My Reclaimed Love

Chapter 4- Philips POV

"Pour me another glass" I said to the bar man. I can see him looking at me like some alcoholic but I don't care; besides he's paid to do just that.

I know I sound like a jerk right now and I don't mean to but that's all I've got left of me. The alcohol's finally getting to my head.. it's like a tingling sensation I can feel draining into my brain cells.

Finally feeling hanged, I stretch out my sleeve on the marble-like bar table. It looked like the designer was trying to give it a seashore appearance- I don't know… maybe

it's the alcohol but the table definitely looks better than my life right now. I'm 32 and trapped with a woman whose voice I can't even bear to ear.

Andrea's making my life miserable and It seems like it has only just begun. Unlike Bella whose smile lights up every room, Andrea's heart is colder than an iceberg sitting in the ocean.

I miss the days when I used to be truly happy with Bella. We'd talk for hours unend when she wasn't on set. Several times I traveled just to go be with her, that woman was my peace… the warmth of her hugs, the way her lips felt against mine, her caresses…fuck, f**k you Andrea, f**k you dad, f**k the press, f**k everybody… f**k me…

I hate myself for doing this, I hate myself for being here instead of running back to Bella's arms. I could beg her, I could tell her it was a mistake, a wrong move to cover up for my stupid father's mischiefs, I could tell her everything but at what cost? Would she even believe me? She trusted me with her life and I let her down.

I remember our first date. It was the Thursday afternoon after we met at the LA marathon; a defining moment in my life when it felt like every piece fell into place as I stared into her gorgeous hazel eyes. She had her short brown hair packed into a ponytail giving her eyes and the full form of her lips take all the credit for her natural beauty.

When the day finally arrived, I made my way to the café we had agreed to meet at, my heart pounding in my chest in anticipation. As I stepped through the door, I scanned the scanty room, searching for a familiar face amidst the sea of strangers.

And then, there she was – Bella, sitting at a table near the window, a warm smile lighting up her features. Relief flooded through me as I made my way over to her, my nerves giving way to a sense of excitement.

Damn… it's been a long time since I was this excited to meet any lady.

"Hey there, Bella," I greeted with a smile as I quickly pulled up the seat opposite her and sat down while rambling about why I was a few minutes late.

All she did was smile and say it's okay, I'm glad you're here now… I returned her smile, the tension easing from my shoulders. "Thank you," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady despite the flutter of nerves in my stomach. "It's so nice to meet you again."

As we settled into conversation, the unease that had plagued me earlier began to fade, replaced by a sense of ease and comfort in Bella's presence. We talked about everything and nothing, sharing stories and laughter as the hours slipped by unnoticed.

"You know.. the lady just looked at me like I fell from the moon and walked away! My goodness I'd never experienced such a rude person before right at my friend's company " I said continuing the story of my funny encounter at a friend's company when I had to pick up a file myself.

I remember how her laughter filled the room- she laughed at all my dry jokes and at that moment I knew I had found my person, my soul mate….

A loud squeal from some drunk girl flirting with the guy sitting close to me jolted me back to reality.

Disgusted at their utter lack of shame, kissing and flapping their tongues loudly like animals, I stood up placing two thousand dollars each in a hundred dollar note on the table and waved to catch the bartender's attention. I started to walk away, feeling more than a little drunk myself.

I should call Gerrard to come in a taxi so he can drive me home but on a second thought, I don't want to. I don't want him seeing me like this. My staff members have always revered me as a calm and collected man who made only smart decisions.

What's it gonna look like if he sees me drunk and swaddling along like this? Nah… I'll drive my Goddamn self home even if I have to do it really slowly, I thought to myself as I got to my Lamborghini in the parking lot.

As the engine roared to life, I reversed and zoomed out making my way out of the parking lot. As I attempted to enter the main highway, some dude just ran his car into mine, oh no! "f**k you, son of a b***h" I heard the other guy in the car said as his friend came out of the drivers seat.

"You crazy piece of s**t, look what you've done to my car" he said. my mind was racing as I sought for the best way to handle the situation. Once I step out of this car, he's gonna know I'm drunk and seize that opportunity to blame me for this even though he clearly was speeding and ran into me.

He started to bang on the front driver side window yelling to me to come out of the car.

"Hey man, I'm so so…" Pow… a punch landed on my face before I could finish saying the word sorry and another came right after. I punched back in self defense and before I could get a grip of myself people had gathered around us watching. In less than ten minutes I already had a split lip and a black eye. The cops had arrived and they were shoveling us both into their car and taking us to the station.