Part 8 Vivid Blur and Hazy Truths
She was here, within reach, up in the air where there was no escaping now. Lex could think of no other thing except for that. He pushed on the button beside his seat to call for his private flight attendant.
"Anything you need, sir?"
Lex shook his head. "How is Mrs Luthor? Is she settled comfortably?"
The young woman nodded with a smile, delighted that a man such as Lex Luthor would be so concerned over his brother's widow. "Mrs Luthor fell asleep immediately after take off, sir. She's a bit restless but it's understandable considering her stress."
"If there's any problem, come to me immediately. She is to be given all the care possible."
"Of course sir."
Lex waited until she vanished back into the cabin before turning on the video phone. He did not enjoy seeing his father. He was especially unwilling to speak with him after finding out that Chloe was alive. This was matter he could only take up with Lucas though, and he had promised to apprise his father on all the details of his trip though.
To his surprise, the moment he turned on the phone, the screen showed his father's line connecting to his. Lionel Luthor's smug face appeared. "Son! You've arrived?"
"We're in the sky, dad, almost halfway back to Manila."
"And have you fetched Lucas' wife?"
Lex paused for a moment, trying to read his father's face. "She's resting."
"And how is Chloe Sullivan, son? Is she as lovely as she had been when I last met her?"
Lex's hand gripped the arm of his seat. Suddenly, his entire vision blacked out except for the glowing screen that bore his father's face. He could hear his heart thundering loudly in his ears. "You know," he pronounced slowly. "You knew. You've always known."
"Lex, Lex," Lionel repeated in his patronizing tone, "did you think either of my sons will become involved with anyone, least of all get married, without my knowing every single detail? I'm disappointed."
"Why? Why did you let Lucas marry her? You were so opposed to the two of us together."
"Lex! I have never objected to you and Chloe. I was the reason you were together in the first place."
"Don't twist this thing around, dad. When you found out I was happy, you had to ruin it."
"I was not the one with such a temper, Lex. I never get mad enough to push my fiancé down a flight of stairs."
"I did not push her!" Lex bit out. "She stumbled and I was too far to catch her. And I will forever regret that, father. Don't ever tell me I pushed her."
"You killed my first grandchild. It's a pity that this next one is a bastard."
Lex shook his head in disbelief. "You're not going to do this to them, father. I won't let you cheat them of what's rightfully theirs. If Lucas is gone, she has a right to all his inheritance."
"I allowed Lucas to have his dream life, Lex," Lionel told his eldest. "This was what he had been dreaming of. But I was not stupid enough to let him throw away our fortune on a hussy who transferred from brother to brother. What do you think I am? The marriage wasn't valid, Lex. If she was using her real name, you would have tracked her down the moment the ink dried on the contract."
Without responding, Lex turned off the phone and pushed it aside. He thought about all the information he had learned. Chloe was not Lucas' wife. His heart filled with a new hope, but recoiled at the knowledge that while his family was responsible for the loss of their baby, she was now carrying his brother's. Did he have it in him to accept another man's child? He had no doubt he was as in love with her, if not more so, than he had been before that night. He recognized that he was far from noble though. Was he ever going to accept that for the next several months, she would be fulfilling for Lucas what she never did for him?
He looked up at the sound of the door opening. Thinking it was the attendant again, he opened his mouth to asked for some wine. A blonde head peeked in and Lex's breath caught at the sight of red-rimmed eyes and blotchy skin. "Hey," she greeted in a rough, sleepy voice.
"How are you feeling?"
Chloe walked towards him and settled on the seat beside his. She gazed at her entwined fingers in rapt fascination. "I'm. I'm going to be all right," she answered. Green eyes rose to meet his and he could read the apprehension in them.
"Chloe, you can tell me what's wrong?"
She bit her bottom lip uncertainly, an action he had not seen for years. Hesitantly at first, he reached out his hand and enveloped hers. Chloe swallowed at the sight she had seen only minutes before. "Lex, I think I dream about you."
A long pause. Then, "What?"
"I dream. I've told Lucas about it. I dream of someone but I know it's not Lucas. I dream of a faceless man. I think it's you."
"Why would you dream about me?" he asked, eager to hear more but unwilling to push her.
"I don't know," she replied helplessly. "Do you have any idea why?"
"No," he answered finally. "What did Lucas say?"
"Lucas lied."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because he told me he didn't have a brother." Chloe looked out of the window and down at the feathered clouds below them. It was difficult to imagine that at this exact spot, so close to the airport now, Lucas's plane got lost together with so many truths only he could provide. Without looking back at Lex, she said, "I wanted to forget the pain. Lucas helped me do that. That's what I remember from my dream."
"With what, Chloe? What did Lucas do?"
She shook her head. "I don't know."
"Where was I?"
She turned her head to look at him. Chloe cupped his cheek with her hand. "That's the thing I don't understand. Always, you were happiness. What was so bad I had to forget?"
And for once, despite all his contention to his father that he did nothing wrong, he couldn't bring himself to admit his part on that night. "Funny how dreams can create the wildest things."
Chloe nodded and looked out the window again. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and then closed her eyes. "Please, Lucas. Please be alive. I don't want to be alone."
Lex rose from his seat and walked briskly towards the bathroom. He slammed the door close behind him and rested his hands on the sink, breathing raggedly to calm himself. His eyes met reflected ones on the mirror and he stared for the longest time.
Lionel had started all of this. He himself had believed in her so weakly that he felt betrayed and lashed out without listening to her. Lucas had taken advantage of his father's deed and Lex's stupidity to take what was never his.
Damn all Luthor men to hell.
