Austin to the Rescue...

The next morning, Vanessa woke up all exhausted. She just closed her eyes and spent a few minutes relaxing her nerves before getting up and freaking out. It was already 9:30 a.m. She quickly grabbed her phone and looked through the messages.

'7 new messages from Unknown Number'

'Good Morning, Vanessa.'

'I hope you are feeling better now.'

'I would like to apologize to you on behalf of my brother for his unprofessional behavior yesterday. I promise you, it won't happen again.'

'You can skip office today because I believe you must have been tired.'

'See you tomorrow.'

'Take care.'

'Erica Alberto.'

She was relieved to find the messages because otherwise, there was no way she could have reached the office on time. She murmured inspirational phrases to herself as she got up and when to get ready for the day. She later prepared herself a healthy breakfast and thought about what she should do if a situation arises and she was left alone with Nicholas.

Nicholas woke up to the sound of birds singing on his window sill. It wasn't normal for birds to sing in the afternoon but there wasn't anything normal going on in his life at the moment. His head was heavy and it felt like it would blast at any moment. He somehow picked himself up and went straight to get a shower, hoping to relieve the hangover.

He had a shower, changed into fresh clothes, and then went downstairs to meet Beth.

"Good morning, Beth."

"Good morning! How are you feeling?"

"I have this terrible headache."

"That's because you drank a lot of alcohol. It's good that I took it away but you wanted to drink more yesterday. Take this medicine now."

"I can't. I have to go somewhere important. Where are my keys and coat?"

"You are not going anywhere. I will be right back, wait for two minutes."

She went towards the kitchen and returned to the living room with a glass of water and a few tablets in her hands. She stood opposite Nicholas and placed the tablets in his hand.

"Eat it now. Don't behave like niño mimado," she said sternly, leaving no room for an argument.

Nicholas chuckled at the order from the little old lady in front of him and placed all three tablets in his mouth at once before washing it down with the glass of water handed by Beth.

He sat down on the couch and talked with her for a few minutes until his headache receded. And then asked her again, "I am right in front of you. I just want to know where my keys are. I am not going anywhere."

"I don't trust you. You always say one thing, and do the opposite."

He tried to ask her about it many times but she kept declining and after a few minutes, Beth instructed him to go and rest in his room while she went to prepare him brunch. He didn't eat dinner properly even though Beth-made pizza and pimientos de padrón were his favorite.

He went to his room but his restlessness didn't help him at all. He tried calling his sister, and his driver but neither picked up his call. He searched his room completely but carefully so as not to mess his things up and alert Beth. All his efforts failed and soon Beth called him downstairs for brunch.

They ate while reminiscing old memories, laughing and chuckling. His mind suddenly changed its route and started visiting the lanes of his high school memories. His expressions suddenly shifted from happy and calm to worried and sad with a hint of anger. All he could think about was Vanessa, how to get her back and why she behaved the way she did. In the end, he decided that he would go to her place himself and talk to her.

"How's your headache now?" Beth asked with concern in her voice.

"It's better, thanks to you!" The tablets seemed to have a good effect combined with the delicious meal.

Hearing his response made Beth feel at ease. She watched in awe as his expressions changed every few seconds and thought that maybe he was saying that he is better so that she would not worry about him. After he was done, Beth cleaned the table while they both talked about Erica, the way she cares about every little thing and makes the aura of a place better by her mere presence.

"Go to your room. I will bring some lemonade later," she said while placing the last piece of cutlery in the kitchen and folding her apron.

"I think I need to go for a walk. I will be right back," Nicholas tried to say as vaguely as possible without the slightest indication of his intentions.

"I said no already."

"But I won't go far from here, please. It will clear my head and I will feel better."

"How do I know that you are not going to meet Vanessa or your office?"

"You don't have to give me my keys. I can't go anywhere without my car, right?"

Beth thought about it for a few minutes while Nicholas looked at her with hopeful eyes. She thought that without his car, Nicholas won't be able to get past the boundary of this estate and decided to let him go.

"Go but remember, not outside the boundary walls."

"Thanks, Beth! You're the best," he gave her a quick side hug and left happily.

Nicholas closed the main door and started walking towards the back, unused gate. He had called Austin, his friend, and instructed him to wait there until he signaled. He had thought that maybe he could tell Austin to pick him up from the door but it had a chance of alerting Beth. He looked around to see if anyone was there and started climbing the stiff, wrought-iron gate. He used to climb this gate when he was young and he would always beat his cousins with his unmatched speed. He smiled at the sweet memories and jumped off the gate mid-way on the other side.

He unzipped his leather jacket and removed his phone to call his partner in crime. Although climbing out of the gate wasn't a crime, escaping Beth's clutches felt like it was. He quickly dialed Austin's number and waited patiently until a red Ford Mustang came into view from the far end of the greenery-covered road.

