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"I've been letting go of heavy things."
~Butterflies Rising
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V I C T O R I A
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Driving toward my parents' house, I craved the comforting presence of my mom. A heavy sigh escaped me as I glanced at the gloomy sky, reflecting the heaviness in my heart.
The events of the previous night were clear in my mind; I knew exactly what had happened when Dominic and that girl suddenly disappeared from the crowd. I am not naive or foolish.
That's why I left his penthouse, because I didn't want to witness his 'after-orgásmed' face.
I sighed heavily as my thoughts drifted to my parents' house. All I wanted was to embrace my mom and let out all my pent-up emotions, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I couldn't bear the thought of worrying them even more.
"Oh, God! I'm such a mess," I muttered to myself, feeling overwhelmed by my inner turmoil. The idea of facing my parents and breaking down in front of them was too much to bear.
With a heavy heart, I retraced my steps and climbed back into my car. Driving aimlessly for an hour, I found myself parked in front of a cozy restaurant. But despite being hungry, I couldn't summon the appetite to eat. Lost in thought, my gaze wandered until it settled on a small store—a bookstore.
In that moment, the prospect of losing myself in the pages of a good book seemed more appealing than anything else. so I made my way towards the store.
After parking my car, I spent the entire afternoon engrossed in the shelves of the bookstore, lost in the world of words. As I approached the counter to pay for my stack of ten new books, my eyes caught sight of a poster on the wall:
"AQUA SCHOOL - Never put an age limit on your dreams. Just dive in! SWIMMING LESSONS - REGISTRATION OPEN."
I hesitated for a moment. "I have to face my fear someday, today or tomorrow, so why not now?" I reasoned with myself.
Without another thought, I made the decision and signed up for the program, paying the registration fee I shove my phone in my pocket.
As I drove home and parked my car in front of the house, my phone suddenly rang. Glancing at the screen, I noticed it was an unknown number.
As I stepped out of the car and began gathering my belongings, I instinctively held the phone between my ear and shoulder as it rang. "Hello?" I answered absentmindedly.
It was a call from the swimming school, confirming my registration. Lost in conversation, I turned around only to find Dominic standing beside my car door, holding two large shopping bags in his hands. His expression was one of slight concern, his brow furrowed in a frown, as he observed me with a puzzled look.
"Ma'am, are you there?" the voice on the other end prompted. I suddenly realized that I had forgotten about the call, and hastily snapped out of my trance when the voice on the other end repeated their question, a little louder this time.
"Yeah... Yes, I'm here," I replied hastily, trying to focus on the conversation while still aware of Dominic's presence.
"Okay... I will be there at one in the afternoon... Yeah.... Okay.... Thank you so much," I confirmed the appointment before ending the call.
Turning to face Dominic, I expected an explanation for his sudden appearance. "what are you doing here?" I asked, but instead of an answer, he narrowed his eyes, his expression clouded with a frown.
"Where are you going?" He questioned as he observed me.
I sighed before responding, "I enrolled in a swimming course," I informed him as I unlocked my door.
"What? But you have aquaphobia," he exclaimed, clearly surprised by my decision.
"Yes, I do have aquaphobia. That's precisely why I enrolled in that course, Dominic," I explained calmly. "I have to face my fears someday, so why not start today?"
"You don't have to enroll in that public place, I can teach you," He offered earnestly.
"No, thank you," I declined politely.
"Victoria, I'm telling you, I can..." he began again, but I cut him off.
"Stop it, Dominic. I'm not asking for your help, so let me be, please," I interrupted, my tone firm.
"Okay," he relented, though there was a hint of frustration in his voice. He looked at me with a touch of anger before settling on the nearby couch.
"What are you doing here?" I questioned again, feeling suffocated by his presence for the first time.
"I brought you chocolates and croissants," he replied, holding out the treats with a hopeful expression.
"So now you bring chocolates and croissants?" my conscience yelled at him, but I kept my lips tightly shut.
He often resorted to such gestures when he felt guilty about something.I shook my head helplessly as I made my way towards the kitchen.
"Would you like some tea or coffee?" I asked, trying to maintain a civil tone.
"Black coffee is fine," he replied curtly.
"Jerk," I muttered silently, frustrated by his response. I had only offered out of politeness, but this básterd.
Gritting my teeth, I brewed some coffee in the machine. Without saying another word, I handed him his coffee and headed towards my room. After taking a shower and changing my clothes, I returned to the living room, expecting him to have left. However, to my annoyance, he was still there, lounging on the couch as if he owned the place, engrossed in some TV show.
I saw his neatly folded jacket on the table.
"You haven't left yet?" I questioned casually as I settled on the end of the couch.
"No," he replied simply.
I debated asking him why he hadn't left yet but decided against it, instead I shift my attention to the wall clock.
"I'm ordering Chinese for dinner. Would you like to order something? Or maybe your housekeeper already cooked your dinner, so it's better to hurry before your dinner gets cold," I offered with a sweet smile, trying to hide my irritation with politeness.
However, he looked at me skeptically, as though I had grown two heads.
"I'm not going anywhere, Victoria," he stated firmly. "And I'm having my dinner here, so whatever you ordered is fine by me."
Shameless. Absolutely shameless. cursing him nonstop in my mind, I placed our food order.
After dinner, we sat on the couch, sipping champagne in silence. I found myself staring blankly at my glass when Dominic finally broke the silence.
"How is Alexander?" he asked.
"He's fine."
"How's your relationship going with him?" he inquired further.
"I broke up with him," I admitted quietly.
"What? Why? When?" Dominic looked shocked, and I took a deep breath before finally meeting his gaze.
"It's time to reveal the truth," I thought before speaking aloud. "He deserves better, Nic. He deserves better, someone better than me."
"What are you saying, Victoria? Why are you saying he deserves better? It's you, cara, who deserves better, not him."
"I knew it," he continued, frustration creeping into his voice. "That bastard was not the right choice for you, sweetheart."
"Oh, Dominic, please shut up," I snapped. "He is a very beautiful, kind person. He was such a sweetheart to me, but I don't deserve him. It was all my fault."
"You deserve the whole fucking world, cara," Dominic insisted passionately. "And why are you defending that bastard?"
"Because now he's my friend," I replied firmly.
"Even after getting your heart broken, how could you still be friends with him?" he questioned, his disbelief evident in his tone.
"He hadn't break my heart, Dominic. Someone else did," I whispered absentmindedly but he heard it.
"Someone broke your heart?" he questioned furiously, his eyes searching mine.
"Yes," I admitted softly, a sad smile tugging at my lips as I looked at him.
"Who?" he pressed, his tone growing impatient.
"You!"
"Someone," I replied softly.
"Who, Tori?" he demanded firmly with anger in his eyes.
"You!"
"It doesn't matter, Nic," I repeated softly, hoping to end the conversation.
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End of the chapter
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