2 — Please come back to me

P E D R O

I looked over the last report of the day, and a wave of exhaustion crashed over me. The stress of the long hours and the mountain of paperwork had taken its toll, and my head felt like it was going to burst.

I was in the middle of a particularly stressful report when a loud knock at the door jarred me out of my concentration. My head was already pounding, and the sound of the knock felt like someone was slamming an anvil against my skull. I let out a frustrated hiss and yanked my glasses off my face, glancing at the door with a scowl.

“Whoever's out there, just come in,” I groaned, tossing my glasses onto the pile of files in front of me. My head dropped to my chest as I rubbed my temples, trying to massage away the tension. I was in no mood for a visitor, but I knew they would just keep knocking if I didn't say something. So I just resigned myself to my fate and waited for them to enter.

With a soft creak, the door opened and my secretary stepped inside. His face was pinched with worry, and his hand clutched a brown envelope so tightly that his knuckles were white. The expression on his face did not bode well, and I braced myself for whatever bad news he was about to deliver.

My secretary bowed his head and spoke in a low voice, “Sir, the Andres’ will be at the conference hall tomorrow, and everything is ready for their arrival. The preparations are complete.” His hand gripped the envelope so tightly that I wondered if it would tear. There was something about his demeanour that made me uneasy, and I could feel my tension rising. Whatever was in that envelope must be important and I had a bad feeling about it.

“Oh,” I sighed wearily, leaning back in my chair and rubbing my eyes. I had been expecting bad news, but hearing about work when I was already so stressed out was the last thing I wanted. I rested my head against the headrest and tried to relax, but I could feel the tension still coiled in my muscles. I was ready for the day to be over, but it seemed like it was only just the beginning.

"Your schedule for tomorrow has been finalized, sir, and I'll send it over to you later. Is there anything else I can do for you?" My secretary seemed eager to get out of my office, his eyes flitting nervously around the room. The tension in the air was palpable, and I felt a surge of irritation. I wanted to be left alone, but it seemed like he had more to say.

“Just tell me already if there's more you have to say to me.” I blurted out uninterested. My gut told me it would be about work but I couldn't help but ask.

“Um,” Secretary Roy stammered, his gaze falling to the floor, “The search team sent their report. They said they're sorry, but they couldn't find any information about her whereabouts.” The words hit me like a physical blow, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach. I had been holding out hope that the team would be able to find something, anything, that could lead me to the woman I was so desperate to find. But now that hope was dashed, and all I could feel was despair.

“Secretary Roy, what do you mean they can't find her?” I shrieked, my heart racing in my chest. “What do you mean they can't find Selena? How is that possible?” I slammed my fist on the table, the sound reverberating through the room and startling Secretary Roy, who jumped in surprise. I could feel my anger boiling over, my mind racing with questions and fears.

The search team had promised me, time and again, that they would find Selena. They had assured me that it was only a matter of time before they would uncover the information I needed. So how could they possibly tell me now that they couldn't find her? The thought of it was maddening, and I felt like my whole world was crashing down around me. Selena had been gone for years, and all I wanted was to know what had happened to her. The thought that I might never find out was unbearable.

"Secretary Roy, are you messing with me right now?" I seethed, my anger rising to a dangerous level. Secretary Roy stood there, frozen, his gaze fixed on the floor. He wouldn't meet my eyes, and I could feel my patience wearing thin. I was furious, teetering on the edge of doing something I might regret. If he didn't leave my office soon, I wasn't sure what I might do. I could feel my self-control slipping away, and I was close to the breaking point.

“Get out!” I roared, my voice echoing off the walls. Secretary Roy jumped, startled by my outburst, and quickly scurried out of my office. The door slammed behind him, and I was left alone with my thoughts. I could feel the rage pulsing through my body, and I knew I needed to calm down. But all I could think about was Selena, and how she had been away from me. How I might never know what happened to her. I felt helpless, and the anger was almost overwhelming.

I turned my gaze to the table, my eyes landing on my jacket. I slipped it on, the need to escape the office growing stronger by the second. I needed to go home, to the place where I had felt closest to Selena. The place where we had first met, the place where we had shared our first kiss, and the place where we had parted ways. It was the only place that held any trace of her, and I felt drawn to it like a magnet. Home was the only place where I could feel close to her again.

I don't remember getting into my car or driving home. My mind was consumed by thoughts of Selena, and it wasn't until I pulled into my driveway that I snapped back to reality. I practically ran from my car to the front door, my feet carrying me to the place where I had spent so many happy moments with her. I fumbled with the keys, my hands shaking as I unlocked the door and stepped into the house. I made a beeline for her bedroom, desperate to immerse myself in her presence.

The door to her bedroom creaked open, and I stepped inside. Time seemed to have stood still, as the room was exactly as she had left it. I hadn't had the heart to clean it, knowing that doing so would erase her presence from the room. As I crossed the threshold, I was enveloped in the familiar scent of her perfume, the smell bringing back a flood of memories. My legs gave out beneath me, and I collapsed on the floor. My eyes landed on the bed, where a dusty cheque was resting on the pillow.

‘I can't accept this money, not for the time we spent together,’

My fists clenched in regret as I recall that horrible night, I didn't mean to do it, I didn't mean for her to misunderstand me. The cheque was a gift, not a transaction. I had sent the cheque to her, hoping that she would understand my feelings. I didn't mean to pay her for our time together, I just wanted to remember it as something special, something precious. But the cheque had been returned to me, unopened and unclaimed. I couldn't bear to look at it, so I placed it on her pillow, a reminder of what I had lost.

“I'm sorry,” I mumbled, my voice breaking as what happened that night came replaying in my head.

I curled into a ball, my arms wrapped around my knees as I leaned against the wall. “Please come back to me,” I whispered, the words catching in my throat. I felt so alone, so empty without her. I didn't know how to fill the void she had left in my life. I just wanted her back, more than anything in the world. But she was gone, and I was left with only my regrets.