~~~ CHAPTER 27 - REALITY ~~~

He was standing there for minutes, just watching me lying on my bed. In a while, he sat down at my side and brushed away the hairstrands covering my face. After stroking my cheek, he stooped his head down and kissed my right temple. My body shivered at the touch of his lips on my skin.

I opened my eyes and I was blinded by the ray of sunlight through the glass window. He wasn't there; I was just dreaming. It was a nice dream... but, sad to say, it would never happen in reality and I couldn't dwell on dreaming forever.

Still in my gown, I lay on my bed not caring about the time the wall clock was showing. It was almost lunch time. But I still didn't feel the need to get up. I felt so shattered I couldn't move.

Well, I wasn't able to sleep immediately when my body found the bed last night. All the things that happened in the gala ball, most especially, the things that happened in the patio and in the living room with Nigel flashed in my mind over and over again like a slide show.

Last night, I made a very important decision.

Both of us kept on proving to each other our side --- me trying to prove my love, him trying to prove that I wasn't the right girl for him. Well, Nigel won it and I lost it. He hated me and I still couldn't understand why. He said I was the most hateful person in the world and it was like a dagger pierced into my chest.

He regarded me as an easy-to-get slut trying to tempt every guy I met. Of all the things he said, that was the most painful of all, too hurtful to bear that I felt so low.

So, why should I still have to insist myself on this stupidity? Well, it was still NOT late for me to open my eyes to reality, was it?

Love couldn't be forced.

Starting today, I was to let him go... and letting him go means letting him do whatever he wanted to do with his life without me.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Still lying on my left side, I rubbed my eyes, dried with tears, and I saw something on the bedside table --- my silver clutch bag.

I remembered how I hit his chest with it.

Oh, but I remembered dropping it on the patio floor. I left it there, yes! So who brought it here?

One of the maids, perhaps?

I finally decided to rise up and sat on the side of my bed. I took my clutch bag and a small piece of paper fell to the floor. I thought for a while before picking it up.

Was it a note?

I then bent down my body to pick that piece of paper on the floor. It took me minutes before it occurred to me who wrote that note.

It said:

Let's talk some other time.
Nigel

Talk? How dare he said the word talk! How about the word sorry?

Oh, how could I forget that the word sorry was not even found in his vocabulary?

So it was he who put the clutch on my bedside table. He sneaked in here while I was asleep. I shivered at the thought of him in my room. I still couldn't get over what he did to me last night. It was horrible and the thought of him and me in the same room suffocated me.

I stood up and went to the vanity mirror. Slumping my butt on the chair in front of that mirror, I stared at myself and I had discovered how ugly I had become, with the mascara and the rest of my make-up smeared all over my face. I really looked like a shattered princess.

As I saw how pathetic I looked in the mirror and remembered how hard I had cried last night, I silently made a vow to myself.

Don't ever cry for him again, Althea. Be strong.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Nigel had already left for the capital when I was out of my room to take my lunch. Mom went with him, probably for the business. Mommy had no single idea what happened last night and I didn't intend to tell her about it.

In the afternoon, I visited my lagoon bank.

Lying on a blanket on the ground filled with dried leaves, I looked at the butterflies that were fluttering their wings in the air above me. Just like before, the scene in my most favorite place on earth was breathtaking. Lying down, I waved my hand over trying to catch some of the butterflies but they were elusive.

I sighed and wished I were one of those butterflies so I could just fly and fly, very free, and not thinking about things. I wanted to be free... free from hassles, from worries, from expectations.

However, as I stared at them, a thought came into my mind. Nigel, my heartless heartbreaker, was like a butterfly --- too elusive to catch.

Perhaps, I could also be a butterfly...

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Trying my best to delete everything in my system, I devoted the rest of my short vacation in The fields in charity work which went very well. I was able to spend time with the village children again. Diego, Elena, and I had the best of time planning and implementing some activities for the children. We did again feeding and tutorial lessons to them and I enjoyed it very, very much.

My time spent with the village children was a beautiful distraction. It was like reviving myself to become more responsible... and was a way to find myself real happiness. That was how I realized that, if I had my own means, I'd like to put up a foundation for them. Perhaps, later, when I could stand on my own, I'd help the needy.

