Corporate Bride

38.

Sydney was back to square one.

She was back in her room, on her bed, crying her eyes out. All of the hopes she had, all the promises she thought she would make to him, and all the courage she felt this morning, shattered with the words he spat at her. It shattered with Anderson’s cold hard rejection. This morning when he had turned his back on her, she felt her world collapse around her. She felt something break deep within her, something that was not her heart because she knew that was long broken. She tried to think how she would piece her life together after this. Yes, it was true she had only been thinking about going back to acting yesterday, but that was before, when she thought Anderson might forgive her. However, after learning that he despised her, she did not think she could do everything she had planned before, at least, not now. Not when she was damaged, not when she felt guilty for taking the sweetest man in the world and turning him bitter.  

“Sydney,” Adeline’s voice came from behind the locked door. “Please open up, let me in.” The poor woman’s voice was thick with emotion. Sydney knew her mother was worried about her, but she did not want to see anyone. She wanted to be alone. “Sydney, please.”

She opened her mouth to tell her mother to go away, but no words were forming. What formed instead, were tears. They pooled her eyes and overflowed, slipping down her cheeks, soaking the pillow under her head. She closed her eyes, shutting out all noises in the background and focused on the memories playing in her mind. Memories of the handsome black god called Anderson. She would never find anyone who loves black as much as he does. She would never find any man as handsome as him. In fact, he was more than the word handsome. His golden brown hair, his captivating blue eyes, his luscious full lips and his love for black, all made him the special man he was. Sydney knew that even if she found a man with all these features and characteristics, he would never be Anderson and she would never love anyone as much as she loved him. Bitterness rose in her mouth as his words played in her mind.

  “You had your chance and you threw it away.”

She hated to admit it, but indeed, he was right. She had her chance with him. She had the chance to be happy with him, but she threw it away. She threw away her chance at happiness and now she was regretting it bitterly. Now she wished she had not learned the truth. She wished she could turn back time and undo that moment Adeline told her everything. She wished she had not so stupidly concluded that he would leave her. She wished everything would go back to what it was before… when she was happy with her fiancé.

There was a sudden humming sound coming from outside. There was no doubt that a car has just stopped right in front of their house, but who was it? Was it Hansen, who has come to tell them how Mr. Niles was doing? Or, was it the lawyer they hired to look at Caleb’s case who has arrived? Sydney was still trying to figure out whom it was when a voice called out her name.

“Sydney!” She shot up to a sitting position, surprised that she was hearing that voice. Her heart started banging in her chest and fresh tears rushed to her eyes. Was it he? Has he come back for her?

“Sydney!” The voice called her name again, and she quickly scrambled out of bed. Rushing to the window, she parted the curtains. Standing outside the house, by his car was Anderson. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him as her tears fell on her cheeks. Questions run through her mind. What was he doing here? What did he want with her now? Did he not tell her he would never forgive her? Then what was he doing standing outside her house right now?

“Sydney, please come out!” He screamed, rushing his fingers through his hair.

At that same moment, there was a knock on her door before Adeline’s voice came through. “Sydney, Anderson is outside.”