Third p.o.v
The faint breath of the man brushed against her caramel skin as he stood in front of her, evoking a different kind of pain, one that resonated deeply. His words burst a nerve in her heart. In her hand was a stack of cash he had shoved into it and on the other was the bouquet of flowers she had brought.
"There. It's all yours, don't ever call or text me after tonight."
Dumbstruck, Lia stared..it was supposed to be their 4th anniversary today. Not some reminder of how stupid she was!
Memories flashed and Lia recalled her first encounter with Hector in his grocery, where the scent of fresh bread and flour mingled in the air. Her fingers had subconsciously traced patterns on the counter, her eyes locked with Hector's as they basked in the warmth of their first encounter.
Memories of their nights blended together—like the annual local carnival, where lanterns bloomed above the throng, and lively music caught Lia's feet with Hector spinning her into a whirl under the stars. His warm breath against her ear felt unreal, a dream she didn't want to wake from. Weeks slipped by in a blur of shared laughter and evening strolls. One evening stood out, though—beneath twinkling lights, Hector's hands had framed hers, his voice a low murmur as he said: "Yours?"
But recently, his words sliced through: "You're too much. Fix your nightmares or I break up with you." The contrast was jarring. Still, Lia lingered, anchored by memories of their first walks by the shoreline. Perhaps that's why this unravelling hurt so much —threads of first love are hardest to cut.
Hector was Lia's everything. And as long as she could hold on to him, maybe she could forgive the insults and lies. But now is different. He will be leaving her for good and no amount of her plea can stop him this time. It is over.
A girl with a brunette bob cut, perfect makeup and skimpy jump suit disembarked from the same car Hector had also hopped down from, slamming the car door shut before marching towards them.
"Come on, Hector. We don't have all day. Don't fucking keep me waiting because of this...thing ," said the girl.
"I'm sorry, honey. Just few more minutes and we'll be over." Hector said, pecking her gently on the lips.
Lia's eyes widened, unable to believe them.
The girl smirked, taking a gawk at Lia. "Better," she said, glaring at her from head to toe. "Do you really think a boy like Hector would actually want to have anything to do with some lowlife like you, ever?" she giggled, bursting the gum she had been chewing on Lia's face. "Only in your dreams, fisher," she turned, swaggering back into the car.
Tears brimmed in Lia's eyes, trembling like rain poised on palm fronds. she felt her breath catch, unshed cries tightening like wire around her throat. Hers eyes stung, dry wells craving release, but she locked them back, Adam's apple pressing sharp against restraint as her fingers tightened round the money. She stared at the cash, heaving a deep sigh. Hector's name was a silent ache in her throat.
In the beach's quietness, she breathed fragments —"Speak...please"—her voice lost like morning moist over drained lagoon.
She searched her lips for a syllable, one that wouldn't crumble like brittle pumpkin seeds between her teeth. Her lips parted; they seemed hollow tools compared to the pressure building behind her tongue. No sound came. Only silence thick as unspun cotton hung where words should've been.
Why had he told her to come here when this was all he intended all along?
Lia's face met Hector's cold, hazel glare. Gently, she placed the stack of cash and flower on the sandy ground and for the first time ever, she was bold enough to confront him.
"So, you are breaking up with me because I reek of fish or because you got a richer girlfriend than me now?" she asked with her hands. "What happened to "You are everything and all to me and not even death can do us part, Hector?" What happened to "I love you and nothing will ever change that?" What happened to—"
"You don't get to fucking ask me questions, Lia," he sneered, screaming at her face with a scathing look. "I have made up my mind and nothing you do or say would ever make me come back to you. You scare me, Lia. And I have tried long enough for you to change but you just kept getting worse by the day. You are always screaming out your lungs at the middle of the night like a maniac and I just can't fucking deal with that. I don't want any of my children been affected by your eccentricity or my house smelling all fishy all the damn time."
Lia, even though a fisher by profession like many around has never left herself unkempt or to be caught looking all dishevelled or smelly like he claimed.
Knowing the lies beneath his words, Lia tears naturally subsided. It was all clear now that it was all a game to him. She had heard them speak on the phone one day when she visited him unannounced but had to pretend, and now, he will be breaking up with her to join his new lover in the city. Far away from the Island.
For a fact, she had once helped Hector recover from his debts at his grocery store one time when he came running to her. It was quite a sum and she could tell that he had purposely returned that money now to shut her up from reminding him of her help even though she never asked for it.
Lia's face curled up into a sheepish smile that revealed her hidden dimples still, her dried tears stinging as she stared at the stack of money on the ground before doing a double take at Hector. She picked up the money, handing it over back to him.
Hector scoffed, shrugging his shoulders before snatching away the money off her hand. "So be it."
He turned to leave but Lia pulled him back by the hem of the black tuxedo she was sure his new girlfriend had bought him, her eyes teary with a deep kind of hurt.
"Please, tell me all of this is a dream, Hector. Tell me you ever truly loved me and—."
"You really must be thinking highly of yourself, Lia," he shot back at her. "If there's anyone to blame here, it's you Lia. You and your fucking nightmare you promised me to get rid of. You think any man would be able to deal with that? It's scary as fuck. Fucking get rid of it!"
The words hit Lia like a sandstorm and she only clenched her eyes in response, swallowing the pain. And for the first time, she prayed for words that only her mouth could speak.
The screech from the exotic car opened Lia's eyes, her eyes streaming more tears as she watched the car disappear into the highway. She had watched as the only love of her life kissed another woman in her presence and how he had let her ridicule her for being a nobody but a mere fisher.
But if only...
If only Hector knew about her true identity—about Lia being the long lost heiress of the GreenWheel Energy—the one and only Energy and automotive hybrid company in the country. A secret she had kept from him and everyone since the past twelve years she arrived on the Island.