>>Clio
"What?"
It was the voice of another person and we both looked at the person behind Nolan, "What the hell is going on here?" Cherelle stood there in disbelief, "What did I just hear?"
"Didn't I tell you to wait in the car?" Nolan was annoyed that she followed him.
"How long was I going to wait?" She looked angry, "You didn't even tell me why you were going in!" Her gaze met mine, "I never would have thought it would be because of him," She glared at Nolan, "And what's this thing about a breakup." She pointed between me and him, "You two had a thing going on?"
"Cherelle," Nolan stepped in front of me, "This is between me and him."
"No," I spoke and Nolan looked at me, "There's nothing between us." I had a strange sort of confidence in me today that I didn't have before.
"Clio!" Nolan turned his body around to face me, "What are you doing?" He tried to grab me again but I avoided it.
"No!" I stepped back, "What are you doing?"
"I know you have a thing with her." I pointed at Cherelle.
"Who told you that?!" Nolan took a step towards me, "It's nothing!" While Cherelle was left flabbergasted, "There's nothing between us."
"What do you mean, it's nothing!" She yelled, "We've been sleeping together for a while!" Her words were sharp and they hit me even though I already knew.
"Stop it Cherelle," He screamed at her, "You're making it worse."
"Oh! Shut up!" I frowned, "I saw you!" I answered and he froze. "I came back from City D to meet you and I came to the office." I pointed at him, "I saw you." I huffed, "You two were all over each other."
The color faded from his face, "Clio, no,"
"And there's nothing between us?" Cherelle rolled her eyes, "After this long?"
"You slept with me only to gain the benefits!" Nolan exclaimed, "By your own words, you said there would be no string attached." He looked at me again, "It really wasn't anything! There was no meaning behind it."
I yanked my arm away, "You still slept with someone while saying you were committed to me. That's cheating."
Cherelle let out a scoff, "Wow," She rolled her eyes "You!" She pointed at Nolan, "For a boy?" She shook her head and turned around to leave, "Unbelievable."
Nolan didn't stop Cherelle while she was leaving, he kept his eyes on me, "What about you? You slept with Matthew."
I shook my head at him in disappointment, "I'm not like you," I felt so hurt, my chest squeezed tightly, making it hard to breathe, "I didn't sleep with him, I just slept at his house!" I huffed, "In a guest room!"
"Still!" He didn't back off, "He's the enemy! How could you?"
I looked at him weirdly as I stepped back, "You-" I shook my head at him, "How could you do this to me?" I didn't want to cry yet a tear escaped down my cheek, "I would have fought against the world for you!"
"Clio," He stepped towards me but I backed away more, "Look, it was a mistake!"
"No," I kept shaking my head at him, "It's not a mistake if you keep doing it." I kept stepping back, "You were doing it on purpose because you knew I wouldn't find out. Because you knew I trusted you blindly and I would do as you say." I almost choked on my words while the tears kept slipping down, "Did you send me to City A just to make sure I wouldn't find you about your whole affair?"
"Clio, no," He shook his head at me, "It's not like that."
"But it is," I turned around as the hurt inside of me swelled up, pouring out to cleanse my insides, "We are breaking up!" I started walking away, "I don't want to see you again!"
"What about all the things I've done for you!?" He yelled at me, making me halt in my spot, and making me remember all those times
All those vulnerable times he was there with me and my mother.
"Well, I wish you hadn't!" I screamed at him, "You used all those things to earn my blind trust." I couldn't help myself and cried even harder, "Why would you ruin it?!!" I let my frustration out, "WHY!?!?!?"
Neither of us paid any heed to it, but the patients had their heads peered out from their rooms as they looked at the soap opera we presented.
"Can't you let it go?" He asked
"How?" I asked, "How can I let it go when you do it again and again?" I wiped my cheeks which weren't of any use since they got wet again, "I already let it go once when I barged into your room right before I was sent to City A," I gulped, "You said to me that it was a mistake when even a blind person could tell it wasn't!" My throat felt dry as I kept yelling, "Yet I let it go! I forced myself to believe you because I loved you!!" My breath got stuck, "Deep down, I told myself that you won't do it again since I saw you once but you didn't stop!!!" I yelled out and then began to pant.
