Chapter 59

Chandra stared at the man appearing as if out of the blue before her. The man who managed to make her feel both this unbearable pain as well as this wonderful delight within her being. The man who made her see the brighter side of life, the one who gave her hope that she was much more than she perceived herself to be, that she deserved someone to love and being loved wholeheartedly and unconditionally in return. But that was all a lie, wasn't it? It was all in her imagination. Now he was here to clarify that.

She backed away and rushed to stand behind her desk, putting some space between them.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice shaking with emotion.

Sam wouldn't let her escape him. He followed and stood right in front of her with only the desk separating them. "I'm here to see you."

Chan glanced away because the intensity of his eyes made her nervous. "Why?"

Sam moved around the desk, caught her arm, and pulled her against him. Chan struggled in his embrace and demanded to be released.

Sam wouldn't and scooped her up.

Chan gasped out in shocked surprise. "What are you doing? Put me down, Sam. Put me down now."

Sam headed across the room and out the door. Chan was still struggling in his arms when he walked past the living room. Dara, Soriya, and Lilly watched the scene before them in disbelief.

"Sam, what are you doing to my sister?" Dara asked, her face pale.

"Chan, are you okay?" Soriya asked with worry.

Chan calmed down when she heard her sisters' voices. She turned her teary eyes to Soriya, then to Dara, and finally to Lilly.

"Chan, why are you crying?" Lilly asked.

Chan felt a lump in her throat, and her body began to shake uncontrollably.

Sam said, "Can you both babysit Lilly for me this evening?"

Dara said, puzzled, "Sure. But what are you doing to my sister?"

"We're going to have a private talk," he replied. He chuckled when he saw how worried the sisters looked. "Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt Chandra."

Dara nodded while Soriya sighed in relief.

Sam turned to Lilly and said, "Sweetheart, you'll be all right, won't you?"

Lilly nodded.

Sam smiled. "Be a good girl and don't cause too much trouble for Dara and Soriya, all right?"

Again, Lilly nodded.

He chuckled despite the woman in his arms being in such a panic-stricken state. "Daddy's going to do to Chan what you suggested to me the other day."

At that statement, Lilly brightened with delight. "Really?" she asked. When Sam nodded, she jumped with joy. "Yay! Go, Daddy!"

Sam laughed, thanked the sisters again for babysitting Lilly on such short notice, and headed to the door. Chan, teary-eyed and in his arms, watched her sisters, at a loss as to what to do.

Lilly grabbed both Dara's and Soriya's hands and said, "Let's have some cake."

Dara asked, "Where's your dad taking Chan?"

Lilly happily replied, "To show her how much he likes her."

Dara and Soriya looked at each other, confused.

* * *

In the elevator, Sam finally put Chan down. The moment her bare feet touched the cold floor, Chan made a dash for it. Sam caught her in time, though, and cornered her against the wall to prevent her from escaping.

The door shut, and Sam hastily pushed the first floor button.

Chan watched him, feeling trapped standing here in the corner of the elevator, him before her, his arms flanked on either side of her, trapping her there.

She licked her lips and asked, "Where are you taking me?"

Sam moved to kiss her forehead. Chan gasped in surprise.

"Somewhere to talk privately," he explained. His tone was final and demanded no argument.

Chan wasn't about to argue. More specifically, she couldn't. She felt so exhausted all of a sudden. After all, she'd been crying her heart out since she got home hours ago, after she'd discovered Sam and Nina together. Once she'd locked herself in her studio, she descended into a state of self-pity and hatred. The fear and loneliness once again enveloped her, confirming her previous belief she was nothing but a little piece of shit people used and trashed, just as Dave had used and trashed her, just as Lisa and Amie had trashed her.

When the door of the elevator dinged open, drawing Chan's attention back to the present, Sam grabbed her hand. His fingers intertwined with hers tightly as he led her toward the exit.

"Put on your seat belt," he ordered a few moments later when they were in the car. Chan did and then turned her attention to look out the window as the vehicle moved out of the parking lot.