The Unidentified Woman

Chapter 10:

Rita's pov

I was not going to turn around. Not for Kate. Not for the person I used to be. I used to be the kind of person who would fall apart under pressure.. That is not me anymore.

As I walked down the hallway at the Vale Group my heels clicked on the marble floor. I made sure every step was deliberate. I was in control. I told myself to stay calm. My heart was still racing from what had happened.. I was not going to let it show.

I got to the elevator. Pressed the button. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I saw a calm and composed person. That is what I wanted to be. I wanted to be someone who was not affected by anything.

The elevator door opened. I got in. Just as they were about to close a hand stopped them. I gasped. The doors opened again. He got in. Victor. The air in the elevator changed. It felt heavy and charged. I stood still. Did not say anything. I did not want to feel anything.

Victor stood next to me. He was calm and familiar.. I did not want to feel familiar with him. I looked ahead. If I looked at him I might feel something I did not want to feel.

"So you're back, " he said in a low voice. His words were simple. They felt heavy. I. Replied, "I'm here for work." I did not look at him. I did not have to explain myself to him. Not anymore.

The elevator was quiet for a moment. The only sound was the hum of the elevator moving. Then Victor spoke again. "You walked away without saying a word." My heart felt tight. I felt something. It was not anger. It was something subtle.

I looked at him briefly. ". You were watching?" I asked calmly. Victor's expression did not change. His jaw clenched. "I expected something, " he said slowly. I almost laughed. I wanted to ask him what he expected. A farewell speech? Tears?

"What did you expect, Victor?" I asked him, my voice was steady and cold. His eyes looked gloomy. "I didn't mean it like that " he said. "Then what did you mean?" I pressed him.

Victor was quiet for a moment. His silence spoke louder than any words. The elevator stopped ,The doors opened. I got out quickly. I needed distance.. Victor followed me. His footsteps matched mine easily. It was as if he was not even trying.

"Rita " he said, my name sounding strange from his mouth after long. I. Turned to look at him. "Mr. Vale " I corrected him calmly. His face flickered with annoyance.

"You don't have to do that " he said. "I think I do " I replied. Victor's gaze swept over my face as if he was searching for something. Something familiar.. He could not find it. Because I was not that person anymore.

"You've changed, " he said, his tone neutral. I nodded slightly. "That's what people do " I said. Victor moved closer to me. I could feel my heart beating faster.. I did not step back.

"You're different, " he said again, his voice more confident. "You don't see me the way." I looked at him, my eyes locked on his. I was not giving him any hope or love. I was looking at him like he was nothing.. He felt uncomfortable with that.

"Maybe I can see clearly now, " I said. Victor's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you see?" he asked. I looked him in the eye. "A man who made his choices, " I said. My words were simple. They carried a lot of weight.

Victors jaw clenched. "That's not the story " he said. I almost smiled. "But it's enough " I said. Victor's stance changed slightly. He felt the tension building in his shoulders. For the time he looked affected.

"You're acting like none of it mattered " he said, his voice low. I crossed my arms slowly. "Isn't that what you wanted?" I asked, my voice sharp and quick. Victor's eyes hardened. "That doesn't mean.." I interrupted him. "It means everything, " I said.

My voice was not loud. It was heavy with finality. Victor looked at me as if he was trying to understand something. He could not comprehend that the woman in front of him was not the one he had left behind. Because she was not.

"You're not even angry, " he said, his tone puzzled. I exhaled slowly. "I was, " I said. "Five years ago." Victor's eyes became more intense. "Was?" he asked. I nodded once. The elevator had. We were standing in the hallway.. It felt like time had stopped too.

Victor remained silent just looking at me.. I could see it clearly. He had expected me to be hurting, to be suffering.. I was not.. That troubled him. Finally he spoke. "You moved on " he said. It was not a question. It was a statement.

I looked him in the eye. "Yes, " I said. The word felt heavy final. Victor's face did not change,. His eyes did. They moved slightly as if he felt something was not right inside.. Then he took a step back, creating distance between us.

"It's not over " he said, his voice low.. It was not a threat or a promise. It was something in, between. I looked at him, my eyes locked on his. "It was already " I said.. Then I turned to leave. This time I did not look back. I could feel Victor's gaze on me. I kept walking.

Behind me Victor remained still watching me trying to understand something that was no longer his.. For the first time he realized it. The woman he thought he knew was gone.. The person standing in her place did not need him.

I did not want him.

That was so quiet.

The distance between us was really something.

The fact that I did not feel anything for him was total.

He felt really bad about this situation. It made him more uneasy than being angry with me ever had. He was more uncomfortable about the thing, with him and me than he had ever been when he was angry.