"What-what exactly do you know, Caitlin?"

"Let me start with the fact that we never got married."

He looked at her with wide eyes, mouth agape as realization dawned on him that the very moment he dread of happening is unfolding right before him. This was it. He knew that eventually he'll have to face the consequences of his actions but he's too blinded by his so-called love to even care. Truth be told, he prayed that this painful truth wouldn't ever have to be known but he knew it would be foolish of him to hold on to that. But what can he say? Love can really drive someone crazy. Crazy enough to believe that he can make her fall in love with him although she always seemed to have set her heart for someone else, with or without memories.

"Caitlin... I-"

"Save it. I've been listening to your lies for three years and I think that's more than enough." She started to walk out of the room when he grabbed her arm and looked intently in her eyes.

"Just listen to me, please. Even for the last time. I know I don't have the right to ask you of anything but I want you to know that beyond those lies is a single truth. I love you, Cait. I love you too much that I couldn't imagine you having the life less than what you deserve."

She let out a humorless chuckle and spoke with so much mockery in her voice it almost made him flinch.

"Of course you know what I deserve. You and my dad, you never respected my humanity. You only saw me as something you can own, something you can manipulate. You claimed the right to rule over what's left of me because what? Because you wanted me to have the life you think I deserve? Is that it?"

"No, Caitlin it's more than that. I love you-"

"Love? How can you even call this love, Ronnie? All these years I've been struggling to convince myself that I married you for that very reason. But no matter what I do, I can't revive that feeling, that overwhelming emotion of being in love. Now I know why. Tell me Ronnie, I never loved you, did I?"

Her words sliced through him repeatedly, making him bleed until there's nothing left to give. Tears were shamelessly flowing down his face as the bitter taste of truth devoured his whole being.

"Caitlin, don't. I can't take this. Everything I did, I did it because I love you. The moment you had that accident, I can't help but blame myself for letting you go. I shouldn't have encouraged you to be with him in the first place. So when you survived and had lost your memories, I took that as an opportunity to make things right, to make sure I won't lose you again. But I'm so wrong, Caitlin. I'm a fool to believe that you can ever love me. I'm so sorry for everything. Just tell me what to do to make you forgive me. Anything, please."

He's down on his knees as he clutched her hand tightly, begging for forgiveness he knew he didn't deserve. She withdrew her hand and turned around, taking a few steps before saying,

"I don't know what can you possibly do to deserve my forgiveness. If you were in my situation, maybe you wouldn't want to see me everagain."

Those were the last words he heard from her as he watched how she walked away from him, from the confines of the lies he forcefully tied her with. There's no one to blame for his misery but himself and he has long accepted that fact. He climbed up the bed and revelled at the remaining scent of her. He tried to drown himself to the memories they shared together but his mind kept on coming back to the truth that they never once did it. In those three years, she has only graced him with a simple kiss on the lips, nothing more. You can manipulate anything but the heart, he thought bitterly. And he had to learn that the hard way.

As she drove away from the house she treated as her home for the last three years, she couldn't help but feel like she's leaving something that has been a vital part of her being. Something that she held on to when she had lost everything. It's one thing to let the people you trust the most define you with lies but having to find yourself all over again with nothing left of you, even your humanity, is another. She's trapped between the thrilling feel of freedom but at the same time, she couldn't deny the gnawing emptiness settling deep within her.

Pulling over outside her family's home, her eyes searched for something that could somehow wake her memories from its slumber. If there's someone who can help her find herself again, that would be no one else but her. She won't make the same mistake of relying on other people to bring herself back. But hasn't she tried that before? She has dug her way into her very being a lot of times before but she can't seem to trigger anything. Despite the pain brought by the truth she recently discovered, still it seemed that it's not enough to bring her memories only time she felt something is when he-

No. It can't be. She has just established to herself never to let anyone else in again, let alone someone who she suspected to be lying to her as well. She made her way inside the huge house and decided to settle to her old room, or what she assumed it to be. She tried to calm herself, seeking for the well-deserved rest she's been missing since her father passed away. She's way beyond weary but her methods seemed futile so she retired to the only option she thought that could help divert her attention away from all she's going through. She went to her father's office to review the papers their attorney had left her. She remembered the key and the combination to his personal vault and didn't waste anymore time and opened it. Inside is the last thing she thought of ever finding there. But she couldn't let herself be surprised anymore. A lot has happened and this should be one of the things that should keep her over the edge except that it didn't. If she was the same woman she is before the storm, then this should have tragically killed her again but she's not anymore. Still, it kept her thinking. Was this the answer she's been looking for? Would it be worth it to suddenly break her newly established rules? Because inside the vault is a file of papers, a box of little things she couldn't quite figure out what for, pictures of what she assumed to be where her memories lie, all neatly labeled with the words,

'Barry Allen'

"I never thought that the CEO had a daughter like this."

"I never knew he had a daughter. He's always been very secretive when it comes to personal matters."

"He's a strict man, business-minded. We all know he's not the type to talk about things like this especially inside this building."

"Enough about him, the man passed away for goodness' sake. His daughter is taking over now, we should be paying attention to her."

"I've heard she's a doctor, very smart but has never experienced handling a company as enormous as this."

"That could be a problem. But I'm sure the advisers will take care of it."

"But she's very young. Can she really handle the pressure that comes from managing this corporation?"

"If she's really her father's daughter I'm sure she can."

"She is alright. Actually a bit more than that. I heard she's giving Secretary Jones a more difficult time than her father did."

"Impossible! No one can be as harsh as Mr. Snow."

"Yeah, well except maybe for his own daughter."

"It runs in the family. Suits their surname Snow for being so cold-"

"Shh. Here she comes."

