NORA'S POV
I had contemplated on how to break the news to Aiden. I wanted to end it through text but thought of how cruel that would be, he didn't deserve to be treated that way, so I sent him a text stating that we needed to talk.
The next day after work, I sat at our usual spot at my favorite coffee shop as I waited for him. About twenty minutes later, I sighted him from afar. My heart broke into a million pieces as I watched him walk up to me.
I had cried myself to sleep last night becsuse of what needs to be done. I need to end things with him just as his grandmother wants.
"Hey baby, I'm sorry for being late.....I was in a meeting" he apologized as he pecked me on the lips.
"Hi" I greeted him with a forced smile.
"Why haven't you ordered anything yet?" He asked
"I'm fine, I don't feel like eating anything " I replied him as I stared at him. This was probably going to be the last time I would see him and be this close with him.
I looked away as tears began to form in my eyes.
I was very anxious and was looking for the best way to bring up the topic. If only I could just tell him everything that his grandmother said, if only. But I knew better than that. There's absolutely no way that I would want to put myself in between a grandmother and her grandson.
"Are you okay? You don't look too well" he stated as he took my hand in his.
I took that as an opportunity to spill the beans.
" I found out about your PhD offer, when were you going to tell me about it?" I asked bluntly
He paused with a surprised expression on his face.
" How did you find out about that?" He asked
"How I found out doesn't matter, what matters is that you didn't tell me about it!.... Aiden you're leaving in two months...... how on earth do you think that makes me feel?" I asked him, I tried to appear as upset as I could.
"Okay first of all, I apologize for keeping the information from you but I want you to understand that I haven't even made a decision yet" he replied
"We both know the decision you are going to make eventually...." I said to his face
"C'mon babe, don't be like that....I was going to tell you " he defended
"Aiden....I understand that this is a great opportunity for you, I would never stop you from pursuing your dreams " I said to him
"Aiden... why are you calling me by my name?" He asked with a confused expression on his face.
I sighed deeply and then replied him "I don't want to be the one to hold you back on your dreams, there is no point in dragging this, this relationship was bound to come to an end eventually " I blurted out
He was startled by my words.
" What the fuck are you talking about ?" He asked. This was obviously the last thing he was expecting to hear from me. I knew I was breaking his heart but I was left with no choice.
"We are from two different worlds Aiden....we both knew this from the very beginning.... there's no way that we would last long.....I'm surprised we made it to 8 months" I explained
" I know what you're doing, and I am not going to let you have your way" he stated bodly and then tightened his grip on my hand. " I am never going to break up with you Nora.....I don't care what ever insecurities that you're going through right now but I am not going to let you end this " he added
" Aiden.... please let's end this now that we haven't gotten too deep..." I tried to explain but he cut my words short.
"Before we get too deep?.....Nora has this just been a joke to you? Is 8 whole months a joke to you? We are already too deep for the love of God!" he blurted out.
I could see the pain in his eyes. My heart was breaking but I tried as hard as I could to stay strong, not to let him see that I was falling apart.
"I'm sorry Aiden..... but we need to end this" I said to him and then released my hand from his grip.
" No.....I refuse to accept that we're over! ...... you cannot end this because of the offer that I got.....Nora we can work something out, I promise" he tried to persuade
" You are going to be a thousand miles away, there's no way this would work." I said to him
"Okay....I need you to calm down, where are these thoughts coming from? Have you even thought it through?" He asked
"I wouldn't have come to a conclusion if I hadn't thought well about it.....I am not asking for your permission to break up Aiden, I am breaking up with you " I blurted out.
I was surprised with the way I was able to pull through. I saw the tears that gathered in his eyes. I wanted to pull him close to me and explain everything that is going on. I wanted to scream to him how badly I want this to work, but I couldn't. I just couldn't.
Gloria Hart had already given me an ultimatum and there's no point in fighting a battle that I had already lost.
" Did you ever love me?" Aiden asked
I looked at him with a heavy heart. I wanted to confess to him how much he means to me, to tell him that it was killing me to end things between us and that I was carrying his child. But I couldn't .
"Does that even matter anymore? It's not going to change anything Aiden" I said to him as I avoided his eyes. I couldn't bear to lie to his face.
