Chapter 007

After driving for what felt like forever, the taxi finally came to a stop, pulling Chloe's mind back to the real world. The cruelty that she has been trying so hard to escape because the harsh truth was soul-crushing.

She raised her head slowly and looked out of the window. Darkness had enveloped the earth, and it was raining heavily, a perfect reflection of the turmoil that has been looming inside her..

Chloe didn't have any idea how many hours had passed, but she was pretty sure it had been a couple because now she was in another town—a faraway town from her hometown, the town she grew up in, which had now become her nightmare.

“Young miss, are you sure this is the right address?” The driver asked with concern. He was a little bit older, perhaps in his forties. Even though he didn't have any clue who Chloe was, he was concerned about her because she had been crying in the backseat throughout the journey. He tried to inquire what was wrong but she said nothing. Not even a single word.

Chloe stared at the tall apartment before her, then turned her teary eyes to the taxi driver who had worry plastered all over his features. She nodded to his question, words clogged in her throat.

She dipped her hand inside her pants pocket and pulled out her credit card, giving it to the taxi driver so he could deduct the travel fees. The driver took the card, swiped it, and when he was done, he gave it back to Chloe.

Without waiting for the driver to open the door for her, Chloe pushed the door open and alighted the vehicle.

She didn't care about the heavy rain and the cold that was chilling her to the bone. Not to mention she was only wearing a thin short-sleeved blouse which didn't do any good in shielding her from the menacing cold. She sucked in the cold air as the rain pounded on her hair and cascaded down her body.

“Are you sure you're going to be okay, miss?” The driver asked, but Chloe didn't say a word. She turned around and walked to the tall apartment before her. The streets were deserted. Silent. Not a single soul around.

A normal person would be scared walking around this late at night when it was raining heavily. Yet, the young lady seemed too broken to care. The rain washed away the tears that poured down her cheeks.

Standing at the massive gates soaking wet, Chloe entered the password, and the gate clicked open. She walked through the gate and headed straight to the elevator.

Chloe stared at her reflection in the elevator’s glass walls, and she couldn't recognize the person looking back at her. Her hair was dripping wet and a tangled mess. Her eyes were puffy from too much crying and bloodshot, and her shoulders drooped. She couldn't believe when was the last time that she looked so broken…

The elevator dinged, and the door slid open. Taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, Chloe stepped out of the elevator and headed in that familiar direction. The place that had become like her safe haven,a place she could run to whenever she felt it was too much to take. The place that had the calmness that she was craving so bad for. The place that had promises of safety that would never be broken. The place that would shelter her from the brutality of the world.

This wasn't the first time she had run to this place. Chloe had lost count. Whenever she argued with her mother, she would flee to this very place.

Her secret sanctuary.

Chloe didn't need to press the bell button at the door because she already knew the passcode. She entered the password, and the door clicked open, welcoming her in like it has always been.She didn't care to remove her white muddy sneakers or dry her clothes before walking in. Chloe knew too well that the owner would understand her better than anyone else.

She darted her eyes around the living room and spotted him. Her uncle, Kevin Brook. He was watching a football match on the television, cuddling with his cat Natasha. The sound of the TV on full blast and he was cheering along with the team that was in charge with the ball.

As though Kevin sensed someone's presence, he turned his head towards the exit and there she was! Her niece. He creased his eyebrows in confusion when he realised she was drenched from the heavy rain that was falling outside.

“Chloe?” Kevin called in a concerned voice, turning down the television completely. He gently pulled away from the comfortable couch that he was lying on and carefully pushing the cat he was cuddling with to the side, not caring to put on sandals despite the cold floor.

Kevin walked to his niece, who was standing at the center of the living room, all soaked with rain and she was shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Kevin didn't need words to know that Chloe wasn't okay. Looking into those brown hazel eyes was enough to figure it out.

For some reason, Chloe felt guilty for crushing her uncle's good time. She knows how much he loved watching football matches late in the nights. She didn't want any of this to happen. It's just…she didn't have no one else to run to apart from her uncle. And…no one would ever understand her like he does. She bowed her head, avoiding his eyes.

He cradled her cold cheeks, his touch warm and gentle. Chloe closed her eyes, the touch soothing against her cheeks, and the tears she had been fighting so hard to hold back ran ceaselessly down her face.

“What happened? Did you and your mother have a fight again?” Kevin asked his niece, his voice soft, coaxing. Whenever Chloe and her mother had a fight, she would always run to him for refuge. But, this time was different. It wasn't about her mother. It was about someone she had given her heart to guard. Someone she believed would take good care of her delicate heart. Or so she thought. Someone she trusted with every fiber in her body.

The same person who broke her trust as though it didn't hold that much significance. As though that wasn't enough, he played around with her heart as though it was some sort of a ball.