…
His expression got grim, "Loved…?" He looked at me with a disturbed expression, "You're saying as if you don't love me anymore."
My heart stung
It stung like it had been stabbed by a thousand poisoned sleek blades.
It hurt like it had been shattered.
Shattered like a glass thrown down with rough force and aggression and it's shards spread so far and wide, that no one could put it together again.
But I stood my ground.
Licked my lips, lubricated my throat, and looked him straight in the eyes
"I don't," I wanted to sound confident but it came out as a whisper, "I can't," It was a trembling whisper.
I began to step away, creating distance between us, "Not anymore." I placed my hands on my chest, "You already broke me…"
And I turned around and left.
I didn't have the courage to go meet Mom again, so I left the hospital and hailed a cab to go straight to the train station and leave.
I just texted Mom that I had to leave urgently for work while I thought about the whole ordeal that happened and amongst it all something bothered me a lot.
So Matthew did something with my phone…
He picked up a call from Nolan and deleted the log….
Just Like how he deleted the messages he sent to him about the breakup…
But,
I shook my head in denial,
He texted him about the breakup?
How he'd find out I was going out with him?
…
Did the name I saved in my phone give it away?
I looked at my phone and scoffed, then opened the contacts and changed Nolan's name, editing out the hearts and leaving the simple name behind.
Of course it did,
I sighed,
Seeing the hearts, anyone would be able to tell it's from my lover.
He must be thinking that I'm such a weird person. Not only was I dating a man, I couldn't even break up with him… All the direct office employees knew about my break up anyway, so of course he must know too.
But why would Matthew do that? Why would he text that and then delete the logs?
…
I stared out the window, at the passing night city that was oddly mesmerizing.
I need to confront him about it.
***
>>Cherelle
The call went through immediately and the other party picked up
"Hello?" They greeted
"Yes!" I cleared my throat, "Hello! Um, you came to meet me late at night, remember? I'm Cherelle."
"Oh~" There was a delight in his voice, "Yes, Cherelle, I remember,"
"Um, yes, remember how you asked about a girl?"
"I did," He replied, "You have something for me?" For something he seemed to be desperately looking for, his voice seemed awfully calm.
"You might not believe me when I say this, but the woman isn't really a woman," I said, "It's a boy."
"Hmm?"
"I-I mean it's a pretty boy, named Clio." I was fretting over how to explain, "I know it's hard to believe, in the picture the woman looks so pretty and all."
"No," He cut me off, "I believe you,"
I was dumbstruck, "You do?" I was not expecting that.
"I do," He replied, "I have something he dropped previously that confirms it."
>>Zhou-Lin
I sat in the lounge on the single-seater sofa in front of the wall-sized window. The night view of the city was mesmerizing, especially in the dimly lit place where I was.
But my gaze was on something else,
"I do," I stared at the silicon pad in my hand, "I have something he dropped previously that confirms it," I smirked.
So this is what it was. He was in a disguise that night.
I chuckled
Clever.
"Oh?" She was confused by my statement but continued anyway, "Well," She huffed, "Currently Clio is in City A, he's working in a company called AM as an intern,"
!!
My gaze shifted
I paused, "AM?" An image flashed in my mind.
A few days ago I was in the office and saw the office workers coming back from lunch.
There was only one person I didn't recognize there.
"Ah~" I nodded, "He's the intern there." I scoffed, "I see," I smirked, "Thank you darling for the information."
"It's fine…" Her voice was hesitant, "Um,"
"You have nothing to worry about." I knew this whole situation all too well, "Nothing will happen to you."
"Oh!" She let out a sigh of relief, "Thank-" I ended the call and stared out the window while I squeezed the thick silicone pad in my fist.
Filthy little thing, he's so close to Matthew
I bit my lower lip
Matthew must be over the moon as well
I shook my head
I need to act fast.