THE HONOURABLE MAN

Episode 60

***

Bryce turns away so his back is facing his wife, he exhales deeply and thinks things through for a moment. After wearily running his fingers through his hair, he turns back to face his wife who is looking distressed and agitated. He tilts her chin up forcing her to look into his eyes. He comfortingly squeezes her arms.

"I know this is hard for you, I shouldn't make it any harder but I need you to talk to your sister right now and let her know that she has until tomorrow evening to get out of our house," he huskily utters.

She blinks her eyes, "I will go and talk to her," she curtly turns around and heads towards the door.

She pauses for a moment outside Courtney's door and anxiously rubs the back of her neck. After taking a deep breath she softly knocks on the door.

Courtney rolls her eyes and frowns, she is not interested in who ever is behind the door. She drags her feet to the door and swings it open. She icily smirks at the sight of her sister, she leaves the door open and walks back to her chair.

"So...did you find your money?" She asks.

"Of course I didn't...but I'm sure that's not the reason you are here," she rolls her eyes.

"You are right about that...Courtney...I don't know where to begin," she sighs.

Her sister notices her anxious and fretful expression and this makes her panic, she shifts uneasily and her eyes pop out of her head.

"You are scaring me...what's going on?" she mutters,

(I hope she is not kicking me out) she silently hopes.

"I spoke with Gareth," she blurts.

Courtney abruptly jumps from her seat and scowls viciously. Kiana flinches, she has never seen her sister this angry before.

"You did what? Tell me you are joking," she roars.

"I'm afraid not,"

A bewildered look spreads across Courtney's face as her heart starts throbbing and her stomach is in knots. She frantically worries about what her husband could have told her sister.

"Where did you even get his number and why would you go behind my back and speak to my husband...why Kia...what reason did you have to contact him?" She lashes.

The tension hangs in the air, Courtney's eyes burn with anger.

"You have been lying to me from the moment you got here...you left me no choice but to contact someone who could give me answers....like the real reason you came here?" She furrows her brows.

Courtney's heart skips a beat, "I told you why I came...Gareth is leaving me for another woman," she snarls.

"Oh cut the crap...Gareth told me everything...I know the whole truth now," she informs.

"You do?" She widens her eyes.

"You cheated on him and as if that wasn't bad enough you went on to try and get him killed. Why Courtney....how could you do that to your husband?" She utters with disappointment and bewilderment flashing in her eyes.

"I don't owe you any explanation little sister and I'm not going to allow you to judge me," she sullenly quirks her lips.

"I can't forget how his eyes sparkled with tears as he was telling me about how hurt he was when he found out it was you who wanted him dead.... I had to hold his hand to console him...It was really....,"

"Wait a minute..." Courtney cuts in, bewilderment fills her as it dwells on her that Kiana spoke with Gareth in person.

"Gareth is here?" She gapes with shock and disbelief.

Kiana hesitates to respond, she is pretty sure Gareth doesn't want her to know he is around and yet she has already hinted that he is in Alandro. She conceives that there is no point in denying the obvious.

"Yeah he arrived in Alandro today," she unwillingly admits.

"I can't believe this...he flew all the way from Roseland to meet you just to tell you that I tried to get him killed...what's his plan huh? Is he going to call the cops on me?" She panics and begins to pace around the room.

"No! I believe he is not that kind of a man..." she mumbles.

"Excuse me? You meet him for a few minutes and then you already know what kind of a man he is....let me tell you something...you don't know anything about Gareth Wilson." She spatters.

Kiana crosses her arms over her chest and raises one eyebrow, "Okay...so tell me what kind of a man is he?" she asks.

Upon hearing that Courtney's face falls, there is a mixture of regret and sadness in her expression. She pensively paces towards the chair and plops herself down.

"The truth is...Gareth is a good man, he was just too good that it annoyed the hell out of me. He never raised his voice at me, he always agreed to whatever I wanted. He would literally do anything to please me," she pauses.

Kiana takes a seat right next to her and listens attentively.

"A man shouldn't be that weak...a man like Gareth cannot survive in this cruel world," she mutters sharply.

"And so you thought to kill him and send him to heaven...is that it?" Kiana rolls her eyes.

"He would had been better off in another world," she says while thoughtfully staring into the distance.

"You are sick in the head," Kiana cusses.

She is disgusted and appalled by her sister's thoughts.

"Easy for you to say...you don't know what it's like to spend everyday with a man you don't love, the worst part was the cold intimacy," she frowns.

"You were not forced into the marriage, it wasn't an arranged marriage. You agreed to marry Gareth for your own selfish reasons. You know why you failed to love Gareth? Because you have never been capable of loving anyone other than yourself Courtney," she lashes.

Courtney claps her hands and glares at her young sister.

"And look who is talking....miss know it all...miss have it all...miss mom, dad and Maliah's favourite. You don't anything about me Kiana so do me a favor and shut your mouth," she glowers.

Kiana remains silent for a brief moment, she is not interested in spending hours arguing with her sister.

"After finding out what you are capable of, my husband and I can't trust you anymore and therefore we want you out of the house before tomorrow evening," she shuts her eyes as she blurts it out.