I trudged through the front door,exhaustion etched on her face.I dropped her bag on the table.The encounter with Kelvin and Olivia still simmered.
I held her head tightly trying to get myself when Amanda,her innocent eyes sparkling, approached"mum, what's wrong?"
My fragile control snapped"just leave me alone Amanda!"I yelled out of frustration.
On hearing my voice, Antonio came from nowhere,his expression thundered.
"Leila, what's gotten into you?"
Amanda's eyes welled up with tears as she fled.
"Leila, what's happening to you?"Antonio demanded,he was upset at me.
I slumped,regret washing over me.
"I am sorry.....I didn't mean to...."I pleaded
Antonio's expression softened slightly."you should apologize to her"
I hastened after Amanda,finding her at the garden,tears streaming down her face.
"Sweetie, I'm sorry,mummy is just so stressed"I whispered trying to coax my child.
I brushed her hair with my hand and tucked it behind her ear embracing her tightly,I felt really bad for hurting her.
Amanda's small voice trembled."I don't like it when you yell,mummy,you know I love you right?"
I nodded feeling so guilty,she sighed and hugged me tightly,I guess I have the way to my daughter's heart.
Just then, Antonio reappeared guiding Amanda back to the house"let's go baby,your mum needs to rest"
I went back to the living room and I heard after a while"let's talk Lei"
In the living room, Antonio's concern deepened."what's wrong with you Leila?why yell at Amanda like that?"
I took a deep breath"it's nothing,I am fine"I tried to pretend like nothing was wrong to avoid Antonio from worrying.
I was about to go to the bedroom but he stopped me and hugged me tightly.
"You know you can talk to me right?"
He was getting worried and those were the reason why I didn't want to tell him about what happened.
"I am just so stressed out Antonio,I don't know what to do anymore"
Antonio's arm enveloped me,holding me closer"we'll face this together,I promise,you are not alone in this"he whispered in my ears feeling pity.
My tears soaked his shirt."I feel like I'm losing myself, Antonio"
He was so caring"Never"Antonio vowed"you are strong and I'm here for you"
****** * Our love story began during my stay at the hospital when I reeling from the accident,met Antonio as a doctor,he was so kind and loving,his compassion drew me in.
He was a very nice doctor,he treated me well till I got better,he even accepted my child.
As we built a life together, Antonio became my rock supporting me through therapy and healing.
Now,as I navigated Kelvin's reappearance, Antonio stood firm.
"What do you need from me?"Antonio asked,his eyes locked on mine,he was my comforter.
My voice trembled"just be here for me....and Amanda"my voice was literally shaking.
Antonio's lips brushed against mine"forever"
The next morning,I arrived at the office pretty early determined to focus on work besides I was informed a new be was coming to my office so I needed to get prepared.
I sat in my office sipping my morning coffee.
"Hey girl"it was Emily,my colleague and friend at work.
"Hey Emily,so who is this new guy working here?"I asked out of curiosity.
"Ehm,I think his name is ehm.....ehm...kel...Kelvin,yes"Emily smiled and added"I hope he is handsome though"
"WHAT! Kelvin!"my eyes glistened,is he the same Kelvin,I muttered to myself.
"Ehm, it's ok,thank you,you can go"I dismissed her knowing fully well if I kept her here with me for too long,work won't be done.
After few minutes,I heard a knock at the door and I froze unsure if it was Kelvin or not and if it was,will I be able to take it?
"Coming in"
Kelvin's eyes widened as he stepped into my elegant office.He was not expecting to see me and so was I.I popped out my eyes in shock.
"Ehm.....ehm....welcome Kelvin....right?"I was too surprised to think of a suitable welcome greeting but I put on a smile
"Yeah.....ehm...I...."he was trying to say something but I cut him short.
"Welcome,Kelvin.You are the new marketing consultant right?"I didn't even realize I said that,my smile professional but I was feeling so uneasy and uncomfortable.
Kelvin's mind reeled,"You are my ...boss?"
I nodded"let's discuss your role"
Kelvin sat and I was already working on the files he brought,I was just trying to distract myself from his sight,I just hated eye contact.
I cannot imagine what Kelvin was thinking of right now, probably why am I 'm his boss or maybe what secrets I was hiding about us that made me create a scene that day .
"Ok so let's move on and discuss on the smith account"I was trying to grab myself and avoid staring at him.
I just had a feeling like it was Kelvin I was with,the way he looked, talked,walked, everything about him was accurate.
"Oh sure"we started to talk about the smith account in the most unusual way,so weird and crazy.
It was difficult to focus on work so I decided to break the tension between us.
"Hey,I am sorry about the other day,I was not thinking straight,I thought it was....."he jumped in
"It's ok,look I understand,you know sometimes I am mistaken by another person too,so it's fine,I get that a lot,I am used to it.... that's why I didn't pick offense with that"
He continued as I fixed my gaze at him
"You know,I think I would want to know who Your Kelvin is and how he looks like"
I just nodded and smiled,I cleared my throat
Ehm..yeah.. let's continue"I was about to cry,my eyelids were quite heavy.
He had cleared the air but the unease lingered.
Our discussion about the smith account had been strained,with me struggling to maintain my professional composure.
Kelvin's presence brought back memories I thought were long buried.As we talked on the project,I couldn't help but wonder if he was just pretending not to know me or maybe he was Kelvin and he has just lost his memory and ended up with Olivia.
As the day progressed,I couldn't concentrate on work even though the meeting with Kelvin has ended like hours ago,I still felt the tension.
I was still at the office when my phone buzzed,an unknown number flashed on the screen,thanks to Truecaller,i was so stunned seeing the caller, OLIVIA GOMEZ.