" He cheated on me, uncle.” Chloe choked out, the words bitter in her mouth like bile. Soft sobs escaped her lips, struggling to contain them.

Kevin wrapped his strong arms around his niece so tightly,not caring if she was drenched. He planted a kiss on her wet hair, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down, but she sobbed even more. His jaw twitched in anger, his hands clenching into tight fists. He didn't need Chloe to tell him who had broken her heart because he already knew who he was…

______

A FEW MINUTES LATER

Chloe sat at the edge of the bed, staring at herself in the mirror before her, hardly recognizing the person looking back. She had taken a hot shower not long ago and changed into fresh, clean clothes.

A gentle knock on the door jolted Chloe’s mind back to the real world, the very world she was trying so hard to escape but…it seemed there was no way out.

“Hello there, can I come in?” Her uncle’s voice came, soft, full of concern. 

“Yes,” Chloe choked out. She wiped tears from her eyes immediately with the back of her hand, trying to put on a smile that barely reached her eyes.

The door clicked open and her uncle walked in. He walked to the bed and joined Chloe. She couldn't help but look away, feeling guilty for making him worried.

She wanted to act strong because that's what her uncle always taught her, to pretend that it didn’t hurt that much. Still, she could feel the dull ache buried deep at the depth of her heart. Sharp. Painful. Hard to ignore no matter how much she tried to shake it off.

“I just want the pain to stop, uncle. Please tell me how?” she whispered, raising her head to meet his gaze.

Why did it hurt so much? The only thing she did was fall in love.Was it wrong to fall in love? If only she had known it hurt this much, she wouldn't have fallen in love at first. She thought that maybe…just maybe, she would have a good ending like the rest. But…it seemed she had the worst.

“That's what I want too, Chloe. I wish I could take the pain away because…it saddens me to see you like this.” He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. He knew her niece needed him more than ever and that was an assurance. A silent reminder that he would always be there for her.

“I did everything for him, uncle. I supported his dream of becoming one of the best QB and helped him train. I helped him with his team's formation using your playbook. I always lifted his spirit whenever he felt like giving up on his dreams. I helped him recover whenever he got injured while playing. I did everything, uncle. Everything!” The corner of her lips curved into a bitter smile as all the memories she shared with William flashed in her mind. Every single memory, like shards of ice, piercing her heart repeatedly, leaving it numb and cold.

“Tell me, uncle, what did I do wrong? Wasn't I supportive enough?” Chloe asked, desperate to understand where she went wrong. Perhaps if someone explained it to her, she would understand better.

Chloe recalled how she used to sacrifice weekends to help William train so that he could become a better version of himself. 

“Don’t beat yourself, it's not your fault. You tried your best to be a good girlfriend.You deserve better…” Soft sobs escaped Chloe's lips when she heard her uncle's words. He pulled her into his arms, patting her back. She felt safe, protected from the cruel outer world…

_________

"Hi, you've reached Chloe Brook. I'm sorry I can't take your call right now, but please leave a message after the beep and I'll get back to you as soon as possible."

“Damn it!” Aaron cursed under his breath, his grip on the cellphone tightening. He hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed, raking his hair in frustration.

He had been trying to reach Chloe since she left the school. However, each time he tried, he was sent straight to voicemail. He had left tons of messages for her, but…she hadn't responded to any of them.

All he wanted was to hear her voice, an assurance that she was somewhere out there, breathing. That was all that he wanted.

Aaron raised his head to check the digital clock mounted on the wall in his room. It was the middle of the night. He should be sleeping. However, here he was, wide awake and worried about his step-sister.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this worried about someone because it didn't happen often. Even though Aaron didn't want to admit it out loud, he could feel that emptiness around the house. He was kind of used to having Chloe around. Her absence was hard to ignore.

He recalled the quietness at the dining table at dinner time, that strange feeling when he stared at the empty chair beside him which Chloe always occupied.

Since Chloe moved in with her mother, it had never been boring around the house. Aaron couldn't explain how, but…there was this liveliness that Chloe carried around.

Aaron's mind traveled back to the incident at school, how Chloe bumped into him when she was running away. He recalled the tears streaming down her brown hazel eyes.

He wanted to reach out and wipe away tears from her eyes. He wished he could pull her close to his chest, wrap his strong hands around her tightly and shield her from anyone and everyone who wanted to harm her. However, she slipped away before he could even react. He tried to chase her, but he wasn't able to catch up.

A deep sigh escaped Aaron's lips when he gave it a thought. He was supposed to be mad at Chloe for teaming up with William to defeat his team. He was supposed to hate her because she was an enemy to his progress. However, Aaron couldn't do it no matter how much he tried. A low growl rumbled in his chest. Frustrated. 

Why couldn't he simply hate her?