Chapter 4: “You know what? It’s over.”

Ethan's chest constricted as if someone had wrapped steel bands around his ribs. He could not believe he forgot all about Lisa.

His girlfriend, who was present at the gala as its event planner.

Beads of sweat dotted his forehead despite the coolness of the room.

How could he forget all about Lisa being present? He recommended her himself, seeing as she kept begging him to make the connection for her.

Planning the end of the year gala for the Lin’s will definitely open more does for her, but he regrets that decision now.

From where he stood with Aria still in his arms, he saw how Lisa turned her back on him and stormed out of the hall.

His heart raced, its thundering beats echoing in his ears, each pulse a reminder of the anxious torrent coursing through him.

One minute he was standing at the edge of the hall, making sure everything was running smoothly, and the next minute, Aria was kissing him.

"Aria!" Mr. Lin's voice cut through the blood rushing in his ears.

The older man swept his daughter from Ethan's arms, her head lolling against his shoulder and rushed out of the hall, with his wife, on his heels, probably to take her to the hospital.

What he needs to do now and fast, was to follow Lisa and explain himself to her.

But it seems the reporters won’t let him through easily.

“Mr. Lou, how long have you been dating the Lin heiress?”

“When do you plan on proposing?”

“Do you plan on taking over the CEO position, as soon as you marry Aria Lin?”

Ethan stopped and glared at the reporter who asked that last question. He held his breath as he tried to control his rage.

He signaled for the guards to have all the reporters lead out of the ballroom and he finally was able to go in search of Lisa.

He checked all the balconies, but she wasn’t in any. He decided to check the storage room at the back of the hall and was lucky to find her there, fuming.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers, before approaching her slowly. "Lisa, let me explain..."

But he never got to finish what he was about to say. The sharp sting of the slap stunned him into silence.

"I don't need your stupid explanations Ethan. I know what I saw." She spat.

"No, you don't. It was all a misunderstanding." He said, his voice thick and unsteady.

"I know what I saw. Yo... You kissed her. In front of all those people." She said, her voice cracking.

His heart hammered against his ribcage, a thunderous beat that reverberated through his body. He can't lose Lisa. He just can't.

"Let me explain my love. Nothing is going on between me and Mr. Lin's daughter. I swear it." He said, his voice shaking.

"I don't believe you. I felt humiliated out there Ethan." She stammered with rage.

His hands shook uncontrollably, an involuntary tremor that betrayed his terror.

When he tried to touch her, she recoiled as if his skin burned her and the rejection was a physical ache in his chest.

His hands shook more as he retrieved the ring he bought just a week ago, from his pocket. He had been planning on proposing to her tonight at his place , after the gala.

"My love, hear me out please. Look, I was planning on proposing to you tonight. Do you really think I would have bought the ring, if I was seeing someone else?" He choked out.

His voice was a fragile thread, threatening to snap under the weight of his panic.

And his breath came in jagged uneven gasps, as if his lungs struggled to draw in air amidst the suffocating grip of fear he was feeling of the possibility of losing Lisa.

"And what? You expect me to believe that? You kissed her in front of everyone. I saw your hands holding her waist." She scowled.

Ethan could not believe that the usual warmth in her voice was now replaced by a distant coldness.

"I can fix it." He stammered, quickly.

"And how are you going to do that?" Her words dripped with sarcasm.

"Two days. That's all I'm asking for. And I swear, I will make everything right." He said nervously, as he moistened his dry lips.

She scoffed, a sound that echoed the contempt etched across her downturned mouth.

"And you expect me to believe that? Come on Ethan, I wasn't born yesterday." She spat.

His pulse throbbed in his ears, a relentless drumbeat that drowned out all other sound.

“You know what? It’s over. I don’t want to be in a relationship with you again.” She sneered, her eyes narrowed.

He stumbled back, his body recoiling as if it were struck by an invisible force. Then his face contorted with a mix of disbelief and shock.

His eyes glanced around the storeroom, not focusing on anything. And In the stillness that followed, Ethan could hear the beat of his own pulse. Feel it everywhere in his body.

“Please… please my love. Don’t do this to us.” He stammered, wringing his hands.

“Why don’t you get it Ethan? I want nothing that has to do with you again. And I swear, you won’t like what I’m going to do to you, if you follow me out of this room.” She spat.

Lisa strode out of the room, banging the door on the wall, on her way out.

Silence hung over the storage room like a suffocating blanket, after Lisa left.

Ethan kneeled on the cold floor, feeling the ache Lisa left behind in his chest. He doesn’t think he will ever get to fill normal again.

******

Aria’s pov

Aria blinked against the sudden brightness that assaulted her eyes, as soon as she opened them. She raised her hands to cover her face from the assault.

There was movement at her side and she turned to check.

Her jaw dropped, eyes widening in disbelief as if a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through her veins, leaving her momentarily stunned.

She gawked at her parents.

Her parents, who the last time she saw, was about three months after her wedding to Adrian.

She remembered waking up that faithful day to news that, both of her parents died in a plane crash on their way to London.

Shed blinked her eyes harder, trying to stop the tears at the edge of her eyes from falling.

She really tried to stop the tears, but it still flowed down her eyes. It’s been five years since she saw them last, so the ache in her chest, was too much for her to bare.

She did remember vaguely seeing them yesterday at the gala, but her emotions where running high, so she didn’t pay much attention to her surroundings.

Her crying must have alerted them of her being awake.

Her father was the first person to approach her bed in a hurry.

“Princess, you are finally awake. What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?” Mr. Lin asked, his eyes widened in alarm.

Her mother came close as well, taking her hand in hers. “Should we call the doctor back? Tell us where it hurts?” Mrs. Lin asked as she bit her lip worriedly.

Aria couldn’t stop her tears from falling more, upon hearing their concern.

Both of her parents turn to look at each other, probably wondering what could possibly make her cry so much.

She was finally able to control her tears and wiped at her face with the back of her hands. “I was just glad to see you both. That’s all.” She choked out.

Her father still looked unconvinced.

“You gave us the shock of our live yesterday Aria. Care to explain what that was?” He asked.

“Now come on dear, I don’t think now is the right time to question her about that. Let her recover first.” Her mother replied her father.

“Forgive me Princess, your mother is right. You need all the rest you could get.” Mr. Lin said.

“No… no, It’s all right dad.” Aria hiccupped.

She couldn’t begin to tell them all she had been through. No one will believe she went back in time. She also fined it hard to believe herself.

“How about we let you rest now, hmm?” Her mother said, as she fluffed her blanket.

Aria smiled, and watched as her mother practically dragged her father out of the room.

Finally left alone, she stood up and looked around her old room. The last time she saw it was on the day she married Adrian.

The sharp ringing of a phone interrupted her though, so she searched around for where it was coming from and found it in the clutch she used yesterday.

The caller was her best friend Mia Wong.

A smile immediately blossomed on her face, and she picked up the call on the fourth ring.

"Hi Mia." She said into the phone.

"Don't hi Mia me Aria. I thought I was you best friend, so how is it that alot happened and I didn't know a single thing?" Mia shouted.

Aria had to immediately draw the phone from her ears from how loud Mia was shouting down the line.

"Calm down. How do you know all this?" She asked.

"How did I find out? Have you even checked your phone today?" Mia continued without pose.

"No, why?" She asked back.

"Just check your phone immediately girl." Mia snickered.

Aria immediately hung up the call, and entered her browser. She searched her name.

It was as if the floor was dragged out from under her feet and she placed her hand on her mouth to cover her gasps, upon seeing what Mia must have seen.