Chapter 37 37
The noise she heard coming from the living room awoke her. She checked the time and it was 4 in the morning. She rushed out of bed, put on her robe and walked out of her room. The sight she met Mandeep her gasped in both pity and disbelief.
"Dear lord! Not this again." Mrs Scooter exclaimed after a completely drunk Nathan was escorted into the villa by Matt. He tried as much as he could to keep Nathan steady on his wobbly legs.
"Let me assist you, Mr Michael." Mrs Scooter offered as she walked up to them.
"Don't worry ma'am. I got him." Matt held Nathan closer when he began to slip. "Just please help me with the door to his room."
Mrs Scooter nodded with a pitiful expression. She quickly went ahead of them to get the door to Nathan's bedroom.
It has been almost two weeks since Nathan found out that Brooke has left the city. He felt so betrayed by his parents and refused to talk to them. He has also refused to talk to any of his friends, not his assistant at work. He just locked everything and everyone out.
The day he found out Brooke was gone, he refused to leave his room for more than twenty four hours. He didn't have any food nor liquid for that time. He felt it was a punishment he deserved.
He only returned to work three days ago. But it was strictly business and avoided any extended conversation with anyone. He takes himself to the club he usually goes to with his friends. This time around, he made it regularly for the past three days to go and nub his misery.
Matt tried to keep an eye on him. He would go looking for Nathan in the club and then bring him back to the villa in a very drunken state. Tonight was no exception.
"Rose, where is Bee? Tell her to prepare me some soup. I love the soup she makes. Nathan spoke.
"Is she not back yet?" He continued to speak in his drunken state. His eyes looked heavy as he tried to force them to remain open.
"Ask the driver to go pick her up from the Turners mansion." He continued.
Nathan then spoke to his friend. "Matt, call Bee and tell her to come back to me."
"I will, Nathan. Let me put you down first." Matt replied to Nathan's gibberish talks. That was the only way to get him to be quiet and do what they wanted him to.
"Oh! Poor Mr Leo." Rose said. "For how long will he keep doing this to himself?" She directed her question at Matt.
They finally settled him on the bed. Matt went ahead and got his shoes off.
"With Nathan, you will never know. But he will eventually be alright." Matt explained. "The problem now is he feels guilty for everything that happened. He needs time to gradually forgive himself and eventually move on."
Mrs Scooter turned off the lights and left the room after Matt had walked out.
The next morning.
Mrs Scooter began to get worried when the clock rang eleven in the morning and Nathan did not leave his room. His assistant has been calling because he was not getting a response from Nathan's private cell. She went to the door and called out.
"Mr Leo? Sir?" She knocked as she called. Silence was all she got in return.
Mrs Scooter contemplated going into the room with permission or to wait till she was given one. She called again and again but still no answer. She began to get worried and went ahead to open the door. Luckily, it was still unlocked.
"Mr Leo, you assistant has been calling that you are needed at work-." Mrs Scooter stopped mid sentence when she saw the bed empty.
"Sir.... Sir... Where are you? Are you in the bathroom?" She called out, knocking on the bathroom door. She waited for a few minutes and listened, hoping to hear Nathan's movement from the bathroom. But nothing came. She opened the door and Nathan was not there.
"Sir..... Mr Leo? Where are you?" She continued to call out. Now she is beginning to get worried. She is sure she didn't see him leave the villa because she has been awake quite early. But where could he be?
"Where could Mr Leo be?" She questioned. She turned and was about to leave the room to check other rooms when she heard a sound. It came from the walk-in closet of the room.
"Mr Leo..... Are you there?" She asked and opened the door to the closet. She turned on the lights in the closet.
"Oh dear!" She exclaimed.
She was met with Nathan's figure curled up in Brooke's side of the closet, hugging some of her clothes.
She felt hurt for Nathan and the situation he found himself in. With a heavy heart and teary eyes, she walked to him. Gently woke him up.
"Mr Leo, wake up." She said in a low voice. As she sniffed her tears.
"I feel so sorry for you that you are going through this. Also for not realizing how you really feel about the missus while you were still together. All these would have been avoided. A great opportunity has been missed." She added with a shaky voice.
Mrs Scooter's words really got to him. She is right. He had all the opportunities to act on his feelings. They were married for a whole three years. But it took him a month after she left to realize he loves her.
At first, he associated the feeling with missing her. It turned out he was only denying his true feelings.
'I love her. I love Bee." He thought to himself.
Nathan was not completely sober but he can comprehend what was going on around him.
He put a hand on his chest as his heart beat faster at the thought of Brooke.
'So this is what love is.'
'Why didn't I recognise this while she was still with me? Was it because she was there within my reach? Was it because she was head over heels for me that I couldn't realize my true feelings towards her?' Nathan kept thinking to himself.
'I actually love Bee and now, she is gone.'
Nathan got up and walked to the exit of the closet in silence. He turned back and looked at Brooke's clothes. His eye landed on the dress he bought for her birthday, which is now hanging amongst others. He then turned to Mrs Scooter, who was still sniffing and wiping the tears from her face.
"Rose, please make sure Bee's clothes are maintained. I want them to be ready for her to use when she returns." He instructed before turning and leaving the closet. He went to take a bath and leave for work.
Mrs Scooter only nodded in response, not trusting her voice to come out without shaking. But she wondered if that was ever going to happen. A huge part of her hoped the missus would return.