Chapter 2 Another chance?

Sephora’s POV

“Kayden, please don’t do this,” I begged as my heart squeezed painfully as if it was being trampled upon.

Instead of the kind man I had fallen in love with, what I was met with was his cruel and mocking laugh that was accompanied by that of Sophie, who called me a fool for falling for such stories.

I didn’t wait for ten minutes. I scampered off the floor, grabbed my purse, and raced out of the house and their laughter followed behind me, reminding me just how stupid I had been.

I cried bitterly as I dashed out of the house and into the streets. As if the sky knew my heart was breaking, the clouds opened up and it began to rain immediately. But I didn’t try to stop or hide. I continued running even without a direction.

As I ran, flashes of the past filled me and the puzzles began to make absolute sense. Kayden only began to confess his undying love for me fully when my dad had passed away.

At that time, my grieving heart accepted him happily, grateful to have someone by my side who actually cared. As the years rolled by, he continuously persuaded me to hand things over to him so we would share the ‘stress’ as he called it.

I was skeptical at first but when we got engaged and even planned our wedding, which was supposed to be in a month’s time, I saw no reason to hold back anymore.

How could I be so naive?

As I cried I continued running and soon I reached the main road but still, I didn't stop. My vision was blurred by the rain and my tears. I knew I should slow down but I didn’t. What more did I have left in this life after everything had been taken away from me?

Fueled by pain, I dashed into the road, hoping to end it all. Suddenly, I heard a tire screech just behind me before I was blinded by heavy white lights. Shocked, I froze in the middle of the road as my heart leaped into my throat in fear. I watched as a massive black car hurtled towards me and for some reason, I couldn’t move.

My whole body was rooted to the ground. Just when I accepted my fate and braced myself for the impact, the car lurched to a halt, stopping just a few feet from me.

There was silence as I remained there, shaking from both fear and cold. Then, the door opened and a man who was unbelievably tall walked out. I expected him to hurl curses at me or worse, forcefully throw me to the side of the road, but when my eyes met his, I froze. I knew those piercing blue eyes.

"Sephora?"

I jolted when his voice reached me. Those eyes and that voice were ones I would always remember. They belonged to the very man I had once saved from thugs during my short stay abroad a year ago.

He was the struggling model I had once pitied and helped.

"Sylvan?" I breathed, my voice barely audible over the heavy rain.

For a second, I forgot the pain in my heart. This man before me looked nothing like the battered, desperate stranger I had saved. Back then, he had been bleeding with his clothes torn. He had looked helpless but now he was the exact opposite.

He was dressed in a suit that screamed wealth and even his car cost more than my house.

He had a look of confusion in his eyes as he began to walk towards me, but due to the shock and all that I’ve been through, my legs couldn’t hold me up anymore. I collapsed onto the floor as a bitter sob tore from my tired lips.

"Hey, hey. Careful," Sylvan murmured as he rushed for me.

Before I could sink into the pavement, his large hands were under my arms, hoisting me up as if I weighed nothing. He didn't seem to care that my soaked clothes were ruining his expensive suit and he didn't flinch as I buried my face in his chest while I continued to cry bitterly.

He simply walked back to his car and pulled open the passenger seat before tucking me inside. I tried to get out of the car immediately as I feared I would ruin his seats, but he gave me only one stern look and I immediately stilled.

He climbed into the driver’s seat, but he didn't start the engine immediately. Instead, he reached into the back and pulled out a jacket before wrapping it around my shaking form. After making sure I was fully covered, only then did he pull to the side of the road.

"Talk to me, Sephora," he said, his voice deep and steady. "What happened? Why were you running into the middle of the road like that?"

Seeing someone so concerned about me when I thought I was finally done for was unnerving. I broke into a fresh round of tears, crying loudly and not caring if he found it disgusting. He didn’t, however.

He allowed me to cry to my heart's content as he offered me tissues and waited patiently for me to get back to myself. When I finally calmed down a bit, I told him everything.

I told him about the years of love Kayden had fed me and the way he only got closer to me because he knew I was naive. I told him I had fallen into his trap easily because I had nobody by my side.

I told him how Kayden persuaded me consistently to hand over my company and house and then I finally bent to his will. I told him how his secretary had been his lover all along while I was just a placeholder.

I talked and cried as I talked about my pain and at some point, I expected him to get bored. I expected him to realize I was just a pathetic, naive girl who had been played by a common thief and tell me to get out. Instead, I felt a strange sense of care from him. He wasn’t bored.

He listened with apt attention and I could also see his jaw tighten as I told him everything.

Sylvan turned to me then but he didn’t fill me with empty words. He only reached out and brushed a wet strand of hair away from my face with a tender look in his eyes.

"You aren't clutter, Sephora," he said firmly. "And he isn't a man. He’s nothing but a parasite who mistook your kindness for weakness."

He sat with me in that silence for a long time, letting me cry until the heavy, bitter sobs died down into hiccups, and by the time I was done, I was drained but I felt a bit better.

"Where can I take you?" he finally asked. "You can't stay on the street."

"My friend... Betty Thompson. She has an apartment on 5th," I whispered, remembering the only friend I had left.

He nodded and started the engine. The drive was smooth and silent and it didn’t take long for us to arrive at her apartment.

“Thanks for your help,” I said in a small voice as I returned his jacket. Before I could open the door, he took a card out of his pocket and handed it to me.

"Go inside, get dry, and sleep," he commanded softly. "And when you feel better, look at that card."

With a nod, I collected the card without even checking it before getting out of the car. As I watched him zoom off, I clutched the card hard and headed for Betty’s door.