Chapter 62

62 Emotional Misunderstanding

We had a chat group that I shared with various other girl friends in the office. Usually, we never discussed anything serious, so the group was filled with gossip and girl talk. I found reading through it a good way to relieve stress whenever I’m going through a tough patch at work. I never paid serious attention to what went on in the group but the notification that appeared on my phone screen caught my attention.

‘Girls! I got some super rare photos from Kyle’s wedding!’

‘I’m so jealous of his bride! I want a husband like Kyle too...’

‘We can all dream on. Let’s go drinking soon,’

‘Work has been so busy these days. Binge on these photos first,’

‘Yeah. We can dream of our dream wedding...’

My phone vibrated in succession as the girls typed in their responses in the chat group. Then my phone continued to vibrate as various photos of Kyle’s wedding were sent into the chat. The steamy session that I had with Ace in his ‘nap room’ helped me forget all about Kyle and his betrayal but this little reminder brought back all the negative emotions that I had been desperately holding back. I stared down at my phone as I debated with myself about what I should do.

Seeing the photos wasn’t going to make me feel any better but if I didn’t face it head on, then it’s probably going to take a very long time for me to move on and completely let go and forget Kyle and the relationship that we had. What should I do?

I was munching on my lower lip as my mind debated with my heart on what to do next. One thing was clear to me, I can’t keep relying on Ace’s comfort as a way for me to escape reality anymore. Although it wasn’t planned or intentional, I had sex with Ace to forget about Kyle. Then I ended up letting him do all those lewd things to me simply because I enjoyed and couldn’t resist his touch. In the end, I’m probably no better than Kyle. Just like he was using me all along, I’m using Ace and the pleasure that he can give me to help make me forget. I’m so disgusting...

.....

If I can’t forget about Kyle, I’ll just keep on using Ace. That is just not acceptable to me...

Before I could change my mind, my finger tapped on the notification to open it. An image of Kyle standing next to his bride showed up on my screen. For a moment, I was stunned. It just felt so unreal to me. Hearing people gossiping about it and seeing a photo of him at his wedding felt extremely very different. The photo rammed home the message that Kyle had indeed moved on to marry someone else.

Because our relationship had to be kept a secret from everyone, even my closest friends at work doesn’t know that I used to date Kyle. She even sent me photos of Kyle and his bride smiling together in their wedding attires. He sure looked very happy smiling in the photo so brightly with his new bride. I wondered if he ever smiled like that when he was with me.

He looked extremely happy in the photo and so did his bride. My chest started feeling slightly tight and it felt a little harder to breath. There was a slight stinging sensation at the back of my eyes, but my lips curved into a slight smile as I reminisce on the first time that we met and the last time that we spoke as a couple.

It was good while it lasted, right...Kyle?

The future will be very different for us now. Kyle has moved on to his new phase in life without me in it while I...

Suddenly, when I thought about my future the first thought that came to me wasn’t thoughts of my career, my new role, or achieving my dreams. The first thing that entered my head was an image of Ace’s attractive face as he stared down at me with the fire of desire smoldering intensely in the depths of his amber eyes.

'

Ace. Whenever I thought of him, I feel a feeling that I don’t quite understand. Undeniably, I realized that I was drawn to him; however, he also scared me but even then, I just didn’t want to run away from him.

I shook my head in my confusion. This is ridiculous, I don’t even know what I’m feeling anymore...

Focus on your work, Karina!

It was clear at that point that I had completely underestimated the standard and expectation of working as part of the CEO’s office. Ace probably knew this and was trying to help me out, yet I’m thinking of irrelevant things. I should focus more on my work.

“Something wrong?”

I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to realize that Ace had returned from his phone call and was now standing right behind me.

“Umm...it’s nothing...” I mumbled as I quickly put my phone away when I realized that the screen still showed a picture of Kyle and his bride.

Ace, didn’t see that just now, right?

I watched his face to gauge his reaction, but he seemed the same as always. Relieved that I must be over thinking things, I returned my focus to the work that was in front of me. So far, I was making very good progress thanks to Ace’s guidance.

“Really?” Ace asked as he stared down at me.

Suddenly, my throat felt very dry, and I wasn’t sure if I could answer him. Ace’s eyes held mine and I started shrinking back. Once again, I found his presence intimidating and right now the air around him had changed. It was like he had just transformed into his devil form right in front of my eyes although nothing about this appearance had visibly changed apart from the merciless look in his eyes.

I nodded to signal that I was really fine. Ace didn’t say anything, but I winced and looked away when he placed his hands flat on the desk before leaning down until his face was at my level, capturing me between his arms and the table behind me.

–To be continued...