Chapter 4 They Came Out

A few days after the incident, I held a meeting with the new scriptwriters under my guidance. Despite my efforts to focus on the task at hand, the gossip among the team grew increasingly loud and distracting. It makes me annoyed.

"Guys, is there something that interests you more than what I'm about to explain to you?" I said in a cold voice. "Or... Would it be better if we postpone this meeting until you really make up your mind to study?"

Some people looked a little embarrassed to hear my reprimand and quickly sat up straight in their chairs, trying to focus.

However, I knew that in their heads, what had made them so noisy earlier was still spinning around in their brains.

"Alright, instead of listening to my explanation, but not having any material stick in your brains, tell me now, what made you so noisy?" I asked, finally.

One of the scriptwriters, namely Maya, unable to contain her curiosity, approached me with a famous magazine in hand.

"Ms. Loreine, have you seen this?" she asked, pointing to an exclusive interview page.

I glanced at the page and my heart skipping a beat. There, staring back at me, were two familiar faces: my father, Alexander, and my ex-fiancé, Jared.

"It just came out last night and I think the special edition has sold out all the major magazines in the world in the last three years," said Maya again.

"That's right," another writer, Nerna, chimed in excitedly. "My friend works in the layout department there and she said they sold out of the 10,000 copies they printed in an hour! That's fantastic."

"It's all because of this amazing exclusive interview," she added enthusiastically, pointing to a specific page her friend had opened earlier.

D*mn! They were posing in such an intimate pose. Jared was on Alexander's lap and they were looking at each other passionately. Anyone could see that their eyes were radiating love.

I picked up the magazine and quickly read the blurb in the exclusive interview

The headline read, "Confessions of Love: A Courageous Admission, Nothing Gonna Change Our Love."

In the interview, both men revealed to the public that they were gay and in a relationship.

"...it just happened naturally. I had no idea that our relationship would turn out this way. The feeling was undeniable. I fell in love with his warmth and masculinity. He was my idol and I felt like I couldn't be away from him," Jared said.

"I guess, at my age, all I could hope for is honest happiness and comfort. I found everything I could hope for in a relationship when I was with Jared. It was amazing, because he was so much younger than me and what we were before. But, I did love him and more than that, I felt comfortable with him," Alexander said.

Suddenly I felt nauseous. I quickly closed the magazine and staggered. Leah was shocked and quickly grabbed my hand, preventing me from falling.

"Ms. Loreine, are you okay? Why did you suddenly turn so pale?" she asked worriedly.

"Uh, I think my blood pressure has dropped again," I mumbled. I heard my voice crack and I felt like I couldn't continue this meeting. I couldn't.

"Sorry, it looks like we have to postpone this meeting," I said. "I just suddenly felt uncomfortable."

"Oh, it's okay, Ms. Loreine. Forgive us if we upset you earlier," Nerna said quickly. "We will wait for your time to gather again and listen to your briefing when you are well."

I nodded and quickly left the meeting room. The buzz of conversation about the interview of the two handsome men who broke the hearts of many women because they were in a relationship, continued again.

I entered my office and immediately plopped down on the chair behind my desk, grabbed a water bottle filled with mineral water and took a big gulp, in order to calm myself down.

Shock and pain surged through me. I felt my heart break all over again. The men who had caused me so much pain were now being celebrated for their bravery.

"Lien, do you have Heart magazine, the latest one?" I asked the administrative staff who usually took care of office documents through the intercom between the rooms. "There's something that interests me."

"Oh, sure, Ms. Lou, I'm reading it now. I'll bring it to your room now," Lien said enthusiastically.

Within five minutes Lien had given me the magazine I asked for and I could see that she seemed to want to talk about something, but my serious attitude must have made her feel awkward, so she quickly left again.

I read further, my eyes narrowing at their words in the magazine.

One paragraph caught my attention. The interviewer asked if their relationship was the cause of my breakup with Jared and if it was because I found out about their relationship that I left and never came back.

Alexander and Jared denied any connection between their relationship and my disappearance. They claimed that they only realized their feelings for each other long after I had gone.

"We were all grieving a loss," Alexander said. "We also didn't understand why our beloved princess was suddenly gone. We searched for her and I comforted Jared who was frustrated about the wedding that had been canceled."

"It was the same feelings that brought us closer together and as we comforted each other, I realized that my feelings for Alexander had changed and I couldn't help it," Jared added.

