Chapter 3 Things I Never said

Not the kind of love where you simply enjoy someone's company. I had been invested completely. I didn't notice that my plans was already including him. "We started dating in my first year at university. Now I'm in my third year. So it was almost three years."Although we separated for a Year but still came back together last year. Almost three years. Saying it out loud made it sound even longer. "I work during breaks and save whatever I can. My dad already divorced my mum And my mother lives abroad because of her job. She raised me alone. A faint smile touched my lips. I can't even imagine 😭 The smile faded. "Sometimes she sent me money anyway. And instead of spending it on myself, I gave some to Henry." "You supported him?" "A lot." I swallowed. "Maybe too much. If he needed money, I sent it. If he was short on something, I covered it. I never thought twice." I looked out of the window. "I thought that was what love meant. Sacrificing for each other. Standing by each other. Helping each other grow." I gave a short laugh. "Apparently I was the only one who got the assignment." Terik's mouth twitched, but he didn't laugh. "I caught him cheating for the first time after 5 months of us being together." My fingers tightened together. "I remember that day so clearly. The messages. The excuses. The way my whole body went cold when I understood what I was looking at." "What did you do?" "I told him I was done. I blocked him. I cried for days." My voice grew quieter. "Then he came begging." Terik said nothing. "He apologized. He swore it would never happen again. He said he was stupid and couldn't imagine losing me." I laughed bitterly. "And I believed him." "Why?" Terik asked, quietly. I looked at him. "Because I loved him." The answer was simple. And embarrassing. "I thought people made mistakes. I thought if someone truly regretted what they'd done, they deserved another chance. So after about a month, I forgave him." The car stayed quiet. "I thought we were okay again." My voice dropped. "Then I caught him a second time." Terik's jaw tightened slightly. This time, I hadn't cried. Maybe I had already cried enough. "I confronted him in the parking lot behind the faculty building. Do you know what he said?" He shook his head. "He said if I didn't like it, I could leave. He said he didn't care anymore." The words still hurt, even now. Even after I had convinced myself I was over him. I stared at the road ahead. "Then he got in his car and drove away. That's how three years of relationship ended. For a few seconds, neither of us spoke. I kept asking how I could have been so foolish." I had given him my trust. My money. My time. My energy. And somehow I had still convinced myself it wasn't enough. "So last night, I decided I wanted to forget everything. That's how I ended up at Velvet Eclipse." I rubbed my palms together. "I wanted music loud enough to drown out my thoughts. I wanted to drink until his name stopped hurting." A small silence followed. "Instead, I got drunk enough to lose my phone." Terik let out a quiet breath. "I'm sorry." "For what?" "For everything you went through." His voice was sincere. "You deserved better than that." I looked away before he could see how much those words reached me. "You seem like a good person," he added. "A good man will find you." I almost laughed. "That's optimistic." "Maybe." I smiled faintly. "But thank you." "For what?" "For being there." He gave a small nod. "You're welcome." Neither of us noticed how far we had driven until something caught my attention. "Wait." I sat up. "I think you already passed the junction." He looked ahead. Then at me. "Are you sure?" "Yes." "You should have told me earlier." "I was busy talking." He smiled slightly and turned the car around. When we reached the junction, I pointed. "Here is fine." He slowed, but he didn't stop. "Do you live far from here?" "Not far." "Then keep directing me." I frowned. "I said you can drop me here." "And I heard you. But I'm not leaving you to walk around alone when you're this tired." He wasn't forceful. He was simply considerate. I hesitated, then gave in. "Fine." I directed him through the quieter streets, and a few minutes later, I pointed ahead. "That's my place." Terik drove carefully and stopped near the entrance. I reached for the door. "The officer is coming at two," he said. "I'll be there." "So will I." "Good." I stepped out and turned back before closing the door. "Drive safely." "I will." I stood there as his car disappeared down the street. For some reason, I watched until I couldn't see it anymore. Exhaustion hit the moment I stepped inside. I dropped my handbag on the couch and sat down. The house was quiet. I should have accepted Terik's offer. The thought came so suddenly that I frowned. Why did I refuse? Maybe pride. Maybe I didn't want to owe him anything. Maybe, had I become this suspicious of kindness? Either way, I would buy another phone. If the club recovered my old one, good. If not, I had survived worse. I made a quick egg stew and ate it with the last of the rice, standing at the counter. Then I showered, let the warm water run over me, and tried not to think. It was a little after twelve when I lay down. I have to be at the club by two.

