CHAPTER FOUR

NIKKI’S POV

“What an appeal, Girl! Imagine, you had just broken up with your ex who is a cheater, and yet, here comes his replacement,” Camille shrieked as we walked back to the office.

I still don't understand what happened. After hearing those words from Gale, I immediately went out of the cafe. Shocked, and I still can't believe it. Why? Why would he call me? For what reason? I mean, we're barely even friends.

“What? What replacement are you talking about, Camille? What do you think of Vonn, car spare parts, or cell phone units that are easy to replace?” I asked in annoyance.

“Oh please, don’t waste your time crying over him. He’s not worth it,” she said and stared at me intently.

I looked away from her. Of course, I’ll be a hypocrite if I say that I’ve already moved on. It's only been a few days since that happened and the pain left by his deception is still in my heart. I never thought he’d cheat on me.

He has been texting and calling me since that day, but I decided to ignore him completely. I was determined to forget Vonn because I didn’t want to ruin his family anymore. No matter how painful it was to know about their relationship, I am not that bad to involve a child who has done nothing to me. The child is innocent.

“Why are you suddenly quiet? Don't tell me you're thinking about them again?” she asked, her tone was serious.

I let out a deep sigh, and turned to her before I spoke, “Camille, it's not easy to forget what they did to me. Even as I closed my eyes, I could still clearly see their faces while they were fucking. I can't help, but to think about where I went wrong. Why did they cheat on me?” I asked with resentment.

“I understand you, Nik, but please don’t let whatever happened take hold of you. Don’t close your heart to other people. Not everyone you meet is like Vonn,” she said while squeezing my hand, giving me an encouraging smile.

Gale's face flashed through my mind. I don't know what part he will play in my life, but I'm sure we'll meet again. I remember the night I saw him at the bar, I remember how he lifted me into his car and how I hit him thinking he was Vonn.

“Maybe you’re right, but I’m not yet ready. I believe, if it is God’s will, then it will be,” I answered softly and continued walking.

My steps were fast, so Camille ran after me and teased me about Gale but my mouth remained shut. I don't want her to think anything about us because there's really no reason for us to be associated with each other. We were just strangers who met on an unfortunate night.

It's almost five in the afternoon, and other employees have already been preparing to go home.

"Mille, you go first, I'll just go to Dad's office," I said, smiling at her.

I stopped in front of Dad’s office and took a deep breath, wondering how I would apologize to him. I knocked softly before I opened the door to his office. I saw him sitting on his swivel chair, doing something on his computer. He didn’t look up but I knew he already felt my presence. I sat down in front of his desk.

“What happened earlier, Dominique? You don’t seem to be the Dominique I know. You were just stunned while we waited for what you had to say, is there a problem?” Although serious, there was no trace of anger in the tone of Dad's voice.

I bowed my head and could not speak out of slight embarrassment. He always taught me not to bring my problems to work, that I should not mix my personal life with our business.

“I’m sorry about that, Dad. I was really out of focus these days,” I said without further elaborating.

"Was it because your imbecile boyfriend cheated on you?" Dad asked and turned his face on me.

I was stunned, realization hitting me. I should have known, it won’t be long before the whole business world knows how my ex cheated on me. Even if Dad didn’t say it, I knew there were rumors reaching him.

I felt more humiliated than before, it was as if I had been caught in the act of lying.

"H-how did you know, Dad?" I asked in surprise.

“Dear, I have eyes and I have ears. I've heard about that before but I'm not in the position to tell you. You are at the right age and I believe you already know the difference between right and wrong. But that didn't mean that what he did was okay with me. You’re my daughter and I will always protect you at all costs,” Daddy explained at length.

I immediately stood up and approached him for a hug. It was as if something heavy had been removed from my chest because of what Dad had said. Indeed, he was the only man who would not hurt me.

“I’m sorry, Dad, if I didn’t tell you. Don’t worry about me, I can handle it. You raised a strong and independent woman, love can never be my downfall,” I said.

I promised myself that I would never let a man hurt me again.

