Broken Piece

ERICA:

I knew the risk of going to Nathan. He lived in the Hays mansion with his mother and a cousin who had recently moved out after getting a job outside the city.

There would be security guards, housekeepers, and people everywhere. But seeing Nathan was worth it. If anyone from the Hays household spotted me, I’d pretend I was there to visit Leonard’s mother… then somehow end up in Nathan’s room.

The Hays home was practically an estate—thirty-eight separate buildings, each belonging to a different branch of family; families under Mr. Hays’s generosity. Nathan’s father had been given one when he was alive, and even after his death, Nathan’s family stayed.

I’d begged him to move. He could afford a nice apartment for himself. I could support him. But serving the Hays had become his family’s purpose and passion.

I’d planned it out. Yet, I preferred to slip into Nathan’s detached building without being seen. Heaven was on my side. My cab had barely stopped near the gate when his car rolled out.

“Follow that car,” I told the driver, grinning as I pulled out my phone to call him.

He didn’t answer. Probably on silent.

At almost 1 a.m., Nathan had nowhere else to be except a bar. It was Friday night, after all. With enough alcohol in our systems, we’d end up moaning into the morning.

But instead of heading the right route, his car turned into a hotel driveway and stopped. My cab hangs back, just close enough to see him step out and… open the door for his cousin.

I smiled—relieved for a second, until my heart almost exploded.

Nathan leaned in and kissed her. On the lips. Deeply. Passionately.

I slumped back into the seat, numb.

He handed his keys over to the valet and walked inside with her, hand rubbing and squeezing her butts as they matched in. My legs shook as I got out of the cab and followed.

The hotel lobby was busy—guests crowding in and out of elevators, which made it easy to trail them unnoticed. I slipped inside the same elevator, standing in front of them. I didn’t even need to hide. Nathan was too lost in kissing her to care about anyone else.

They stepped off their floor, and I followed.

I didn’t know why I was still going after them. I’d already seen the truth, but a part of me hoped he’d turn, see me, and laugh—say it was all a joke.

Instead, he carried her into a room, sweeping her off her feet before the door shut behind them.

“Nathan!” My voice cracked in the hall.

The door reopened. His eyes widened when he saw me… then narrowed in anger.

“Did you follow me?” he demanded.

His cousin appeared behind him, rolling her eyes.

“Nathan, why…” my voice broke. “Why were you kissing your cousin?”

She laughed, hissed and vanished back into the room.

“She is your cousin, right?” I pressed.

He grabbed my arm, dragging me back into the elevator.

“Nathan…” I whimpered through my tears.

“Go sleep it off. We will talk later.”

The doors closed. I stayed inside, unmoving. People came and went for what felt like an hour, but I barely noticed. My world had shattered, and I was just… drifting in the wreckage.

Security eventually guided me to the lobby. Lucas appeared. Maybe they’d called him, or maybe he’d called my phone, and a staff member answered. He came and took me home.

Not really. He took me to Leonard’s. Eric looked panicked when we walked in until he saw me.

“Why does she look like that?” he asked Lucas.

“I am not sure.”

“Erica?” he shook me. I didn’t answer, just went to the couch and sat down.

“This isn’t going to end well,” he muttered to Lucas.

“Let’s sort the surveillance first. Are you sure he is asleep?”

“Yes, but be careful. The floor’s a mess.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“Go ahead. I will talk to Erica.”

He knelt in front of me, speaking words I didn’t hear, before leading me to the bedroom. He helped me out of my clothes and into his.

“I don’t know what is wrong with you,” he said, “but you will sleep here tonight. If Leonard comes before we call you in the morning, don’t say anything.”

I slid into bed and pulled the duvet over my head.

“Erica?”

Eric had been right—Leonard came before my phone rang. My phone ran out of battery back at the hotel, but I was too blank to tell Eric.

Leonard knocked softly before stepping inside.

“Erica, what’s wrong?”

His voice was filled with concern. I’d never heard that from him before. And something about it struck me deep.

I’d spent so long avoiding him, chasing Nathan. But here we were—Nathan gone, my heart in ruins, and Leonard standing before me, worried.

I rose and hugged him without thinking. His arms around me… for the first time, I felt something safe. Solid. Like my only anchor. My open option to heal the hole in my heart.

“What happened?” he asked again.

Eric had told me not to say anything. But neither he nor Lucas had asked what was wrong with me. They were after what I wasn’t sure of. And hearing Leonard ask twice, I couldn’t just say nothing.

“Nathan…” I mummbled on his shoulder. 

I didn’t finish the words. My head was spinning. Except I knew Nathan was gone. I have lost him forever.

And Leonard… I knew after months of denying it that it would be him now. We didn’t love each other, but we could try. His arm around me didn’t feel irritating as his presence always did. That could be a sign.

Then, I kissed him.

I felt nothing. So I deepened it. Was about to slip my tongue into his mouth, but he pulled back—his face, a mix of shock and anger. Without a word, he stormed out of the room.