Alex pushed away Maya's hand as it began making a slow trail on his chest and moved further down south. "Maya," With a sigh, he shifted away on the couch. "You told me there's something urgent you wanted to talk to me about?"

Maya huffed dejectedly. "It's dad, he wants to talk to you."

"About what?"

There was a slight pause as Maya chose her words carefully. "Business, and about us. He's read what they've written about us in the tabloids last week. "

Feeling frustration roll off of his shoulders, Alex dragged a hand down his face. "Maya—"

She cut in with an intake of long breath and stood up from the sofa, moving to stand between Alex's knees seductively.

"Why don't you ever spend a night with me, Alex?" she mumbled. "You did already take me that night, so why this distance now?"

Alex looked at Maya as the silk robe she had been wearing slid down her shoulder as she deliberately shook the piece of clothing off. Her naked body unashamedly displaying itself, bare and full breasts heaving in anticipation, she was undoubtedly every man's wet dream. But the sight made Alex cringe internally, in his mind once again the comparison of Maya's proud features and Kate's curvy heavens began. Disgruntled, he gritted his teeth.

"I was drunk that night, Maya," he said. "We agreed to stay just friends after that."

"Because you said you needed some time. I don't understand," Maya almost hissed in irritation. "Why the hell are you still pining for that cheating bit*h?"

"Would you just stop being absurd? I'm not pining for anyone." Alex looked away fixing his coat. And he was a big fat liar, his mind screamed. Because it was Kate he imagined that night he spent with Maya, it was her he called out in the heights of passion. And it was not like he had not tried moving on from his cheating wife; it was not like he didn't bloody hell attempt to find some physical distraction after Kate's true face was revealed. But so far he was failing miserably. Every time he tried to be intimate with Maya, it was just Kate he could ever think of, her he ever craved for and then he would back off. The idea of bedding Maya didn't sit well with him no matter how much she tried to convince him otherwise.

As a result, Maya and his venture stayed limited to that one drunk night only. Although Maya had expressed her wish to start a relationship with him, Alex had asked for some time. And now the media was after them, it was hot and happening—the breaking news of a leading supermodel and a business magnet having a so-called affair when the said business magnet's wife was currently missing from the picture.

Not that he cared about what people were talking about him. It just angered him to no extent that he was still letting the cheating, backstabber of a woman—that was his wife—control him.

"I'll talk to your dad after coming back from Asthel. You know I'm leaving tomorrow." Alex sprang up to his feet as Maya finally backed off a little. "I need to get going now, my flight is very early in the morning."

He walked down the living room towards the front doors, ready to leave her apartment. But Maya called him desperately from behind, however, she sounded a little calmer now. Alex looked back to see her wearing her silk robe again, thankfully.

"He's going over on a tour to Asthel as well, you know."

"Then tell him to call me when he reaches there, we'll have a meeting or something."

Hopefully, Maya stared at him. "Call me every day, okay?"

Alex nodded in positive, and when Maya walked near him and stood on her tiptoes to leave a chaste kiss on his lips he didn't resist but stepped away politely when the kiss was about to deepen. He walked out of her place briskly afterward. Pressing two fingers on his temple he got inside his car. The vein under his fingers throbbed signaling the prelude of a headache. 

Kyle, the head of his security team who also always drove him everywhere, had gone on a long vacation. The dork had been sulking for no apparent reason for a while now. Suspiciously, his weird behavior started from the night Kate had left. It made Alex furious and he had wanted to fire the dork who was probably on that cheating, lying woman's side, too. Nevertheless, he had just sent him off on a long vacation and he had left immediately like Alex had the plague in his home which should be avoided at all costs and as fast as possible. 

Now, he realized he had been out of the practice of driving his own car for so long. Yet he didn't hire anyone to replace Kyle for the time being or permanently. He just wanted to be alone as much as possible.

While pulling the car out to the street, he did the mistake of glancing up at Maya's apartment window. He watched her stand there behind the glass, the robe had slid down one of her shoulders partly—the upper swell of her breast was visible. 

Show the entire freaking world now, huh! 

He could still recall the nights he had spent with Maya before he had taken over Quartz. There was a casual understanding between them that started in bed and ended right there, just the way he liked. Due to Maya's insistence, even back then, they began dating—which he ended soon like all his other dating episodes. Maya still remained his good friend though—strictly just friends and no more of the nasty. However, spending time with her—in the bed or strictly just as a friend—had been easy before Kate came along. But no matter how much he tried, it was seeming to be impossible to go back that way now. 

