Walls Between Us

03 | reunion

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A M A Y A

'My heart's your slave, Amaya Sommers. All my roads lead to you.'

'As long as my heart has a beat, it will beat for you.'

'Running or staying, Snippy?'

'Staying. Always staying.'

'I love you, Carter Bell. Promise me you'll never leave.'

I splash the cold water for the umpteenth time on my face. My nerves are doing a chaotic dance as I shut my eyes, trying to fight back the memories.

It is Carter Bell.

He is here and I will be seeing him face-to-face after five years.

After five long years that changed everything.

He broke every part of me. His memories taint me, his name pierces my heart. The impact of his betrayal was such that every time I look at my son, I regret that he looks more like his father than me.

Tears keep sliding down my eyes and I splash water again, trying to keep the sobs down.

I lost all my excitement as soon as Siana pronounced the name. My first instinct was to rush to the bathroom and here I am now. I have been here for more than fifteen minutes, splashing cold water over my face, again and again, imagining that all I heard was a dream.

"It's okay, Amaya. You can do it," I say bravely to my reflection in the mirror ahead.

My eyes have black patches underneath them, a sign of the fact that I am too tired to go on living the life of a Single Mom. This wasn't how my life was supposed to be.

If everything had gone right, I would have been Carter Bell's wife. He would have been my husband and we would have been raising our kid together. He wasn't supposed to leave me alone midway after promising a lifetime. My son wasn't supposed to be a fatherless child. My Parker deserves every bit of his father's love.

Why did he leave? Why?

Stopping a sob, I rub my wet cheeks, not bothering to put on my makeup again as I turn to leave the washroom.

Once I step out, I am again taken by the commotion Carter's appearance has caused in the office. All the employees look agitated one way or the other, the religious ones even going to the extent of praying for their jobs.

Dragging my footsteps over the marbled flooring, I reach my desk where Siana and Bryce are talking in hushed voices to each other.

"Hey, what's wrong? You ran like you saw a ghost!" Bryce says as he gets down from my desk when he sees me coming.

I take my seat back, faking a smile at them both.

"Nothing. I was just nervous with all the changes," I lie to them, clutching my belly with one hand for effect. "What if I lose my job? I have a child to look after."

"You'll be just fine, buddy." Siana presses a comforting hand behind my back. "It's me you should be worried about. Mr. Bell has already fired one of us."

"What? Who?"

"David Domer, the Vice-Secretary," Siana replies, rolling her eyes. "Said his attendance wasn't satisfactory."

"And who told you that?" Bryce interrupts, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Gabby, of course!" she shrugs. "She's the only one whose job is confirmed here. She's looking after the others now."