Chapter 8 : 17° Celsius

I just can't live without you

2 years back

A girl sat on the bathroom floor with blood flowing through the glass shards on her palms

Staring at the wall where the broken mirror showed her crooked reflection.

Ugly

Unfaithful

Betrayer

Deceiver

Were the words floating her mind as she sat numb under the pressure of her own thoughts and accusations.

With no one to ask her if she was fine and no one to take her out of her misery she stayed there till the light outside changed to darkness.

Only when the lawyers phone ringed next to her did she woke up from her state and looked around.

The white tiles were coloured in red blood and pieces of glass were all scattered around.

Balancing herself up she reached the phone and accepted the call with bloody and shaking fingers.

"He...llo."

Came her weak voice

"Hello Miss Sapphire...I wanted to inform you that $1 billion has been credited to your account...Mr Romano agreed to our terms and you are required-"

"I don't want it"

She spoke without stuttering with voice strong and decision firm.

"What!!? Miss Sapphire we fought this case for so long.....and now when we won you are backing out...?"

"The entire amount is to be transferred to Romano Charity Fund in next 29 days but in instalments...the Interest for these days is to be credited in my personal account...make sure he doesn’t know who is sending it."

"But why are you doing this...We worked so hard. You will loose 1 billion ...do you even realise how much it is??."

"I don't think I need someone else to explain me worth of money Mr Ryan. Your payment will be made to you once final transaction takes place...nice working with you Ryan bye"

With this she cut the call and her heart relaxed knowing that for the first time in her life she was doing something good.

She placed her hand under the cold water and began mending the wounds .

With dull eyes and shattered soul she managed to smile and get back on her feet again.

I will survive...

She believed and she did

She managed to survive without him but she never was able to live again.

1 year ago....

Today was the hardest day of her life...

It's been 2 days since she had a full meal

3 nights since she had full night sleep and 1 hour since the landlord refused to let her stay any longer.

Her condition was worse than ever before....

She was poor earlier but now she was degraded to the level of homeless ,penniless and helpless girl.

Stalling the streets of New York with pockets empty, heart broken and soul shattered was a girl no one knew.

A girl who didn't exist for anyone

Except him...or maybe not.

Since last 1 hour she has been searching for a job

Highest pay till now was for that of a stripper...something she will die before doing..

Next best was for being a maid to a 60 year old man who made perverted demands .

Next was for being a glass cleaner. But for that also she being a acrophobic was the worst candidate..

The last one was of cleaning and washing cars at a gas and service station.

This one was best according to her...even though less in pay it was still enough to feed her empty stomach...and not forgetting the fact that she loved cars.

But even her luck was not at her side as when she went to accept the job it was already taken by someone else.

"What will I do ? It's already getting dark...where will I stay....."

With her left leg and arm numbing in a weird pain and her head throbbing at an alarming rate she managed to find a bench just opposite the food stalls.

Empty stomach she didn't even realise when she slept...only when she woke up did she realise how dark it was and how deserted the area looked now.

Feeling scared all of a sudden she pulled the shawl closer to herself and looker around.

The next second the worst experience of her life got it's beginning.

Her eyes locked with that of a group of boys who had cigarettes in their fingers and bottles in their hands.

She cursed in her mind and turned to leave but it was already too late.

They blocked her path and started encircling her...

Her body trembled as her fear was turning into shock.

While they feeded on her fear and stepped closer to her...

"Man she is not that bad...See that ass ?"

"I will give her a 6 .....just above average..."

Their dirty words were fuelling her shock with anger...but her anger was releasing in form of tears...

"M..ove.. awa..y...."

She spoke in a broken voice but they did the opposite.

Within seconds she was lying on the ground with her body pressed under weight and shawl no where to be found.

She struggled but it just aggravated the attacker's anger..

Her top got torn into pieces with his rough hands pulling on it..

As cold winds touched her did she realise what was going to happen.

