Chapter 380 - 380: Clearing the Misunderstanding

"Then tell me everything… lying to me will just make things more complicated."

Elle's body stiffened and she froze on the spot after hearing that familiar voice. It came from Erick.

'Erick?! How long has he been standing there?' Elle thought to herself. 

She was at a loss for words. When she turned to Mr. Carter, he was already grinning from ear to ear, indicating that he already saw Erick even before he reached them.

Erick immediately grabbed her hand, facing Mr. Carter.

"Mr. Carter, I am sorry to interrupt the two of you, but can I borrow and take my wife for a moment? She and I need to have a heart to heart talk right now." Erick politely said to Mr. Carter.

Mr. Carter burst out laughing before waving his hands nonchalantly.

"Shooh! Shooh! Go ahead and take her. I think you have a lot of things to discuss." Mr. Carter replied with a wide grin on his face.

"Elle, remember what I have told you," he added, winking at her.

Elle just nodded at him. Her mind was still confused about what was happening. Just a while ago Erick pushed her away and so, she left him in the hospital.

But now, Erick was there standing before her, calling her his wife and asking her to have a heart to heart talk.

"Let's go?" Erick asked her. He was still holding her hand. His grip was tight enough so that Elle would not be able to flee just in case she wanted to escape from him.

Elle just nodded absentmindedly before she stood up. Erick gently tugged her arm as they got out of the Fast Food Chain.

Erick didn't bring his car so he had no choice but to ride another taxi. When the taxi stopped in front of them, Erick opened the car door at the back passenger seat, letting her enter the car first. Then he followed her, still holding her hand.

Erick told the driver their destination. He planned on bringing her to his place. Elle's heart was racing rapidly. She felt like there's no escaping now. She had to face Erick and explained everything to him.

The two of them were both silent during the entire journey. She couldn't look at Erick's face. She was afraid to see the hatred in his eyes.

'Is he still mad at me?' Elle pondered to herself.

Meanwhile, Erick was trying his best to control himself. He wanted to hug her, touch her and kiss her. He had been through a lot for these past few days. Despite everything that happened, he still missed her a lot.

'So unfair. I suffered too much. But she still managed to take advantage of me and kissed me without my knowledge. She only had the fun. What about me?' Erick lamented inwardly.

Erick's brows knitted into a frown as he pouted on his seat. He averted his gaze to the girl beside him who was unusually quiet. She didn't even glance at him.

'Still stubborn, Elle?'

Erick suddenly pulled her closer to him. Their closeness was making Elle become more nervous. Then after a while, she felt Erick slip his arm at her back before it settled on her waist.

Elle almost forgot to breathe when she felt his arm wrapping her tiny waist. Her breathing became uneven. She bit her lower lip while clenching her fists. She was fighting the urge to hug Erick.

After minutes of struggling and enduring, finally they reached Erick's place. Fortunately, Erick's parents were not yet home. The two of them still had their privacy.

Upon entering the house, Erick pulled Elle to his room. Elle didn't show any sign of resistance. She just let him pull her towards his room.

Bam!

Click!

Erick closed the door behind them and locked it afterward. Elle gulped nervously when she saw Erick's serious expression. His penetrating gaze was almost melting her.

"Now talk." Erick said firmly.

"You will never leave this room until you tell me everything. And I don't want to hear another lie from you."

'[email protected]! Why is he pressuring me like this? Did he learn the truth already?'

"Why are you doing these?" Elle asked him. She wanted to make sure and confirm her suspicion.

Erick squinted his eyes at her. 'Is she clueless? Why is it she is still asking me this? Isn't it obvious that I want to hear the truth from her?'

With his pressuring gaze, Erick stepped closer to her. Subconsciously, Elle took a step back away from Erick, giving each other enough distance. 

Every time Erick was taking a step forward, Elle was moving backward. She just stopped when her legs bumped into his bed.

Elle looked like a cornered sheep inside the lion's den. Though she had the reputation of the devilish assassin, she's a clawless and tamed Catseye in front of Erick.

'You don't have any plan to talk yet, huh?' Erick mumbled inwardly, lifting an eyebrow.

Erick finally closed the gaps between them, holding her waist and the back of her head. Without allowing Elle to protest, Erick brought his face closer to hers, brushing her lips into a gentle kiss.

For a moment, his warm lips felt reassuring then afterward, he deepened the kiss, seeking her lips hungrily. Pulling his head closer, Elle surrendered to the passion he always managed to arouse within her.

'Urgh! I miss him so much!' Elle didn't care anymore. This was what her heart's desire… she longed for this moment to be in his arms once again, kissing each other passionately.

The kiss lasted for several minutes, sucking the breath out of them. After that long hard kiss, they drew back to grasp some air.

His eyes scoured her face, lingered on the plump lips he had tasted. His eyes were sparkling with love and desire for her. It was the same with Elle.

Erick cupped her face and rested his forehead on hers.

"Please, stop hiding everything from me. I want to know the truth. Just tell me the truth, Elle. Explain to me. Or else I would really think and believe that you don't love me anymore." Erick said with his desperate and pleading voice.

"Am I not good enough for you? Because I am not rich, unlike James? Did I disappoint you that much because I failed to protect you two years ago? Why did you choose to be with him instead of me?"

"Is it because of my work? Did you hate it? Did you hate the fact that I am a detective… a great hindrance to your plan of avenging your family's death?"

Erick bombarded her with so many questions. Every word he threw at her was too deep and heavy. She could feel his pain… his helplessness. Erick's tears already flowed down his face.

"No, Erick! It is not like that." Elle promptly said, trying to correct his wrong assumption.

Elle raised her hands, caressing his face and wiping his tears.

"Even if I have so many identities. I only have one heart… and it belongs to you Erick. Only to you." Elle finally gave in, confessing her true feelings for him once again.

Erick could hear the sincerity in her voice. Those words washed away the uncertainties in his heart. It felt like the heavy burden weighing on his heart for the past few days had been lifted after he heard those words coming from her.

"The announcement you heard last Saturday was another lie. James and I are not in a romantic relationship. I just consider him as my friend, though I know James's feeling towards me is more than that."

Elle started explaining things to Erick. After a while, Elle sat down on his bed and Erick did the same thing. She had a lot of stories to tell… a lot of explaining things to do.

"What happened two years ago? Why did you just come back now?" Erick asked her. His attention was focused on her, anticipating her answer.

Elle sighed deeply and held his hands before speaking.

"I was badly injured. One of our brothers saved my life. His name was Lu. The person who shot me two years ago didn't use an ordinary bullet. That person used a specialized gun with a bio-weapon as its bullet."

Astonishment flickered through his eyes after hearing that. Elle was really in critical condition. Bio-weapon was no joke. It was already fortunate that Elle survived.

"Erick, I am sorry if I couldn't come back right away. I was in a coma for six month. They considered it a miracle when I woke up. Lu was also exposed to it and until now, his condition didn't improve. He was still in a coma." Elle felt saddened as she remembered Lu.

"James was the one who found us, floating in the middle of the sea near South Carolina's port. Lu managed to tell him about the toxin inside my body. The day after that incident, he brought me and Lu in the States to receive further treatment."

Erick didn't know what to feel right now. He was grateful that James saved Elle. But he was also mad that he hid this truth from him. James knew his relationship with Elle. Erick could tell that James intentionally kept this from him. He was aware that James also had feelings for Elle.

Erick immediately pulled her close in an embrace. 

"You were alive but he never told me. James took you away from me. I can't let him do that once again. I will make sure that no one will separate us from each other again." Erick solemnly swore to Elle as well as to himself.