CHAPTER 37: How To Move On

Atilla's POV

On that same day, Nicole invited me to go for a walk, something I had not done since I arrived in Australia. There are so many different things to see in this country that are really enjoyable.

We went to Paddington Market, a well-known location to buy things, and Nicole was clearly more excited about it than I was. I mean, seriously, who needs this to move on?

After Nicole shopped for various items, we decided to have an early lunch at a restaurant called Fish at the Rocks to try their food.

"Table for two, please," I said with a smile to the waiting staff at the door.

He pulled out his walkie-talkie and talked to someone inside, confirming if there was an available seat, after that, he finally let us in, where a waiter was waiting for us and showed us to our seats.

"Good morning ladies, this is our menu," he greeted us with a smile, and for some reason, I could feel that he was Filipino.

"I will have scallops grilled, cauliflower coconut, cumin puree, roesti potato, lemon yogurt for entree, and for my main course, I will have spaghettini with mussels, scallops, fish, prawns, basil pesto, pine nuts, spinach, parmesan cheese, and just ice tea," I said while handing over the menu, while he waited for Nicole's order.

"By the way, are you a Filipino?" I smiled and asked, and a broad grin spread across his face as he confirmed my question.

Nicole also placed her order, and Robin excused himself to place our order in the kitchen.

I soon realized that there were many Filipinos in Australia when I heard the happy conversation of some of our compatriots at the next table.

"See, it's like you're still in the Philippines here; there are so many Filipinos here," Nicole said with a smile.

A forced smile appeared on my lips at her words because, no matter how many Filipinos I meet in Australia, it does not remove the longing for the one person I want to see.

After we were done eating, we continued with our agenda for the day. We toured around Sydney, tried to go to the Opera House, and watched Wicked.

For some reason, one of the songs in the play really struck a chord with me.

It was already around seven in the evening when we finished our tour of Sydney. I tried my best to be happy and forget the pain caused by Ram, but at the end of the day, when I returned to my room, even with Nicole there, the pain returned as if it had happened just yesterday. Nicole was right; moving on would take time, but how long would I carry this pain in my heart?

I bit my fist, stopping myself from making any sound while tears continued to stream from both of my eyes. I did not want Nicole to know that I was still suffering, but how long could I hide the truth?

I fell asleep around two in the morning after crying last night. It was a good thing that Nicole also woke up late, probably because of jet lag.

"My head is really hurting me," she complained as we sat at the table, eating our very late breakfast.

"We can rest for a while and just stay at home; I got tired from our walk yesterday, so I'd like to rest, and besides, you're probably jet-lagged, which is why your head hurts; it's probably better if we stay here for now," I offered to her, not in the desire to go out in the first place. I just let her have her way yesterday.

"Sure, but how about we try clubbing later tonight," she said with a smile, even though she suddenly winced, probably because her headache was starting to bother her again.

I forced a smile in response to what she said, even though I didn't really feel like going out later tonight. But I knew that she was only suggesting it to help me forget about things.

After breakfast, Nicole went back to her room and immediately fell asleep. I kept myself busy by washing the dishes and talking to Jenny, whom I asked to go home for now since I had someone to keep me company.

I turned on the TV for a moment and saw Henry's face on the business news. He was partnering up with one of the wealthiest men in Asia, just like him.

I was so proud of my brother, knowing how hard he worked. But aside from that, I also knew how important his wife, Elaine, was to him, even though she was extremely jealous. It was sad to think that they couldn't have children due to Ellaine's infertility. They would have been perfect together, but even so, Henry never cheated on her because of his love for his wife. Elaine was so lucky.

I couldn't help feeling envious because at least he was loved and with the person he loved the most.

"What's wrong with you, Atilla? How long will you keep yourself locked up in yesterday's sadness?!" I scolded myself.

I quickly took a shower and got dressed. I decided to make some changes in my life, so I thought of doing something to keep myself busy.

Even though I was nervous about going out alone in Sydney, I decided to take a walk by myself. I quickly called for a taxi.

"Where are we up to?" the Australian driver asked with his thick accent.

"Please bring me where I can see a Kuala Bear," I said with a smile.

The taxi driver looked at me strangely, but he didn't say anything and started the taxi.

Actually, I didn't have an exact destination in mind. It just came to my mind to see a Kuala Bear, so I told the taxi driver.

The taxi driver took me to a famous zoo in Australia called Taronga Zoo. There weren't many people around because it was a weekday and most of them were at work or school.