“I know, dear. You are just like your mom, a fighter,” he said and smiled sadly.

Mommy is still a sore topic for us. It’s been three years since we lost her to cancer, but the hole she left in our hearts is still there. No one could ever replace our Mom. I hugged Daddy even tighter because I knew he missed Mommy so much.

“Thank you for understanding, Dad. I’m so lucky to have you,” I burst into tears and sniffed before saying again, “How's Ate, Dad? And the kids, how are they?” I asked, referring to my older sister's twins.

"Oh, they're fine and they really missed you," Dad replied.

“I miss them too. I’ll come home tonight, Dad,” I said goodbye to Daddy and went back to my office which was just adjacent to his.

I gathered my things, and left my office. I drove into my apartment and changed into casual clothes before heading to our mansion.

Upon arriving, I parked my car in the garage and made my way inside. Theo and Thea greeted me and gave me a big hug. They both kissed me on the cheeks, making me burst into laughter.

“Okay, enough babies. It's now my turn to kiss you,” I said, kissing both of their cheeks before we walked to the living room where Ate was sitting.

"Hi, Ate Nicole, how are you?" I asked when I noticed that she seems to be out of herself.

She looked at me and quickly stood up. She hugged me tightly as if we hadn't seen each other in a long time, even though it had only been almost three weeks since I last visited here. Later, I felt my sister's shoulders shake as she softly sobbed. I stroked her back to comfort her.

“Hey, it’s alright, Ate. I’m here, you can always tell me what’s bothering you,” I whispered to her as I continued to comfort her.

“I saw him again,” she whispered back, referring to the asshole that left her pregnant.

My sister was a medical student and she was only in the second year of her medical course when her ex-boyfriend, who is also a med student, got her pregnant. Because they were both young and still studying, the man advised Ate to have an abortion. Ate did not agree to his suggestion so they separated ways. She was just twenty-three that time; she was very vulnerable, especially that what happened to her created havoc in our lives. Her pregnancy became a huge scandal especially that our family is well known.

I didn't realize that my palms were already clenched. Five years have passed since then but the wound that man left on my sister's heart is still bleeding to this day.

“This will be the last time you’ll cry for that asshole, ate. He doesn’t deserve you and the kids,” I insisted.

After a while, Ate calmed down and we both sat on the couch while the twins sat on our thighs. Ate and I just sat quietly as we watched the kids who brought back the colors in our lives. They took over the space Mommy left when she passed away three years ago.

A few moments later, Dad arrived and greeted us. We approached the dining table and had a fun dinner. I can see happiness in Dad's face, knowing that we're complete tonight. After our sumptuous dinner, I accompanied Ate to put the twins to sleep in their room.

Making sure that the two were already asleep, Ate and I went straight to the front porch of the house and talked for a while. The cold wind blew my hair away. Ate and I just sat on the couch while observing the quiet surroundings. We once looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Lil sis, I'm sorry for what happened," Ate said. Even though I wasn’t looking at her, I could feel her eyes on me. I turned my gaze to her and smiled.

“It’s okay, Ate,” I smiled again but the tears slowly fell from my eyes. “I wished I never met them, ate. I swear, I won’t let anyone hurt me again,” I cried.

“It’s too early to say that, Lil sis,” she said.

"Do you still believe in love, Ate?" I asked curiously. I wondered, does she still believe that there's magic in love, after everything we've been through?

“So long as we are alive, we will always continue to love. After all, Love could be in any form. Just don’t close your door, someone you deserve might come knocking,” she answered meaningfully.

After talking about our experiences, we decided to call it a night. I got dressed and changed into my pajamas before I lay down on my bed.

I stared at the ceiling blankly, remembering everything that happened in the last few days. From that day I found out about Krisna and Vonn, to the day I accidentally met Gale.

As if on cue, my phone rang suddenly, an unknown number was calling. My forehead furrowed, though his number was not saved I knew it was Gale. My chest suddenly throbbed as I answered his call and his baritone voice greeted me.

"Hello, Milady, did I disturb you?"