I anger flared. I knew they were lying, continuing their facade even now. To me, it seemed like they were simply seeking attention and had no real remorse for the pain they caused me.

What a b*stard!

I closed the magazine and threw it into the corner of the room. I was too disgusted to see the series of sentences composed by the writer of the exclusive interview, which described how beautiful the intimacy that the two damn men showed.

She even praised their courage and admired their consistency in taking care of and strengthening each other in the difficult situation they faced regarding the confession, because they were both important figures known to the world.

That evening after work, while having dinner with my bestfriend, I couldn't hold back my frustration. I recounted the interview to her. It turned out my voice shaking with anger.

"I can't believe them," I said. My eyes feel so hot and I want to cry. "They hurt me so deeply, and now they're pretending like they did nothing wrong."

"Even after they admitted the relationship, they still covered up the truth and acted like saints! D*mn it! How can they put on such an innocent face and the whole world admires them? Sh*t!"

Alana nodded, her expression mirroring my anger. "No. I don't admire them at all. It's disgusting. What they did to you then and now. They should have been honest with you from the start."

I sighed. "I've never had a problem with someone's sexuality, especially if it's someone I love. But they lied to me, betrayed me, and used me to cover up their relationship. Jared insisted on staying married to me just to hide his affair with my father. It's insulting."

"I'm sure they planned your wedding so that behind the wedding, they could still have a free relationship without anyone suspecting anything. Eww..., that's so disgusting."

"And I can't even imagine what's going on with the Harts and The Golden Triangle family since their confession," I said, my voice catching in my throat. "They're amazing, aren't they?"

"I think there's going to be more news about them, I mean, Alexander and Jared, and The Golden Triangle family," Alana agreed. "And I can assure you, it won't be good news. Unless they quell all the side stories that come out after that."

As we talked, I saw Erika, the mother of a child whom the twin had once helped, approached our table.

"Hello, Ms. Lauren, didn't expect to see you here," Erika greeted politely. She extended her hand, inviting me to shake hands.

I stood up and took her outstretched hand. "Oh, please, don't be so formal. Just call me Loreine. Lauren is my pen name as a writer. This is my best friend, Alana. Alana, this is Ms. Erika, the mother of the twins' friend at school."

Alana also extended her hand and was warmly welcomed by Erika. I invited Erika to sit in a chair that happened to be empty at the table I was occupying with Alana.

"Then you should also just call me Erika. I don't like anything too formal," Erika said cheerfully.

Erika is a sociable woman who laughs easily. Alana and I didn't feel awkward with her at all. We immediately got lost in a pleasant conversation.

"Ah, that's my husband," Erika said, pointing to a man standing in front of the restaurant, looking in through the window. "I thought he would be longer."

"Oh, you guys promised to meet here?"  asked Alana. "Even though our conversation was just getting started."

"I'm sorry," Erika said with a regretful tone. She touched my hand gently. "It seems like you're sad, even though you're laughing. Your laughter doesn't reach your eyes at all. I want to comfort you, but my husband is not someone who likes to wait. I hope you don't hesitate to call me if you need someone to talk to."

I saw the man Erika had pointed out as her husband, looking at us and for some reason, I felt like I had seen him somewhere before, but I didn't know where or who he was.

The man looked at me and his eyes widened, surprising me. Alana touched my hand and made me realize.

I smiled. "It's okay, Erika. I'm just glad we could meet here with you."

"I hope everything's okay," she said with a smile, though her eyes showed a hint of concern. "And don't forget, I'm waiting for you to feel free to come and have dinner at my house. You too, Alana."

I forced a smile. "I'm sure it is. Thank you, Erika. I'll call you soon."

I watched as Erika came out of the restaurant and approached her husband, the man looked at me again and I thought his eyes looked strange. He said something to Erika, and the woman turned, then waved at me, before nodding to her husband.

"Loreine, let's go home. I still have an online meeting with an advertising agency," Alana said.

Alana and I parted ways in front of the restaurant, because I wanted to go to the supermarket first to buy some fruits.

While I was choosing fruits, I suddenly felt my heart become lighter. Meeting Erika must have been just a coincidence, but I was quite happy because out of all the annoying things that happened today, at least there were two people who could lighten my annoyance today.

I knew that I had a long way to go in healing my hurting heart, but I also knew I wasn't alone in my journey.