Chapter 2 Unexpected Encounters

• “ Hi, Aurora”
• The smirk on his face makes me want to puke.
• “ What the hell are you doing here?”
• “ Vanderbilt enterprises? Impressive” He chuckles.
• “ What do you want, Nate? You disappeared five years ago and now you show up beside my car” I blurt out in anger.
• “ Woah! Calm down, baby girl “ His eyes widen. “ I just saw you walk in there and I decided to wait to see how you're doing. No hard feelings. “
• I could reach out to slap that stupid smirk off his face.
• “ That'll have been very useful five years ago when I had your child,Nate. I don't need this anymore”
• I reach for the door to the driver's seat and he grabs my hand.
• “ Hey, can we talk?” He sighs and I can't resist the urge to roll my eyes.
• “ About what? How I'm doing? I'm doing just fine, as you can see”
• “ Hey, I'm sorry. I know it doesn't mean anything now but…”
• “ Look, I have to get going”.
• I quickly get into the car and drive off.
• Of all the people I could meet now, it had to be him? He left me pregnant and depressed on my graduation day. He never cared about me. He never asked about our baby. And he just had to show up today of all days right after a nerve-wracking interview?
• With a deep breath, I shake off all the negative emotions. I just got a job and I'm not about to allow my ex boyfriend to snatch this happiness from me with his presence.
• “ How'd it go?” Gabrielle asks with anticipation as she searches my face for an answer and I can't help but laugh.
• “ Girl, you look more anxious than I was. Chill!” I laugh harder. “ I had the job!”
• “ You, what?” She screams. “ I knew you were going to nail it”
• She pulls me into an embrace and I can't stop smiling.
• “ My nerves nearly messed it up for me but…I honestly don't know how I had it.” I laugh.
• “ Hey, we need to celebrate this!”
• “ We do!”
• ***
• “ Thank you for your love and your support,Gabrielle. I don't know what I'd do without you, honestly”
• “ Come on, it's nothing. You'd do the same for me. You've always been there for me.” She shrugs and I smile.
• “ I met Nate today” I take a sip of wine.
• “ What?” Gabrielle almost chokes. “ What the hell did he want?”
• “ Exactly what I asked him. Well, he was standing right beside my car claiming to care about how I'm doing.This is exactly why I hate men. As soon as there's an opportunity to gain wealth, everyone is suddenly not important to them. And then they lose the money and come back to their senses”
• “ Come on, you know that's not entirely true” Gabrielle sighs.
• “ Oh yes it is, Gabrielle. Nate left me pregnant with Kaitlyn. He didn't even wait until after my graduation. As soon as he had the chance to be the Editor for that company, he left without a word.”
• “He's no different from my dad” My subconscious creeps in.
• “ But there's no guarantee that he's lost his position as Editor-In-Chief”
• “ I'm very sure he has” I take another sip. Well, it doesn't matter. Kaitlyn doesn't need him. We're doing fine”
• “ You know you're going to have to tell her one day, right? You can't keep lying to her, Aurora” She sinks into the sofa.
• “ I know. Just not now. Not anytime soon.”
• She's right, I know she is. I just don't know how I can bring myself to tell Kaitlyn the truth about her father. The thought of sitting her down to tell her how Nate walked out on us without a second glance scares me. She's just a child. She doesn't need all this now.
• Gabrielle reaches to squeeze my hands. She always seems to read my mind effortlessly.
• “ Look, you don't need to do it now. You'd know when the time is right. And when you do, you'd handle it with grace. You always do.” She smiles warmly.
• “ Well, I didn't exactly handle today's interview with grace, Gabrielle. “ I chuckle and she frowns in confusion.
• “ I tripped. I fell and girl, it was not a gracious fall” I laugh and she joins me.
• “ Please tell me that's a lie”
• “ I wish it was.”
• “ What?” She exclaims.
• “ And Nicholas Vanderbilt was just not taking it easy on me. I could say I hate him already but…”
• “ But what?” She pushes.
• “ You like him?”
• “ What? No!”
• “ Then why are you blushing? I told you he was hot as hell”
• I grab an apple and take a bite just to avoid responding to her.
• “ I know what you're doing, Belle.” She laughs. “ You know this could end in the perfect marriage,right?”
• That's what she said six years ago when I met Nate.
• “ No, it won't. You and I know that. Besides, who says I'm interested in being with any man? I want to be a successful woman for me and my daughter. Not having to deal with disappointments from men.”
• Gabrielle raises a brow at me.
• “ What?”
• “ You still stand by this?”
• “ Forever and always.” I give an exaggerated smile and she chuckles.
• “ Aurora, things can be different.” Her expression changes from amusement to concern.
• “ Why are we talking so much about me anyway, let's talk about you!”
• She sighs in defeat. Great! I can't continue this conversation if it's about my non- existent love life.
• The conversation ends shortly after and I see Gabrielle to the door as she leaves.
• My mind replays the events of the day as I prepare to go to bed. My new job at Vanderbilt Enterprises excites me but I can't shake the slight nervousness left in me. It's a new environment but I'll adjust.
• As I lay in bed, my mind drifts to my encounter with Nate. Despite my initial anger, I can't help but be curious about what he'd been up to all these years. Did he find another woman? Why is he back? Maybe he isn't as wrong as I think he is? Did he really care about my well-being or was there an ulterior motive?
• My thoughts are interrupted by the ringtone of my phone. I'm surprised when Gabrielle’s picture displays on the screen.
• “ Gabrielle?”
• “ Okay, I'd wanted to say something but I didn't know how to tell you this.” She sighs. Her voice sounds strained,too strained.
• My heart skips a beat at the sound of her voice.
• “ What is it? “
• There's a brief silence before she speaks again.
• “ It's Nate. “
• “ What about him?”
• She doesn't say anything.
• “ Gabrielle, say something. You can tell me. ” My heart pounds in anticipation.
• “ Remember that day, when you found the note Nate wrote for you and disappeared?”
• “Yes,what about it?”
• “ There's more to it, Aurora. Nate… he …” she stammers.
• “ Gabrielle, say it already. What?” I'm running out of patience already.
• “ He didn't just disappear, Aurora. He was involved in something dangerous. “
• My mind spins as I try to wrap my head around what she just said. Danger?
• “ What do you mean? What are you saying? I don't… explain, Gabrielle”
• My heart is pounding faster and harder.
• “ I'm really sorry, Aurora”.
• “ What are you talking about?”
• “ Nate got involved with some really dangerous people to achieve his dream. I can't say much over the phone”. She whispers.
• “ Why didn't you tell me before you left? You know how hard it'll be for me to sleep after hearing just a part of whatever this story is about.”
• “ I didn't say it because I didn't know how to. It took a lot to do this.” She whines.
• “ Now you're really confusing me, Gabby. How is it your fault that he left…. Got involved with dangerous people?” I ask with my voice slightly raised in confusion.
• “ No, it's my fault for keeping this from you for keeping this from you all along. But I was doing it to protect us. You, Kaitlyn… You both are literally all I've got. I lied to you.“ She confesses.
• “ You did what?” I exclaim.
• “ Aurora, the note you read from him…”
• The line goes dead interrupting our conversation. I can't help but feel panicked.
• My trembling hands redial her number a few times but each attempt only yields loud silence.
• What is going on?