Shouldn't Have Gone - BOOK III

Chapter 41 - The Opened Window

Her gaze is fixed at the playing area where a little girl is riding a stuffed animal, rocking it as though it was a living thing she's playing with. Kids of the same age surround her, and look very enthusiastic, giggling and shaking and touching each others' limbs. It was a sight to behold—refreshing and fun. Three days ago was her birthday, and the child was feeling a little down after her party ended, and for missing her friends. And so seeing the little unicorn so alive and happy right now was a reward for her. Her fascination, however, is disrupted when Paul arrives.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," says Paul as he stands before her. "He will be here in a short while."

She, then, takes a sip from the rim of her cup and smiles at the man gracefully.  "Can you take Cate back to the room now? I think she's beginning to irate other kids." Her eyes slide to the little girl who is now starting to pull one girl's ponytail. "I will be up soon."

"Yes, madame." And Paul charges to the little girl, forces her out of the stuffed animal before she wildly throws tantrums in front of the restaurant customers.

She flips the cover of the book she was holding to a close and redirects her gaze to the entrance door.

A few seconds later, the man she has been waiting for arrives. Nothing much has changed in him, she thought, contrary to what she has been hearing from people. Still tall, broad and handsome. Five years did not even age him, she deems. And as he approaches her, the man slowly resembles someone whom she greatly misses. How their facial structure—his cheeks and jaw—the wrinkle between his eyes and the forehead, and the slight movement of the corner of his mouth as he greets her—almost identical. She then realizes how the length of five years could greatly make a difference to a person whom she has not seen for a long time. Or perhaps, it is not the man's appearance that made her feel this familiar sense of loss. It might be her flaw. The absence of one makes you yearn for more, she thinks. She just misses him badly that she starts to think how this person resembles the former.

"It's great to see you, Damien," she greets as she points to him the seat across the table.

Damien obliges.

"How have you been?" She examines him once again—now closely.

It does not seem like the man shut himself up in his fortress for years as what she's heard from friends. There's a tiny spark in his pair of gray eyes that makes her believe that the man had it well. Although she can't help but notice the minor change in his demeanor.

"All is well with me, Victoria," he answers. "How about you?"

"I never have imagined I would enjoy this role as much as I do now," she replies. "You don't know how thankful I am."

He shakes his head after a timid smile.

"There's no other person better than you, Victoria. You have been doing a great job."

"And I believe after all these years of staying away, you are back for good."

He heaves a huge breath, and say, "And that brings me to the reason I wanted this talk to take place. Thank you for accepting my invitation."

She knows it is happening the moment Damien Etheridge's lawyer walked into her office one day and brought with him important documents.

"You were the one taking care of Hunter's business while..." he pauses, his thoughts brought into a halt too.

And Victoria trails for Damien's next words, expecting he would divulge his whereabouts all these years. The talks of Damien Etheridge purposely locking himself up in his father's mansion in Pine Valley after Hunter's death even more seem true now that he's short of words. Of course, people were not forgiving back then. Victoria felt people's sympathy but she never got why they had to doubt Damien's worth.