Disha was waiting for Eros to finish his call. He was on it for the past half an hour. "That's great," Said he to the person on the other end of the line. "I cannot wait to see the progress you have made. So, we shall meet soon and I will analyze everything personally." Eros put the phone down and then looked at her.
"I don't know how you do it Miss Seth, but you keep finding your way back to me again and again. And I often wonder if you are only making excuses to see me." Disha smirked. "You wished that to be true Ramon De La Cruz. You wish but you know it isn't. I am only here for a favor. Which I will repay you with my work later." Eros laughed. "Don't tell me, Woodland knocked you up and now you are not sure if you wish to keep the spawn. So, you are here to get my help to decide."
Disha shook her head from side to side. "Do not be ridiculous, do I look this naïve to you? I am aware of the risks." Eros placed his finger over his chin. "Are you though, Miss Seth? The risk goes beyond the bodily harm. Sometimes it can harm your soul, taint it and your heart, and smash it badly. Are you ready to go through that much harm only for a man?"
"If I love that man, I would go to the moon and back for him. If I love that man, there is no place in this realm or next, where I would not sacrifice myself for him. If I love that man, in this world or any other, I would forever be there with him. And most important of all, I would not let anything happen to him ever." Disha told Eros. He clapped his hands.
"Bravo! That is one hell of a speech you have given Miss Seth. But do you, in your heart truly believe that it is something that can save him? Is it not why you are here? Something related to Valentino Woodland? It is always related to him, isn't it? So tell me, what is it this time?" Eros asked.
"One and the same, the calls from an unknown number. She is giving me a ticket, a solution to leave all behind and start a new one. I can have everything I wish to. But to have that, I have to let go of Valentino and my family. I did not like how she was acting. She wanted to do something bad to all of them. I cannot stand it. I cannot stand doing nothing." Disha said looking at him.
"You wish for me to track that number. Find out information about the person, isn't it? And then what?" He asked. "I will tell Chris, he would know what to do." Eros nodded. "A word of advice, make sure not to start any conflict in between those two brothers. Their relationship is very fragile and any little commotion will ruin it all together." Eros told her in an ominous voice. He knew something about them, something she didn't yet.
"What do you mean Eros?" She asked. "You love that fool Valentino and I am not the one to tell you to back off, but as I know you and somewhere I care about you very deeply, I would like you to stay alert about Valentino and Christopher. Christopher hates me, yes, but Valentino's resentment about Christopher is on another plane of existence. Something you will not understand. None of us can." She was curious now. What could be the reason for this conflict between the two of them? She wondered.
Disha had left Eros's office. She was still in deep thought. Her phone rang and she almost dropped it in shock. It rang again and before she could pick it up, it got switched off. She realized that she had forgotten to charge her phone. How could she do it? How could she forget to charge her phone?
She is getting awfully forgetful these days.
Disha put her phone on charge while she rushed towards the hospital. And nothing was right here at all. As soon as she had entered the hospital she could see everyone was rushing and running around. No one had done it in a while now. Not since Christopher had become his most tamed version.
Could it be Valentino?
She quickly made her way towards his cabin and before she could knock she heard the shouting. She realized the cause, it was Valentino after all. And he is angry. She opened the cabin door, and something flew towards her making her duck. The pen stand fell down making a clanking loud noise and broke apart like everything had in that room.
Or he had broken it in a mad rage.
"I told you not to come back here, don't you understand that?" Valentino's enraged voice made its way into her ear. "I didn't get that memo, Mr. Woodland. Maybe you should have told that to me beforehand." Disha said and for a moment his face became calm. Like the calm and carefree Valentino, she was used to seeing.
Then it had morphed into something she couldn't believe she was seeing. Valentino came towards her and she moved back in fear. She was afraid of him and wasn't a bit ashamed to admit the same. She felt herself backed up to the wall. And her eyes go towards his cabin door.
It was the only way out and standing in between her and her escape was him.
Valentino's eyes followed hers. She looked at him as well following his eyes. He sped walked and then closed and locked the door cutting her escape route altogether. Then he turned around and looked at her. He slowly made his way towards her. She closed her eyes tightly. She wanted to walk away but her feet refused to move.
She felt his finger move over her face and stopped at her shoulder. "Doll, you are a bad liar." He told her in a very calm tone but she knew he was very angry at her. The reason for that was unknown to her. She was very much afraid of his next action. But he moved away and she opened her eyes.
He was holding a glass in his hand and it was on the verge of cracking. "Valentino, you are going to hurt yourself very badly." She tried to pull the glass away from him. But he didn't let go and then it broke and his hand began to bleed. "You are hurt." She said softly. And then took his hand in hers checking the damage.
