I took a deep breath as I approached the entrance to the packed room where everyone had migrated to. My heels clicked against the floor as I made my way inside, and I couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the sea of people in front of me. I welcomed the feeling, to have anything override the sheer anger and hurt that I left with when I jabbed Nate's feet.

That burst of violence was something so unusual from me. I allowed him to get me to that point and I hated him even more for it.

As I pushed open the door, the noise level increased, and I was immediately hit with a wave of heat from the many bodies in the room. It was packed with people of all ages, dressed in their finest clothes and chatting animatedly with one another. Their bellies were stuffed from all the dinner and now they were reading for the drinks. I knew the events of the night... the ladies would mingle around and slowly, the real men that wheeled society would slowly leave the room. To really discuss new events.

Rarely a female would follow. Very rarely. And it was those females that were worse than the men.

I took a moment to pause and scan the room, my eyes searching for my father. Eventually, I spotted him at the centre of the room, surrounded by a group of his closest friends and colleagues. I made my way through the throngs of people, trying not to bump into anyone as I went.

The air was thick with the scent of perfume and cologne, and the room was decorated with lavish bouquets of flowers and ornate decorations. Waiters in crisp black uniforms glided between the guests, offering trays of champagne and cigars.

As I made my way closer to my father, I couldn't help but feel a little unsure of my intentions. Did I want to speak to him? Hell no.

I hold in my pursue and turned on my heel. Tonight, called for no mingle and just standing in a corner until everyone left. And then I would go and scream in my pillow. I stood in the corner of the crowded room, my eyes fixed on the entrance. I knew what I was doing. I was waiting for Nate, and I couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

As the door swung open, my heart rate picked up. I watched as Nate stepped through, his tall frame immediately catching my attention. He had a confident stride, and as he scanned the crowd, I could see why he captured eyes when he entered earlier.

I couldn't help but notice the way heads turned as Nate made his way across the room. He had a presence that demanded attention, and it was hard not to be drawn to him.

A few ladies started muttering amongst themselves, clearly discussing him with how they kept shooting him glances. Did they know him? Probably everyone knew him, and I was the only dumb dame bending over his words. My heart skipped a beat as Nate's piercing eyes met mine, and a small frown formed on his lips/

I could feel a wave of anger and frustration building up inside me as he began to make his way towards me, his eyes fixed on mine.

As he drew closer, I couldn't help but feel trapped. I had been hoping to avoid him the rest of the night and his presence was the last thing I wanted.

Nate looked at me with no expression, and I could see the same old smirk, forming slowly and lurking in the corners of his mouth. I tried to mask my feelings, but I knew that my face was betraying me.

For a moment, we just stood there, neither of us saying a word. The noise of the crowded room seemed to fade away, leaving just the two of us in our own little bubble.

I could feel my anger boiling up inside me, and I wanted nothing more than to scream at him for his past transgressions. But instead, I just stood there, seething in silence.

Finally, Nate spoke, his voice low and smooth. "Nice hit," he said, his lips curving into a small smile. I wanted to tell him to go away, to leave me alone, but I knew that it would do no good.

As he continued to look at me with that intense expression, I couldn't help but feel a knot forming in my stomach. I didn't know what he had in store for me, but I knew that I wanted nothing to do with him.

I could feel my heart racing as I stood there, face to face with Nate. I was done playing games, and I knew that it was time to tell him the truth.

"I want nothing to do with you," I said, my voice shaking with anger and frustration. Even saying the words out loud was like shards being stuffed in my heart.

Nate looked at me with that same old smirk on his face, as if he was enjoying my discomfort. "Come on, Ellie, don't be like that," he said, taking a step closer to me.

I could feel my temper rising, and I knew that I needed to stand my ground. "No, Nate, I mean it," I said, my voice rising. "I'm tired of your games, and I want nothing to do with you."

Nate's expression changed, and I could see a glimmer of anger in his eyes. "You think you're better than me, Ellie?" he spat, his voice dripping with venom. "You think you can just walk away whenever you feel like it?"

I could feel my frustration boiling over, and I knew that I needed to get out of there before things got out of hand. "I'm done, Nate," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"You think you can walk on your high horse when you don't know shit?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "It is you, who doesn't know shit..." I mumbled.

"Oh yeah?" He moved in closer, and I worryingly glimpsed around the room. He was making a scene and already people were looking at me. And amongst those people was my father.

He caught my eye, saw who was standing too close to me and started prowling across the room. I swallowed a large lump in my throat and quickly forced myself to reconstruct my whole tense body.

I masted this.

"Ellie." He said in greeting and then turned his face to Nate.

"Nathaniel." He said in greeting.

If my heart could sink further into me, it just did.

Tears

I stood before my father, my eyes fixed on his face, trying desperately to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. I could feel the lump in my throat growing larger with each passing moment, and my hands were shaking with the effort of keeping my composure.

Nate shifted on his feet next to me and faced my father. "Good evening, sir."

"I see you met my daughter. I didn't need your uncle introducing me. So why did he?" MY father asked.

"You know Claude, he likes to have his moments."

"Much like his sister."

Nate let out a low chuckle. "Limits, sir. Limits. And you know my mother is one of them."

"Ah, of course. My apologies as always. It's hard to break habits."

"And what habit is that?"

My father didn't reply, instead he sipped from his glass of whatever the heck he was drinking, and smirked up at Nate from the rim of his glass.

I wanted to vomit. I wanted to plunge out all the times I spent with him. Because these two men were not strangers. I was part of his hidden agenda.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm pain within me. I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had broken me, that his words had the power to reduce me to tears.

So, I stood there, my back straight and my chin held high, willing myself to be strong. I knew that I couldn't let him see how much he had affected me, that I had to hold in my tears and my pain, at least for now.

It was a struggle, holding in all of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm me, but I knew that I had to do it. I couldn't let him win, couldn't let him break me, no matter how much it hurt.

This hurt seemed like it would break me. Imagine falling in love with someone who was a snake behind you back. Who you kissed and contemplated doing more with. Who you thought was an escape from all this reality that was gnawing you up from the insides.

A hand snaked itself through my waist and I let out a surprised whelp. I flicked around, wondering who dared to touch me in front of my father and saw Shar smirking down at me.

"Hi, Ellie. Miss me this evening?"