A Love Long Forgotten

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“Hey,” Sheila said as she kissed Mike, who had just woken up. She supported her head with one hand while she used the other to scribble with her finger on Mike's chest under the sheet.

“Hey beautiful," Mike's eyes lit up with joy seeing Sheila.

They had just gotten married the previous week and had traveled to Paris for their honeymoon.

Mike took her hand and kissed it softly. You could tell he was happy and sure he had fallen in love with his soulmate.

Mike's stomach grumbled as he lay in bed with Sheila.

“I am so hungry," Mike said, holding his belly.

“I prepared breakfast, it's in the dining room," Sheila said softly.

"Mary, you are an angel,” he kissed her before rushing out of bed to the dining room.

He was met by a sweet aroma. On the table was a serving of Whole-Wheat Pancakes with Roasted Berries and Eggs Florentine with Smoky Mornay Sauce.

Mike was already salivating and couldn't wait to dig in.

He sat down and started eating.

Sheila came from behind and hugged him with her head on his shoulder. “Do you like it?" she whispered in his ear.

“It’s amazing. Did you do all this yourself?" he asked with his mouth full of food.

“Of course, anything for you, David," she whispered back.

Mike stopped mid-bite. “What?" he asked, still focused on the food, confused by what he thought he heard.

“Anything for you, David Mackenzie," she whispered again, still hugging him.

Mike immediately started choking on his food, he reached for the glass of water next to him. Sheila let go and walked to the chair opposite him on the other end of the table, sitting down with an eerie calmness.

She had an unchanging smile that now looked unsettling.

“Mary, who is David Mackenzie?" Mike asked, his voice shaking.

"You, of course," she giggled. “Or don't you remember?"

“I am really confused right now, babe," Mike stammered, his eyes red and face pale.

"So, you don't remember me," Sheila said, still smiling.

She leaned forward and locked eyes with him. Her smile faded, replaced with pure anger. Mike could feel the weight of her stare.

“Sheila Mendez," she said, her eyes welling up with tears.

"What?!" Mike’s mouth hung open as hearing the name felt like he was hit by a truck. He finally remembered.

Sheila Mendez. A woman he met eight years ago when he had nothing and was a con man. They had met at her grandma's restaurant, and from there, he had charmed her. When he found out that her grandmother had millions in savings, he concocted a plan and convinced the old lady to invest everything in his fake forex exchange firm. Sheila had loved and trusted him wholeheartedly or rather blindly, helping him without hesitation. Once he got the money, he disappeared.

Memories flooded back as Mike realized who Mary truly was. The name David Mackenzie was the fake identity he had used back then.

“But how? We've been together for three years," Mike said, dumbfounded. How had he not recognized that Mary was Sheila all along?

“It seems unreal, right?” Sheila said with a laugh that sent chills down his spine.

Her laugh quieted, and she looked at him seriously.

“When I met you again at that coffee shop, you were so nice and innocent, acting all clumsy when you spilled coffee on yourself. I almost didn’t believe it was you. But then, I saw the tattoo. The tattoo of my name you got to win me over. That’s when I knew. It was you. And I thought maybe it was fate, bringing us back together, you took everything from me and ruined my life."

Sheila paused, wiping the tears that began flowing from her eyes. Mike sat there, his heart beating fast, gasping as his lungs felt heavy and his face full of regret, guilt, and shame.

"My grandma had a heart attack and passed away when she found out all her savings were gone. You knew she was the only family I had. I was shattered. And just when I was beginning to recover, you came back."

Sheila’s voice broke as she sobbed, then laughed bitterly. “And the funniest part? You were perfect this time. You were kind, caring, everything I ever wanted in a partner.”

She scoffed. “You even introduced me to your family. They’re so sweet—no idea what kind of monster you are.”

“You took everything from us, and now here you are, a billionaire.”

Tears welled up in Mike’s eyes. “So all this time, you were just pretending?” he asked, his voice cracking.

Sheila laughed again, this time louder and more maniacally. “Did you think I could ever love you after what you did? I’ve hated you from the day you disappeared, and I’ve never stopped. I made a promise to myself that I’d make you suffer.”

She stood up and slowly walked towards the door, her laughter filling the room.

“I’ll be serving your divorce papers tomorrow morning,” she said, grinning. “And I’ll take everything I can.”

Mike sat there, his face in his hands, sobbing. He was now facing the consequences of his past.