That was also how I finally chose a course for me.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

After the break, I went back to the capital to attend the second semester of my first year at St. Louis and, this time, finally deciding to take Bachelor of Social Science major in Social Welfare. With my background on charity works, I looked forward to work professionally in a department or charity or agency offering social services... or probably managing my own foundation in the future.

University was still the same except for some changes in my subjects, professors, and classmates. Of course, Kara was still there, who still was my classmate but in only one of my subjects.

I hadn't seen Dylan Fernandez visiting the university often. He said he became a lot busier this time in Nigel's main office. But he would always find time to text and call me.

Inasmuch as I wanted to stay in some other place to get Nigel out of my system, I just didn't find the guts to tell mommy yet. I couldn't afford to break her heart. Of all people, it would be mommy who'd be the first person to get hurt if I'd tell her that I had finally given up on her son. It would need me enough time to break it to her gently, wouldn't it?

Thus, with the thought that Nigel wasn't at the condo most of the time anyway, I decided to stay.

But, everything was different now, I no longer paraded myself in that place everytime he was around. Instead, I would just lock myself in my bedroom to do some university work. It was only after two weeks of being like this when we finally saw each other, actually three weeks after we had the biggest fight in history. It was just very quick --- I was watching TV in the living room when he made an appearance, as usual, from work. It surprised me for I thought, just like the previous nights, he would not come home that night.

Well, I didn't mind him. He sat for a while on his favorite arm chair there and when I happened to look at his direction, our eyes met. That was the first time that we got to see each other's faces after that fateful night in which, until now, I had tried to erase in my memory.

It shocked me to see how much he had changed physically in just three weeks --- messy hair, obviously needing a haircut; unshaved jawline; exhausted and drained eyes --- too different from his looks in that gala ball we attended.

"Althea..." he spoke out my name, looking at me through his tired, sleepy gaze. "I... I'm..." he wanted to say something to me.

Turning off the TV and not bothering to give him a second glance, I stood up immediately and went to my room.

Never would I ever let him speak to me again... in insulting, taunting manner. So I walked away.

A month passed and everything between Nigel and me remained constant. I had now started to get a life of my own. That was how I started to have a night life. Kara would always invite me to go out, sometimes there would just be the two of us, sometimes with Serge, sometimes with Dylan who tried to find time to be with us even with his busy schedule. I learned to party, disco, drink a little, and meet guys. It was absolutely the exact opposite of my previous life... in which I tried to be perfect for Nigel yet still was regarded low no matter what I did.

So, this time, why should I care about what he'd think about me? Who was he to judge about my being me? Not that he bothered to check on me... because he remained uncaring anyway. So, why not party?

As I started having a social life, Nigel, on the other hand, had become even a work addict. The Sarmiento Corporation skyrocketed to the highest level. Nigel, being its young President and to be handed over the CEO position soon, became the apple of the eyes of the press. His rugged, unshaved face always appeared on TV news, in newspapers and magazines. Just one look and you would know he was a very important man.

Mediamen were not only interested on his business but also on his lovelife. Photos of him with different girls --- celebrities, business associates, employees --- appeared on gossip magazines like everyday. His lovelife became a big thing for the public. Seeing those photos just made me realize how much of a player he had become.

In his interviews, everytime he was asked about it, he would always tell them that he would introduce her to everyone when the time was right. As of the moment, he'd like everything to be kept private.

He, for sure, was referring to Maria Stella. Well, good luck to the both of them.

Then, there was a time that he was asked about his rumored engagement to some girl in the province. Nigel answered about keeping it private as well.

Keep it private? Didn't he deny it?

Of course, I knew about every question to him and his every answer by heart, not because I gave it a damn, but because Suzana never failed to update me about his whereabouts. She watched and read every interview he had.

Suzana, however, seemed confused about my changes. One time, she asked me about my partying and clubbing.

"We call that one social life, Suzana," I answered her. "Maybe you should try it some time."

She was horrified.

Another time, she asked me about my indifference on Nigel's activities. She said I had changed a lot since I came from my vacation. She emphasized I was no longer that girl who always waited for the arrival of the beloved señorito or talked about him constantly.

I looked at her seriously as I said, "We call that one falling out of love, Suzana."