He placed his uninjured hand over her cheek. "I have to hurt myself, Doll. It was the only way to snap me back to reality." Disha was shocked. "If I haven't, I could have hurt someone else, I could have hurt you. How can I hurt you like this?" He asked. "I don't understand, was it because of something I did? Was it my fault?" Disha asked.
"No, it was not. It is mine. Baby Doll, all of it is my fault. How could I ever forget that I am not good enough?" He said more to himself than to her. "It was not wrong of you to search for the better one, a better person. I am damaged and it is all I am going to be. I am irrational, irresponsible, spontaneous, reckless, and all those other bad things that people will warn a good girl like you to stay away from."
Disha made him sit on the couch, the one which wasn't destroyed at all. The only one surviving the storm that raged a while ago through the cabin. "I am sorry for anything that I did to make you feel this way, Valentino. It was never my intention to do this. I never wished for you to feel this low. I am sorry, I apologize for what I did." He shook his head from side to side. "No, I am sorry, my angel, my princess. I have frightened you, haven't I?" he slowly touched her face trying to calm himself.
"I am sorry," he said that phrase repeatedly. "I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have listened to her and followed you. But when you didn't come towards the hospital you have gone to him..." He paused and whispered again "You have gone to him... instead of me, you chose him. You chose him, you chose Eros. You gone to meet him, you lied to me." Then his voice increased ringing into her ears.
"Why did you lie to me? Why? I trusted you. I trusted you more than I trusted anyone. I trusted you with my deepest, darkest self and you betrayed it. Why? Why you have done so? Am I not good enough for you to tell me about your whereabouts? Or why you went there?" His hold tightened on Disha.
"I am sorry Valentino, I didn't know that would hurt you. I forgot to tell you. I was in a hurry and then he called me. It was urgent. He wanted to consult me on a critical case. It was a little child, how could I ignore the request?" Valentino wiped her eyes. "No, you cannot. I know baby, how much it matters to you. I know how much you want this. You wish to make those little children happy." He pushed her hair back. Disha knew there was only one way she could calm him down.
Disha needed to give him assurance. "I am sorry." She whispered and then softly kissed him. "I am so sorry," She keeps saying in between her kisses. He pulled her closer and she was now sitting on his lap. He kissed her back hungrily forgetting every pain that he was feeling. His hands explored her skin. He begins relaxing little by little. He hugged her tightly. "Never do that again." He said with a finality in his tone.
"Never again, I promise," Disha said trying to pull away. He stopped her. "You are hurt we need to check that." He didn't let her go. "Stay here, I need you to stay next to me." He whispered. "Ok, but then we can go on to the rounds. And call a clean-up crew. You needed a renovation at this place. Something that doesn't look like a dungeon." He smiled. "You love that dungeon. Don't you my love? You crave that, don't you miss it, what I did to you that day? Tell me"
He touched her lips with his fingers. Then kissed her again. "I am sorry. For all this. Are you going to be alright, Doll?" Disha nodded but her mind was on that phrase. That she told him to follow her. Was it that woman? Who was that woman and why Valentino listened to her? He doesn't listen to anyone. Not even her most of the time.
"Disha, I know I haven't been around since we came back from the vacation. But I haven't done anything to offend you. In this life or next, I am only yours. I only belong to you." He said softly. Then he kissed her forehead.
"What are you going to do about this?" Disha asked showing him the cabin. "I think I am going to shift my things to your cabin. Then I can be closer to you. I cannot stay this far not seeing you for hours." Disha played with his buttons. "Only till you are here. When you go back home, I will not be there." She said in a sad tone. "Then I have a solution for you. Why don't you move in with me?"
Disha looked shocked to hear that. "Move in with you? To your place?" he nodded. "I want you to stay with me, where I can see you. I want to see you next to me. Sleep next to you. I cannot sleep without you in my arms. I have spent this one week in agony that you cannot understand." He said playing with her fingers.
"You could have come back. You could have called me. You could have told me to come to you. I would have Val. But you didn't, I thought you were not going to come to me. You have forgotten..." "No, I did not. I cannot. You are the only thing I can never ever forget." Disha assured him again.
"You promise?" She nodded again. "Don't hurt yourself like this alright? You are too precious to me Val." Disha whispered holding his hand in hers. Then she pulled him closer and embraced her in her arms.
Valentino was calmer now, he had her in his arms. He has her closer. His heaven, his home was with him and nothing could go wrong anymore. Nothing will ever go wrong in his life ever again. Because he has her. And she will always protect him from all those bad things that have followed him all his life.
Word Count: 2194 Words