Nia has grown more beautiful than I had anticipated. Her eyes are still curved from the inside and her lips grew a bit wider. I would fall in love with her over and over again without any hesitation.
Again, I saved her life as she fell in the water once again but decided to hide myself in this situation. She was later helped out of the water by a colleague of the captain, and she started to shout my name as she came out of the water. The captain and his colleague are wondering why she is crying out someone else's name while the person who has saved her life is standing right beside her. The crew thought of calling Ermias to inform him about the incident, she insisted he shouldn't be told anything, and she walked off to her car. As soon as she exited the boat, she was immediately surrounded by reporters asking her so many questions, some of which consist of why she is not with her husband but rather alone and in this dangerous situation. She hesitantly moved them away and walked straight to her car. She kept murmuring my name as I hid behind a beautiful yacht that was seated empty close to where her boat was parked. I nearly came out from my cover just to see her face, but I thought through it and realized it's best if she doesn't see me, at least not for now.
As she was about to drive away from the paparazzi, she came out again and asked the guy that brought her out of the water some questions. I wasn't so sure that she had seen me, even though I tried my very best to hide myself from her. She asked if he had something tied around his neck, and definitely he said no. I had a necklace made from leather, which was given to me by my mother, as a gift and also for protection, and this necklace is regarded as a good luck chain. I have had it around my neck almost all my life nor do I have any plans of taking it off any time soon. As the man replied of not having anything around his neck, she was then sure that I was the one who had saved her life and has untied the rope that entangled her legs beneath the water.
"He was here. I saw him with my own eyes, and my eyes can not lie to me about Jayden", she kept saying to herself.
I could hear everything that she was saying and that really got me to the heart. My heart races faster than its usual speed, just because I heard her calling my name. It was obvious that she misses me and would definitely want to see me, or probably try working things out between us.
After speaking to the guy and taking her leave, the paparazzi came back again and this time asking of why her hairs is wet and what happened to her that she is wet and so on. But the interesting part of their questions was when they asked if the human resource officer who is the mistress to her husband was at the party, and if that being the reason why she left her husband with his mistress at the party and left all by herself. She quickly drove away as their questions were starting to sound embarrassing.
Five years ago, when I was leaving for my place of work, she came around the house to see me off, but of course, she does not have that courage to face me or come to my family after all the humiliation we suffered because of her. She stood by as she watched me say my goodbyes to my parents and friends before Deon drove me to the bus terminal. She followed us right to the bus terminal thinking she could step forward to me and explain all the excuses she got in the world of why she had to dump me and go for Ermias. Despite everything we had been through and the promises we made to each other, even though I never made her swear or made any promises to me, she did all of that out of her free will, and now dumped me at the time that I thought things were going to be different.
Layla has been very worried and disturbed ever since the incident happened between Nia and me. I had explained everything to her while I was broken and disheartened. Layla knew something like this was bound to happen, but of course, had to keep it away from me because she did not want to ruin my beautiful moments. She started to resent Nia ever since the incident and it has grown throughout the years till now.
As Nia was hiding behind the house as she watched me take my leave with Deon, she cried her heart out, yet no one was there to console her. My younger sister saw her as she was going to class on that very same day, she stopped and tried consoling her, and as they stood there, Layla appeared on them.
"What are you doing here?", Layla had asked her upon seeing her hugging my little sister.
As Nia was about to answer Layla's question, she interrupted again,
"You have ruined Jayden a long time ago, so I see no reason of you being here", Layla added.
"You turned him inti a miserable person, and even walked over him without bothering of the scars which you left behind. So, tell me, what are you after? And you are even crying. Crying for who I may ask. Are you crying for Jayden or crying for yourself", Layla said to her harshly.
"The only person I could explain this to is you, Layla", Nia said.
"I will not welcome your lies, Nia. What has happened has happened, and the broken one is broken, so what else do you have to explain to me? Just leave right this minute, and my doors are closed to you as from today. You have done what you wanted to do, so stay out of his life and go be with your so-called husband", Layla had said to her. She turned as she walked away more heartbroken than I was and had since been talking to my sister and finding out about me from her.
Fast forward today, as she left the shore and was driving her, she parked right behind my parent's house as all these memories took a flash back at her, while she weeps. She was hopeful probably to see me come out of the house. She called my sister to verify if I was really in town and meanwhile, I informed no one of my coming. My sister told her I was not back yet and that she did not understand where she heard that from. Nia then told her she had seen me at the seaside and was wondering if I had come to the house. She then requested from that sister not to inform me that she had called if I come around. She hanged up the call then headed straight back home.
My sister had contacted Deon asking if he had heard from me or had any information about my whereabout. Deon was confused as to why she would ask him that, even if I was to be in town, they would definitely be with first to know to know about it before he does. And in this note, Deon and my sister have been seeing each other yet no one had the courage to tell me about it. Of course, I wouldn't take it easy on both of them if they had informed me about the affair, yet I thought I deserved to know since she is my sister, and he is my best friend.
I had been lodging at Layla's place since my arrival in town and still have not informed anyone of my presence. I did not inform Layla either, I only took her by surprise and knowing so well that her doors are always open to me, I comfortably went to her and asked my driver to find himself a comfortable hotel for the night then pick me up from where he had dropped me, so we continued from where we had left.
Layla was so excited to see me as she had been waiting for my arrival and also to tell her of everything that had happened when I was away. I had really missed her a lot and could not wait but start to tell her everything and how I got to be a partner in the company that had hired me. It was indeed a great achievement for me and the entire family.
All these times while at Layla's place, I was eager to meet Nia. After that night she seemed to have been stuck in my head and all the memories that we had shared are beginning to journey back to me. It was about seeing her and telling her of how much I have missed, but it was to make her away of my return, and I have not returned as the Jayden she knew, but a whole different Jayden is standing right in front of her.