Broken Hearts !

"Are you sure that you don't know me?" Nicholas asked with a phony smile.

"Yes sir."

Nicholas got up from his chair and regained his previous posture. He was half seated on his desk but this time he wasn't requesting Erica to extract details about Vanessa; rather, he was interrogating Vanessa herself.

"What happened, sir? Did I do something wrong?" Vanessa asked, with her head bent down. She was beginning to panic since she was unable to predict what was going to happen to her and was now sweating profusely.

Because her job was so essential to her, she was terrified that she might lose it. This was a position that she must never lose.

Her life depended on this job. It was the only way to avoid going bankrupt and becoming homeless. She never could have thought that something that had happened ten years ago would land her in so much mess today. After that incident during high school, she wanted to disappear completely. She moved to a different state and disconnected from everyone who could have been a link between Nicholas and herself. She was glad that Nicholas had never met her grandmother otherwise it would have been a whole new level of difficulty to convince her grandmother to move or hide from the world.

Nicholas only had to take one glance at her to realize that she was the same naughty, adorable youngster who once had him wrapped around her little finger. They were very happy together. He had even planned on asking her hand in marriage after completing his education but little did he know that one day she would just disappear. No call, no message, no letter, she had also moved out of her apartment without telling anyone. No one knew where she went or when she would return.

This left Nicholas all broken. He was hanging by a thread, going into depression but at that time, little Erica tried very hard to bring colors back into her brother's grayscale life. She did everything she could and her hard work paid off. Nicholas recovered emotionally but there was a tiny secluded corner in his heart that never forgot his sweetheart.

'She has changed with time but in the best way one could imagine, at that time I used to think that she can't get more beautiful but she is looking a hundred times more gorgeous than how I see her in my dreams every night. How can I resist holding her in my arms, hugging her tightly, and never letting her go away from me? I want her, I need her but I can't understand why she is refusing to acknowledge our past.'

"Sir, may I leave, please? I have some work that needs to be done at the earliest," Vanessa asked in a low voice and waited for his reply.

Nicholas had no intention of letting her go this early, at least not until he got answers to the questions that had occupied his mind for the last ten years and tormented him mercilessly.

"When I ask you a question, I expect an honest answer from you Miss Johnson."

"I assured you that I have never met you before. Please believe me, sir."

"You've never met me, so don't worry; perhaps I mistook you for someone else. Sorry for wasting your time."

"No problem, sir," Vanessa replied thinking that she had successfully convinced Nicholas that she was someone else. She was both relieved and sad by this. The hurtful look in Nicholas's eyes made her feel guilty but the guilt was quickly replaced by anger when the images of that incident flashed in her mind. She got up from her chair and was about to turn around and leave when she felt a strong grip on her wrist. Her eyes were starting to well up but she didn't let them.

"I don't recall giving you permission to leave," Nicholas said in a stern voice. Vanessa froze in place and didn't dare move a muscle because she was familiar with that tone; it was the tone of anger. "Return. To. Your. Seat."

Not wanting to make Nicholas more annoyed than he already was, Vanessa quietly moved back to her chair and sat there thinking about possible scenarios. The one that scared her the most was getting fired on her first day. She did not doubt that Nicholas wouldn't hesitate for a second before firing her and using his connections to make sure she never got a job in this field ever again.

Nicholas circled her chair twice like a wolf carefully examining its prey. Vanessa was trembling in fear. She had wrapped her arms around her belly to calm her shaking hands. Her eyes were fixed on the foot of Nicholas's desk in front of her.

"It's really hot today, Vanessa, isn't it? It's strange, you know, it's the month of March and the weather reports predicted that it will be chilly today," Nicholas said tonelessly in a cold and eerily slow voice, taking his sweet time and taking a short pause after pronouncing each word.

"No, sir," Vanessa was frightened to her very core and it took a lot of courage for her to answer him. "Why are you feeling this way?"

"You seem to be sweating a lot, here drink this," Nicholas stopped in front of her to take a glass of water from his desk. He removed the wooden square covering the glass and tossed it back on the desk with a 'clank.' Even a voice as little as this was enough to startle Vanessa. He turned to face her and offered her the glass of water.