He was ruined after Kate.

Kate... Kate... Kate!

Enraged at himself he hit the steering wheel hard, making the car slide a little out of control and screech as he gripped the steering tight again. How long would it take to throw her out of his head, out of his heart?

-- 

Asthel. 

The city was exceptionally dark at the moment—the skies above it shaded with light clouds and no moon. 

For Kate it was as always an indifferent evening—leaning against the window frame, staring at the approaching darkness outside. The same atmosphere was within her, too. She could distinctly feel herself dissipating in the dense, black material of never-ending grief that now covered most of her heart.

She jerked suddenly as a warm hand swiped gently across her cheek, and it was only then that she realized she had been crying.

"What is this, Kate?" Victor sighed, moving to stand next to her. "You're crying again. There's no good in wasting these tears for the foolish scoundrel that is your husband, and neither your refusal to get yourself back up again would bring back what is lost."

Muffling a sob, Kate looked away from Victor, her eyes searching for something unknown in the dark. "You're right, Victor. Nothing would bring back what's been lost."

Victor didn't know what losing a child felt like, but from where he stood now, witnessing Kate's agony since she'd woken up in the hospital, he could tell that it most probably felt worse than getting suffocated to death. As months passed by, he watched her falling deeper and deeper into depression each day. He'd been the one standing at her bedside hearing her beg for death in hysteric fits. Fortunately, though, he saw her mellow down after days, he liked to think it was his friendship that could bring her out of the ultimate abyss. And now he waited with batted breath in that juncture, from where he hoped she would find something that would help her gather herself and move on from the past.

"You need to move on." He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I know it's not possible to forget the past, to let go of completely everything that happened but don't let it destroy you. Don't destroy yourself, Kate."

"Sometimes...," Kate let out a shaky breath, her chest lurching with the familiar ache. "Sometimes I feel like it would have been better had I died that night. It would have been better if you didn't save me. I would have been with my child somewhere, and it wouldn't be hurting like this." She clutched at her heart over her shawl, the thick wool hiding her skeleton alike frame, the pale skin of her neck stood out against the deep scarlet color of the fabric.

Victor felt his chest tighten as she said that. And for the millionth time, he hoped to meet her husband so that he could kill that man with his bare hands. However, no matter what he felt inside, for Kate's sake, he locked it all away as always.

"But I don't understand, Kate, how could it have been better for my boutique," he tried to lighten the situation. "After all, my boutiques are running like champions since I saved you and made you my business partner."

He groaned dramatically when she didn't even laugh. "Oh, man! At least fake a smile," he insisted.

"Your jokes are pathetic like you, Victor." she sniffled.

His gaze went to the notebook he had gifted Kate months ago, after listening from her one evening that she used to write—that writing was one of the things she used to love the most. Thinking it would help her get over all that she had gone through if she started to write, he ran off to a store and bought a fancy notebook and a pen for her immediately. Sadly, however, for days, it remained empty until finally one day she picked up the pen. It was a foggy morning when he sneakily opened the notebook. But after reading the only page she had filled with her graceful handwriting, he didn't know if he should celebrate that, at last, she was embracing what she loved, or he should cry soaking in the words that depicted the extent of her anguish. 

Exhaling a breath and smiling sadly, Victor hugged Kate in the hope to absorb some of her pain. "Where ever your baby is right now, you know how they would hate to see you crying like this."

"I know." Kate shook in his arms, her throat clogging up. But Victor could tell by the way her shoulders stiffened and that long, shaky intake of her breath that she was gathering herself up inside. 

She was burying all the pain, fighting against them until exhaustion from her battle would reach its limit again. 

A terribly cold breeze came howling in through the open window, she shivered as strands of her hair danced revealing one deep scar. It started from the edge of her jaw making a long line as it disappeared towards the back of her neck. This scar was just one of the reminders of that night. There were many more of them but they were hidden within the deepest compartments of her heart, still bleeding, still hurting, and very much permanent.

~

Yep, Kate's currently living in a city named Asthel and there's where Alex's heading. And... I've made up the name of the city. (I don't even know if any place with that name exists or not!) 

If you've enjoyed reading this chapter and want to know what happens next, please vote; comment; fan/follow and share. Thanks to all those lovely friends and readers who've been voting and commenting, you guys made me update this fast, so keep voting, keep commenting - that's what I need for encouragement.

Take care. Love yaa all. Tight hugs to everyone.

-Lara.

P.S. I'll probably update With or Without You next. Just wanted to let you all know. Tada...