Made A Fool With Love
1736 Words
Brittany’s POV
At night, I stared at the ceiling before tossing and turning, trying to find my sleep, but I couldn't. Every time I closed my eyes, the stage would flash in my mind again, the screen, my name, Nicole White, dragged out from the past I had once buried. And then that mysterious man, I didn’t understand what he meant by coming to find me.
By morning, I decided to go through my phone, which was a big mistake.
As I scrolled through the internet, I saw the news that broke me, I was sure there would be reports but not so soon. I chewed my finger nail with anxiety as I read through the headlines.
“Former researcher exposed in another medical scandal.” I read, my eyes scanning through the big red write up, clear and steady. “Nicole White resurfaces under false identity, Unstable scientist disrupts cancer breakthrough event.”
My fingers trembled slightly as I continued scrolling.
The headlines were one thing, the comments were even worse. With shaky hands, I opened it, there were numerous write ups, comments and even other articles about me, in less than twenty four hours.
Thousands of them.
>She should be in prison.
>People like her shouldn’t be allowed near patients.
>Didn’t she kill someone already?
I locked the screen, unable to read further. Tears slipped down my cheeks uncontrollably. The world was against me, just like it was three years ago, and maybe they were right.
I forced myself up and went to work. I needed to know what my fate held.
The security guard at the entrance barely looked at me when I walked in.
Inside, the lab was exactly the same as always, busy and loud.
“Dr. Hart.”
I stopped.
Vivian stood a few steps away, holding her tablet, her expression looked calm and distant.
“Come with me,” she instructed.
I followed her to her office. She walked in first, and I stepped in after her, closing the door behind me.
She didn’t offer me a seat, and I didn’t ask for one.
“We’ve reviewed yesterday’s incident,” she began.
“It wasn’t an incident,” I said immediately. “You didn’t see the full data. The version he presented was incomplete. There are things you need to know, I can show you everything.”
“Alright go ahead.”
“I…It’s a long story but just give me time.” I fumbled for words.
“Time you say? Why?” She scanned me.
“Because Adrian stole it.” I tried explaining it to her.
Vivian didn’t react. She simply looked at me, as if she had already heard all of this before.
“You disrupted an official presentation,” she started, “You made unverified claims in front of investors and partners. You damaged the institute’s credibility.” She added
“What about how my past was brought up in front of everyone? You gave me your word yet you did this to me.” I looked her in the eyes, clenching my fist as I subdued my rage.
Vivian exhaled slowly, like she was losing patience.
“Dr. Hart, you’ve been withholding data from your team for weeks,” she retorted. “You refused to submit your complete findings, and now you’re claiming that everyone else wronged you.”
I stared at her. “So that’s it? You’re just going to ignore everything I’m telling you?”
“I’m saying your behavior has made it impossible to continue working with you, I mean, it’s your words against theirs” she muttered in a more serious tone.
Something in my chest tightened.
“What do you mean?”
“You are no longer part of this institute,” she said plainly. “With immediate effect, you have been dismissed from your position.” For a second, I didn’t understand what she meant but I wasn’t shocked, it was the academic scandal once more.
“Fired?” I repeated just to make sure.
“Your access has already been revoked,” she emphasized. “Your credentials are no longer valid. Any pending payments have been suspended pending internal review.”
My breath caught.
“Wha..about my salary?” My mind was already in turmoil. “I really ne..need that. My mother is in the hospital. Her treatment depends on…” she didn’t let me finish.
“This is not a personal matter,” Vivian responded coldly. “The institute is not responsible for your financial obligations.” She stated sharply.
“So you’re just going to throw me out like this?” I laughed hysterically. “After everything I’ve done here? After how much work I put in?”
“You violated protocol and compromised the institute’s reputation,” she looked at me with no warmth. “That is more than enough reason.”
“And the blacklist?” I asked quietly.
She didn’t hesitate.