She was here, within reach, up in the air where there was no escaping now. Lex could think of no other thing except for that. He pushed on the button beside his seat to call for his private flight attendant.
"Anything you need, sir?"
Lex shook his head. "How is Mrs Luthor? Is she settled comfortably?"
The young woman nodded with a smile, delighted that a man such as Lex Luthor would be so concerned over his brother's widow. "Mrs Luthor fell asleep immediately after take off, sir. She's a bit restless but it's understandable considering her stress."
"If there's any problem, come to me immediately. She is to be given all the care possible."
"Of course sir."
Lex waited until she vanished back into the cabin before turning on the video phone. He did not enjoy seeing his father. He was especially unwilling to speak with him after finding out that Chloe was alive. This was matter he could only take up with Lucas though, and he had promised to apprise his father on all the details of his trip though.
To his surprise, the moment he turned on the phone, the screen showed his father's line connecting to his. Lionel Luthor's smug face appeared. "Son! You've arrived?"
"We're in the sky, dad, almost halfway back to Manila."
"And have you fetched Lucas' wife?"
Lex paused for a moment, trying to read his father's face. "She's resting."
"And how is Chloe Sullivan, son? Is she as lovely as she had been when I last met her?"
Lex's hand gripped the arm of his seat. Suddenly, his entire vision blacked out except for the glowing screen that bore his father's face. He could hear his heart thundering loudly in his ears. "You know," he pronounced slowly. "You knew. You've always known."
"Lex, Lex," Lionel repeated in his patronizing tone, "did you think either of my sons will become involved with anyone, least of all get married, without my knowing every single detail? I'm disappointed."
"Why? Why did you let Lucas marry her? You were so opposed to the two of us together."
"Lex! I have never objected to you and Chloe. I was the reason you were together in the first place."
"Don't twist this thing around, dad. When you found out I was happy, you had to ruin it."
"I was not the one with such a temper, Lex. I never get mad enough to push my fiancé down a flight of stairs."
"I did not push her!" Lex bit out. "She stumbled and I was too far to catch her. And I will forever regret that, father. Don't ever tell me I pushed her."
"You killed my first grandchild. It's a pity that this next one is a bastard."
Lex shook his head in disbelief. "You're not going to do this to them, father. I won't let you cheat them of what's rightfully theirs. If Lucas is gone, she has a right to all his inheritance."
"I allowed Lucas to have his dream life, Lex," Lionel told his eldest. "This was what he had been dreaming of. But I was not stupid enough to let him throw away our fortune on a hussy who transferred from brother to brother. What do you think I am? The marriage wasn't valid, Lex. If she was using her real name, you would have tracked her down the moment the ink dried on the contract."
Without responding, Lex turned off the phone and pushed it aside. He thought about all the information he had learned. Chloe was not Lucas' wife. His heart filled with a new hope, but recoiled at the knowledge that while his family was responsible for the loss of their baby, she was now carrying his brother's. Did he have it in him to accept another man's child? He had no doubt he was as in love with her, if not more so, than he had been before that night. He recognized that he was far from noble though. Was he ever going to accept that for the next several months, she would be fulfilling for Lucas what she never did for him?
He looked up at the sound of the door opening. Thinking it was the attendant again, he opened his mouth to asked for some wine. A blonde head peeked in and Lex's breath caught at the sight of red-rimmed eyes and blotchy skin. "Hey," she greeted in a rough, sleepy voice.
"How are you feeling?"
Chloe walked towards him and settled on the seat beside his. She gazed at her entwined fingers in rapt fascination. "I'm. I'm going to be all right," she answered. Green eyes rose to meet his and he could read the apprehension in them.
"Chloe, you can tell me what's wrong?"
She bit her bottom lip uncertainly, an action he had not seen for years. Hesitantly at first, he reached out his hand and enveloped hers. Chloe swallowed at the sight she had seen only minutes before. "Lex, I think I dream about you."
A long pause. Then, "What?"
"I dream. I've told Lucas about it. I dream of someone but I know it's not Lucas. I dream of a faceless man. I think it's you."
"Why would you dream about me?" he asked, eager to hear more but unwilling to push her.
"I don't know," she replied helplessly. "Do you have any idea why?"
"No," he answered finally. "What did Lucas say?"
"Lucas lied."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because he told me he didn't have a brother." Chloe looked out of the window and down at the feathered clouds below them. It was difficult to imagine that at this exact spot, so close to the airport now, Lucas's plane got lost together with so many truths only he could provide. Without looking back at Lex, she said, "I wanted to forget the pain. Lucas helped me do that. That's what I remember from my dream."
"With what, Chloe? What did Lucas do?"
She shook her head. "I don't know."
"Where was I?"
She turned her head to look at him. Chloe cupped his cheek with her hand. "That's the thing I don't understand. Always, you were happiness. What was so bad I had to forget?"
And for once, despite all his contention to his father that he did nothing wrong, he couldn't bring himself to admit his part on that night. "Funny how dreams can create the wildest things."
Chloe nodded and looked out the window again. She rested her forehead against the cool glass and then closed her eyes. "Please, Lucas. Please be alive. I don't want to be alone."
Lex rose from his seat and walked briskly towards the bathroom. He slammed the door close behind him and rested his hands on the sink, breathing raggedly to calm himself. His eyes met reflected ones on the mirror and he stared for the longest time.
Lionel had started all of this. He himself had believed in her so weakly that he felt betrayed and lashed out without listening to her. Lucas had taken advantage of his father's deed and Lex's stupidity to take what was never his.
Damn all Luthor men to hell.