Broken Hearts Club

Chapter 28

She left.

Of all the things that could happen to him, the worst of all happened. The way she stomped down the hallway, not even bothering to turn back to give him one last look, clenched his heart that his body felt weak. His lips turned down into a frown, his eyes burning at the presence of tears.

He stood still, minutes after minutes after minutes after she disappeared at the corner of the hallway. He stood still. Not even flinching. He saw this coming, right when he left Peggy, he saw this coming. But even if he did saw it coming, doesn't mean he's prepared to face it. When he did face it, however, he swore it's the worst feeling of pain he'd ever been through. The kind of pain that makes you tremble, that lets tears out but no sobs, just because your body is too weak to creak a sound. The kind of pain that overwhelms you like a tsunami, and you seem to loose hold on everything.

He badly wanted to chase her. His mind finally making the impulse to do something. He knew it was too late. She could be anywhere by now and unlike her he didn't know the streets of Paris that well.

Instead, he dragged himself into her room. Desperately trying to find something of hers he could hold on to.

He ends up crumbling.

He could see the metallic lustre, shining on top of her bedside table. All else was clean, not a single thing left behind. No notes, no clothes, no evidence that she was here before. He missed her already.

How could he not? He just had her, and he'd lost her just as fast.

His phone rang and rang. He knew it wasn't her, not picking it up. It continued to rang, vibrating on top of the table until it reached the edge and fell to the floor. Annoyed, he bent down and picked it up as the front door flung open revealing a worried looking Wanda and her equally worried fiancé behind her.

"Steve?" She shouted, but he didn't even bother to answer her. Not now. Not when his world is crumbling apart.

She came rushing into the room, heaving a loud sigh having found him. Just as Visz entered and did the same, he excused himself and let the siblings have a private moment.

"What the hell, Steve? You can't just go missing on your own exhibition, not without anyone knowing," Wanda said in disappointment, his back still facing her.

"'m sorry," he said tonelessly, almost emotionlessly. She knew him too well to know that something's going on.

"What's going on?" She asked as she walked towards him. He kept silent. As she slid to sit right next to him, she finds Nat's ring between his fingers and she knew.

"She left, didn't she?" He didn't reply, not when he knew that she knew what this all meant.

"What did you do?" She asked softly, knowing well that this must've been something that he did, not that she was rude. She knew what kind of person Natasha was, reasonable – very, actually – that she wouldn't have left him without no reason.

"I don't know," he replied, still staring at the ring, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"It's because you and Peg, isn't it?" She stated, and at the sound of her name he looked towards her for the first time. He knew for a fact that Wanda knew of the brunette, but not that said brunette is Peggy, "I've worked with her for many years, I can recognize her in those pictures easily. I thought you'd be honest enough to tell me. Imagine my surprise when I saw her in your exhibition, just after I told you not to do anything stupid and you did just that."

"I thought Nat would understand, and I was happy catching up with Peg," he said after inhaling deeply, and Wanda nearly snorted.

"Are you sure that's all it is? All those times you left her for Peggy, was that all catching up? You're sure there's nothing more?" Wanda said based by realistic assumptions she's made the last few days.