When I woke up The light on the wall was orange, not white. I stared at it for a long, confused moment. Then I stumbled into the living room the wall clock was showing 3:08 p.m. "No. No, no, no." Two o'clock had come and gone. The officer. The statement. All of it. And somewhere in the middle of that, I had also missed my shift at the eatery without a word to anyone. I threw on a clean top, grabbed my bag, and ran out to flag down the first taxi I saw. When I got there Velvet Eclipse looked half-asleep when I arrived, its doors open, a few staff moving chairs. The manager was behind the bar, counting bottles. He looked up, and his expression softened. "Ah. You came." "I'm so sorry," I said, breathless. "I fell asleep and - "It's all right." He raised a hand. "Officer Marsh came at two. Your friend was here." My stomach dropped. "Terik?" "He waited nearly an hours before the officer arrived, and nearly another hour while they went through the footage." The manager shrugged. "He gave a witness statement. Everything he saw. The two men, the grabbing, all of it. He left around 3: o'clock I stared at him. "Did he say anything?" "He said to tell you not to worry about the time." A faint smile. "He said you probably needed the sleep." My throat tightened in a way I didn't expect. He had waited for hours for a stranger who never showed up. And he had left a message to make sure I didn't feel guilty. The manager slid a folded slip across the bar. "Officer Marsh left this. A report number. They traced the card to a name, and they're following it up. But they still need your own statement." "Where?" "At the station, this week. Bring ID. They also need a working number to reach you. Then I went home That night I lay awake for a long time, wondering how many people had already called me. The next morning, I prepared and headed to the phone shop before it opened. It was the same shop where I had first registered my SIM. When the doors finally opened, I walked straight up to the nearest worker. "Good morning." "Good morning. How can we help?" "I lost my phone. I need to recover my number and reactivate it on a new one." His expression softened. "Do you have identification?" "Yes. "That helps." I slid it across the counter After waiting for an hour I braced myself for a fee. So when he finally looked up and said, "All done," I blinked. "That's all?" "That's all." "how much am I paying?" "No." He smiled. "You already had a bad week." I could have hugged him. "Thank you. Seriously." "It's okay." I had taken two steps from the counter when another problem hit me. I had my SIM. I had no phone. I turned back. "Sorry. Can I ask one more favor?" "Sure." "Could I use your phone to check my account? I need to know if I can afford a new phone at the moment." He handed it over without hesitation. The balance wasn't much. Not enough for anything like the phone I had lost. I pushed the thought away and chose the cheapest decent phone in the glass case. When the seller handed me the box, I stared at it. It was a sad little thing compared to my old one. But at that moment, I didn't care. I needed something. I opened the package, slid in my SIM, and waited. A few seconds later, the network bars appeared. I exhaled in relief and handed the worker's phone back. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." I quickly made the payment . I was halfway to the door when he called out. "Wait." I turned. "Can I have your number?" My first instinct was to say no. I didn't know him. After the last few days, I wasn't eager to give my number to anyone. But he had helped me. He could have charged me. He could have refused to lend me his phone. So I told him my name and gave him the number, reluctantly. He saved it, smiling. "Thanks." "Thank you too." Then I walked out into the bright morning, holding my new phone like it might disappear again. I had barely reached the sidewalk when it started to buzz. The messages that had piled up while my line was dead came pouring in all at once, and the little screen couldn't keep up. Mary: fifteen messages. The first few were worried. By the end, they were in capital letters. BIANCA WHERE ARE YOU Why aren't you picking up I laughed out loud, then covered my mouth, because it was suddenly very close to crying At least I could finally call my mother.

I walked slowly, enjoying the fresh morning air.

But I had to book a ride for me to get home

early and prepare for work since I wasn't able

to attend yesterday.

I quickly booked a cab back home reaching home.