Chapter 3
990 Words
Purple
I froze, my gaze stared at him—the man I met at the airport.
What was he doing here??
Is he following me?? My eyebrow jerked up.
“You—”
“Yes, me.” I snapped. “I get you helped me, but why are you stalking me, huh?”
“I—”
“And don't you dare say you were not.”
It made sense; he was just among a gang, probably noticed this was my first time in Paris, now they are trying to con me.
Stalking me? What's next? Accidentally ending up in the same restaurant, same room?
“I assure you, I am not stalking you. I—”
I opened my mouth to talk, but stopped when he pulled out a card.
A membership card stating he was indeed a known member of his hotel.
Everyone gaped at us, awaiting some twist or drama, but none came.
It wasn't needed.
“I didn't mean to, I just—”
“I understand. I would have been freaked out too.”
“Really?”
“Nope, but that made you feel a lot better.” I let the corner of my lips tip up in a little smile.
“Ma, your order.”
I drew my attention to my food, took it and hurried back to my room. I had done a good job making a fool of myself.
Unfortunately, I didn't care; all I could think of was my food and the strange, hot man.
Unlike the shirt and black jeans he wore at the airport, he wore casual brown joggers that made him breathtakingly handsome.
Judging from how moist his hair was, I bet my whole savings he was fresh out of the bath.
The realization made me giggle, and I stopped mid-thought, suddenly wondering why I was thinking about him.
“Snap out,” I scolded myself before digging into the food that sat upfront.
“This is so good.” I munched, savoring the sweet taste.
My phone rang. I pulled my face to the caller.
Unknown number?? “Who was this?” I slid the answer button and slapped the phone to my ears.
“Sweetheart.” My pulse thudded against my ears. I went rigid at the voice. “Sweetheart, where are you??” Memories I buried erupted. The food suddenly tasted like sandpaper; I forced it down, letting the sour feeling burn my tongue. “Baby,” Leon's voice came out more like a plea. “I am scared, I am worried.”
Worried?? Scared??
It was 1 am! I had been gone for two days, yet he never texted or called, and now he is faking concern.
A bitter laugh clogged my throat.
The image of him pondering over a strange woman flashed through my mind. Their erotic moans echoed in my ears. Every word, every second of it—it stabbed my heart slowly and in excruciating pain.
Five years of love, happiness, of fake concern, of his pretentious act. It's like I had been living in an illusion, one which shattered the moment I awoke.
“Baby!” Anger edged his tone. I finally hear it now. I could feel it. He wasn't worried, definitely not about me; he was worried that I was slipping away, that maybe I was wrapped in another man's arms, just like him. He thought I had gone to cheat.
That bastard!
“Baby, are you okay??” He paused, then asked, his voice quieter. “Did something happen?? Did you do something bad?? Talk to me?!” Tears slid down my cheeks. “Whatever happens, I forgive you. Come back, we will talk. Sweetheart, are you there? Where are you? I will come and pick you up.”
I badly wanted to call him out, to scream out the pent-up rage, to unleash the hurt, yet I couldn't. His every word sent a new kind of pain through my flesh. I bit back the cry. Every word he spoke shattered the little hope I had, the little part of me that was willing to overlook everything and crawl back to him, the part that was ready to act like nothing had happened, like I wasn't bleeding and go back. He killed that part of me.
It hurts! It hurts.
“Baby!!! Talk!”
“Leon,” I spoke softly, afraid my voice might break if I went any higher. “Let's break up.” The line went dead silent, and before he spoke, I hung up, switched my phone off, and fell onto the bed.
I won't cry!
I won't cry!
“I.. won't!” I sobbed, my hands gripped my chest like it would stop the ache, like it would magically mend the broken pieces of my heart.
It didn't.
I buried my face in the pillow, my other hand clenched it.
He didn't deserve it; he didn't deserve a tear, but I couldn't help it.
I broke down.
A loud scream left my lips, and was muffled by the pillow. The memories I once held close, the memories of Leon and me, five years of everything: our silly moments, our picnic, the movie theatre.
Every moment flooded back, fueling the ache that tore through my chest.
I screamed harder.
Blaming, hating, and questioning myself.
Was I the one at fault??
Did I make a mistake?
What on earth did I do to deserve this?!
It hurts! It hurts so much.
Please…make it stop! Please.
I bit down on the tear-soaked pillow. My heart heaved. I lay there limp, weak, and pained.
More tears flew down my cheeks. I felt too numb to scream and too weak to cry.
So I lay there awaiting the darkness, and it came, wrapping me in its gentle embrace before it pulled me back to nothingness, where pains were just illusion and nothing…nothing at all mattered.
I dozed off.
- Writer
