Chapter 3

Juliet laid On her bed staring at her white ceiling. She couldn't believe she could be so careless and walk with a literal stranger so late at night. What if he had been a creep and tried to harm her. He didn't look like one but she still had to be careful. What if he had tried to hurt her or even worse? She glanced at her beside the clock and sighed. “I shouldn't have talked to him” Juliet muttered, remembering how she told him and how she had cried uncontrollably. He looked really confused…

She Didn't Even cry during her mother's wake but cried when someone she didn't know asked her if she was okay. It felt oddly comfortable when she was with him. She could cry out and not bother about bothering him because he was a stranger and she would likely not see him again. That was why she couldn't control her tears. Juliet closed her eyes and tried to sleep but it was futile she ended up working the whole night, looking for some kind of distraction from her reality...

But she couldn't seem to concentrate on work either. "My life sucks" She muttered as she closed her laptop and walked out of her room. Juliet walked to where she had kept a bottle of wine that had been given to her as a gift a few weeks back. she opened the wine and sat on the floor of her living room drinking directly from the bottle. "I wanted to share this with you Mom, but then I guess not now. If you had fought a little harder then maybe...just maybe" she looked up trying to hold back her tears...

"Maybe you would have made it...we would be watching a movie together and then you would complain about how you didn't like the movie and still end up watching it to the end and ask about the actors" She chuckled sadly and took a gulp from the wine...

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Alex sat at his desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of him. He was supposed to be working on a critical report, but his mind kept wandering back to the mysterious woman from last night. He couldn't shake off the feeling of connection he felt with her, and the pain he saw in her eyes haunted him. Was it because he shared a similar pain?

He tried to focus on the numbers and charts, but they blurred together on the page. His thoughts were consumed by the woman's words: "Do you think she's up there?" Who was she talking about? And what had happened to her? Who had she lost that affected her so much… The person was dear to her. Was it a parent?

Alex rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. He needed to concentrate. He had a meeting with a potential investor in an hour, and he couldn't afford to be distracted.

But as he stood up to grab a cup of coffee, his gaze fell on the window and his eyes immediately grew completely wide in surprise, He could have sworn he saw the woman walking down the street, her hair blowing in the wind. He rushed to the window trying to get a closer look, but she was gone. Was he seeing things now b ecause she had occupied his mind.?

Was he losing his mind? Alex wondered. He took a deep breath and tried to shake off the feeling of unease. He had to focus. He had nothing to do with her and he had to stop worrying..

As he sat back down at his desk, his phone buzzed. It was Patrick. "Hey, boss. Just checking in. You okay?"

Alex hesitated. He wasn't okay. But he couldn't burden Patrick with his pssues. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just stressed about this report."

"Need any help?" Patrick asked.

Alex considered it for a moment. Maybe talking to Patrick would help him clear his head. "Actually, yeah. Come by my office."

As he waited for Patrick to arrive, Alex tried to gather his thoughts. But his mind kept drifting back to the woman. Who was she? And why did he feel so drawn to her?

Patrick arrived at Alex's office, looking concerned. "Hey, boss. What's going on? You sounded a little off on the phone."

Alex sighed, rubbing his temples again. "I don't know, Patrick. I just can't focus. I keep thinking about that woman I met last night."

Patrick's expression changed from concern to surprise. "Woman ? What woman”

“Last night, I bumped into her and she was…distraught and I offered to walk her home, but we sat and the park and…” Alex sighed… his words seemed to have caught Patrick's full attention. It was rare to hear his boss talking about a woman, especially a woman he had met in such a situation. He wondered who this woman was.

Alex leaned back in his chair. "I don't know. I just feel like there's something...off. Like I'm missing something. Maybe I shouldn't have left her all alone…it was late and she looked really sad…”

Patrick nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe you're just feeling a little guilty for not helping her more."

Alex shook his head. "No, it's more than that. I feel like...like I know her or something."

Patrick raised an eyebrow. "You don't think you know her, do you?"

Alex hesitated. "I don't know. Maybe. I just feel like there's a connection there." Or was there? Alex thought in his mind…maybe he was mistaking her pain for a connection.

Patrick leaned forward, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "Sir, maybe you should take a step back. You're under a lot of stress right now, and maybe you're just projecting onto this woman."

Alex nodded, knowing Patrick was right. But he couldn't shake Off the feeling of unease. He just wanted to know that she was alright…

“We should get going, we don't want to be late for the meeting” Alex stood up and Patrick nodded, still concerned about his boss and wondering who the woman was…