"Hey! What got you sneaking like that?" Austin greeted him enthusiastically from the rolled-down window as he came to a halt in front of Nicholas.

"Let me in first, it's freezing out here," Nicholas circled the car and hopped in the seat next to Austin's. He told him everything that had happened and gave him the address to Vanessa's residence.

~~~~~

*Ring Ring*

"Hello, Mrs. Beth?"

"Hi dear!"

"How is Nicholas? I tried calling him but he isn't picking up my call."

"He is fine, Erica. Don't worry."

"Can you put him on call, please?"

"He went for a walk. I will tell him to call you after coming back."

"But how could you let him go? I feel like he tricked you to escape."

"He is not going to escape. I told guards, not to let him go outside and I have the keys to his car."

"Thanks, Beth. And can you please call me as soon as he comes home?"

"Yes, I will. Don't worry, dear. He is fine now."

"Thanks. Gotta go, bye."

"Bye."

~~~~~

Austin pulled up outside a building that read "Arbora Court." Nicholas quickly thanked his friend and went through the glass doors. He spotted the resident's list in the lobby and quickly found Vanessa's name on it. The building was twelve-story and at least forty tenants were living there; it was an arduous task to find her apartment. He looked around for anyone who can tell Vanessa's apartment number or even her floor.

"Looking for someone, sir," he turned around to see a security guard addressing him.

"Oh, yes. Vanessa Johnson, this one right here," Nicholas replied while pointing at the nameplate on the wall.

"I am afraid, Miss. Johnson has said not to let anyone in."

"I am her friend and her employer. It is important that I see her."

"Are you Nicholas Alberto?"

"Yes, you know me?"

"Yes, she said especially not to let you in."

Nicholas thought for a few seconds and removed his wallet from his back pocket. He counted a thousand dollars and handed it over to the guard.

"I understand but I assure you, she won't mind meeting me now. Would she?"

"No sir. She lives on the seventh floor, apartment 712. I was never here and didn't tell you anything," he vanished just as quickly as he had appeared.

"Thanks," he smiled to himself and walked towards the elevator. The elevator announced its arrival with a ding and the door opened swiftly. Nicholas stepped inside and pressed the button for the seventh floor. He looked around and his eyes caught a glimpse of something shiny in a corner. He picked the shiny thing up and saw that it was a ring attached to a chain. It wasn't an ordinary ring, it was the one he had gifted to Vanessa on the night of their junior prom. It had lost some polish but it seemed to be the same one. He placed it in his pocket.

The door opened once again and Nicholas stepped out and looked for the apartment door, which separated him from his sweetheart. He knocked on the door and waited for a few minutes until Vanessa opened the door. Her eyes went wide with shock while Nicholas smiled sweetly. He removed the ring and chain he found in the elevator from his pocket and showed them to her. She alternated looking at the ring and his face.

"Where did you find it?" she snatched the valuables from his palm and wore it around her neck.

"Is this the same one?" he asked.

"I found it in the park a few years ago. And it's beautiful so I wear it sometimes."

"It was in the elevator so I thought maybe you would…"

"You need to leave now."

"I just want to talk to you, sweetheart."

"Please don't compel me to call the cops or the security, sir."

"But listen to m—" he was broken off by Vanessa closing the door but he interrupted the sudden action with his forearm and pushed it open. He stepped inside and caught Vanessa just in time as she was about to fall due to the impact. With his one arm still wrapped tightly around her, he used the other one to lock the door.

"What are you doing? Are you out of your mind?" Vanessa scolded him while trying to free herself from his grip.

"I just want to know the reason behind this. Why are you doing this? Where were you all these years? Do you enjoy torturing me like this?"

"I told you yesterday that I am not her. Why can't you comprehend that?"

"I am sure you are my Nessie. Don't you dare lie in my face," he removed his arm from her waist and took hold of both her upper arms in his fists. He tightened his grip a little but not so much as to bruise her.

"Mr. Alberto, please leave me. Why don't you believe me that I am not who you think I am?"

"That's how you want to behave now? Mr. Alberto? Won't you call me all those nicknames you had for me?"

"It's hurting," she said between her struggles and whimpers.

"I know it's hurting but do you realize how much you have hurt me in the last ten years? What my condition was when you left? Why can't you just tell me the truth, my love?"

"It is the truth, Nicholas. You are choosing not to believe it. I have told you many times that I am not her," her eyes were unable to hold the tears any longer and now they were flowing freely down her face. She wanted to tell him everything, to call him all those endearing terms she used to, to hug him tightly. And not being able to do this was killing her. The pain in his eyes was enough to make her feel guilty that she was hurting the one who loved her deeply.

"Why do you get tears when we talk? Why can't you say that without guilt in your eyes? Why did you wince when you saw blood on my knuckles yesterday?"