269- Broken Trust

269- Broken Trust
POV Raica:

My smile is enormous; it barely fits on my face.

"Usually it's Isabella who calls me that, but coming from you it sounds sexy, intimate, perfect..."

"Then that's how I'll call you from now on."

"I'll love it." I glance at the bedside clock. "I have to go."

"Me too, I have to take a shower—I'm all sticky."

I laugh. I take the opportunity to encourage my body to walk toward the bathroom.

"See you tomorrow then."

"Anxious—this trip has never been so agonizing."

"Stop that, Dubai is a dream."

"Without you it's boring," he says. "Even more so with Deloy gone; it all fell on me."

"Nicholas, we're going to be late." The velvety voice that fills the room sounds intimate because she entered without knocking. "How have you still not changed?"

Wait.

I recognize that—

"Who told you to come in without knocking?" He fumbles between answering that woman and staying with me; his phone shifts toward the door.

I cover my mouth, stunned. Isn't that Aline?

"Raica, wait." He lays the phone on the bed; from the angle I have of the ceiling, I freeze in the threshold between the bedroom and the bathroom. "Fuck, why did you come in here? I said—"

"Sorry, Nick, I—"

"Get out of here, fuck!"

The crash I hear can only be the door.

He brought another woman in my place? That question makes my body slump in the doorway. His face comes back to me.

"That's not what—"

"Seriously, you're going to use that line?"

"Raica, it's true—"

"I couldn't go, so you took Aline?"

He shakes his head 'no,' and when he tries another excuse, my phone slips from my sticky hand and falls face-down onto the tile.

"Shit! Son of a bitch!" I curse, but I don't kneel to pick it up; I cover my face with my hands, trying to stop the tears from pouring down and ruining my face.

Bastard!

Nicholas lied when he said it was enough for him, when he said we would live in the moment free of lies. I imposed sincerity as a starting point; I put all my trust chips on the table, even aware of his shameless, rule-free past. God, I entered his turbulent universe with an open heart, willing to rescue him from the chaos that shackled him—yet I entered without armor or any caution that might prevent… a… passion. How did I not notice that this feeling tamed my heart, guided my body? How was I blind and let myself be fooled by the disgusting façade of a good guy?

Cretin!

It hurts; it hurts so much.

"Nicholas is no good—he's going to break you."

Eduarda was right; Nicholas broke my heart.

...

"Raica, there’s no fixing it, sorry." André, a colleague from IT, sighs as he sets the broken device on my desk.

"Damn, André, I wasn’t planning on a new one, I’m saving money."

I stare at the dismantled device on the desk.

"Anyway, your stuff—contacts, files, and photos—are saved in your email. I have to go, Raica, sorry I couldn’t help more."

"Don’t worry, you were kind to try."

André waves as he strides away; the IT crew is always in a rush. Damn! Shit! Fuck, I’m going to have to buy another phone. I drop my forehead onto the keyboard, moving it from side to side. A tornado of thoughts attacks me, weakening my body.

And yes, Nicholas ruined everything.

I take a deep breath, shaken, broken, weak—but I can’t stop. I have to work. My schedule is packed: a meeting with Jéssica, a meeting with the audiovisual team, plus I have a college exam—presumably enough to distract me from my problems. I lift my head. A certain buzz stirs the floor; I look in that direction.

"ISABELLA!" I’m already on my feet, tears in my eyes, heart lodged in my throat. "My God, is this real?" My voice comes out weak, whispered.

She gives a small smile, moving her shoulder in a delicate gesture. Dominic, by her side, greets some people congratulating them on the wedding and such. Still, my friend doesn’t look away from me, and I don’t from her. An intimate, deep connection forms; we meet halfway, and the world pauses so my sobs can fall onto her shoulder.

"Raica, I knew I had to come, I felt it…" she whispers into my ear before meeting my face closely. My friend gathers my tearful gaze as if wanting to dry every drop. Isabella is beautiful, naturally and expressively so. How I love this girl, how I begged the heavens for this encounter, even as cowardice had kept me frozen all this time.

"Let’s get out of here, we’re attracting too much attention."

I lay my head on her shoulder as we walk in the direction she dictates, trying to smile to hide the real reason for my crying. We pass her husband, who greets me with a brief wave and smile, and we pass Jéssica, looking stressed. Our heels mark the path to Dominic’s former office. Isabella ensures, before any word is spoken, that all the blinds are closed and not a single reflection escapes. Then, like a rag doll, she seats me in a chair in front of her and says, sweet as honey:

"I missed you, friend."

Again, a hug unites us, and for a few eternal minutes, the world probably spun without our help.

"Sorry," I murmur between sobs, "for ignoring your calls."

"That doesn’t matter now; I just need to understand what’s happening and how I can help. I gave you the space you asked for when you left my wedding without even explaining that absurdity. I respected it when you ignored messages and calls, but that’s enough. I’m opening this door wide—don’t ask me to step back, because I won’t, got it?"

I nod, imagining the mess on my face with mascara smudges staining my fingers.

"I don’t want you to step back. I need you."

"I know." She stands, walks to the bathroom, and comes back with a roll of toilet paper.

"I look awful!" I presume.

"Yes, a mix of Kiss and Fred Mercure." We laugh together.

I use the paper to fix my swollen face and blow my constantly running nose—a big mess.

"Your honeymoon?" I manage to ask.

"I interrupted it."

"For me?"

"For my best friend."

"It’s not fair."

"Raica, you’ve always been my rock, but it’s clear how fragile you are." She takes a deep breath. "What the hell is going on with Nicholas?"

"This isn’t the right place to start this conversation, Isabella." She nods and quickly comes up with a solution.

"I’ve never liked abuse of power, but I’m the CEO’s wife, I have some privileges…" I get lost in her skillful movements.
"…and we’re going to use them now. I’ll take you to your apartment; Dominic can deal with his boss."

"Isabella," I call after her in vain—the crazy girl has already left the room. Little does she know I don’t have an apartment anymore.