And the first word that left her helpless lips were 'Andro...'

As another arm of her top got torn her mind prayed only one thing

'Please save me Andro....please...'

But it didn't stopped

No one came to her rescue

Only the laughs and perverted talks of these animals could be heard.

She couldn't take it any longer

She broke

But not before breaking them..

Since she was a child people called her crazy. She used to do things that no other person dared to and today also she did it.

She saw blood and that was what she gave them.

A big rock laid on the ground covered with blood as screams of pain escaped her attackers mouth.

But that was not enough...her sanity was at bay and she was seconds away from loosing it.

With a metal tin cover of a dustbin acting as her shield she banged her shield in other one's head.

He came collapsing down at her feet as she looked at others with eyes no man ever saw before.

Eyes of a killer...eyes of an insane women whose sanity was taken away by this cruel world .

She could even kill anyone right there and then and this was clear in those burning orbs.

But physical strength is dominant to mental strength...

And she lacked it..

Only when 5 of them started coming her way did she realise that this was not her niche..

She knew she could shed blood and stop one of them but not all.

Deciding instantly she left her weapons and ran at full speed away from them.

Without looking behind she ran directionless.

Her mind still showed his smiling face..

Her skin still made her feel his velvety touch

And his eyes made her cry harder.

She doesn’t remember how long or where was she running to.

Only when did her legs gave out did she stopped to hold her breath.

But that was her worst mistake.

There they stood passed the road ready to tear her to pieces.

She tried to move but her body had betrayed her..

With strength gone, courage worn out and soul shattered and damaged irreparably.

She stood her ground ready to accept her fate at last.

But even she didn't know that fate had some different plans when bright light blinded her eyes and strong force made her fly above the ground she stood on.

The screeching voice of the tyres of the truck were not heard by her numb mind but it's brutal deadly force was definitely felt by her.

That day she broke both mentally and physically and the worst part was that no one cared if a already discarded toy was broken or not.

As she felt herself getting ready to land on her death bed ...she again imagined his loving face saying how much he loved her...

With this last happy memory a cracking sound was heard as her body touched the ground....

Sapphire's pov

I woke up with a jerk as my memory resurfaced.

That memory was enough to make Goosebumps appear on my body and sweat beads to appear on my forehead.

"Ma'am it's alright ...you are fine. Please lay down"

Spoke the nurse as I looked around to see myself in a hospital.

My memory revived and I relaxed knowing that now I will be fine.

"W...ho brought...me here?"

"Mr Romano did as you were diagnosed with a severe case of drug overdose"

"Oh"

I replied realizing all this was my mistake in the end.

"When can I leave?"

"When the doctor says so miss Brown....as for right now please cooperate and lay down."

I listened

But soon my peace was disturbed when Andro's mom entered

She ordered the Nurse to leave and started

"I see you are awake....here take this blank cheque and leave my son alone ...he is happy now don't eclipse his happiness again miss Brown"

So smooth I thought

I know she is a mother and wants best for her Son which I am not

But she doesn't understands what he means for me.

I gave her a polite smile and tore the check.

Her mouth opened in shock as she stared at my Iv loaded hands and torn pieces of paper

"I know how you feel about me....with due respect I never mean to offend you in any sense....but my very love for your son offends you....you can stop me from misbehaving....you can stop me from any damn thing and I will listen to you....but if you ask me to leave my life....I am sorry but I just can't leave my life...'

" I can't leave your son...he is my life...I can't live without him....I tried...I tried very hard but I failed miserably...."

"Forgive me Ma'am but my life cannot be counted in zeroes and transferred in banks ...it lies in your son and I want him back..."

She smirked and replied

"He no longer cares for you....he may be your life but his life now pivots around someone else...be Careful Miss brown ....broken pieces do hurt if you try to collect them."

I gave her a sad smile

"Who is trying to collect broken pieces Ma'am....I am just trying to learn to walk on them".

........................................