She's With Me

Prologue

Claire Estelle

I inhaled a deep breath as my mouth dried shut, a voice caught my attention, clearly from the same soft-spoken man I haven't heard for years. It was his smile, something about his delicate smile that I would give up everything for, and it drowned me.

I was drenched and left burning cold by this fooling thing called love, it haunted me, everyday. The smile I would give up everything for, took the chance to ruin me, literally.

I turned around and my eyes met his. His eyes reflecting nothing but pain, those same eyes who looked right at me while begging for me to stay, those eyes that cried a bucket, asking what went wrong, but I didn't explained. I didn't stay, and I didn't chose to listen.

"This way, Ms. Mendoza" he still guided me like a gentleman even after what I've done to him. I was wrong, I was full of myself, and I regretted it. I regretted letting him stay up all night crying and wondering if he was enough, I truly hated myself for that. And now that I know better, this time I'm going to make it right.

I just didn't know how to.

Didn't know if I have to, or if he wants to. I'm just here, stuck between wanting him back, or letting him go.

"I love you" I remembered his voice and comfort when he says those three words, but it still weren't enough to make me stay. Even if it breaks me, I needed to leave. I needed to escape.

I swallowed the tears back and gathered the courage to enter his office, he opened the door for me and his "CEO, Sean Wilbert Rodriguez" name on his table was the first thing that caught my attention, I was happy for him, he came this far, he became successful, even without me.

"I forgot to greet, Good evening sir Rodriguez"

I greeted him with a sly smile, he looked at me and nodded, I wasn't used to him being like this, he knew that I hated it. He gestured me to sit on the chair near his, and I ignored how nervous I feel even if I was already shaking.

Our families are business partners, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't even have the chance to go to his office in the first place.

"It's been years, right?" he asked out of nowhere, his mug brushing against his lips, embracing the smell of a perfectly brewed coffee in front of him. I stammered, is he for real asking me this?

"Four years, Sean. Four" I answered, fiddling with my fingers and looking around to ease my nervousness, I honestly didn't think I could look at his eyes without tearing up as I remembered the good times we had together. We were beyond unbreakable, It's always a "were", It's always in the past.

"Calling by the name now Estelle, aren't we?"

"I just didn't think you'd ask me that question, aren't you mad at me, Sean?" I looked at him and a familiar feeling surrounded my wounded heart, the same ones I've felt when I first laid my eyes on him.

"After all these years, of leaving you clueless and broken into pieces, aren't you mad at me?" I got up from my seat, the tears welling up remembering how painful it was to see him begging for my love, and begging for me to stay. It took him a while to gather enough courage to answer me,

"Yes Claire, yes I am" He inhaled the last bit of patience he had, his eyes burning with anger and the same questions wandered in his mind, for the millionth time. He tapped his pen and got up to tower my image, he walked towards the door. Getting ready to leave, he looked back at me and his eyebrows furrowed, with an unreadable expression painted on his face

"Though let's be professional here, you need me and I don't, I'm only doing you a favor because I owe your father",

"So let's not get our feelings in the way of my and your family's business. I've already moved on from you, Claire, and so should you".