"Just answer me" he said
"I did. But it's not going to change the fact that we need to end things. I was already tired of dating in secret, do you know how exhausting that is?" I asked
"Do you think that it was easy for me too?" He asked me
"It doesn't matter anymore. It's over between us Aiden and the earlier we accept this, the better it would be for us. I am not going to stand in between your way of success as you are going to be the future CEO of the company " I said to him
I watched as he wiped off the tears that rolled down his face. My heart ached for him. I was hurting the man that I love.
"Nora.....why are you trying Soo hard to get rid of me? It's up to me to decide whether to leave or not. Besides who says long distance doesn't work anymore?" He asked all at once
I stared at him in silence.
If only I could just tell him that his grandmother was behind all of this, if only.
I shook my head and faced him.
"I'm Sorry Aiden, but I have made my decision" I said
"Don't I even have a say in this? This is soo cruel of you Nora, how can you just wake up one day and decide to end things between us?" He asked
"I have been thinking about it for awhile....." I replied calmly. I was obviously lying.
"But why didn't you say anything?... Why didn't you tell me that it was bothering you? We could have figured something out together " he said
" Like I told you earlier, I don't need your permission to end things between us. I am going to cherish the period we were together, those had been the best moments of my life " I said to him as I rose to my feet.
"Nora...." He held my hand
"I genuinely wish you the very best Aiden" i said to him and then pulled my hands away from him, leaving him heartbroken and breaking my already shattered heart into pieces.
I tried to hold back the tears in my eyes as I walked away from him.
AIDEN'S POV "I want to know what's going on grandma........" I continued as I stared at her.The last thing I'd do is to let myself be used as a puppet for the family , not anymore."Oh would you just calm down Aiden!" Grandma blurted out few seconds later. "Nobody is going off the market, no we are not bankrupt and we do not owe the bank any money" she explained "Then why do I need to marry into that family?" I asked with concern written all over me "Because they are the perfect match for us..... for you. They fit our standards perfectly well" she continued "...and how certain are you about this?" I asked "Trust me Aiden, ofcourse I did my assignment " she replied and then continued. " Besides, we've known the Vegera's for quite some time. They aren't exactly strangers, we are good acquittance and what better way to get closer than making our children get married to each other?" She asked rhetorically I let out a deep sigh as I processed all she said.A moment later, I replied.
AIDEN'S POV I arrived at the family mansion at around 6:55pm after having a series of meetings with the employees at the company. I had been introduced to the entire head of departments alongside the key members of the company. I was finally back to head the entire company and I knew I was ready for it."You're here, finally". Grandma Gloria yelled from afar as she started walking down the stairs to greet me. She wore a very big smile on her face.I immediately began to climb up in order to meet her half way. " Hello grandma...its soo good to see you again" I said as I walked into her outstretched arms. " Oh dear! My dear grandson" she blurted out as she wrapped her arms around my torso. " I have missed you soo dearly. " I missed you too ma" I replied her after she released her grip on me." Now that you're here I can scold you as much as I want to" She playful hit me on the shoulder as she spoke. " Why didn't you come home sooner?.....how could you leave for 5 good years? Where
NORA'S POV I sat in silence as I watched the IV fluid enter into my son's veins. I breathed out a sigh a relief as he slept peacefully on the hospital bed. My head had been filled with a thousand and one thoughts as I rushed to the hospital few hours ago. Duke is my entire world and the essence of my living right now. I honestly do not want to even imagine how I'd cope if anything bad were to happen to him. I placed my hand on his and gave it a title squeeze and then stared into his precious face."Miss Simmons, the test result shows that your son is allergic to crustaceans......." The doctor had said to me immediately I arrived at the hospital. " Shell fish to be precise" he added."Shell fish?" I repeated " Yes ma'am " he replied as I gave him a confused look. I didn't pack any shell fish for him to preschool, infact I hardly prepare it at home. Just as I was about to ask more questions, Miss Parker, his homeroom teacher appeared. "Miss Simmons...I am soo sorry" she said to me
AIDEN'S POV We arrived in front of the Bioflor Company at exactly 10am the next day. I let out a sharp breath as I walked into the building with Brent beside me. "Good morning Mr Hart. Welcome to Bioflor Company, my name is Julia Quist, I am Mr Prichett's assistant" A young lady said as she immediately approached us."Good morning" I replied her with a slight nod. I could see the glances the employee were throwing our way as some of them whispered cautiously. They spoke in hushed voices."I will lead you to Mr Prichett's Office, he is waiting for you " she said as she gestures towards an elevator."Okay" I blurted out as he walked towards the elevator. The last time I saw Salvador was perhaps after college at a friend's wedding and now, there he was standing in front of the elevator as soon as the doors opened." There he is..." Salvador said with excitement evidence in his voice as he walked up to give me a hug." My man" I blurted out in-between hugs " It's sooo good to see you
