Truly loved

He saw her just as they walked into the ballroom. She always stood out in a crowd, no matter what she wore or what she did. She would always catch his eyes, even without her trying. She would always have his heart. For now, he needed to stay away.

"Mayor De Luca and Mrs. De Luca, we are glad that you could attend our fundraising event. You honor us both with your presence." Dr. Edison Smith, the director of the hospital, immediately received their special guests for the night.

"We are more than delighted to be part of this occasion. We are sorry though for the lateness of our arrival. We hope we did not miss anything." Johanna, Brad's wife responded to Dr. Edison as Brad was momentarily silently kept in a trance. She had to subtlety pinched him in the arm to make him aware that they had company.

"Please, let me show you around." Dr. Smith offered as they directed them in the center of the ballroom to meet the other guests.

Brad tried to focus on the conversation that was going around the group, but there were a few occasions that he could not help but seek her out. He knew that she was avoiding him, but he could not blame her. He would rather lose her now than make her suffer more than she had to.

Johanna, on the other hand, decided to mingle with the other guests. She just could not stand beside him at that moment and played the dutiful wife. She needed a few minutes to get herself together.

She noticed the change in his husband as soon as they entered the room. She could only surmise the reason for it. She saw the way he searched for her. His longing etched on the depth of his eyes. In truth, she wished someday he would look at her in the same way.

"Brad, I had been making an appointment with your office a few times now, but it would seem that you are quite a busy man." Mr. Gary Anderson of the Anderson Enterprise boastfully stated, seizing his attention.

He was indeed a busy man, but that was not the reason for his lack of time to accommodate this man's request. He did not like the way he had operated his business dealings. Mr. Anderson's transactions were questionable and shady, and as much as he wanted nothing to do with him, his job still required him to deal with him.

"Mr. Anderson, you have to forgive my staff if they were not able to prioritize your schedule. I'm sure we could work something out." He answered him courteously, knowing that he had to play his cards right. He did not want an enemy with a man as influential as him.

Politics was not his dream, but it was a means to help the people in his community. His family was an immigrant who tried their luck in this country, hoping for a better life. However, it was not an easy journey for them.

Lack of job opportunities, benefits, education, among other things made it difficult for them to provide a comfortable life for their families. Not to forget racism was another major issue back then. It was a long struggle to get where he was now, in a position of power.

Still, it was not high enough to effect change in the system. He needed to climb higher, but power is power. It meant to get it, he had to bend a lot of rules, crossed some gray lines, and delicately balanced between right and wrong. He might not like it, but he did not have much of a choice.

For him to be in the right position to make changes in the political system and to make new laws that would truly help the people, he needed their money and support. He just hoped that along the way, he would not be eaten by the corrupt system and lost his real agenda.

"Mayor De Luca, I was looking for you. Could I borrow him for a few minutes, Mr. Anderson?" Another gentleman interrupted them, pulling the Mayor away from the crowd and into a slightly secluded corner. "I believed you owe me for rescuing you, my friend."

"I could handle him, but thanks anyway. When did you get back?" Brad asked his long-time friend, Robert Hernandez. He and his wife just renewed their vows. He was supposed to be on his honeymoon in the Bahamas.

"Just this morning. It's a long story, but here I am, doing my obligation to the community." Robert was the Deputy Chief of the city. He dedicated his life to the force. "Where is Johanna?"

"She's around here somewhere," Brad said casually. "What about your wife? Isn't she here with you?"

"No. She was called in emergency surgery. The reason we had to go back early." Robert explained to him.

"You can't blame her. I think she is better off back on her job than to spend a minute longer with you." That earned him a slight punch on the arm from this friend.

Kidding aside, Brad envied his friend and his wife. Despite their obligation and dedication to their jobs, their devotion to love each other was quite admirable. He wanted that, instead, he was trapped in a loveless marriage. Although Johanna was a good wife and great friend, he knew that his heart was beating for someone else.

"Seriously, I noticed that she is also here." Indicating to the woman who had his attention this entire time. She was so near yet, he could not get close to her.

"Yeah, she is promoting the fundraising event." Brad enlightened his friend.

"How do you feel about her?" Robert asked discreetly, making sure that no one else could hear their conversation.

He cleared his throat, taking some time before answering his friend. "You know how I feel. It never changed." He admitted.

"Damn. It's been a year. You should move on. She seemed to be doing fine now without you." Robert took a sip of his champagne.

"I'm trying to move on. I never tried to call her, not once, even if that was the only thing I wanted to do. I missed her still." He looked around and spotted her wife coming their way. He quickly changed the topic, not wanting Johanna to get a whiff of what they were talking about.

"Robert, I didn't know you're back." Johanna greeted him with a light peck on the cheek. Where is Trina?"

Robert repeated explaining the reason for his quick return from their honeymoon and the reason for the absence of his wife. A few minutes later, a few more guests gathered around them, seeking Brad or Robert's attention for a particular topic they needed to discuss.

After a few more minutes, Brad excused himself from the group to go to the restroom. He did not need it. He just wanted some breather. A time to be alone with his thoughts.

He went to the balcony to get some fresh air, away from the crowd. Luckily, it was empty. The quietness, contrary to the loud music and buzz inside was a welcome relief.

"Are you ok?" Someone said behind his back. He was very familiar with her voice after years of being married to her.

"Yes, I just need some open space," showing her the cigarette he lit in his fingers. He seldom indulged in these bad habits, but he needed the calming effect it gave him at that moment.

"I noticed that she was in there." She opened the conversation that he knew would eventually come up. He was just not expecting it to happen this soon.

"Yes, I saw her." He said, making it a point to look disinterested. Johanna might know what happened to them in the past, but she still has no idea of the extent of his feelings for Sabrina.

Johanna was the person he married, but they both knew that he did not love her. As far as he knew, she did not love him either. They were friends. That time, they needed each other. It was the right thing to do. To get married because of their own personal agenda.

"Do you still love her?" She drank the entire content of the champagne remaining in her glass.

"I don't…" Brad was about to make some lie when he was cut short.

Johanna hastily said, "Don't bother to deny it. I always knew. I'm not blind." She walked past him to the edge, staring at the crescent moon, halfway across the dark starry sky. "I might have kept my mouth shut, but I'm not stupid."

"I told you what happened between us was over." He hugged her and cradle her body in his embrace.

Brad could not hurt Johanna anymore. He might have made the mistake of letting his heart took over reason, but he was not a monster. He had decided to let go of Sabrina and stick with Johanna. It was just sometimes hard to reason with his heart as it continued to beat for noo.

"I have learned to love you, Brad. I know it was not part of the agreement, but I could not stop it." She buried her face in his chest, feeling his heartbeat against her cheeks.

She knew the fast beat of his heart was not for her, but she could not let go of him. She had learned to love him despite her knowledge that he loved someone else. She wanted to fight for him, but how. When she was going up against someone like Sabrina Sanders.

"I love you too, Johanna." He did, just not the same way that he loved Sabrina. The only woman who owned his heart. "I promised that I would never leave you."

Meeting Sabrina changed everything for him. He was even willing to give up his political ambition just to be with her. Then, the scandal happened. He wanted to drop from the race, but something happened that he did not foresee.

In the end, he decided that it would be better for everyone if he stayed with Johanna's side. To let Sabrina go. She was pregnant with their first child. There was no way that he could leave Johanna unless fate decided to set him free. To be with the woman he truly loved.