WHEN THE HEART KNOWS (BILLIONAIRE BAD BOYS BOOK 1 BY Chioma Onuoha

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

The next few days that followed, Nma was everything but dead, nothing seemed to matter to her anymore, her label, sewing or sketching out a design. Nothing mattered to her then as Uche was no longer a part of her life. She wasn't getting over him either rather she was falling more in love with him each day that passed and hating him the more for it. He never came back, he never called. For two days she did nothing but will her phone to ring, listening to the sound of cars, hoping against hope that one of the cars would turn out to be his but it didn't happen. It seemed as if he had forgotten her already, maybe he had gone back to Angela. It hurt, it still hurt so much, she sighed getting out of the bed. He might actually be waking up beside Angela and maybe kiss her good morning while she was here dying.

"Stop it! Stop it" she screamed at herself. "Stop punishing yourself more than you are already suffering, haven't you suffered enough?" She asked. "Uche is not worth it" she told herself slowly. But her heart was screaming at her

"It is a lie, a wicked lie he is everything that matters to you, he is the core of you existence, he is your life and the only love you'll ever know"

Nma didn't deny the truth in the words her mind screamed at her. She loved Uche and nothing could change that, not even the knowledge that he was sleeping with another woman she thought wearily. Too late the knowledge was just dawning on her then, or she would have forgiven him when he asked.

She was so tired and weak; she couldn't even remember the last time she ate. She had lost weight and all the shinning radiance was gone from her face. She walked to the mirror and stared at herself. She looked all but dead, she thought. There were hollows on her cheeks and bags under her eyes and she felt worst. Her stomach rumbled, obviously asking for food but the thought of food put her off entirely.

"What kind of life is this?" she asked herself. At twenty six, what did she ever do to deserve to suffer this way, she sighed.

"I can't go on like this" she groaned aloud, feeling very unsure that the hurting would ever end, possibly when she got used to the idea of not having him in her life, she soothed herself. But that seemed like an eternity away, she could never get used to that idea. Who would have thought that she and Uche would end up like this? People who had seen them together would never believe this, she sighed turning away from the mirror. She had to go to work. Everybody would be wondering what was wrong with her. For two days she had rarely shown her face at the boutique, and when she did, she didn't spend much time. It was as if she was avoiding people, she thought.

"But of course I am avoiding people" she said to herself. She didn't want anybody seeing her withdrawn look and asking her questions that would undo her. She knew she would have to face them eventually, she was yet to tell Felix and Tessy and even Helen what happened. Maybe because she didn't want their pity, she shook her head sadly and went to take her bath.

Nma got ready for work, wearing a baby pink empire waist gown and slipped her feet into a black trainer. She needed the color to brighten her mind and give her a form of peace. She also used lots of make up to cover the paleness of her face and the bags under her eyes. She took a long look of herself in the mirror. She had done a good job she thought soberly.

Nma got to work and went to her office first to pull herself together before she faced Helen. The girl would surely notice that she was no longer her usual cheerful self or the lack of ring on her finger. She could even ask question about the way she had been absenting herself from work when it was only seven days to her exhibition.

"This is ridiculous" she muttered. "I cannot continue like this or I would loose all I have ever worked for over that cheating beast" she fumed, furious with herself. Resolutely, she got up and walked to the door.