If Only She Knew

21. The Missing Pieces

Present time, London...

She's the reason why I became a detective. Her killer was never caught." Ariana said.

That's what Jacob waited for.

So she really didn't remember, huh?

But he wasn't sure if he should make her remember.

Should he tell her? Should he rock her world?

It felt wrong that he was more aware of this than herself...
He didn't want to be the one to tell her, but he didn't want her learning from anyone else, either.

As he sat across from this blonde complicated woman, Jacob seriously started to think this was the moment he was born for...

This was the dilemma of his life...
This was it. His next actions would be critical.

Should he tell her the truth?

Oblivion, being lied to, not knowing the truth, he knew... It was painful, worse than any pain.

"Ariana, what was your relationship with your father like?" he asked as he looked down. He again regretted being the one to interrogate his own friend. Ariana blinked and drummed her fingernails on her other hand.

"He's the CEO of Johnson's Electronics so he's a busy rich man... Back in childhood he was there more for me and Aaron than mom. The company was still small and mom was working full time to build it while dad took care of us."

Jacob frowned curiously. "What do you mean? Your mother was working more than Mr. Johnson on building up the company? Sorry if it gets too personal."

"Yeah. My mother founded the company originally," Ariana said without wavering.

So that's how it was?

Jacob bit his lip and, from his tuxedo, produced some glasses.

He put them on and as he did Ariana could comment that he looked smarter like that. His green eyes shone through them.

"Ariana, there's something I feel you have to know," he said carefully, locking his eyes with her blue ones.

The blue of her eyes was growing colder, icier, but she somehow remained a warm presence.
She blinked. From his tone she could read nothing good was about to come out of his mouth.

"Ariana, your father is dead," he said, grave, glancing at the desk.

He trailed and observed her reaction before continuing.
She blinked her eyes rapidly and looked at him, her hands flat against the table as she stood up.

"W-what do you mean by that? What does that mean?" She looked incredulously at Jacob who broke the news and then at the glass wall behind, knowing behind it dozens of officers would be observing.

She knew what Jacob's words meant. She was an orphan.

It took several minutes and Jacob's reassurance as well as him showing her the news on his phone for the new information to sink in.

She felt almost paralyzed at first, shocked, terrified, and numb. No tears would make their way down her face and she almost had no feeling, but it was that sensation that bewildered her.

She sank in her seat and looked ahead of her as though she was empty. She used to be such a lively person, Jacob knew first hand.

What shocked him first hand now was still the fact that she didn't remember her father's death.

*

Two years earlier...

After the four victims have been saved, the question remained...