"I'm feeling perfectly fine, sir. Thanks but I am not thirsty," Vanessa tried to decline politely. She wanted to gulp down the water because the tension in the room was so high that she felt pins and needles pricking her throat from the inside. But she feared that if she tried to reach for the glass, her quivering hands would betray her and drop the glass on the floor.

For a moment it felt like Nicholas was reading her mind. He moved the glass near her lips and held it there for a moment until Vanessa reached for it. She drank it within a few seconds and kept the empty glass back on the table before sitting back in her chair.

"Thank you, Ni- I mean sir, sorry," Vanessa felt like she was the dumbest person on the face of the earth after almost calling him by his name. She was so tense and anxious, that she couldn't think straight and decided to keep her mouth shut.

Vanessa was having a difficult time figuring out what was going on in Nicholas's mind just as Erica was. After she sent Vanessa to Nicholas's cabin, Erica didn't go back to her desk but instead decided to wait outside his door. The thick walls and heavy door made it a strenuous task to hear what was going on inside the closed door and their dulcet voices weren't helping at all.

"You're sweating like you ran a marathon in a desert. The AC is turned on and it's 18 degrees outside," Nicholas said matter-of-factly and started circling her again.

Vanessa's blood was pounding in her ears. She felt like her heart would either stop beating or burst out of her chest any minute now. She was feeling completely trapped. There seemed to be no escape from him. All she could think was that there was nothing she could say that would make him let her off the hook.

"I'm fine, sir. Can you please let me go?" Her voice was trembling with fear.

Nicholas came to a stop behind her and grabbed her chair to turn it around. He placed his right arm on the armrest and the left one on the headrest. The casters of the chair rolled back and came to an abrupt stop when it bumped into the desk.

When Nicholas removed his hand from the headrest and placed it on Vanessa's shoulder, she closed her eyes and thought about the worst that could happen. The room was so silent that they both could hear each other's hearts thumping in their chests. Surprisingly the rhythm of Nicholas's heartbeats was having a calming effect on Vanessa. At that moment, all she wanted to do was hand herself over to Nicholas, let him take care of everything, and forget about the past. She just wanted to close the distance between them and hug him so tightly until all her tears and pains were let out of her body. It was too much to handle for her. Keeping this job was worth more than taking a risk of either becoming homeless or having her true love want her back. She kept her eyes shut tightly when a single tear escaped her right eye.

"Please, sir. Let me go. I promise you that I have never met you before today," she requested him while trying hard not to let the waterworks begin.

"Nessie, my love, please don't do this to me again," Vanessa could feel the pain in Nicholas's voice. His eyes were fixed on the girl in front of him. There was once a time when they would lose the sense of the reality around them when they looked into each other's eyes but today, they met after ten years, and she doesn't even want to acknowledge him.

"I have already told you that I'm not who you think you are, sir. Please just believe me and let me go."

This was the hardest thing she ever had to do. She always tries not to lie, and she had never lied to Nicholas before, at least not until today. It was breaking her heart to deceit him. Even though her eyes were closed, the pain Nicholas's voice held made her barriers break and she stopped trying to hold her tears back.

"Look at me, Nessie. Aren't you the one who loved me dearly? Who always took care of me? Who was my whole world and I was hers, aren't you Vanessa? Once, my love, just once look me in the eyes and tell me that you aren't my Vanessa who turned my worst day into my best with just a smile. I won't ever bring this up again if you do it right now, I will believe you," his voice was now on the verge of breaking.

She opened her eyes and kept her vision fixed low, she didn't dare to look at his face. She removed his hand from her shoulder and stood up, pushing him away by placing both her palms on his chest.

She moved away from her towards the door when Nicholas placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This is all a big misunderstanding. I hope you find your Vanessa but please don't do anything like this again, Mr. Alberto," she said while crying without turning around.

Hearing her call him by his last name made the rage that was building in him reach above boiling point. He couldn't control his anger anymore. In a fit of rage, he punched the wall in front of him with all his strength, making the paint and the top layer of plaster crack with the impact.

Vanessa's eyes dried up with fear and she stared at Nicholas with wide eyes. She knew that no matter what, he wouldn't harm her but she had never seen him angry let alone fuming.

"Sir, please calm down," she pleaded.

