Reclaiming Her Heart

For a sec, she thought she was totally trippin'.

The dude's hand grabbed hers for a hot minute before he pulled back all gentleman-like.

Selena wanted to spin around, but her body was like, "Nah, not today."

She tried to say something, but it felt like her throat was in a chokehold.

Her brain was a total mess.

Footsteps faded away, then came back, and someone plopped a warm corn tortilla in her hand.

The heat snapped her back to reality. She turned, but no one was there.

If it wasn't for the spaghetti scattered on the ground and the warm tortilla in her hand, she'd think she was hearing things.

Spaghetti and corn tortillas were her go-to when she was cramming to finish her art projects in college.

'Cause they were easy, and the couple who ran the place used super clean ingredients.

Selena didn't eat right then; she just started looking around.

Nada.

She wanted to shout a name but then remembered she didn't even know his real one.

He was like a cloud in the sky, and she was chasing it like crazy, but it always stayed out of reach, sometimes even disappearing.

And it would vanish for years.

People got stuck on the stuff they couldn't have when they were young, turning them into regrets. Then, when they finally found it, the joy of getting it back hit them like a tidal wave. Sometimes, they didn't even know what they were feeling; they just wanna find it fast, just wanna confirm something.

She searched all over Silver Bay University and ended up back where the spaghetti had fallen.

She squatted, picked up the paper bowl, and tossed it in a nearby trash can.

The strong sense of frustration gnawed at her like ants.

So, after getting back to her car, she circled the area for another two hours, still finding zilch.

When she got back to Ashbourne Manor, it was already midnight.

The corn tortilla was stone cold. She couldn't bring herself to eat it, and her stomach started to ache from hunger. Opening the door, she looked up to see Raymond sitting on the couch in the living room, looking super pissed. "Why are you back so late?" Raymond asked.

His eyebrows were bold and cocky, and when he was mad, his whole vibe was sharp and icy.

For a sec, Selena felt like a spouse who'd been out messing around and came home way too late.

"Something came up," she replied.

He got up, walked over, and gave her the once-over.

Selena's stomach was killing her, and she quietly squatted down to change her shoes.

Raymond squatted down too, his tone icy. "Selena, you can't even look me in the eye tonight."

Selena tensed up and threw out a casual lie. "There was something at the company."

"Oh really? 'Cause I called your office, and you left at seven," Raymond said.

Selena's fingers were still hooked on her high heels, but when she heard that, the heels slipped to the floor.

She was never good at hiding stuff in relationships, and she couldn't pull off what Raymond did knowing she had a husband, he still drove to the underground garage of Rose Garden to hook up with her. She couldn't do that. She raised her hand to her stomach, trying to change the subject. "My stomach hurts."

Raymond stood up with her, his tone softening. "Where's the stomach medicine? I'll get it."

"No need, you're hurt too. Get well soon and head back to Manston Manor," Selena said.

After saying that, she walked past him to go upstairs.

Raymond's eyes landed on her hand.

She was still holding the corn tortilla, which was long cold.

"Is this your dinner?" He took it, frowning. "Street food?"

Selena didn't say anything, trying to grab the tortilla back, but he casually tossed it in the trash.

"Next time, eat something healthy. I asked Fiona to save dinner for you," Raymond said.

He tried to hold her hand, but she shook him off.

Selena kept a cold face and said nothing, heading to where the medicine was and taking a stomach pill. Raymond stood in the hallway, not moving, watching her busy herself in the kitchen, holding back his anger.

"I'm just looking out for you. If you don't have time for dinner, I'll have the hotel send it to your office," he said. "Mr. Montague," Selena suddenly called out.

She drank a glass of warm water and put the cup down. "My stuff is none of your business."

But thinking about how this guy had given up ten percent of his shares, she instantly felt she was too harsh.

"You should take care of yourself and get well soon," Selena added.

After saying that, she went back to her bedroom, but when she looked up, there was Raymond standing at the door again.

"If you don't like me taking care of you, I won't. But can you not be mad at me?" he asked.