“Your profile has been flagged for industry review,” she added, her expression cold “Other institutions will be notified.” She didn’t look up at me, her hands laid on the files in front of her.
That was it. Blacklisted. No job. No income. No future in this field.
Vivian’s expression didn’t change.
“I suggest you make alternative arrangements,” she commented.
Leaving her office in disdain, I turned the corner into the main corridor and stopped.
Adrian was standing there. Like he had been waiting for me, hands in the pocket of his shimmering white coat.
He was neatly dressed in a dark tailored suit under the coat that fit him too perfectly to look casual, a few strands of his dark hair were slightly scattered, falling loosely across his forehead.
“What did I ever do to you? How could you?” I whispered, his eyes held my gaze, a smirk on the side of his lip, no sign, not even a subtle sign of remorse “I trusted you, trusted with everything, my life, my love, my secrets, my da…”
“Don’t go yelling at me, Nicole” he stopped me in my tracks “I’ve been putting up with your attitude since you stepped into this institute” he said, leaning closer to my ear “And I’m tired of you”
“But you said you loved me..yo..you saw my mother, you told me we would visit your family” my heart wrenched at the thought of it, I let him see right through me, Everytime.
“That was before I confirmed your..status” he replied “Love is fickle Nicole, it won’t get you anywhere” he said, suddenly that perfect face of his looked more like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I swallowed hard, sniffling, trying to stop his citrusy scent from getting into my airways. It disgusted me now, “So was any of it ever real?” I asked softly.
The smile on his face faded and it was replaced by a low gaze “Only for the time you found the cure” and then he let out a soft chuckle.
He tilted his head slightly. “You had the data,” he said. “You chose not to release it, we could’ve been the ones on that stage but you refused” he stated.
“Because it wasn’t safe,” I wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks. “That’s the whole point. People could get hurt.”
“That’s your interpretation,” he sighed.
I stared at him, unable to recognize the man standing in front of me. His dirty blonde hair looked like garbage to me now, that voice which always made me safe, sounded like a sirene indicating danger “You stole my work.”
“No,” he interrupted me. “I refined and gave the world a chance to have at it, don’t mistake the terms” he talked as though it didn’t matter.
“We dated each other for two years, Adrian. I told you everything. You knew what that project meant to me.”
“I’m sorry” he mumbled with a pause, his eyes holding a piece of remorse and for once I thought he sounded like my Adrian “Isn’t that what you want to hear?” He added in a mocking tone, drawing my mind back to reality, he wasn’t my Adrian, he never was.
“I could have given you the data,” I yelled. “If you had just asked.” I haughtily said,
“I know.” He replied, a candid expression on his face. That hurt more than anything else.
“You’re a monster Adrian Rale, a disgusting human” I scoffed a bit “I was blind wasn’t I?” I asked. He didn’t answer, it was meant to be rhetorical. I swallowed hard, looking down at the pair of loafers I had gotten him for our second anniversary and then back at his face.
“How long?” I paused, stopping the tears in my throat “How long were you planning this?” I needed to know how long I had been a fool in love to not see that I was toyed with and lied to.
He slipped his hand in one of his pockets, holding my gaze. “Long enough,” he mumbled.
“So everything we shared with each other was a lie” I stated “I was your retirement plan” I scoffed, it all made a lot of sense now.
“You were useful,” he continued with a blank expression. “You had access. You had the data. That was all I needed.”
“That drug will hurt people, are you okay living with that?” I asked,
“That’s a risk I’m willing to take.” He leaned closer, his voice low near my ear. “Goodbye, Brittany, I mean, Nicole white” He whispered, walking off and bumping into my shoulder.
My fingers curled slightly at my sides. “You’re not as smart as you think you are,” I spat out bitterly. “And I promise you, Adrian Rale, you will regret this day.”
He didn’t respond but it made him pause for a while before he continued walking, I heard a light chuckle from his mouth.
Oh I’ll let you rue this day Adrian Rale.
- Writer
