Have you ever reached the stars?

Chapter 2

Hope

"Hope, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at work?" he speaks as if he didn't have his tongue in the young nurse's throat just a second ago. I can't believe this is happening today too. My Oliver, the boring, nice, loyal boyfriend is cheating on me with a much younger woman. Closing my eyes, I rest my back on the wall and wait for the woman to leave. I am not going to make a scene in his workplace no matter how angry I am.

When that doesn't happen, I ask her nicely to leave us so we can talk in private. Instead of doing that, I watch her take Oliver's hand in hers and turn her face to smile at him. Oh my God. They are in a relationship. I search Oliver's eyes for an excuse, an explanation, a lie that will make me feel better but I only see him return the affection by kissing her hand. He never does that with me. He doesn't like holding hands, he doesn't like showing off his woman as he once told me.

"Hope, listen. I was meaning to talk to you but I was waiting until after the presentation. You have noticed yourself that things aren't ideal between us lately. You've been working too much and honestly I no longer see a future for us. Nancy challenges me, makes me feel younger and I think I am in love with her. I'm sorry if I hurt you but I have to be honest with you for the sake of the love we once shared." Wasn't it just a few hours ago that we had breakfast together? Am I so blind that I haven't noticed that we were over?

"So, let me get this straight. You decided it was better to have an affair behind my back than actually tell me we are done. I've wasted three years of my life, believing your words, your plans for a life together. You wanted a family with me for God's sake. You mentioned it just this morning. I changed who I was for you. I turned my life upside down because I thought you were different." Don't cry now Hope. He isn't worth it. How right was everyone who warned you against him all this time?

"I never asked you to change. Whatever you did was for your own good. I helped you improve your health and diet, get rid of your bad habits and introduce you to a better life. I don't believe you wasted these three years. Don't make this any more difficult than it has to be. You are a smart woman; you have a bright future ahead of you, just not with me." What am I still doing here and why can't I do the things I imagine doing to him? In my head, I climb on his desk, slap both of them and warn her about the life with him. But I'm not going to do any of these things. Sighing defeated, I try to lift the box from the floor and the stupid thing falls apart scattering my things in the process. Why?

Oliver comes towards me and when he sees the things, he asks me what happened. When I don't answer him, he places his hand on my arm and I flinch. "What are these? Did you not get promoted? Tell me Hope. We don't need to be like this. We can still remain friends you know." Before I have the chance to answer, I hear the nurse laughing and I shake my head. How on earth does he think we can have any form of relationship after this? How wrong I was about him. Aren't there any decent men left in this world?

"What I do in my life from now on is none of your business. I'll go get my things from your house. I'll be done before you return. I'll leave the keys in the kitchen." Holding whatever things I can in my arms, I leave a picture of us on the floor on purpose and when he tries to pick it up, I step on it with my heel and break it.

"Hope, don't leave like this. You have to at least acknowledge it was partially your fault that it didn't work out. Come on." My cheeks are on fire and in the spur of the moment I grab a heavy file and send it flying towards his direction. When it hits him on his forehead, I hear him curse for the first time in three years. His new girlfriend rushes to his side while screaming for security to remove me. There goes my plan for not making a scene.

Turning around, I make it out of his office and start speed walking towards the elevator. When I reach the ground floor and see that no one is following me, I breathe freely. If someone told me that Oliver would turn out to be a cheater, I would have laughed at them. What am I supposed to do now?