"I hate to break it to you but he has deceived you." Vaniya, the woman who has given me a temporary place in her apartment speaks to me.
"No. T-That's not true." My heart clenched and tears were at the brink of my eyes. "You haven't seen him with me. He was so nice to me."
"You're too innocent Aisha. This world is a cruel place, we always learn it the hard way."
"I refuse to doubt my David. He would never-" I stood up adamantly but was soon cut off by her words.
"Then go ahead and call his office." She hands me my phone and I eye it as if it was something alien. "How long are you going to wait for him like this?" She quirk up an eyebrow with her hands folded against her chest.
She was right… I couldn't continue to stay here. I have to figure out things if I want to be with David.
Hesitantly and shakily I dialed his office number and with each ring my heartbeat escalated and I gripped the phone tightly in my hand.
Please don't be any bad news. I wished in my heart.
Upon the fifth ring, the call was finally picked up. "Hello, this is the 'Lunar Production' office and this is Hailey speaking. How may I help you?"
She was David's assistant. She must know where he is…
Taking a deep breath, I finally opened my mouth to speak. "Can I speak with David Smith? We had a… A meeting awhile ago for the upcoming romcom series project."
My mind flashed a memory of David telling me about this project recently and how it was still pending since he never heard from the other party again after one meeting and it was important for him to get approved.
"Oh is this a call from Mr. Baldwin's office? I'm sorry but Mr. David left for a small vacation in the Bahamas. But he'll be back in a day or two and contact Mr. Baldwin as soon as he lands. Can I know your name miss….?"
The phone slid down from my ear and I dropped back on the sofa. All the air inside my body leaves me and I hold my head in dismay.
I tried to blink away the tears but they kept on blocking my vision. My heart inched in an excruciating pain as if I was going to die any minute. It was getting hard to breathe.
"Hey, calm down and relax!" Vaniya sat beside me and patted my back.
We could hear voices coming out from my phone on my lap, she took the phone and hung up the call which I had forgotten to end.
"He… left for… vacations." I blurt between my hot tears as I grasp my situation. "I wasn't… deceived… right?"
I look at her with streaming emotions with some hope only to be rejected as she shakes her head. "He's always been bringing girls into his penthouse. You were the only one who stayed this long, otherwise, a day or two would be at most."
My body started to shake as I covered my face with my hands and wailed into them.
I trusted him, left my family for him, and he… took advantage of me? God I only wanted us to be happy together. Was this too much to ask for?
"I'll get you something to eat then you should head back to your home." Vaniya interrupts my thoughts and I look at her with red swollen eyes.
"How would I face my family?" My lips quivered as I remembered the cruel things I said and did to them. "They stopped me yet I believed in David more than those parents who spent most of their lives raising me, fostering me with utmost love."
"Now you can make things right. You just have to muster up your courage and apologize to them wholeheartedly."
"They will forgive, you're their family." She placed a soothing hand against my cheek and I felt relief wash over me with her sisterly concern. "Besides, things haven't gone too far out of hand to not be fixed. Go, wash up, and change into a clean dress. I'll fix some lunch for you." With a smile on her face, she headed into the kitchen and I headed towards the bathroom I used earlier too.
The warm water from the shower refreshed my mind. I ran my hands through my hair and cooled down from my emotional state. As of now, I can think calmly and clearly.
I remembered the insincerity in David's eyes whenever we went out. He always insisted on wearing our masks to not be caught by the paparazzi. He was persistent from day one to not be seen together. Had he really loved me, he would have told the world about us but only admitted to disclosing it once we were married though he never intended to marry me.
He made me think he loved me only so he could… have my body.
Hazek. Tears pool in my eyes as I remember him and his pure words.
'Man isn't sincere if he only wants to touch you without making you part of his future plans.'
Hadn't I said those words aloud to David, he wouldn't have agreed to marry me and I wouldn't have been in this state either.
After taking a shower, I was feeling much better. I changed into a simple long plaid shirt that ended below my knees with a pair of bell-bottom jeans.
I headed into the living room where Vaniya sat a tray of hot steaming food on the center table before she went back to fiddling with her phone and sat on the sofa.
"I thought about what you said, Vaniya. This media industry isn't for me. I should head back home and do whatever it takes for my family's forgiveness after all I hurt them… But they love me most of all."
I take a seat beside her. "I should fix what I can." I extended my hand to reach hers in a thank you but stopped midway.
Her eyes seemed glued to her phone and I couldn't help but glance at what had caught her attention. Suddenly my world starts spinning around as I take in the view playing on her screen.
It was my video but the thing happening disgusted me to the core.
Vaniya suddenly realizes my presence beside her and she quickly locks her phone screen, preventing my eyes from looking at it but it is too late. I had already witnessed my own destruction.
David had secretly filmed us together that night. His face was a blur but mine was pretty much obvious. I couldn't believe once again what my eyes witnessed.
I stood up from my seat, unable to meet Vaniya's eyes who mirrored my horrified expressions. A sudden strange feeling clutched onto my heart, making it hard for me to breathe again.
"Aisha, calm down honey. Relax and listen to me." She tried to ease me up but I couldn't think straight. The only thing that came to my mind was to run away and I just did that.
With retreating steps, I sprinted towards the door while wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
I could faintly hear Vaniya calling me from behind but I only wanted to hide. I wanted to hide away from the world and never be looked at again.
I kept running even when I was out of the apartment building, I kept running even over the horns and beeps of the cars rushing onto the road. I no longer knew where I was going or what I was doing. I just wanted to run until my lungs burned out of the air and I could finally leave all the worry behind and sleep into darkness.
But to my disappointment, I was a human after all and I had to stop to catch some air. My lungs were sore and my abdomen hurt from continuous running but I didn't care if someone hit me with their car or trampled me with their feet. I just wanted everything to end and the easy way out of this defamation was to kill myself. It will save me and my family from the humiliation on my hands. I wanted to finish this once and for all.
I was standing on the sidewalk. The signal was green and the cars wooshed away with speed. I took a step down on the road and headed forward, a car beeped loudly and I could see it coming in my direction. I was ready to be hit in a few seconds when suddenly an arm grabbed me from behind and pulled me onto the sidewalk, making me fall on my back with the forceful pull back.
"Are you crazy woman!?" A strange man shrieked as he eyed me on the sidewalk. "Hey, I've seen you somewhere…"
Suddenly the man's eyes shone with recognition and he squats beside me. "You're the TikToker whose nude video is on the internet… How much money do you take for one night?" He held onto my arm tightly, grabbing me like he owned me, and was ready to devour any second.