NORA'S POV " Buddy, Jade told me how well behaved you were yesterday...I am impressed" I said to my 4 years old son as I drove him to preschool the next morning." I did just as you asked" he replied and then continued " I wanted to make you proud mommy""Oh my dear...I am super proud of you" I said to him with a smile on my face. The older he grew, the more he amazes me with how smart and adorable he is and everyone of those actions warms and fills my heart with joy.I remembered how he had showered me with love with sleepy eyes when I showed up at Jade's apartment to pick him up last night. And every now and then I can't help but notice the resemblance between him and his father. The one person I'm never going to see again." Mom...?" Duke called out, bringing me back from my wandering thoughts." Yes my love.." I answered as I gave him a quick glance at the back seat."Are you also going to be late today?" He asked innocently " No my love. Mommy won't be late today okay...I pro
AIDAN'S POV Anxiety gripped me as soon I glanced out of the window. This was finally happening, I was finally returning back to the US after five years. My heart raced with mixed feelings as soon as we approached the tall buildings . Memories that I had tried hard to bury came flooding back. I had left California with a heavy and broken heart and now I was beginning to feel all the emotions bit by bit. All over again.No Aiden. You made a promise. A promise to come back stronger and powerful. That woman is my past and I have vowed never to go back to that past. The past that haunted me day and night and gave me sleepless night. The past that broke me deeply and shattered my heart into tiny pieces.I had barely been able to pick up those pieces and put them back together. The past I had struggled with for years.I shook my head in the attempt to dismiss every thought of her. I am finally back to start afresh and take over as the company head since my grandmother was retiring. We ar
FIVE YEARS LATER.NORA'S POV"Are you going to be late again today?" Jade, my best friend asked over the phone as I studied the documents on my laptop."I'm soo sorry Jade, but it seems like it." I replied and then continued. " There's a lot to do right now at the office, I promise to make it up to you " " You had better do Nora, I'm not playing, you owe me" Jade repliedI met Jade about 6 years ago right before my life turned upside down due the Hart's family. We had been roommates and right now, we stay few blocks from each other and she's always ready to babysit Duke, my son.Everyone at the company I work for, is swamped with work at the moment and as the executive secretary to the CEO of Bioflor company, it is my duty to oversee and make sure that the job is well done." Yes ofcourse. I'm going to make it up to you " I told her"Good" she replied and then after a brief pause, she continued. " I just fed him, he is presently watching SpongeBob on my tablet " "That's great Jade.
AIDEN'S POV I sat on the bare floor as I gulped down the last content of the alcohol bottle in my hand and sighed out loudly in pain. Nora had hurt me deeply, her words had pierced every piece of my heart. I still couldn't believe that things had ended between us. There i was, thinking that I had found the one, the perfect person to settle down with. How could she hurt me that way? She was the only woman that I had ever truly loved. I gave her everything and even tried as hard as I could to protect her from my grandmother, but what did I get in return? She took my love for granted and ended things brutally without any warning. I do not deserve to be treated this way, the pain I feel is soo unbearable, I am really hurting.What did I do soo wrong to feel this way? Why does it have to hurt this much?The sound of the door bell ringing brought me back from my wandering thoughts. I tried to ignore it, but it kept on ringing. I stood up in annoyance as I tried to find my way to the doo
NORA'S POV After giving it much thought I finally came to the decision of leaving the company. I figured that there was no point in staying in a place that would keep on reminding me of my lost love.Besides, If I really want to stay out of Aiden's life, it means I must stay away from everything that concerns him, hence why I've decided to hand in my resignation letter.I got to the office very early the next morning and went straight to the store to pick up an empty box, I was going to need it to put all my stuff in. I was grateful for the empty office, at least I would be able to resign and get my things without drawing much attention to myself.So I thought, until the door to the office opened, I was already halfway through when Macy walked in."What are you doing?" She asked me but I ignored her and continued to put my remaining things into the box."Why are you packing your things? Did the company ask you to go?" She asked and then gasped almost immediately. " oh my God, is it b