The choices we make [Completed]

Chapter 35 - Thin line between love and hate

Chapter 35 - Thin line between love and hate

The searing heat from the early afternoon sun coming through his windows was woke Patrick up. He was covered in sweat and his pillows and blanket were all scattered on the floor.

He groggily tried to get up from the bed but a wave of nausea hit him and he fell back on the bed, groaning.

As he waited for the dizziness to subside, Patrick scolded himself for giving in to the temptation of alcohol again. He had to stop doing it, the headaches and muscle pains he got the next day were not worth it anymore.

Maybe it's time to go back to work. It has always been his medicine - back when his family was going through a crisis and he couldn't stand being at home, he would spend his days working on projects just to pass the time.

That's how he discovered his passion for video production, and it served him well. Maybe it will help him get through this pain he was in once more.

Patrick slowly opened his eyes and checked if the ground was still spinning. When it stayed normal, he breathed a sigh of relief and got up.

First order of the day was to let his staff know he was coming back. Grabbing his phone from the side table, he quickly typed a mesaage and sent it to Haidee and the other department heads.

"I'm going to the office tomorrow. Let's have a meeting at 9am and get me up to date on the past week."

Then he looked around the bedroom and frowned. It was a mess, and making it presentable seemed to be more challenging than getting his life back in order.

But he has to start somewhere.

As he picked up pieces of clothing and other stuff from the floor, Patrick grew more determined to put everything that happened behind him.

It's just one woman, he thought. I have lived 30 years of my life well enough without her, I can live for another 30 years without her just as well.

After fixing up the bedroom, he headed to the kitchen and started cleaning up there too. Heck, he'd clean up the whole house if he had to.

Today he'd clean up this mess of a life. Tomorrow he'd start fresh.

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"It's good to see you again."

Patrick looked up and saw Haidee leaning on his open door.

"Welcome back."

"Thanks. I missed you too."

Haidee smiled at him warmly and walked over to take the chair in front of his desk.

"So... How are you?"

"Same as always," he casually replied, hoping Haidee will not probe further.

Taking his hint, Haidee did not pursue the subject and just proceeded to update him about work, which Patrick was very thankful for.

He was still not ready to talk about Olena. Maybe he never will be. He shook his head slightly as if to brush away thoughts of her and forced himself to focus on work.

The week passed by in a blur, and Patrick was surprised to see it was almost 6pm when he finally looked up from his desk.

He had been too caught up with work that he didn't even notice that it was getting dark outside, and it was a blessing. His head was clear while he worked, he felt normal again.

The days just flew by and now it was already Thursday.

Thank god for the projects that kept coming in. He had to attend meeting after meeting as the clients wanted to consult him personally, especially after he was incommunicado for a while.

Patrick's expression turned grim as he recalled the darkness that he went through - all because of one woman. He was willing to do anything, give up everything for her. Just to be with her.

But she threw it all back to his face. She didn't even give him a chance try and work out a solution, it was so easy for her to give him up.

She had meant the world to him. To her, he meant nothing.

So why would I ruin my life longing for her? He angrily thought to himself. She doesn't deserve it. She was a coward.

It's not as if he didn't know that she was caught in a middle of a bad situation. But he told her they would work on it together, didn't he?

He was taken on a roller coaster ride, brought along to a high he has never before experienced, only to be brought back down in a flash - and he didn't even get the slightest hint before it happened.

Or maybe he did. He was just too stubborn and blinded to see it.

The player has been played, he thought bitterly.

Today gave him hope that he can crawl out of this hell hole he had fallen into. When he threw himself into his work, he can get lost in his world and wouldn't feel the pain.

But the problem was the weekend, when he'd be alone again and the darkness comes back.

Stop it, he reminded himself irritably. Stop thinking of her. She ran away from you. Forget her.

Patrick sighed tiredly. Why did he let himself get into this mess? He was right all along, that love was not worth it. That all he'd get out of it was pain and confusion.

He saw his parents go through it as a child and he had sworn to himself that he would never let it happen to himself.

Somewhere along the way, he had forgotten.

This was one hell of a reminder, he thought ruefully.

Well, he was never going to forget again.

The shrill ringing of his phone broke him away from his thoughts. Clearing the desk of the papers that were covering the wide surface, Patrick finally found his phone and answered the call.

"Hi mom," he greeted. "What's up?"

"Pax... Honey, I'm in the hospital..."

He tensed up, bracing himself for bad news.

"What? Are you okay? Which hospital? I'm coming over!"

"It's not me. I'm fine. It's just... Your father, he suddenly collapsed in his office and they brought him here to the emergency room. Can you come right away?"

Patrick hesitated. He doesn't have much of a relationship with his dad, but it still was his dad whether he liked it or not. And his mom was there, she'd need support. The last thing he wanted was for her to collapse as well from the stress.

"Okay, send me the address, I'm heading there now."