point, " I concede, "but since I’m unable to go anywhere, it’s not the way I’d have chosen to get close to them."
"Why did you do it? Did someone compel you to get information on them? Is that why you threatened Aurora? Is that why you shot at Christian?"
I take in her earnest features, the flush on her cheeks, the way she folds her fingers together as if she’s urging me to say that whatever I did was not by choice. "I am not a good man, Sunshine. You do realize that, right?"