CHAPTER 20
Remy
I really couldn't understand what was going on. It all seemed so... so... I don't know. Confusing didn't even begin to describe it. What had caused this massive change of heart? I had really been falling in love with Danica, and it had seemed so obvious that she had felt the same way about me. I couldn't be sure of that any more. Had I been so into her that I had been pretty much fooling myself this entire time?
I just wanted some clarity, I wanted to know why things had turned out like this. Danica had made it pretty clear that she didn't ever want to see me again, but I couldn't just leave things like this. I couldn't let this uncertainty hover and have a relationship that had seemed to be a passionate, intense romance just fizzle out. I wasn't one to just give up on things, whether they were business deals, people or relationships, and the way I felt about Danica was... Well, I didn't know if I had ever felt that way about another human being before, ever. She had ignited a fire in me that I would not extinguish, that I could not extinguish.
No. I wasn't just going to let this rest. I was going to find out what was really going on.
It had to be something from her past. I mean, she had talked about family stuff, but from what I knew, she was an only child like me. Her mother had disappeared when she was a young child and had never been seen or heard from again, and that only left her father.
And considering what I had learned about where he was now from Fred, I didn't think that he could possibly have anything to do with this.
Was the whole “it's a family matter” thing just an excuse to push me away? Perhaps it was, but that didn't change the fact that there was something going on in her life, some sort of issue she was dealing with. I knew I’d be able to help her with it if only she’d let me. After all, helping people was something I was good at—coming up with creative solutions to difficult problems. And whatever this issue happened to be, I was confident that it was by no means insurmountable.
All that she had to do was tell me about it, let me in, give me the chance to help her.
But getting to that point would prove difficult. If I had learned anything about Danica up to this point it was that she was stubborn, and that she had a fierce streak of pride that prevented her from allowing anyone to help her. Maybe it was from being hurt a few times in the past, and that was understandable. When you let someone get close to you and they then turned on you or betrayed you, it created deep wounds that take a very long time to heal. I knew that well enough, based on my own past experiences.
So how then would I go about convincing her that I would never do that to her? That if she let me in she would be safe and protected?
I hung my head and sighed. This was all so difficult. I just wanted to go back to the days of carefree walks in the park with her, of laughs over ice cream, of cuddling on the sofa watching movies, of passionate, intense kisses...
Thinking of all that fired me up immensely. I had to do everything in my power to get her back and to help her out of whatever mess she was stuck in.
I picked up my phone and called her, but, of course, it was off. Nonetheless, I typed out a message. She would eventually see it when she turned her phone back on, and hopefully she would consider what I had to say.
Danica, I understand that you don't want to see me again. I understand that you have some sort of terrible problem that's plaguing you, something that has shaken you to your core. And I'm not going to comment on how serious a problem it is, because I don't know... because you won't tell me. But I want to tell you, that you mean more to me than anything. And I guarantee you, if you just let me help you, I will use every one of my resources, my connections, my wits and my wealth to help you solve the problem, whatever it is. I know that you value your independence, that you like doing things on your own – but no one is an island. Sometimes everyone, no matter how strong or independent they are, needs a shoulder to cry on, or a hand to help them up. Please, even if you really don't want to be with me for whatever reason, just allow me to help you out of whatever mess you're in. Please. You don't have to face this alone... you really don't have to.
I clicked “send” and then let out a long sigh. Now all there was to do was wait and hope she replied.
THAT EVENING
I was drinking a glass of whiskey and going over a few items in my investment portfolio when my phone buzzed. Someone had sent me a message. With my heart beating fast and sudden eagerness in my chest, I picked up the phone.
The message was from Danica!
I opened it with fumbling fingers.
Dear Remy. You're a wonderful guy. I really appreciate your kindness, compassion and generosity. I wish I could allow you to help me – but there are things that you don't know, things that you don't understand about this situation. And I'm sorry, but I have to be firm about this because I can see that you're persistent, and you don't want to give up. But please try to understand this – by not giving up, you're making things more difficult for me. You're hurting me. I know it's hard for you, and believe me, it's hard for me as well... But I need to ask you to just stop. Don't come to the restaurant or the dance school again. Don't come and force me to talk to you. I don't need any more pain in my life. I'm sorry, I know it hurts. It hurts me, too – but please, please, please... just let it go. Let me go. I'm begging you. Goodbye – Danica.
So that was that... She really wanted this to end.