Broken words. Broken Promises

Chapter 1

DRAGOS

Days like this, I think of her. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it as she always seems to come to mind when I decide to take a few minutes to myself. When I first left Neema, it was unbearable for me, I fought with every part of me not to get on the first plane from Istanbul to her in Toronto, but I couldn't do it. I wanted her to live, I wanted her to find happiness especially when I knew I couldn't give it to her. I never returned to Toronto since I first stepped foot there when I was twenty-two and now I was thirty-two. Ten years I hadn't seen her lovely face; those big brown eyes that captured me in a way that nothing else could, her tiny braids that she always wore loose and long, she had one dimple on her left cheek and the most expressive face I had ever seen. Her skin was the finest, richest most captivating brown I had ever encountered. It glistened so beautifully under the sunlight or when she wore yellow.

What I loved about her was how little she was compared to me. While I wasn't some insane height, I stood at six foot three and she was four feet eleven inches. She hated how much I would just pick her up and put her over my shoulder when we argued or when she didn't want to go out but instead stay in our secret place for fear her family would spot her. I didn't care about anything of that, just her. She was my world and here I was ten years later, an empty shell because Neema Kamau took my entire life and shattered it with her love.

I shook my head not wanting to think about her anymore. I was a professional and I needed to act like it. I stared at the receptionist again as she flipped her blonde hair in my direction while I sat back waiting for the infamous Madame Minerva Du'Ponte. She reached out to me wanting me to work with her and her modeling agency. I didn't mind the gig since I wanted to settle down here in New York, my anne or mother in English, and my four-year-old son Amir, I became his father when my baby sister, Defne passed. Amir was my nephew by birth, but my sister pulled a fast one on me by having me sign some papers that I thought meant I was his guardian if anything ever happened, but I was the idiot for not realizing what she did. After Defne died, the adoption became valid and legal, she knew she was going to die and until this day, it still haunts me. I took my anne and Amir, the only two I considered family and now, here we were in New York.

I could say traveling the world wasn't exhausting but after some time, you get tired of not going back home to what is yours. I didn't live directly in the city, instead, I lived in Great Neck Gardens while my mama lived there too but at least we were about twenty minutes apart. I could always check up on her, she had severe vertigo and a live-in nurse. I couldn't let her keep Amir with her, so he visited but stayed with me. I shook my head thinking of the house that I let her pick out for me, I should've just done it myself but of course, she had to go and be extra getting me an extravagant place with more bedrooms than I needed. Her answer, she needed more grandchildren. I rolled my eyes at that thought but it made me smile because I understood where she came from, but it was hard for me to give my heart to someone else when I didn't even have it in my possession.

The receptionist, Gayle stood from her seat and walked over to me,

"Mrs. Du'Ponte is ready for you now," she smiled politely.

I cocked my eyebrow. Now she's ready for me? As if I needed her when she was the one to reach out to me. I kept my mouth shut as I stood. I followed her down the hall with the glass offices, I was always on alert. I didn't say anything, but I took everything in and from an artist's eyes, I appreciated what she did with her offices, the colors were bright keeping people awake, the technology was up to date and it was inviting because there were no cubicles but glass desks letting everyone interact instead of being isolated.

When we walked into Minerva's office, I tilted my head. I should've researched her a bit more, but I didn't care to look up what she looked like. This was a job at the end of the day, but I had to give it to her. She was a flawless beauty. Her chocolate skin tone reminded me of Neema but that was all the resemblance. She was tall almost six feet and as she stood to greet me, with she was about my height. She wore a deep purple dress that hugged every part of her yet didn't show any type of cleavage or legs. It was sort of like an illusion in some way, but it was definitely appreciated, she knew what she was doing. She smiled at me showing her pearly whites, her defined cheekbones, her hazel-brown eyes and what added to her beauty was the way she pulled her hair back in this intricate bun. She stretched her hand out to meet mine,