"Look, Natalia. I was stupid and foolish. I know I was that bastard in your life five years ago. I know I hurt your feelings and led you to this prison you call marriage. I'm sorry for being that jerk in your life. I want you to remember the times I was there for you, the times when we were in love, and the times when I was the only man you loved. Natalia…" he paused and looked down at his hands that were rubbing hers.
"I want you back. I can't believe I let such a beautiful, loving and caring lady go just like that. I was so dumb. How could I have done that? I regret it all please, Natalia, forgive me and…"
Natalia, who was sitting across from him at the table, used her other hand to grab the glass of juice that was positioned by her side. She then placed it between her lips to drink a little from it .
This action made by Natalia caused the man in front of her to stop talking as he took a moment to watch her.
The man sitting in front of Natalia was waiting for her to speak but all she did was stare at him without an expression that could help him communicate with her properly and perhaps persuade her.
Natalia, however, was somehow surprised to hear from her ex-boyfriend who ended his relationship with her because he wanted to be with her step sister, Genevieve five years ago.
His decision to go with Genevieve back then made Natalia devastated as it happened suddenly. Two days after her break up with Diego, she heard from the hospital that her mother had passed away. According to the doctor it was a cardiac arrest but how was that possible?
Natalia was told that it happened after Genevieve visited her mother but up till now there was no evidence that Genevieve killed her mother nor was she able to investigate back then because her stepfather refused to listen to Natalia's remark about Genevieve being behind her mother's death.
That same week, Natalia's stepfather accused her of wanting to steal Genevieve's position as his successor, disowned her without listening to her part of the story and got her married to the man who Genevieve was supposed to marry back then.
Natalia married Eugene the last day of that week and never saw him after that day. Five years after and she was still that woman waiting for her husband who everyone believed had forgotten about her and moved on with his life.
That week in her life was too harsh to Natalia, causing her depression. She suffered depression for three years until a new head maid was hired in her home–her husband's home.
The middle-aged woman couldn't watch Natalia destroy herself so she introduced her therapist to Natalia.
Ever since Natalia had been interacting with doctor Quinn, her life changed for the better but even after two years she still hadn't found her purpose and a place she belonged.
Her head was blank as she looked at the man sitting in front of her. She had just left her therapist's office when she received a message from her ex boyfriend who had been keeping in touch with her for the past two weeks.
Since her therapist advised that she socialize with people more, she decided to meet up with her ex boyfriend and listen to what he had to say.
"Say something, Natalia," he requested but Natalia was too blank. She replayed his statement over and over in her head and recalled how she begged him not to leave her that year.
This memory caused Natalia to scoff. "Why should I listen to your pleas, Diego?" She asked the same question he asked her that year.
Diego's eyes darkened when she threw him that question and of course, it brought memories. He untangled her hand and leaned back.
Natalia was completely nonchalant about whatever action he took next. She just sat there, watching. She had grown so numb that she barely felt moved by any emotions–that's if she still had the ability to possess emotions, she just let everything be the way it was supposed to be.
"I understand," Diego uttered after a moment of silence.
Natalia opened her phone to check the message she received and saw that it was doctor Quinn. "Are you home?" He had asked.
"No," she replied.
"So?" He requested a reason but Natalia was trying to listen to what Diego was saying.
"I'm at a small restaurant with my ex boyfriend," she sent her response.
"I was bad, I know that Natalia but can you find it within you to let go of our past? Let's start all over again," Natalia focused on Diego when. Doctor Quinn was taking his time to reply.
"I'm married, Diego,'' she thought saying this would dismiss everything but it didn't.
"But the man you married has never been there for you, Nat. He left you on your wedding day. He might even be married in the place he went to and could already have children. You should divorce him and come to me. I'll take care of you, love you, make babies with you and be a good father. Come be with me, please, my love."
Natalia was blank once again. She looked down at her phone as she had received seven unread messages from Doctor Quinn.
"Why are you with him?"
"Is he begging you to come back to him?"
"Didn't I tell you Nat?"
"I told you not to get easily persuaded by him."
"Have you ever asked him what happened between your step sister and him?"
"Answer me, Natalia."
"Don't tell him you are falling for his lies? Why didn't you tell me you are seeing him before leaving my office? Don't let him break your heart once more. Remember you are still finding it hard to heal from your depression."
"You told me to socialize," Natalia sent him a message after reading all his remarks.
"Not like this," doctor Quinn message came in immediately as if he knew she was going to say that.
"Nat," Diego caught her attention. "Why are you busy with your phone? I'm talking to you."
"I have to go, Diego. I don't want this," Natalia stood up.
"Where are you going?" Diego grabbed her hand.
"I'm married, Diego. I can't get involved with you and I do not love you anymore. Stop looking for me," Natalia said calmly, trying to remove his hold because it was uncomfortable.
"Do you think that man loves you?"
"Let me go, Diego," she looked tired, making her voice soft and low.
"He's never going to love you. No one can love you, Natalia!" Diego's voice increased in volume, inviting the attention of others. Seeing this he let her hand go and she left the restaurant without looking back.
Natalia could now feel something. When she landed in her car, she rested her head on the car door as the driver drove her back home. "No one can love you," she muttered to herself.
"Yes, no one can love me. Nobody," she closed her eyes and tears ran down her cheeks. "Not even the man I'm married to."
She hugged her stomach because it was aching as the words Diego uttered earlier happened to be too harsh for her to contain and it had caused her to be anxious again.
She was in the state where she craved something she didn't know about and since she couldn't get that thing, she panicked and began to bite her nails, feeling incomplete and needy.
Natalia rushed into her home when the driver stopped her car. She didn't even wait for him to open the door, she jolted to her room and rushed to the drawer beside her bed to get the medication that could help relieve her panic attack.
She sat on the floor after taking the pills. Her breathing became unstable because she kept remembering the words Diego said to her. "Leave my head, please," in tears, she pleaded as she slapped the sides of her head.
The next moment, she saw someone walking out of the bathroom as if it was his own room.
She could tell it was a man because of his hairy wet legs and it appeared to her that the man had just had his bath.
Still weak and weary from her journey today, she lifted her lazy eyes to at least catch a glimpse of the man before falling asleep. The pills worked in that manner. Falling asleep was like a reset to help her recover from her panic attack.
His body was half naked and he was drying his wet hair. He was looking down at her and was coming closer when her gaze blurred but she saw his face and how stern his expression was.
His face reminded her of someone–someone who abandoned her. "Eugene Roberts?" She murmured before falling into a deep slumber.