Picking Up the Pieces

The first thing Eva Hart did after waking up was check her bank account.The second thing she did was cry she felt totally helpless. Not because the balance was low.Not because she had spent three nights living in a hotel.

But because this had become her reality.

Three days ago, she had a fiancé, a home, and a future.Now she had none of those things.The hotel room felt smaller than ever.The pale cream walls seemed to close in around her as tears blurred her vision.

For several minutes, she stared at the ceiling.Then she forced herself to sit up,no one was coming to save her.No one was going to fix her life.She had to do it herself.

Just like she always had.

An hour later, Eva found herself driving across Los Angeles, searching apartment listings.

The first apartment was too expensive,the second was too small,the third looked nothing like the photos online.

By noon, frustration was eating away at her patience.

She sat inside her car outside another apartment building and rubbed her temples.

Her phone buzzed.

A message from Daniel.

Eva immediately deleted it without reading.

Then a notification popped in her phone it was an I*******m post ,it was a photo of Daniel and Evelyn shopping for an engagement ring,

How come she forgot to block this bitch on I*******m,she cursed .

Then a message came the second time from we chat she had begin so exhausted yesterday she forgot to block these two scumbags .

This time from Evelyn.

"Daniel and I are ring shopping today. Wish us luck 

Eva laughed The sound was bitter.

Then she blocked both numbers.

Enough.

She was done.

Done with Daniel,Done with Evelyn, Done with betrayal.Most importantly—

Done with this fucked up relationships.

Her eyes drifted toward a young couple walking hand in hand across the street.

Once upon a time, she would have smiled.Now she felt nothing,Love was a scam,trust was a scam,relationships were a scam.

The only thing they did was give people the power to destroy you.

And she was never giving anyone that power again.

---

The following morning, Eva returned to Flash Technology.

The moment she stepped into the building, she felt dozens of curious eyes on her.

Some employees smiled,some whispered,while others simply stared.

Eva ignored all of them,Professional as always ,she needed to always be professional .The elevator doors opened.

She walked directly toward her desk outside the CEO's office.

The familiar environment should have comforted her.Instead, it reminded her how exhausted she was.

"Good morning, Miss Hart."

She froze.

That deep voice could only belong to one person,Alexander Mikkelson.

Eva turned around.

The billionaire CEO stood a few feet away,perfectly dressed as usual,calm,powerful, cold and Unreadable.

"Good morning, sir."

Alexander's eyes moved over her face,only briefly,but long enough,Long enough to notice the dark circles beneath her eyes and long enough to notice her pale skin,her usually bright smile was gone.

His chest tightened.

The investigator's report had told him what happened,but seeing it with his own eyes was different.The woman standing before him looked as though life had drained all the color from her.

"How are you feeling?"

Eva blinked, the question surprised her.

Fine,she replied 

A lie.

Alexander immediately recognized it.Unfortunately, she was too professional to admit otherwise.

"You left work unexpectedly."

His voice remained calm."That isn't like you."Eva lowered her gaze briefly,and then replied calmly,"It is a personal matter, sir."

Alexander wanted to ask more,he wanted to ask if she had eaten.If she had slept,If she had somewhere safe to stay.

Instead, he said,

"Has the issue been resolved?"

"No."

The answer had already escaped before she could stop herself,both of them went silent.

Eva mentally cursed herself.

Alexander noticed, of course he did if he did why will he be called the devil of the boardroom,so she thought,but the fact was

he noticed everything when it came to her.

"Do you need additional leave?"

Eva quickly shook her head.

"No, sir."she would die of depression,she thought.Alexander studied her for several seconds.Then nodded."If you need anything work-related, let me know."

Work-related.

The emphasis was actually work related ,For a brief moment, Eva almost smiled.

Almost.

"Thank you, sir."She returned to her desk.

Alexander entered his office.But concentration became impossible.because all he could think about was her.The sadness in her eyes,the forced smile.

The way she looked as though she was carrying the weight of the world alone.