She panicked.

"No, no, no. You must be kidding me, señorita. Please, tell me you're just kidding," she said with a pleading voice.

"How about telling me to just move on with my life?" I suggested.

And she became even more terrified.

"I can't be anymore his number one fan, Suzana, who sits in the sidelines, cheers for him, and ogles at him every time he appears on the TV screen or on the daily paper," I said firmly. "I can't just be that girl anymore."

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

"So, you just realize one day that you're falling out of love with him? Unbelievable!" Kara exclaimed disbelieving as we sat side by side on a couch in a bar.

This was one of our weekend night-outs. Serge and Dylan were with us. Actually, Dylan, in the last month of his internship, already found some time to join us every time we went out which eventually made him a part of our little circle. He already knew about my complicated relationship with Nigel... But I didn't talk about it often. I didn't tell them about how I started to just give up on the heartless heartbreaker.

However, tonight, I finally made my declaration by telling them I had already fallen out of love for the great Nigelito Joaquin Sarmiento.

"Yeah, cheers for me on that..." I said, already a little hot in the ears for tonight's shots of drinks.

Kara raised a brow at me. "Are you sure on this, Miss Ruiz?"

"Never been sure, girl," I said, leaning my head on the headrest. "How could I not fall out of love with him? He's the greatest jerk who has ever sprouted on the face of the planet! So, hello moving on, here I come!" I raised my wine glass with my right hand.

Hearing my words, Kara said seriously, "I just knew you've been to a lot these past weeks. You're just not telling me at all. Then, tonight you're going to surprise me with this declaration? I smell something fishy---"

"Enough with the drama, Kara. Can you just be happy for me? Let's move on! Cheers!" I butted in, raising again my glass.

"Glad to hear that," Dylan quipped and he also raised his hand to join me. "Here's to falling out of love with the President!"

Serge did the same. "Yeah, to moving on!"

Wait, what? Glad to hear that? Did I just hear Dylan say those words?

I looked at him and he gave me a wonderful smile. "Love it, Thea. I'm loving it," he said meaningfully.

A little bit shocked, I paused and stared at him.

"Oh, my God!" Kara squealed as she looked at Dylan and me alternately. "This is going to be exciting!"

My brain tried to process everything.

Could it be possible that Dylan had secret feelings for me?

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I was a little bit wobbling when I got out of Dylan's car. Probably, I had drunk a lot more this time compared to our previous sessions.

I tried to manage myself to walk properly but, to no avail, I felt like my head was a bit in twirling motion. Dylan immediately caught me and held my shoulders.

"I'm doing okay. Never mind walking me off to the unit, Dylan," I said, brushing his hands away. His fingers felt tingly in my skin. Anyway, it was true that I could still manage my way.

"It's alright," he insisted and still held my waist with his left hand, my right arm with his right hand, as we stepped towards the elevator.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

I was already about to push the condo door when it opened right before me. I was a little drowsy and Dylan was still helping me to manage my stance so both of us were kind of not expecting to see Nigel in front of us.

He wore the grimmest and the most unpleasant expression that I had ever seen from anybody tonight. He furrowed his brows upon seeing me.

"What the---" he said, grabbing my arms from Dylan.

The latter hesitated but eventually let me go. I was surprised when I felt Nigel's tensive touch in my waist.

He immediately shut the front door, probably leaving a befuddled Dylan behind it. Wait again -- he shut the door on Dylan's face? Why was this man always so harsh?

Though a little drowsy myself, it was still clear to me that Nigel was at home, that he was the one gripping my waist now, and that he was oozing with extreme harshness just like always.

"What do you think you're doing?" he scolded me right away the moment the door was closed.

I shoved him away and I successfully did. I didn't answer him. Instead, giving a wry expression, I walked past him.

Nigel followed me and grabbed my right wrist. "Do you know what time is it?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

I glanced at my wrist watch. "It's 2:00 am," I replied, not giving the slightest of care on what he was trying to imply about the time.

Suddenly, Nigel pushed me and pressed my body to the nearby wall. I sucked in a deep breath when I met his haggard face. The stubble on his face, specifically in his jaw, was very visible. I really thought he needed to have a shave this time.

