6 — She's My Selena

P E D R O

I didn't even realize how long I'd been standing there, with my hand pressed to my face until Secretary Roy appeared at my side and gently guided me to a seat. I sank into it gratefully, my legs trembling beneath me. I felt completely drained as if all the energy had been sucked out of me.

The whole encounter with Selena had felt like a dream - Selena's coldness towards me, the way she'd denied ever knowing me. It had all felt so impossible, so removed from reality. And yet, here I was, sitting in a chair, my entire body shaking with the aftermath.

I felt like I was in a waking nightmare, my mind struggling to process what had just happened. How could the woman I'd loved, the woman I'd thought loved me, treat me like a stranger? It was more than I could comprehend.

“It was Selena. She's my Selena and I could swear she remember me.” I mumbled, my breath was shaking as I stared into space.

“She denied knowing me after everything we had together?” I gasped, my hands were trembling in shock and I still couldn't believe she was the woman that just walked out on me.

The Selena I knew would have rushed towards me with a smile, throwing her arms around me in a warm embrace. She would have peppered me with questions about my day, my work, and my health. The Selena I knew would have never treated me with such cold indifference.

I let out a heavy sigh as my shoulders slumped forward, my breath coming in shallow gasps. I felt a weight settle beside me, and I looked up to see Secretary Roy sitting beside me, his expression laced with concern.

“It's her,” he affirmed, his voice grim as he pulled out a photo from his wallet. I could feel the weight of it as he placed it in my lap, my eyes flicking down to look at it. I didn't need to see the photo to know what it was - a picture of Selena, the woman I thought I knew.

“I knew it was her the moment our eyes met,” he added, setting a file on the table. It was the file from the search team, containing Selena's identification details.

“But the Selena we just met said she didn't know me,” I protested. “The Selena I knew would never do that.” I picked up the photo, holding it up in front of me. My heart sank as I looked at her smiling face, her eyes full of life and happiness. The woman in the photo looked so different from the woman I had just met, and I couldn't reconcile the two images in my mind.

“Maybe she has her reasons,” Roy said, his tone softening. “You can't expect her to react the way you'd hoped, after all these years.” He set aside the professional facade we had both been maintaining.

Indeed, we hadn't seen each other for three years, after what happened. But I didn't expect her to deny knowing me. We had always been close, and we had never had any kind of falling out. So why would she pretend not to know me?

“As long as this project is still ongoing, you and Selena will keep seeing each other,” Roy said, his voice light and cheerful. He patted my shoulder, trying to offer a sense of comfort, but I could still feel the weight of Selena's denial hanging over me.

I was still thinking about the possible reasons as to why the woman who claimed to love me, ignored me like that when Roy asked the question that made my head sparkle.

“And do you think the guy with her was her new boyfriend?” Roy asked, his tone casual and nonchalant. But his words felt like a slap in the face, and before I knew it, I was on my feet and had him pinned to the couch. My eyes burned with an intensity that I had never felt before.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I snapped, my voice raised in anger. I was so caught up in my anger that I didn't even realize that I was still pinning Roy to the couch, cutting off his airway. It wasn't until he hit me with a well-placed knee to the gut that I came to my senses.

“Hmmp,” I groaned, wrapping my hand on my gut.

“What the heck are you doing?” he gasped, his voice hoarse. He rubbed his neck, where a red mark was starting to form. “Taking your anger out on me when you should be mad at the guy who took your woman?” he accused a mix of anger and hurt in his eyes.

I felt a pang of guilt, realizing that I had let my emotions get the best of me. I had taken my frustrations out on the wrong person.

“You don't know what you're talking about,” I shot back, my voice wavering with fervour. “Selena would never love anyone else but me. We're meant to be together. We're perfect for each other.” I couldn't keep my frustration in check, no matter how hard I tried.

I knew my words were irrational, but I couldn't help it. The thought of Selena with another man was like a knife in my heart. I didn't know how to make sense of it all, and I was lashing out in desperation.

“If you're so confident that you and Selena are meant to be together, why did you get so angry?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous. He sank back into his seat, his expression darkened.

A nagging thought kept swirling in my head: was it possible that Selena had moved on? That she was involved with someone new, someone like Christopher Andre? An heir of a successful businessman with a reputation for being an only child? It didn't make sense. Selena had never been interested in materialistic things, she wasn't drawn to fame or fortune.

“They are not together,” I said in a firm voice. “You can't tell me they’re together when there's no proof.” I shook my head, standing up from the couch. “News about Christopher Andre in a romantic relationship with an actress cast like wildfire.”

“That was four years ago, long before he even started working with his family's business,” Roy scoffed. “And the reporter later publicly apologized for spreading false information about the Andre family.” My mind raced as I tried to make sense of his words. If what he was saying was true, it would mean that Selena was involved with someone else. But I couldn't bring myself to believe it. I didn't want to believe it.

“They seemed more like business partners,” I insisted, shaking my head as I walked over to the table to grab my phone. “Please, don't say things like that without proof.”

There's no way Roy is right about his assumption of Selena being with anyone. She couldn't be in love with any man discarding what we had. Can she?

“A mere business partner wouldn't behave that way,” Roy insisted. “And the look on his face said it all. They were more than just partners.”

I shook my head, refusing to listen to him. My mind was a jumbled mess, and I couldn't make sense of any of it. The thought of Selena being with someone else was like a knife in my heart. I knew I was being irrational, but I couldn't help it.

“Just let focus on this project first, you can deal with your personal feelings later when everything is…”

“That's enough!” I snapped, my grip tightening on my phone. “Don't say another word or you'll be off this project.” I knew I was being unreasonable, but I couldn't help myself. My anger was getting the better of me, and I didn't know how to stop it.

The room was silent, save for the sound of my heavy breathing. Roy had gone still, his face pale and his mouth set in a tight line. I felt a twinge of guilt for losing my temper, but I was too overwhelmed to apologize.

I couldn't understand why Roy's words were affecting me so deeply. I had reassured myself that Selena wasn't seeing anyone else and that she still loved me. But his words kept echoing in my head, clouding my thoughts and emotions. I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack, and I didn't know what to do.

“Sorry, Sir.” Roy gave a curt bow before shoving the files on the table back into his briefcase. I dialled the number and watched it ring for a second and a ‘hello’ came from the other end.

“Give me all the information you can find on Christopher Andre and anyone associated with him that bears ‘Selena,’” I said, my voice shaking with anger. I ended the call and threw my phone on the seat across from me, the anger rising within me like a tidal wave.

“Roy can't be right,” I mumbled to myself, my head throbbing with a migraine. “Selena couldn't be seeing someone else. She loves me. She has to.” I closed my eyes, pressing my hands against my temples. I felt like my head was going to explode.

My thoughts were spiralling out of control, and I couldn't seem to get a grip on them.