Chapter 10

It was early evening when Stefan decided to visit Katherine.  He wanted to see 
her once more before returning to Wyndemere for the night.  Tomorrow at this 
time he thought to himself they would be in Greece.  Soon, he would be able to 
forget that the last year of their life had ever happened.  As he entered her 
room, he found Katherine sitting in a chair and just staring out of the hospital 
window.  Stefan walked over to his fiancé and leaned down to give her a kiss 
when she turned her head away.  He was startled by this act of rejection.  They 
had grown so close over the past week.  She had accepted his marriage proposal, 
and they had a new life together planned with their daughter.  Stefan put his 
hand under her chin and began to turn her face towards him as he asked, "Is 
something wrong Katherine?"

Quickly, she jerked her head out of his grasp.  She drew a deep breath and 
turned her head in order to look at him as she said, "Don't touch me."

Silence totally permeated the room as they both stared at each other.  The love 
that he had witnessed in Katherine's eyes for their daughter was replaced with 
only anger.  Stefan bent down in front of her.  He reached out to grasp her left 
hand that was resting on the side of her chair.  Before he could make contact, 
she moved her hand away in order to avoid his touch.  She acted as though he was 
a leper.  Then, she repeated her words once again but only louder, "Don't touch 
me!"

Stefan stood back up and then backed away.  Katherine moved her walker from the 
side of her chair to in front of herself.  Grasping the walker with her hands, 
Katherine pulled herself into an upright position.  At first, she seemed to 
falter as her legs began to give away.  Immediately, Stefan tried to offer 
assistance.  Then, Katherine regained control of her legs and spoke with her 
voice full of fury.  "Stay away from me.  Don't you come any closer." With great 
care, Katherine took one step at a time and slowly moved herself over to her 
bed.

As Katherine moved across her hospital room, the newspaper articles that had 
been in her lap fell to the floor.  Stefan knelt down to retrieve the articles.  
As he began to stand once again, he scanned the headlines.  The first one read, 
"Katherine Bell Shot on Spoon Island."  Flipping through the articles, he came 
across another headline that stated, "Katherine Bell Dismissed from Position at 
General Hospital." However, Stefan's heart almost stopped by the headline that 
disclosed his most awful secret, "Stefan Cassadine Arrested for the Murder of 
Katherine Bell."  As he looked up at Katherine, he was filled with panic.  "Who 
gave these to you?"  He demanded.  His hands shook and his heart was now racing 
as he held the newspaper articles.

In a sarcastic tone, Katherine returned his question with a question, "What does 
it matter?  Are you going to tell me that those articles are full of lies?"  
Stefan did not say a word.  He simply watched the emotions that were racing 
across Katherine's face:  anger, confusion, and betrayal.

Katherine gave a half-hearted laugh.  "I can't believe how naïve and gullible 
that I have been.  I have believed every single word that you have told me, and 
they were all lies.  You must really take me for some kind of fool… I only wish 
I did know who sent me those newspaper articles.  I would thank that person.  At 
least, someone had the decency to fill me in on my past."

"Let me explain," Stefan said as he stepped towards Katherine in order to reach 
out to her.

Immediately, Katherine began to back away from this stranger.  She startled 
herself when she realized that she had backed herself into her nightstand.  "I 
don't want to hear any of your explanations. Just stay away from me.  All you 
are going to do is lie to me again.  You have been feeding me lies since the day 
I awoke.  No wonder you were so insistent that we leave Port Charles as soon as 
possible.  You just wanted to keep me from learning the truth about our past 
together."

Stefan did not know how to respond to those accusations because they were true.  
However, he had not always lied to her, and he knew that he had to make 
Katherine realize that.  "When I have told you that I love you, I have only 
spoken the truth.  I do love you Katherine.  Please… please, believe me."  
Stefan's voice was filled with desperation.  He was so close to having her back 
that he refused to lose her again.

Katherine closed her eyes briefly as she gripped her hands more tightly onto her 
walker for support.  "I don't want to hear those words… It is merely a lie."

"It is not a lie.  It is the truth.  I love you Katherine." Stefan was 
determined to say those words until Katherine believed them once again.

"Stop saying that," Katherine screamed.  "I read those newspaper articles I now 
know the truth."

"Just let me explain," Stefan replied.  "I love you, and I know I can make you 
understand.  Please, give me a chance."

Katherine lost all control.  She couldn't stand to hear his voice for one more 
second.  His mere presence in her room angered and frightened her both at the 
same time.  She turned around to her nightstand and picked up the crystal vase 
of roses that Stefan had given to her on Valentine's Day.  The hatred that she 
felt towards this man gave Katherine a new found strength as she threw the vase 
of roses at Stefan.  

As the crystal vase crashed to the floor just short of its intended target, 
Katherine screamed once again, "Don't ever say that you love me again.  It is a 
lie, and I don't want to hear it." The sound of the crashing vase had instantly 
caused the guards to rush into the room.  Without taking his eyes off Katherine, 
Stefan ordered them to leave.

Katherine began to take off her diamond engagement ring.  For a split second, 
she looked at the ring, and then she threw it onto the pile of roses and broken 
crystal on the floor.  "Every time I asked you a question about our past you 
answered me with some vague or made-up answer.  Did you think that I was so 
brain damaged that I would never learn the truth?… Were you planning on just
rewriting history by telling me whatever you pleased?  It really is quite 
ironic.   You have been calling what happened to me at our engagement party as 
"an accident."  It was not an accident. What happened to me was a murder 
attempt.  You… you tried to murder me.  Now, get out of here… NOW!"

Bending down, Stefan picked out the diamond engagement ring from the thousands 
of pieces of broken crystal that now covered the hospital floor.  He placed the 
ring into his coat pocket along with the newspaper articles.  When he stood back 
up, he looked at Katherine who was staring at him with her face full of anger 
and disgust.  For the first time in his life, Stefan was at a loss for words.  
So, he simply turned and left the room.