I awoke the next morning alone. There was a single rose and piece of paper on his pillow.

I have an offshore trip all day. I won’t be back till late tonight. I didn’t want to wake you. I love you, Ysa.

Sebastian

I grabbed the rose and brought it to my nose, breathing in its splendor and beauty. I took a shower, trying to clear my thoughts and confusion.

Was I really going to do this?

Part of me was relieved that Sebastian was working all day and that I wouldn’t have to see him after last night. The night we shared was passionate and powerful; I wished everything could be that easy. Our sex life was never an issue for us, we didn’t have to use words and we were able to express our feelings, thoughts, and emotions that we felt through our in sync movements. It was simple.

It was never about love…that was never the problem.

Love was the easy part.

No one tells you about the other stuff that goes along with sharing your life with someone. How much you have to be on the same page to move forward. The future that is now two people becoming one. It’s terrifying. People say that opposites attract. We were like a magnet with different kinetic energy that immediately got pulled together with a force that neither of us could understand. It was greater than knowledge or reason. It was meant to be. I didn’t doubt that he came into my life for a reason; I was positive that I came into his for another. We completed each other in a way that I couldn’t fathom.

There were underlying issues that I didn’t take into consideration until now. Things that I knew would never change for me and also for him. I couldn’t continue to be selfish and risk the best thing that ever happened to me. It wasn’t fair to him. And I knew deep down he was aware of it. He could see it every time he looked at me. I couldn’t hide from him.

I never could.

When you love someone, sometimes you just have to let them go. I did that the first time and he came back to me…

Could I do it again?

We built a life together. A home.

How could I walk away from that?

But how could I stay knowing that we both wanted different things? I blatantly heard him say it, resentment is not a bitch I wanted to fuck with. I spent the entire morning and afternoon lying on my patio furniture, looking at my bracelet…spinning it around in a circle. The irony was not lost on me.

The sun was setting as I walked back inside and my cell phone rang.

“Hello,” I answered.

“Hey, Ysabelle,” my hostess from Chances replied.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing, I was waiting for you to send the comps over for tonight’s VIP list.”

“Oh shit, I completely forgot. I gave the list to Sebastian and he’s offshore till late tonight. Let me check if it’s in his office. I’ll call you back.”

“Okay.”

I hung up, making my way into his desk. I searched around the first few drawers.

“Got it,” I said to myself, holding a bunch of pieces of paper together. I placed the list on the desk and I was about to put the rest of the sheets back where they came from, but there was the back of a picture at the bottom of the drawer and something possessed me to grab it. I flipped it over and it was Olivia. She was sitting in his old bedroom at home.

I had to sit down because I felt like the ground beneath me was shaking and crashing.

Why would he still have a picture of her? And why would he hide it?

It was all too much. It was like one thing after another.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

My cell phone rang and it took me out of my disoriented daze.

“Hello,” I responded, in autopilot.

“Bella,” she choked.

“Brooke?” I asked, confused. “Are you are all right? What’s wrong?”

“Bella, it’s Madam. We’re in the hospital and she’s been badly injured. I don’t know what to do and I need you to come home. I need your help with everything. I can’t do this on my own. Please, please tell me you’ll come home.”

Madam hurt? “What? Is she okay?”

“Yes…but the doctors don’t know how long it will take for her to recover and VIP can’t run itself. I need you to come home and help me. Bella, we owe everything to VIP. We can’t let it go down because Madam is helpless. Tell me you are coming home.”

What do I do? “Brooke…”

“Please…for me,” she whimpered.

I looked down at the photo in my hand and it made the decision for me. “All right. I’ll book the next flight out.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll have the jet come get you. It should be there by tonight.”

“Okay,” was all I could reply with.

“And Bella?”

“Yes.”

“Are you coming alone?”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the picture. “Yes.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“I’ll see you soon,” I said and hung up.

I didn’t know how long I sat there and I barely remembered packing and leaving. It was like I was having an out of body experience.

I came to when the pilot announced, “Welcome to Miami.”