Chapter 6

　　Nadia's POV

　　My cheeks burned with embarrassment the instant I heard what Theodore said.

　　At that moment, I wished for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I wished I could disappear into thin air just to shield myself from the humiliation.

　　But I suppressed the feelings and tried to find my words. I wanted to apologize for the accident, as it was entirely my fault. I wasn't thinking straight at all, too clouded with anger to see the road ahead.

　　So I took in a deep breath, my head still lowered and my eyes trained on the ground.

　　"I'm so—"

　　Before I could even successfully get the words out of my mouth, Theodore pushed the car door open and stepped out smoothly. His cologne smelled of warm spice and leather, filling my nostrils and making me feel heady.

　　I was expecting him to talk to me when he got out of the car, maybe even share a greeting or two, but Theodore didn't even spare me a glance as he walked straight towards a black Sedan that had pulled up behind us.

　　I stood frozen, watching as he closed the door without a sound, and I didn't take my eyes off the car till it merged into traffic and vanished, joining tons of other cars on the road.

　　I felt a pang in my chest when I realized that I didn't mean anything to Theodore. Not anymore.

　　My existence was nothing more than a mildly irritating interruption. I wasn't even worth an extra second of his attention.

　　"Miss?" I distinctly heard a man's voice call, but I was too deep in thought to respond.

　　"Miss? Are you alright?" This time around, I felt a tap on my shoulder, dragging me out of my thoughts.

　　I blinked in confusion when my eyes landed on a middle-aged man dressed in a dark suit and black tie.

　　"I'm Mr. Morrow's driver. He has asked me to handle the accident," he responded curtly. "Are you injured, miss?"

　　"Oh, I see. I'm not injured, thanks for asking," I said calmly. "I'm so sorry about the collision."

　　"No worries, miss. Please move your car to the side of the road so we don't block traffic," he said politely. I nodded and went to do just that.

　　When I got out of the car, I saw him waiting patiently for me. He asked for my insurance information and went on to do the normal procedures. By the time we were done, I felt relieved that things had been sorted out.

　　"Here is my boss's card. You may call the number if anything comes up," he said before handing me a business card.

　　The card was thick and finely textured. "Theodore Morrow" and "CEO of Morrow Corporation" were embossed in clear gold lettering.

　　He was just a young boy when we were close all those years ago, but now he is the CEO of his family's empire.

　　Wow. A lot could really happen in seven years.

　　I flashed a smile at the driver. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

　　He gave me a simple nod before getting into the car and driving away.

　　I returned my gaze to the card he gave me, lost in thought.

　　The name. The status.

　　Everything about the card was proof that Theodore was now far beyond my reach.

　　He was nothing like the taciturn childhood friend I remembered having. He was way more than that.

　　I let out a scoff, my expression hardening.

　　It didn't matter. None of it mattered.

　　He was a thing of the past anyway, just someone I used to know.

　　Seven years had passed, so of course, he had changed. I did too.

　　There was nothing more to it.

　　I shook the thought away and slipped the card into my bag.

　　I couldn't let myself think about such things. I had more important matters to deal with now.

　　Alexander didn't come back home until three days later.

　　I was in the garden tending to the roses when I heard his car pull over in the driveway.

　　I continued what I was doing, acting like I didn't know he was around.

　　A few minutes passed, and the door to the garden was pushed open, followed by Alexander's loud voice.

　　"There you are, baby! I was looking all over the house for you. I knew you'd be here," he spoke as he walked closer to me.

　　"I miss seeing your beautiful face, my love. You always look so stunning even when you're doing the most mundane things."

　　His voice was filled with affection as he stopped right behind me. "Do you miss me? I couldn't stop thinking about you while I was away."

　　I let out a cold scoff. "Really? You still think of me even when you already have someone else with you?"

　　He was silent for a few seconds, probably caught off guard by my statement. When he finally spoke up, his voice had dropped an octave.

　　"Nadia. Stop saying such things. You're the only woman I love. Now and forever."

　　As he said that, I caught a whiff of perfume emanating from him—a feminine scent. Daisy's perfume.

　　So, he really had been with her all these days.

　　The scent made my stomach churn.

　　How could he say I was the only woman he loved when another woman's scent was on him?

　　"You're not answering me, baby? Why?" I felt his arms wrap around my midriff from behind, and I flinched.

　　"Ouch!" I yelped when a thorn pricked my finger because of the sudden movement.

　　"Shit! Are you okay?" His brows knitted in concern as he grabbed my hand and tried to kiss it.

　　The moment he did that, images of him and Daisy flooded my memory. God knows how many times he had used that same mouth to kiss her over the past few days.

　　A surge of nausea and rage consumed me. Before I could even think, I landed a sharp, stinging slap on Alexander's face once again.