"Yes, it's freaking 2:00 am and you're drunk! So this has been what you've been up to while I was away!"

What was the matter with him?

"I am not drunk," I said in the calmest possible way.

"You are! Look at you!"

"I am just sleepy, so can you release me now?"

However, Nigel did the opposite thing. He even tightened his grip of me and his dominance almost choked me. I felt like there was vacuum of air in the space in between our faces. Why was he always this rough?

"You're drunk. I can smell alcohol in your mouth," he said, bringing his nose closer to my mouth.

"Drinking alcohol doesn't mean getting drunk. Now, let me go," I said, still controlling myself to appear as calm as possible.

Flashes of our kisses in the patio appeared in my mind after I realized how close our faces were to each other as of the moment. I couldn't allow it to happen again... ever.

When I was seventeen, I probably thought heaven was just a kiss away. But now, I could say, hell could also be... a kiss away.

"Finally," Nigel said, then, he gritted his teeth, "you're now coming out from your shell. The girl who has been acting innocent has finally come to show the world who she really is. You're even bringing a guy to my place!"

What?

Bringing a guy to his place? Like I was planning to do something stupid with Dylan in his place?

Here he went again, telling me how low was his regards of me. If he was telling me this weeks before, I would have probaby cried in front of him and explained why he shouldn't say those words to me. But, today, I had grown tired of all our bickerings, of his accusations, of his selfish remarks. I had become impassive, invincible, uncaring. I had become a rebel, a fighter, a survivor.

So let me deal him with the coldest reply.

"Whatever," I remarked, shrugging my shoulders.

There was a flash of surprise in his eyes. He probably didn't see that one coming... and his expression, wow, it was epic! I just regretted I didn't have a camera this moment and I wasn't able to capture it --- the shock in his eyes, the expansion of his nostrils, and the gaping of his mouth.

He backed away and bit his lower lip. Then, he glanced back at me.

"I-It's not safe out there, Althea," he said, calming his voice. "It's not good for a girl like you to be staying out this late."

Wow, was he now to lecture me on staying out late? How would I ever listen these words coming from the man who almost raped me? If there was danger, it was to be with him and not to be with my friends outside.

As a matter of fact, he, Nigel Joaquin Sarmiento, was my new definition of DANGER!

I felt the heat in my ears.

I fixed my blouse and stood up straight. "So, are you done now with your lecturing, daddy?"

Nigel didn't answer. He groaned and closed his eyes instead.

I decided to speak again. "Last time I checked, you didn't care a bit about me. You didn't care about how I feel. You even almost raped me because of your extreme apathy. So, can you just leave me alone tonight?" I said as I began to step away, yet I paused and turned to him once again, "And, oh, not only for tonight... How about leaving me alone for the rest of my life? Because, honestly, I'm so sick of you already!"

Then, I left him as I walked towards my room.

And he didn't bother to follow me... of which I was thankful about.

I didn't know what he was actually thinking right this moment.

I didn't want to know anyway.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

A/N

Hello, world!

So I'm dressing up my book with a new cover, you know, for a change of look and mood. We don't want to see that crying lady on the cover forever, do we? LOL.

So now, see the girl's strong and confident visage in the new cover?

Yeah, that's Selena Gomez right there. As I was thinking about which celebrity could be perfect for my heroine on the cover, Selena Gomez was the first one to appear in my mind. Even though my Althea wasn't described as how this amazing singer looks physically but because I love Selena's youthful charm and sophisticated beauty, she won my heart just like that.

The guy is Gui Fedrizzi, a Brazilian model, who I had just come across in the net. Nigel wasn't described also as how this guy looks, because my proud hero is supposed to have dark eyes while Gui has blue ones. Nigel was supposed to have black hair, Gui has brown. So, why still choose Gui? Because, apart from his being a Latino, he paints!!! And he has pictures of him painting!!! I may use his pics later, you know... ~_^

Still, dear readers, I would like you to imagine my characters the way you want to imagine them... Okay? Selena and Gui are only for my cover anyway. So, yeah, whatever... hehe.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, GUYS, FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Don't forget to:
VOTE,
COMMENT, and
SHARE!

Lovelots,
(sapphiregirl22) ~_^