"Get out right now!" Nicholas's normally low and smooth voice was now filled with anger and he almost yelled.

"Your knuckles are bleeding. Please, liste—" she tried to reach out for his hand and take a look but he shook her hand away.

"Not one more damn word from your mouth, Vanessa. You're not going to admit that you're mine, right? Then don't care about me. You have no right to be concerned about whether my knuckles are broken or whether I am dead. Leave."

Vanessa gathered the pieces of her broken heart and left without saying another word. She had no idea it would go this far. After what had happened the last time she saw her, she thought maybe he would have forgotten her by now.

"Oh my god! What happened? Are you alright? Why are you crying? How is Nicholas?" Erica, who was waiting for Vanessa to emerge from the room, asked her the questions in one breath without giving her a chance to answer.

"I-I don't know what just happened. It's just too much," she said, bursting into tears yet again and pulling Erica into a tight hug that was meant for her brother.

Erica rubbed her back soothingly and pulled back only when she was calmed. She wanted to see Nicholas but seeing Vanessa's condition Erica thought that Nicholas might want a few minutes to himself too.

"You alright now?"

Vanessa nodded, still unable to form words.

"Do one thing, you can leave today. It's just an introduction day and building tour. You can report at the same time tomorrow. Ok?"

"Thanks, Miss Erica. It means a lot to me."

Erica smiled at her and Vanessa replied with one of her own. Erica's phone rang, she bid adieu to Vanessa and pulled it out of her coat's pocket. The caller ID displayed 'Nicholas' and she declined the call and ran in the door without knocking.

Nicholas was half seated on his desk, he was in the same position on his desk nearly a quarter of all the time he was in his cabin, it seemed to be his favorite because he never entertained the notion of sitting in a chair all day. He would often pace in his cabin, or around the office building.

"Are you alright? Let me take a look."

Erica rushed to her brother's side and took his hand in both of hers. She winced when she saw how injured he was.

"I'm alright, Erica."

"This is the reason I told you not to talk to her, Nick. But when did you ever listen to me? You even broke your promise," Erica had tears in her eyes threatening to fall. Not because of the broken promise but because of Nicholas's condition. She remembered the pain and trouble he had gone through and didn't want him to experience even a tiny bit of it again.

Seeing her worried, Nicholas wrapped an arm around her shoulder and planted a soft kiss on top of her head.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I shouldn't have broken my promise. But don't worry, I'm fine. I was angry and lost my control but other than that I'm good."

"I forgive you for breaking this promise, Nicholas. But please don't do the same with the other one. I would not talk to you if you hurt yourself again or set yourself up for heartbreak."

"Trust me. I won't give you more trouble. I need to be alone for some time so call me only when it's necessary or if there's an emergency. Alright?"

"Yes, but where are you headed?"

"I don't know but I will be fine."

"Ok. Take care and if you need me at any time then please call me."

Nicholas gave her a nod and left. All his pain was replaced by anger and then sadness followed. He dismissed his driver and went straight to his farmhouse, away from the city. It was his comfort place. Whenever he needed a break from the chaotic world around him, he would go there and relax for a few hours or sometimes a day or two. The conversation he had with the thief who had stolen his heart was playing on his mind in a loop.

Erica was standing there in Nicholas's cabin thinking about a course of action. She remembered Vanessa's hurt expression and the way she hugged her. She understood that they both still loved each other but didn't know why Erica was refusing everything. Why did she disappear from Nicholas's life? After thinking for a few minutes, she had made a firm decision that no matter what, she would reunite them.

Vanessa pulled her car into the driveway and went straight inside the twelve-story building. Luckily the elevator was on the ground floor so she pressed the button to open it and stepped in. She pressed the button for the seventh floor and leaned on the handrail when she caught her reflection in the mirrored wall. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying with her mascara running down. She hoped that the lobby of her floor would be empty and the elevator wouldn't stop on any of the floors below seventh. She didn't want to face anyone right now, all she wanted was some chips, drinks, pizza, TV, and a dark and quiet place to cry herself to sleep.

Nicholas reached his destination after driving at least twenty over the speed limit for an hour. He parked his car and went straight towards the minibar. It wasn't even afternoon yet and Nicholas had gulped down four shots of vodka and half a bottle of beer. Nicholas should occasionally drink some wine but he hasn't been this drunk since the last few years when Erica made him quit alcohol and smoking. He was almost addicted after Vanessa mysteriously disappeared from his life, leaving him alone.

