LIFE AS IT IS

Chapter 2

This could not be happening.

"Let me introduce you to Dan Scott, your personal security officer. He'll be taking care of you from now onwards. Mr. Scott! Meet our new Vice President, Ashley Shore."

The earth slipped beneath their feet. She stood there baffled. Starring at him, dumbstruck. How much time does it take for memories to flashback? To dig out your past? And how much time, does it take to make a fine tread of all those moments? A mere fraction of a second and your whole life moves before your eyes like yesterday.

She was growing impatient now. The guy did not show up in court. She tried calling him a thousand times. He was still out of reach. Sitting on the waiting seat, she got insane and cried her heart out bitterly. It was her wedding day. She was disappointed by the man whose child she was bearing for nearly two months now.

Everything in this world comes with a price tag, be it a blessing or misery. There will always be a price to pay. She only had to choose between facing the world with this child or without this child.

Finally, when she has finished crying over her fate, she pulled herself together, wiped the tears off her face and stood up like a warrior. She knew what options she was left with. She was ready to face the world holding her chin high.

There was something about that girl, something that distinguished her from ordinary girls. She was born to bust out and change the world. She would create her own storms and like a warrior, sail herself.

She has returned home after the clinical abortion as quietly as she has left in the morning. She had sneaked under the covers without eating dinner, pretending to be asleep. She was having a moment of weakness. She was confused, frightened and equally sickened by human behaviours.

The truth was, she was ashamed of facing her parents. She was embarrassed of herself. She had broken their trust for a man she had trusted the most in life.

Walt Disney had convinced her for 18 years that she'll live 'HAPPILY EVER AFTER'. All her life, she had dreamt of the little fairy tales and happy endings like Cinderella and the Sleeping Beauty. But the truth is no Prince can ever complete you nor can any Knight ever save you, only God can.

Cartoons also taught her that 'DREAMS COME TRUE', while they might actually get true but then there will always be this little thing that drives you crazy, makes you overwhelmed, makes you freak out. One tiny thing ruins it all and the truth hits you like a wall. That tiny thing is making the wrong choice.

Now that he was missing, she knew he was never in love with her. Everyone wants the puppy but no one wants to clear its mess. She had picked her battles wisely. That day she had vowed herself never to chase him again, to be pious, vowed herself to never let her guards down again.

"Everything good?" Clay's question snapped her back to reality.

Her past was standing in front of her. The man who haunted her for over a decade. There he was, right before her eyes.

Years ago, Dan had left her in a helpless condition but God showed her the right path and brought him in a situation where Scott needed to bend in front of the lady every time. His duty was to serve her whenever and where ever she wanted. The man who disappointed her was now responsible to open her car, usher her in and escort her to where ever she was going.

"Yeah." She replied with a brief smile. "See you then." Clay patted on Dan's shoulder and left the office.

Despite the differences, she'd known that face the instant she laid eyes on him. Even after over a decade, there was no mistaking those blue eyes.

She had so many unanswered questions for him, accumulated over years. Why did he leave her stranded, why did he break her trust, why did he run away, why didn't he show up that day? The list was endless but the answer was one. Betrayal.

"It's great to see you again," Dan exclaimed. His expressions gave nothing away, but his voice. "You look even better than the last time I saw you."

Not much of a stretch, considering the last time he saw her she was a sobbing mess. Practically bent double in pain from the blow he'd just delivered to her heart.

"That's right. You're looking good yourself." Her muscles strained from the effort to keep a smile on her face. She was no longer an eighteen years old girl caught under the spell of a seductive boy. She had grown into an elegant woman now, running a multi-million dollars company.

Then it hit her again. How easily he had been able to walk away from her. "I've been waiting my whole life for this day." She told him with a sickening air of finality. His eyes lit with sparkle.

"Did you ever love me?" His smile faded. The sparkle in his eyes gone, too.

"I did, I do, I still do." He stuttered. In her eyes he could see the shadows, the ones he'd never had more than a glimpse of, all those years ago. The ones that made him want to pull her into his arms and chase them away. He felt the same undeniable tug now, the urge to chase away her demons with the sheer power of his love.

"Take a long look at what you gave up, everything you've been missing." She said mocking. "If we both have our ways, I'm the boss." Dan nodded respectfully.

"Follow me." The words fell in the air like a drum beat. Ashley held her head high in triumph and walked herself out in an elegant posture. While Dan stood there holding the door open for her in despair.