Chapter 3 BROKEN PIECES

Erik smiled as he looked at the picture of the woman who owned the social media profile he was looking at. None other than Nadine.

Then the young man quietly felt himself.

Is he still hurt?

He smiled again then turned off his laptop.

He was happy, and he was happy for Nadine, and the same for Keira.

And from what he sees, Nadine is the same. It seems that in the end she also learned to love for a short time the man her father preferred for his ex-girlfriend.

He has been single for a year now. Because like he said before, he wanted to focus on his career first, and that's exactly what he did. It's Saturday so he doesn't have work.

He wakes up late and that's just how he is. Rest, he needs that too. Erik went to the kitchen to prepare something to eat.

But he was not in the mood to cook so he decided to go out of the house to buy something to eat. His feet took him to an eatery. His favorite is Sinigang na Bangus there so that's what he ordered.

After he ate, he walked home again.

That's how he lives every day. Sometimes he goes out and joins his colleagues to enjoy himself but that's about it. Because as he said earlier, his career is his priority now.

He was about to enter the gate when he saw the Mrs. Ramos' store that he often hangs out with. He remembered he asked the woman to help him look for someone who could do laundry and the other chores in his house. It will not be a stay-in job, so he wants someone who also lives here in their village as much as possible.

"Good evening, Mrs. Ramos," he greeted the woman as he ordered a cup of hot coffee.

"It's good that you are here, I have found someone that I can recommend to you," she told him smiling.

Erik smiled at that. It seems that she already knows that that is his purpose for going there.

"Really? Thank you so much," he said as he paid for the coffee, he ordered in a paper cup.

Mrs. Ramos nodded. "I don't know if you still remember her, I knew she was your classmate since you were in elementary school," she added.

Erik's eyebrows met then he lit a cigarette.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"Mia. That beautiful but shy girl that Ms. Sanchez took care of," she said.

That's when Erik remembered what the woman was saying. Then he smiled when he remembered whom she was referring to.

He still remembers that she was the Queen of the Night at their Prom when they were in their last year of high school while he was the King of the Night.

How can he forget the shy but very beautiful and intelligent Mia?

She was their Class Valedictorian, and their teachers often paired her with him because he comes second to her.

Smart, kind, and beautiful. Everything a man wants in a woman can be found in Mia.

It's not that he didn't notice it at the time. The truth is that Keira was occupying her heart and mind during those days so maybe she didn't pay attention to others. He has had many girlfriends but usually, they are the first to show him a motive.

"Life has been so unfair to Mia and I can't help but feel sorry for her," said Mrs. Ramos interrupting Erik's thought.

"Why? What happened to her?"

*****

ONE WEEK BEFORE

IMMEDIATELY, Mia's chest trembled when she heard her phone ringing one after the other.

She was on a bus out of Manila to escape the hellish life in the company of her demon ex-partner.

Bernie.

It was just a number that registered there so she chose not to answer it. She will not go back to her partner. She's done with him, and she can't take him anymore. When her phone stopped ringing, she turned it off.

She will not use this phone again until she was able to buy a new sim card. Mia quickly felt her impending tears when she remembered all the cruel treatment, she had experienced from her former partner. Maybe he just doesn't love her.

That was contrary to what he often told her since they were in high school, and the man was still courting her. In her mind, Mia thought of taking out her purse from inside her bag.

Inside it was a photo that when she saw it, her tears filled her eyes completely. It was a photo of her with her Nana Rosita. The old woman who took care of her since childhood.

Since she was abandoned by many people who adopted her. But they were not able to stand up for her. So in the end they just gave up and gave her away.

Maybe if the old woman hadn't died, the incident in her life wouldn't have gotten this bad. Maybe she's happy now with her and maybe Bernie isn't the one she chooses to be with. At the last thought, Mia started to cry.

She doesn't know if she still has a hope to get up after everything that she's been through. Especially now that she knows and is sure that everything will not be easy because her ex-partner will find her. But she is tired.

She was tired of believing all his lies. She was tired of forgiving him over and over again. And she was tired of loving him.

That's right, in the end, she also learned to love her partner. But that was not the same as the love she had for a person she had known before. A guy that she knew would never see her, so she was able to be content by simply looking at him.

Her first love.

Erik.

Then Mia smiled bitterly.

Not even once. Even though Erik didn't notice her before, even though a long time had passed, he never left her heart and mind.

And at their last prom in high school where she won the Queen of the Night title while he was the King of the Night, more than once she replayed in her mind how close she was to holding his hand. And how they dance.

But that's over. she knew that it was a good memory that she could go back to in her mind and that's all. Because if Erik hadn't seen her when they were young.

It's even more so now that she is like a broken plate that even if she tries to return to the way she was before, it's no longer possible. Because some parts of her have been pulverized due to her fall.