Rain Again (Completed)

Chapter 10

A burning ache erupted in Alex's chest. He couldn't believe she was in front of him. Again.

These were called infernal interventions of fate.

The soaring ache spread out to every single cell of his body - pleasurable with joy and relief that was still like how it used to be whenever his eyes found her. He watched her as she smiled; for a tiny second, his lips twitched. That was the best he could manage of a smile. That smile of hers - he observed it didn't define any joy. It reflected everything opposite of that.

His fists curled by his sides. He didn't want to look at her. It was unbearable.

How could he still feel the urge to hide her in his embrace and love her like those old times, even after being well acquainted with her betrayal?

Alex eyed the hand Victor had wounded around Kate's shoulders, presenting her as if she was one of his most-priced possessions.

So, it looked like she had worked her magic here too. Had earned her conniving self another f*ck-buddy.

Holding back the urge to scoff, Alex looked away, disgusted. His amused eyes fell briefly on the other woman standing beside Kate, with her hand shoved halfway inside the neckline of her dress, giving him a weary look. What was the problem with these people?

"I'll send a team of my staff to all your boutiques across the city as you receive the first batch of the order," Alex said in a grave tone, his eyes fixed on Victor firmly and royally ignoring Kate next to him.

After that, he stormed off that bloody place, not bothering to say a decent goodbye. He didn't give a shit about what his new client thought of him for that. Because more important was to get away from that vile woman, the way he still felt for her despite everything making him sick in the stomach.

It was a lousy idea to decide to do the fieldwork for his new projects himself. He had just wanted to bury himself in more workload in order to escape Kate's thoughts taking over each inch of his mind since he had met her at that wretched lake. How funny that he had ended up meeting her again in doing so.

He slipped into his car fast. Before the car pulled out, his eyes helplessly strayed back to the front glass doors of the store, he hated himself for wishing to have a glimpse of her again. And was thankful that it was not granted.

--

The pain was so great that it didn't exclusively stand out anymore. It became a part of her life. The difference was, until this day, she had been trying to move on from it, but with Alex's return to what was her present, she was suddenly soaking in all that she could from the ever-existing but carefully locked-away anguish. 

It was her armor that, while securing her, would also burn her hands.

Until this day, she had tried to forget his hatred for her that she had witnessed in the past, but now she desperately recollected the memory over and over again. This negativity kept her strong and moving, and smiling.

But her stomach always repulsed, her head throbbed, and her heart cried. She realized she had become a self-absorbing black hole, sucking her own soul into her darkness. It was a process that she knew she wouldn't be able to escape from.

However, thank the heavens for still gracing her with mercies and small respites that still somehow kept her sane. One of them was Mary's Home.

"Aw... aren't you such a sweetheart! Yes, you are." Kate cooed at the chubby boy, the five-month-old newbie.