Vanessa rushed out of her elevator and went straight toward her flat. The keys were taking advantage of her blurry vision and decided to play a game of hide and seek while she searched for them in her handbag.

After the housekeeper, Mrs. Beth snatched the beer away from Nicholas, he tried to grab another but was scolded by the lady in her early sixties. No matter how drunk or angry or sad he was, he would never disobey or disrespect the woman who was the closest to a motherly figure in his life after the demise of his mother. He stopped protesting and trying to get some alcohol after a while and went upstairs to his room.

Vanessa opened the door with shaking hands and went inside. She closed the door and leaned against it, dropped her open handbag on the floor, and spilled its contents along with it. She felt weak in the knees and slowly lowered herself down while keeping her back stuck to the door.

Nicholas's anger was increasing with each step he took. He slammed the door open and went straight in front of the mirror. He saw his reflection but something seemed to be missing, his smile. Whenever he used to see Vanessa back in the day, there would be a wide smile on his face. But today he met her after ten years and she declined ever knowing him. With one swift motion, he moved his hand across his makeshift work desk, throwing everything off of it. His anger was uncontrollable, his desires were running wild but most of all the betrayal was eating him alive. He continued the destruction of his room.

The faint sound of Vanessa's soft and despairing cries filled her apartment. She had folded her knees such that she was resting her chin on them. Her hands were wrapped around her legs. She didn't want to leave Nicholas, she never wanted to, not even when she left all those years ago. She was feeling very guilty yet somehow relieved. Relieved because she wasn't fired yet, maybe he won't fire her if she was adamant that he had mistaken her for someone else. Guilty because she made Nicholas angry, and she didn't have enough courage in her to tell him the truth, and because of her, he injured himself. She got up sometime later and walked over to her bedroom. She flopped herself on her bed and reached for the photo frame on the bedside table's drawer.

She caressed the photo longingly and said, "I'm sorry, Nicholas. But I will have to hide this from you. I don't want to go through hell again. Moving on after leaving you was the hardest thing I ever had to do and I don't think I will be able to do it again. I don't know if you love me at all now but I still love you, Nicholas. I always had and I always will, until my last breath."

"YOU'RE MINE. ONLY AND ONLY MINE. YOU BELONG TO ME, NICHOLAS ALBERTO! I'LL GET YOU BACK NO MATTER WHAT! YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME NOW!!"

The loud and violent noises caught Beth's attention and she sprinted upstairs to check on Nicholas. She had just bought vegetables from the backyard garden to cook something for Nicholas. She put the vegetables down on a table near his room and walked over briskly. Nicholas was standing with a liquor bottle in his hand. His room looked as if a hurricane had hit it.

"Nicholas! What have you done? I went away for five minutes and you destroyed your room. Come here."

"I want to be alone for some time."

"Oh Dios mío! I'm not leaving you alone," she marched over by his side and grabbed the bottle out of his reach, it was already empty so she placed it on the table nearby. She clutched his wrist with her hand and dragged him downstairs with her, ignoring his protests. She made him sit at the dining table and proceeded to take the seat next to him.

"Tell me, will you now? What happened? Why so angry, my niñito?" She raised from her seat and turned towards him. She was a short lady so Nicholas easily reached her shoulder while seated. She lightly held his chin and turned his head to face her. His eyes were red and filled with a lot of things, sadness, anger, fear, and betrayal, she could sense that he had gone through a lot today. Instead of waiting for him to speak, she finished her phone out of her apron pocket and dialed Erica while Nicholas slipped his arm across the old lady's back and placed his head in the crook of her neck. She rubbed his back soothingly while waiting for Erica to answer.

"And the next thing that we need to foc—" Erica stopped mid-sentence when she felt her phone vibrate in her coat pocket. "I will be right back."

It was very rare for Erica to leave a meeting for a phone call. She would always switch off her phone before a presentation but today she had kept it on vibrate in case Nicholas called.

She picked up the call from Beth and was not very shocked to find out what Nicholas had done. She apologized to the participants for leaving early and rushed to her brother's aid.