LEILA

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

"So you're telling me you did this to protect me." I scoffed.

"Yes" he replied.

"Tell me you're not affected by that corona virus." I said

"God no Leila, I am being serious right now."

"You can't be serious Brad. You used me like a toy and then broke my heart and you come back after half a year to say that you did this to protect me." I exclaimed.

"How do I make you understand this Leila? I wasn't using you. Every single second we spent together meant something to me. I just had to push you away for your own good."

"So why come back now?" I asked folding my arms over my chest.

"Because you're the only girl who I genuinely liked and who genuinely liked me. Who saw me for me and not some rich dude."

"You don't expect me to get back with you now, do you?" I asked.

"I get that you need time but know I am not lying. I have no reason to."He said before leaving me sitting there shocked.

How can I trust him? Six months, I spent thinking that I was dumb. It took me so long to get over him. Hell, I wasn't even completely over him and he just comes doing hippty hoppty expecting me to take him back. Who the hell does he think he is?

I sat in that caffe for about half an hour after he left. Then I realised, I wasn't gonna get any solutions to my problems by sitting there so I decided to leave.

As I was about to leave, I noticed there was a wallet on the floor, right next to where Brad sat. I picked up the wallet, and I opened it. I know I shouldn't have, but there was no other way to find out who it belonged to. I saw a picture of Brad and I, the one we took a week before our breakup. The wallet was sure as hell Brad's, but why would he have our picture in his wallet.

I tried calling Brad to tell him, I had his wallet but his phone was going straight to voicemails. So I decided to call his manager who told me he was in his office. On Saturday.

When I reached his company building, there was only two security guards outside. Fair enough. I got in without needing to answer any questions. It seemed like they knew me.

As I entered his office I saw him sitting on the chair behind his desk with face buried in his hands. And they sure as hell had blood on them.

"You are never going to change, are you?" I asked moving towards him as I kept his wallet on his desk.

"Leila, what are you doing here?" He asked looking up at me.

"I came to give you your wallet back. You dropped it on your way back." I replied as I fetched the first-aid kit from the cabinet behind him.

I leaned onto his desk as I held his hands to clean off the blood and do the dressings. His temper keeps on getting worse and worse.

"You can't keep on doing this Brad. You don't always get what you want in life." I said as I kept the first-aid kit back after wrapping a bandage around his hand.

"I know. I just can't control myself." He replied frustrated by himself. "I try Leila, I swear I do but I can't help it. I was clean for almost a month but today, I just couldn't keep it in anymore."

"You should seek some help."

"I don't need anything, I just need you Leila." He said as he tried to hold my hand but I moved back.

"You can't do that to me. You don't come back and demand me to take you back." I exclaimed and he just nodded his head.

Before I could speak again my phone rang and it was an unknown number. I don't usually pick up unknown numbers but I had to take this call to prevent any further discussion with Brad.

I said a little excuse me before stepping out to answer my phone.

"Hello."

"Hello Leila, it's me Silas. Dad has met with an accident." He said from the other side.

"And?" I asked.

"And? You should come here as soon as possible." He replied.

"What makes you think that I actually care?"

"He's our father Lay." He exclaimed and I winced on the use of my nickname.

"I don't care whether that man lives or dies. Don't except anything from me." I snapped before cutting the call.

"Everything alright?" Brad asked, as I went back in.

"Yeah.. It's-" I sighed not being able to form a proper sentence.

"Leila?" He encouraged me to talk as he kept his hands on my shoulders.

"Hektor met with an accident." I breathed.

"You wanna go see him?" He asked politely and I shook my head in a no.

"Come sit." He said as he made me sit on his seat.

"I am shocked that he actually has the audacity to call me after everything. They expect to come see him." I said feeling aghast.

"Maybe they still consider you family." He suggested.

"No. No they don't. They never did" I cried. "They didn't even once check on us, even when my mom was struggling between life and death. So I refuse to believe that they actually consider me a part of their family."

"They are selfish bastards. They turned their back on my mom and me like we never existed. I get Hektor and his wife but Silas? It was his mother too for crying out loud."

"Shh.. it's alright baby." He whispered as he hugged me and I wrapped my arms around him eventually.

"Come on, let's get you home." He said standing up.

"I don't want to go home. Jordan will be there and he's going to ask thousands of questions about my teary face." I said weakly wiping the tears away from my face.

"What about my place?" He asked and I nodded my head.