His hands tightened around a file.For the first time in years, Alexander hated being professional.He wanted to walk outside.

Pull her into his arms, and tell her she deserved better than Daniel Brooks,telll her she wasn't broken,tell her none of this was her fault.Instead, he opened his laptop.Because that was all he could do.

---

A week later, Eva sat inside a therapist's office,the room smelled faintly of lavender.A large window overlooked the city.The environment was peaceful.

Unfortunately, Eva wasn't.

Dr. Harper listened patiently while Eva explained everything.Daniel,The cheating.

Evelyn,being thrown out.being called barren,the humiliation,the loneliness,the betrayal.

When she finally finished speaking, silence settled between them.

Dr. Harper leaned forward."That sounds incredibly painful."

Eva laughed weakly.

"That's one way to describe it."

"What hurts the most?"

Eva thought carefully.Then answered honestly,"i trusted them."

The therapist nodded,then asked,"and now?"

Eva stared at her hands and said softly,"I don't want another relationship,the answer came instantly.without hesitation,without doubt.

Dr. Harper remained calm and then asked"Never?"

Eva laughed bitterly,"Never."

The therapist asked is it "Because you don't want one?"

Eva hesitated.

The question caught her off guard,after several seconds she whispered,"Because I'm afraid.The room became quiet.For the first time since the breakup, Eva admitted the truth aloud.She was afraid,afraid of trusting again,afraid of loving again,afraid of being betrayed again.

Dr. Harper nodded thoughtfully.

"You mentioned something interesting earlier,Eva looked up.

"What?"

"You said you still want children,Of course she still wanted her own bundle of joy”

Children,she thought Yes. She still wanted children,She always had,even now,even after everything.The dream remained.

The therapist smiled gently.

"Wanting children and wanting a relationship aren't necessarily the same thing."

Eva frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"There are different paths to becoming a parent,Eva remained silent.

Dr. Harper continued carefully.

"For example, some women choose adoption."

Eva nodded.

"And some women choose assisted reproductive options such as artificial insemination."

The words lingered for a while,Artificial insemination,Eva had heard about it before.Of course she had,but she had never seriously considered it,she has considered it as in eir the options if she couldn't really bear her own child until she found out it was the fault of that tiny dicked scumbag.

"You could become a mother one day without rushing into another relationship."

Eva stared at the floor.

Her heart began beating faster,For the first time in weeks.A future existed,a different future,but still a future.

---

That night, Alexander sat alone in his penthouse.The investigator's report remained open on his tablet.Every page made him angrier.

Daniel had known.

The medical records suggested he had known for years.Yet he made Eva take the blame .

Made her feel inadequate,made her doubt herself.Alexander wanted to punch something.Instead, he poured himself a glass of whiskey and walked toward the window.The city lights glittered beneath him, his thoughts returned to Eva,to her strength,to her kindness, and to the smile he hadn't seen in over a week.

A smile he missed far more than he should.

Alexander closed his eyes,this was ridiculous, she was his employee,his secretary.

Nothing more.

So why did his chest ache whenever she looked sad?,Why did he remember every detail about her?,Why did he know exactly how she took her coffee?,Why did he notice whenever she changed her hairstyle?

The answer was obvious and Alexander hated it.He was completely and hopelessly in love with Eva Hart but he couldn't just tell her .Meanwhile, across the city, Eva sat alone in her hotel room.Her laptop rested on her knees.Her fingers hovered over the keyboard.For several minutes she hesitated.Then she slowly typed:

Best sperm banks in Los Angeles.

Search results instantly appeared.Eva stared at the screen.

Her pulse quickened.

Maybe Dr. Harper was right.Maybe she didn't need a man to build a family.

Maybe she didn't need love and most importantly she didn't need marriage.

Maybe all she needed was a child to love.

 a child who would never betray her a child who would always be hers,the thought made her smile,and for the first time since Daniel shattered her heart,this hope was enough.