Beyond Your Beauty

Victoria And Nicholas

Having the hotel cleaned, Victoria took at seat at the bar. Taking drinks early in the morning as the workers were getting prepared for the opening.

Victoria sighed as she looked up at the empty alcohol bottle. She was hurt. Her business going down, Selene thinks she's the reason that Adam isn't a good guy, and Nicholas wasn't being with her like they used to.

Life changes when you change.

Victoria straightened herself and sat up. She was in the idea of selling her hotel. Many billionaires were dying to buy her hotel.

"Isn't that a lot you've been drinking since three in the morning?" Victoria heard a voice.

She looked at the woman, sitting beside her and looking at her. Jacqueline winked.

"Did you do what I told ya?"  Victoria asked,her voice throaty.

"Gave Adam my number, he called me last night.." Jacqueline replied. She waved off her hair from her shoulder as she exclaimed the situation. "He was interested in getting involved with me but he'll only get involved after he has married Selene then have me"

"What?"

"He has done nothing with Selene, I think.. He is a good guy, I think?" Jacqueline raised her eyebrows.

Victoria laughed out. "He's a damn liar..Selene doesn't listen to me, Nicholas doesn't believe me.."

Jacqueline leaned closer. "Tell Nicholas everything about your...."

"No I won't" Victoria stated. Whatever she was suffering through, she didn't want Nicholas to know. It would be a disaster.

                  _______________

"Nicholas" Victoria called as she walked by hallway seeing Nicholas walk pass. "I want to talk to you"

Nicholas walked over to her. Avoiding himself to look into her teary eyes.

Victoria watched him closed,he didn't look up at her. She became more hurt in her heart. Her love was gone. He didn't love her. A sorrow of tear slipped from her eyes.

"Please" Victoria knelt down and held his legs. "Marry me..I really love you" She wept.

Nicholas looked startled. He quickly looked around to see if anyone was coming over. He grabbed Victoria's hands in his and pulled her up.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked. Looking directly into her tearful eyes. She really needed him. Without Nicholas, she might die. Suffers, sorrow, and love were going.

"Nicholas please I really love you" Victoria confessed. Repeating herself over and over again.

Nicholas sighed. He had to give up the pretend. He loved her too but he was scared of losing Victoria's friendship.

"Victoria.. Victoria" Nicholas gently wiped off her tears with the palms of his hands. "I love you too"

Victoria stopped weeping as she looked up at Nicholas. He was smiling at her. "I love you"

"I've always loved you...and I've wanted to say this before a hundred times but it stayed buried in my heart" Nicholas knelt down as he raised his right arm forward with a diamond ring.

It was sparkling in the morning sun rise.

"Will you marry me, Victoria?" He asked,pleadingly.

Victoria laughed. But something in her body didn't feel right. She started choking. It was like choking towards death. She couldn't fight it. She stumbled and fell in Nicholas's arms. Her eyes going red and body turning pale. Nicholas checked her pulse rate.

Victoria looked around her hotel's hallway as Nicholas tried to call the ambulance from his cell phone. She felt the world go blank. Slowly disappearing into the darkness.

                        ____________

Nicholas paced back and forth, Waiting for the doctor to walk out of the operation theatre and tell the condition about Victoria.  After two hours, the male doctor walked out, removing his glasses.

He looked at Nicholas.

"I'm sorry but she is no more" he declared. "She was suffering from an illness that has no cure"

Nicholas stumbled. Falling to the ground,he had never felt so lonely in his entire life. It was liked someone had played a bad joke on him. How could Victoria hide this from me?

The doctor moved closer to him.
"She was to die, it was God's will"  the man tapped on Nicholas's shoulder and walked away.

Nicholas took the courage to get on his feet and see Victoria. He walked in the room, it was silent. The sun glowed on Victoria's face. It seemed like she was asleep. Taking a rest from all the business issues, all sorrows of her parents and all sadness that she had.

She was now free of those. And even love.

Nicholas came closer to her. He moved to hug her. Wrapping her around his arms as he couldn't stop himself from weeping noisly.

She was dead. Death took over her soul.

Nicholas closed his eyes as he leaned his head over on Victoria's forehead. Thinking of the memories, back when they were in high school and college.

He couldn't bring her back. He felt so hopeless. She's dead. She's dead.. I need her. ..I love her

Life took her away from him. He didn't even get to say goodbye. She couldn't even get to say her last words.

                     ___________

It was a rainy day. Nicholas stood by the grave. Staring at the name carved on it.

Late Mrs Victoria Nicholas Woods
        From 1990 to 2020

The heavy drops of rain sprinkled over Nicholas as he stared at his wife's grave.

Doing nothing but staring...