Chapter 6

• Vilma nodded without meeting his eyes. "I'm meeting Desiree for lunch."
• Frederic's mind clicked. His sister had just returned from a trip. He quickly patched up his hand, trying to ignore the unease growing in his chest.
• "I'll drive you there," he said before she could protest.
• Vilma opened her mouth to argue, but before she could say a word, Frederic grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door, snatching the car keys.
• On the way to the car, he asked casually, "What's on your agenda this afternoon?"
• When Vilma mentioned they were going shopping, Frederic was about to offer to join them when his phone buzzed, cutting him off. He glanced at the screen—another message from Barbra.
• He glanced at his phone, his face softening with regret as he pulled over to the side of the road. "I was really hoping to spend the day with you, Vilma," he said, letting out a heavy sigh. "But I just got a message about an urgent flight. I'm sorry, but could you take a cab to the restaurant?"
• Vilma had already seen the flight details on his phone, so she knew he wasn't lying. She nodded quietly and got out of the car.
• As Frederic drove away, Vilma flagged down a taxi and soon arrived at the restaurant. Desiree was already there, practically bursting with excitement as she handed Vilma a gift.
• "Ta-da! A little something from my trip! Open it, I hope you like it!" Desiree's voice was full of joy, her eyes sparkling.
• Vilma placed the gift on her lap but didn't open it right away. Instead, she looked at Desiree with a serious expression. "Desiree, there's something I need to tell you. I... I've decided to break up with your brother. And I'm going to Ariotin to study for the next three years."
• Desiree froze, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What? No way. You two were great together! Why all of a sudden?"
• Vilma offered a small, sad smile. "Because your brother doesn't love me. When we first got together, it was only because I reminded him of his ex. He's never really seen me as me, just as a replacement for her."
• She said it with a quiet resignation, but Desiree's anger flared immediately. She slammed her hand on the table, her voice rising with disbelief.
• "His ex? That girl, Wilcox? The one who dumped him? And he's still not over her? That's insane! And he thinks of you as a substitute? Are you kidding me? You're way more beautiful than that Barbra! He's the one who should be ashamed!"
• Desiree's face was flushed with frustration as she pounded the table again, her fury growing. "He tosses someone like you aside and still pines for her? Unbelievable!" Without waiting for Vilma to respond, Desiree stormed out of the restaurant.
• Even though Vilma tried to stop her, Desiree was determined to confront Frederic. She raced to the nightclub where she knew he would be.
• At the entrance to the VIP lounge, just as she was about to push the door open, she saw Barbra standing in the center of the room, her gaze smug and challenging as she looked down at Frederic.
• "Since you're so desperate for my forgiveness, I might consider it... if you let me ride on you," Barbra said with a smirk, her voice dripping with disdain.
• Before Frederic could respond, a group of his friends jumped to his defense, their voices rising in anger.
• "Barbra, you're crossing the line! You're the one who caused all this trouble in the first place! Frederic left when you kept playing games with him, and now you're demanding ridiculous things from him?
• "Exactly! Frederic's been bending over backward to make up for it! He's even skipped an urgent flight just to apologize to you, and now you're humiliating him in front of everyone?" one of his friends added, a voice full of outrage.
• "Frederic is a man of dignity! No one in Krico City dares disrespect him, and you think you can walk all over him like this?"
• But Barbra just laughed, unconcerned by their outbursts. "I don't care what you think. He was so rude to me the other day, scaring me half to death. If he really wants my forgiveness, he'll do this for me. And as for the high horse, I don't see the problem."
• The room was filled with the sound of angry voices, but Frederic remained quiet, his face impassive.
• After a long pause, he locked eyes with Barbra, his voice cold and steady. "If I agree... will you finally stop messing with me and promise to never pick another guy?" he asked, almost detached.
• "Yes," she replied without hesitation.
• Frederic sighed, loosening the top buttons of his uniform. Slowly, he bent forward and gestured for her to climb on. "Then get on."
• The room fell silent, the tension thick in the air. Everyone stared, wide-eyed in shock. Barbra, smug and confident, climbed onto his lap with a victorious smile. The rest of the room was left speechless.
• Meanwhile, outside the lounge, Desiree's anger reached its boiling point. She clenched her fists, ready to barge in and confront them, but just as she moved toward the door, Vilma grabbed her arm.
• She was dragged toward the elevator by Vilma.
• She looked back and found Vilma's face unreadable, but the tears that slid down Vilma's cheeks were like pearls falling from a broken string.
• They splashed against Desiree's hand, and the fire in her heart seemed to smolder out. She quickly pulled Vilma into her arms, wiping her tears frantically, her own throat tight with emotion.
• "Vilma, please don't cry. Don't cry, okay?" she begged, her voice shaky.
• "Alright, alright. You don't have to stay with my brother anymore. I'll introduce you to other handsome guys, how about that?" Desiree added, trying to lift the mood.
• Vilma smiled faintly, struggling to hold back the knot in her throat, but the tears still fell.
• "I'm not really that sad," she said softly. "I've already made up my mind. I'm letting him go, starting fresh."
• But why the tears? Why now?
• Maybe it was because seeing everything clearly for the first time had overwhelmed her.
• The memories of what had been—the way Frederic loved—hit her like a wave. When he cared about someone, he was all in, dropping everything, setting aside his pride, rushing to them, apologizing.
• His love was undeniable, open, something anyone could see.
• But she had never been the one he loved.