"Not to worry, ma'am," the server said to her and waved someone over to pick up the broken glass. "Would you like another?"
Adriana grabbed a champagne glass off of his tray without speaking and walked away numbly. She practically collapsed onto a white couch on the deck and nearly fell onto the woman sitting next to her in a bikini. She then lifted the glass and swallowed the drink all at once.
"Hey," the woman, with long straight auburn hair and a red bikini said to her. "I've seen you...who are you? Someone famous? Sorry..I can't remember your name."
"I'm..." Adriana said, her voice still shaky from the shock. "Married to..."
"She's married to Bruce Wayne," a man next to her, Adriana knew that it was her boyfriend, answered.
"Oh, riiiiiight," the woman said and looked down at Adriana's wedding ring. "Wow."
The couple then began to carry on a conversation with her, and Adriana did her best to pay attention. She was actually grateful for the distraction. Thinking about what she had just learned was too much. She literally felt like she would faint every time she replayed Bruce's memory. The man and woman beside her seemed to be in awe of her and asked her many questions. They were nice enough people.
"There you are," she heard Bruce say behind her. Bruce extended a hand to Adriana and she took it to stand up.
"Bruce Wayne," the man she had been talking to said after she stood up. "Honored. Max Eastbrook."
Bruce and Max chatted for a while and Adriana stared out into the dark water. She felt like her body was on autopilot.
"Are you ready to go?" Bruce asked her when he was done chatting.
"Go?" she asked, staying out of his thoughts. She couldn't take it. "We're...in the middle of the ocean."
"I let Govender know we planned to leave earlier than when they are planning to dock," Bruce explained. "There's a smaller boat here for us."
"Oh.." she said. "Yea...yeah let's go."
The ride on the smaller boat was much bumpier than the ride on the yacht. The small boat sped through the water, swaying heavily. Adriana leaned over the edge of the boat and hurled into the water. Bruce grabbed a towel for her once she sat down.
"I didn't know you got seasick," he said.
"Neither did I," she said weakly.
Once they were on the plane and it had taken off, Bruce turned to her.
"Adriana," he said. She was staring straight ahead into space as if she had just seen a ghost. "Adriana?"
He reached over and touched her arm after she didn't respond and she practically lept out of her skin.
"Sorry!" he apologized. "I didn't mean to startle you..."
"Wha-" she asked breathlessly, barely able to speak.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
She looked at him, completely speechless.
"Did I do something?" he asked, trying to get her to talk. He could sense tension, distance, and the silence was becoming too much.
"Huh?" she breathed and realized she was gripping the arm rests on her seat.
"You're...glaring at me," he said. "If I did something wrong, you can tell me...you're angry."
She started shaking her head, her eyes locked on his. She didn't even realize she was glaring. She felt the tense muscles in her face and immediately consciously relaxed them all.
"Adriana," he was now looking beyond confused. "What's wrong?"
She then stood up and walked to the back room in the plane. There was a large bed and a small closet in the room. She shut the door and laid on the bed in fetal position. She was shocked at how little she was able to say or think. She curled up and closed her eyes, as a tear that she didn't even realize had collected fell down her cheek.
The sound of the door opening made her body tense up. She was facing the wall, her back to Bruce who was standing in the doorway. She felt the mattress moving under his weight as he got onto the bed behind her. He touched her shoulder as gently as he possible could, laying on his side next to her.
"You're crying," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't see her face at all but somehow he knew. "Please...tell me why."
She wiped her eyes and kept staring at the wall. Her first thought was to confront him, but somehow she knew that wasn't the smartest first move. She needed to handle this carefully.
"Bruce..." she murmured and rolled over to face him. "I want to ask you something...really important."
"Anything," he said. "Ask me."
"I need you to swear.." she said and grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand. It wasn't an aggressive grab, but a cling of desperation. "Swear to tell me the truth. Tell me everything..."
"Adriana, I swear," he told her and clasped her hand, trying to comfort her. "Everything about what?"
"The Joker," she said, her voice quiet but strained. "Do you know what happened to him?"
"What?" he was visibly surprised that this was what had been bothering her. "Adriana-"
"Just answer me, please," she pleaded. "Please."
"I know that he will never hurt you again," Bruce said. "Because I am here to protect you. No matter what."
"Bruce..." she whispered. "You didn't answer my question."
"I know what happened to him," Bruce told her finally.
"What?" she asked, eager for him to share the truth. Honestly. Openness. No secrets.
"He died when he jumped from that bridge over a year ago," Bruce said. "And you have nothing to worry about."
Adriana bit her bottom lip as her hand dropped from gripping his shirt. She wanted to scream. Bruce didn't know she could read his mind now, but you was wondering how can it occur to him to buy? She would see the truth eventually. Perhaps it was shame over what he had done.
"Okay," she said. The calmness in her voice stunned her. "Okay then."
"Hey..." Bruce said and gave her a soft kiss on the lips. "No need to think about him ever again, Adriana."
"Okay," she repeated.
"Are you alright now?"
"Yes," she strained to say.
"Why are you crying and thinking about that all of a sudden?" he asked her.
"I..." she said thinking. " I guess I just got scared. I have a lot of flashbacks, memories.."
"It could help if you opened up to me a bit more."
"I know," she replied in such a way that he knew that she would not be saying any more.