Shattered Love

Chapter 20: Sweet, Painful Memories

The winter was coming, but the coldness had been quick to smother Nikolei's heart that morning. He felt weak and awful - a lethal combination for his already feeble heart.

He couldn't sleep last night. Not that the restless nights were new to him, in fact, he had been through many nights without putting himself to sleep. Only sitting in his office burying himself in tons of work and sometimes reminiscing the past every time the picture of his son and Alexandra met his eyes.

People at the office were starting to turn their heads over to him as he passed by their cubicles. The stubble made a comeback on his face, and he didn't even bother to shave it. Petra avoided him like a gum on the sidewalk ever since she burst at him the other night. They never talk, and as far as their communications go was when their eyes met and every time their gazes met, Petra would turn around and advanced into her office without uttering one word to him.

In every meetings, she would avoid him and tried her best not to let her eyes meet his tired ones. As for Gayle, his son had been very understanding about his current situation but the look his son gave him every time they talk over dinner made his heart clenched painfully.

Pity.

Sadness.

However, he was glad his son made an effort to cheer him up and Nikolei was grateful for that. He knew that no matter what happens, his son got his back. Nikolei knew he needed to get back up and be there for his son as a father should.

Sighing tiredly, Nikolei walked into his parents' abode. The house seemed empty, and he knew his mother would be at the country club right now. Nikolei walked towards the nearby bar he could reached and poured himself a glass of strong whiskey. A glass wouldn't hurt, and he really needed it right now.

His eyes scanned the room as he sipped the sinfully, throat-burning drink. To why had he resorted to step foot in this house in the first place? He had no answers for that. They always say follow the instincts, and here Nikolei was. As he took another sip from the glass, his ears caught faint sound of voices coming from the hallway that led to his father's study.

Unconsciously, Nikolei's feet move towards the direction where the sound came from. Just as he was near the door, he slowly took a hiding behind the wall by the sliding door that led to his father's study. The door was slightly opened, allowing Nikolei to eavesdrop on the conversation his father was having with a man.

"Are you sure? This is an important matter and I can't afford to have a mistake in this investigation." His father said sternly.

"I'm a hundred percent sure, sir. I traced back her life two years ago and I found the hospital records with her name on it. It has been clearly stated there in the evidence I provided you with that Ms. Rakers had undergone a surgery a year and a half ago. My sources said she had like a clot in her brain and needed an operation straight away before it gets worse."

"Oh gosh! That explains why she had no idea of who I am, but I don't get it! One of my construction workers had the same case too and he went for surgery. Last time I recalled, he remembers every thing just perfectly fine. No signs and symptoms of memory loss."

"I think her memory loss probably caused by the complications during her surgery."

"What do you mean?"

"I also found out that they almost lost her twice during the surgery and that the clot was bigger than what they presumed from both the MRI and CT scan. After the surgery, she was in an induced coma for about a month and only to wake up another month after."