After paying, I immediately went inside. Aside from the Kuala Bear, there were many different animals to see, including lions, tigers, kangaroos, giraffes, and all sorts of other animals.

"Would you like to feed her?" The giraffe keeper asked me with a smile as I approached to get a closer look.

I was about to say no when I suddenly changed my mind. After paying, he handed me a carrot that I would feed to the young giraffe. That simple gesture somehow put a smile on my face.

I enjoyed touring the zoo so much that I didn't realize how much time had passed. When I looked at my watch, I only then realized that it was already seven in the evening. Time really flies when you're having fun. I paused for a moment and thought about whether I should go back to my unit or just meet up with Nicole. I decided to meet up with her, quickly grabbed my phone from my bag, and dialed her number.

"Hello?" Nicole's voice sounded sleepy.

"Nicole, it's Atilla. Let's meet around nine at The Flinders Hotel," I said.

It was a famous late-night bar in Sydney, according to the taxi driver I had earlier.

"Sure... but wait, are you out?" She asked, confused because we didn't have any plans to go out that day.

"Yes, I'm at the zoo right now, but I'm leaving soon. You're right, Nicole. I need to start moving on myself," I said, smiling.

"You go, girl. Take care, and I'll see you later," she said, still sounding sleepy. After that, I ended the call.

After that phone call, I got back into a taxi and had it take me to the Flinders Hotel. But since it was still early, I decided to have it drop me off first at the nearby Starbucks to eat dinner since my stomach was already grumbling.

I just ordered a bagel and a mocha frappuccino and silently looked around. Even though it was already night, Sydney was still lively, and there seemed to be more people out during these hours.

I spent my time in the coffee shop until around eight forty-five when I started walking towards the meeting place to meet Nicole.

There were already quite a few people around, so I decided to wait for her outside. However, I had already tried calling her several times, but she hadn't answered.

However, I had already tried calling her several times, but she hadn't answered. I left a message saying that I was already at the meeting place, just in case she was still getting ready.

Minutes passed, but Nicole still hadn't arrived. I tried calling her several times, but she didn't answer any of them, not even texts. Nevertheless, I decided to wait for her until eleven, but still she didn't come. Just as I was about to leave, a stranger approached me.

"Leaving too early?" He grinned at me, and I immediately smelled alcohol on his breath.

"Yeah, I'm taking my leave; my friend asked me to meet her up outside," I lied, hoping that he would believe me. To be honest, I didn't like the way he looked at me, as if he had some bad intentions. But I immediately breathed a sigh of relief when he went back to his drunken companions.

I tried calling Nicole again, but just like the other times, she didn't answer. I was starting to get annoyed as I walked away from the bar, but then I suddenly got scared when I felt like someone was following me.

I walked faster, and when the person following me seemed to realize that I had caught him, he started walking faster too. So I didn't hesitate to run.

I didn't know the area well, and I was already feeling scared.

Unfortunately, no taxis were passing by. I decided to turn into a small alley, but, to my dismay, it was a dead end. I tried to leave the alley, but my eyes widened when I saw the man who had approached me earlier at the bar, grinning at me.

"Why are you running away from me, missy? Are you afraid of me?" He asked, followed by a disturbing laugh that made my arm hair stand on end.

"Please just let me pass; I don't want any trouble," I begged, and I trembled even more when I saw the desire in his eyes as he looked at me.

"Trouble? I don't want any trouble either, but if you don't want to be friends with me, I'm cool with it," he said, smiling and sidestepping so I could pass.

I hesitated for a moment about whether to pass him, but there was nothing I could do. The dead end was behind me, and I had to be careful as I passed him. Suddenly, I screamed as he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug around my waist.

"Please help me!" I screamed, hoping that someone passing by would hear me. I tried to pull his arms off me as he hugged me tightly around my waist.

"Shut up, bitch! No one can save you now, so just enjoy it," I felt like a demon was in front of me.

"Please don't do this," I begged, but it seemed like he couldn't hear me.

He changed positions for a moment, which caused me to stumble and fall in front of him.

I took the opportunity to run, but the man quickly caught up to me, grabbing my arm and delivering a powerful slap to my face that almost knocked me out. But he wasn't satisfied and punched me in the stomach.

"Please, don't do this," I begged weakly, but he ripped off my top in a frenzy. Only my bra covered my chest, and I could see his desire intensifying. "Ram, help me," I whispered. At that moment, all I could think of was Ram.

Overwhelmed with fear, I began to lose consciousness. Suddenly, I was surprised when a figure tackled the man away from me and began to pummel him with punches.

I tried to make out the person's face, but I eventually passed out.