Bound by fate

Chapter 4

Vanessa's Pov

I'm disturbed by my drug-induced sleep by the incessant buzzing sound coming from my doorbell.

I moan and try to drown out the sound by covering my head with a pillow. However, it continues. The loud, jagged sound pierces the fog in my head, and I have to admit that whoever it is isn't going away.

With my head aching from the remainder of last night's high and my limbs feeling so heavy, I drag myself out of bed and stagger to the door. I yank the peephole open without bothering to peek through it.

Simone stands on the other side, her expression a mix of urgency and something else; pity, maybe.

"What?" I snap, my voice rough.

She looks at me from head to toe and doesn't respond immediately. I am aware of what she sees: a robe that has seen better days, smudged mascara, and tangled hair.

Without waiting for an invitation, she walks by me and into the flat, saying, "We need to talk."

I lean against the door and slam it shut. "This couldn't wait?"

After taking her phone from her bag, Simone responds, "No, it couldn't." With her back straight and her expression solemn, she sits on the edge of my couch.

I glare as I shuffle over and fall into the chair across from her, "Spit it out."

She hesitates, and for a moment, I think she might change her mind. But then she thrusts her phone toward me.

"I thought you should see this," she says.

I take the phone, squinting at the screen. My stomach churns as I process the images. Bryan with some woman I don't recognize, sitting at a table at one of our favorite restaurants.

I feel like I've been punched in the gut.

"Who is she?" I demand, my voice shaking.

"I don't know her name," Simone says carefully. "But they were out together last night. A friend of mine saw them and snapped them. I didn't want to show you, but…"

"But what?" I cut her off, throwing the phone onto the coffee table. "You thought I'd just be fine with it? That it wouldn't kill me to see him like that?"

"Vanessa, you need to let him go," Simone says, her voice softer now."Three months have gone by since the breakup. Perhaps it's time for you to move on since he has."

"No," I say firmly, sitting up straight. "He doesn't get to move on. Not with some random woman. Not after everything we've been through."

"Vanessa," Simone sighs, "he broke up with you because of the drugs. You lied to him, and he found out. He's not coming back."

"You don't know that!" I snap, my eyes burning. "He loved me. He still loves me. The love we had doesn't just die because of a white lie. That's not how love works. I just… I just need to remind him."

Simone looks at me, her expression torn between frustration and sympathy. "Vanessa, listen to yourself. This obsession isn't healthy. All you're doing is harming yourself. I am certain that you are aware of the truth, just as I am."

I ignore her, my mind racing. There was no way these pictures were real. He only ever looked at me that way. There's no way he's already looking at another woman like that. He was probably just trying to distract himself, trying to forget me.

"I'll fix this," I mutter to myself.

"Vanessa, please," Simone says, leaning forward and taking my hand. "You need help. Real help. Not just for him, but for yourself."

I pull my hand away, standing abruptly. "I don't need a lecture, Simone. I need to figure out how to get Bryan back. And I will."

Simone stares at me for a long moment, then sighs and stands. "I can't force you to see it, Vanessa. But you're chasing a ghost. And it's going to destroy you."

"I have to go. I was invited to a beauty event." Simone says. I don't respond as she walks to the door and lets herself out.

Once I'm alone, I sink back into the chair, thinking back to the pictures that I just saw.

I go back to my room and look for the remnants of the drugs. I take a pill of oxy and lay down while waiting for it to take effect.

Hours later when I groggily sit up, I pick up my phone to call Bryan.

He picks up after the fourth ring

"I've told you to stop calling me. What do you want?", he asks sharply irritation coloring his tone.

"Well hello to you too. Who is she?", I respond

"I can't believe you'll stoop so low to follow me around even after I've ended things. Where's the Vanessa I fell in love with?… who are you?", he sharply asks, his words cutting deeper than I expected

"That's not the answer to my question, Bryan." I retort, my voice rising

"Bold of you to think you're entitled to an answer. Please don't call me anymore. Have a good day.", he abruptly ends the call.

Fury and heartbreak explode within me. I scream at the phone in my hand and, without thinking, hurl it across the room. It shatters against the wall, pieces scattering like the fragments of my heart.

I collapse back on the bed, tears streaming down my face. I can't believe I lost him. I've never been in love and always felt men weren't worth the trouble but with Bryan, everything changed. He taught me what love could feel like, what it meant to be vulnerable and truly seen.

He crept into my heart, quietly but deeply, until he consumed it entirely. I let my walls down for him, and shared pieces of myself I had never given to anyone else. And now, he's gone.

People call it obsession, but they don't understand. This isn't obsession; it's love. Real, unrelenting love. I can't let him get away, not after everything we've shared, not when I know he felt it too.

I sit up, wiping my tear-streaked face, my resolve hardening.

I'll get him back. No matter what it takes.