The main auditorium fell silent and the only remaining sound left to hear is the clicking of the heels coming from none other than the sole heir of Snow Corporation. Wearing a knee-length blood red dress with matching black stilettos, she looks like she's ready for the kill. Maybe because she is. She stood proudly before the podium, eyeing each and everyone of the employees with a stare that could bore into their very souls. She tapped on the microphone twice, before speaking with a tone that's unfamiliar even for her.

"Thank you all for coming here today. As everyone of you know, the late CEO has entrusted me with everything he's left behind including this company. Three months have passed since I first gave you the notice through Secretary Jones and it's only fitting for me to expect that each of you has already accomplished the task I specifically assigned. Starting today, Snow Corporation would be going through a drastic change from the most minimal transactions up to the biggest business negotiations so if you still have unfinished matters with regards to the previous activities of the company, make sure to have it carried out by the end of the day."

Several reactions filled up the auditorium, most of which are whispers of disapproval. Everyone seemed very reluctant of the change they're about to face and it didn't help that they don't have an ounce of trust for the woman standing in front of them.

"With all due respect, Ms. Snow-"

"It's Dr. Snow."

"Dr. Snow, I understand that you are now the rightful owner of this company but you just can't expect us to accomplish everything in just one day. We-"

"I can still remember clearly that I've given you all a three-month notice before this very day. And if you can't accomplish a very simple task before the deadline I gave then I don't think you're competent enough to meet the expectations of the new management. Feel free to send in your resignation letters if you can't handle the pressure brought by the change I'm about to implement. I held this meeting for the sole purpose of giving everyone a chance to assess whether you can still find a place under my administration. That would be all. Meeting is adjourned."

She made her departure the same way she arrived, with everyone's attention directed solely to her every move. Looking straight ahead, she made her way to the double doors of the main auditorium, her secretary following closely behind.

"What's my schedule after this?"

"There has been some changes with regards to your schedule for today ma'am. Since the meeting ended earlier than expected, you'll have a couple of hours vacant before your next appointment."

"Okay. Just notify me thirty minutes before that."

"Of course, Dr. Snow."

"Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change." -Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

She couldn't help but agree as her eyes darted to the framed quote along the hall to her office. It's only been three months since her life drastically changed, literally fell apart. Her father died and left her with not only a grieving heart but also a terrible truth that ripped a hole into her being. The marriage which she convinced herself to believe in for so long, turned out to be a part of the huge scheme devised by her own father and the man who claimed to have loved her. Not only that, she also found out that her suspicions toward her former employer were true. Everyone seemed to have contributed to making her feel so much misery and pain to the point where she almost stopped feeling. She wonders how she managed to get through all of it without losing her mind, without breaking down. Maybe it's because she wasn't the same person anymore, the one who still have some humanity left. Because if she did, she knows for sure she wouldn't be able to handle the pain. So forgive her if she chose to be someone incapable of feeling, of hurting, of caring for what other people might say. It's the only way she knows how not to lose herself completely. Was it too much for someone to sacrifice her humanity for the sake of her sanity? Maybe, or maybe not. But for the time being, she'll resolve to being like this.

Distant.

Withdrawn.

Aloof.

Cold.

She thinks whether her past self would actually end up being like this. After she has learned everything, she knew that she's someone capable of loving unconditionally. He made that possible. As much as she wants to lose herself with the idea of feeling the way she did before, she just can't. She wasn't that person anymore, she never was. She's still struggling to find herself in those three years but when she was forced to accept the truth she wanted for so long, she felt like she lost the identity she never had. And the hollowness is indescribable it's almost suffocating.

"Dr. Snow, it's almost time for your next appointment. You're expected to be at the executive lounge in thirty."

"I'll be there in a few."

"Just call me if you need anything ma'am."

As soon as her secretary left, she took the time to review the proposal for her upcoming appointment. She had to admit that taking over an enormous company such as this is not an easy task especially when it happened very suddenly. She only had three months to be mentally and physically prepared for this but instead of seeing this as a problem, she took this as a diversion from everything she had to endure recently. She has learned a lot but there are still a ton of knowledge to acquire in order to lead this company to the way she desired for it to take. It's a good thing that her intelligence is somehow above that of the average people have and studying about how the corporate world works would be simple for her. Besides, she had double majored in college and got her doctoral degree in just two years. So this is nothing but a piece of cake for someone like her.

Noticing that it's only a matter of minutes before her meeting, she decided to head for the executive lounge five minutes earlier than usual. Her secretary has already informed her that the client would not be able to meet her in person but has assigned someone to take his place. She would normally cancel the meeting whenever this happens for she doesn't like wasting her time talking to some proxy only for them to ask for a reschedule simply because they couldn't handle her presence for more than five minutes. She was about to retire back to her office when her secretary notified her that the client's representative has just arrived. As the door swung open, she was met by the person she's been avoiding for the last three months. With the smug look on his face and a proud smile lingering his features, she couldn't help but think that this is just one of his schemes. And if he thinks that this gesture would ever change her mind, he better be prepared to be disappointed because it won't.

"Dr. Caitlin Snow. I finally got a hold of you."

"Mr. Barry Allen. What brings you at my company? Knowing your establishment's background, I assume you're not here for a merger?"

"A merger would be a dream come true. But it's a little too early for that, don't you think? Besides I know you would never settle for a merger. You'd rather claim my company and tear it down until there's nothing left of it. Isn't that right, Dr. Snow?"

"You're a visionary, I like it. But if you're not here to hand over your company then what exactly are you here for? I'm afraid I don't have time for some catching up."

"Actually, I needed to make an investment."

"Ah, I see. Where would you specifically want to invest, Mr. Allen?"

"In you. I would want to invest in you, Dr. Snow."

END OF PART ELEVEN