Chapter 10 Broken Pieces

Naomi's walls grew stronger after that encounter. She didn't cry, she didn't break. Instead, she immersed herself in work, staying late at the office and volunteering for projects no one else wanted. It was easier to drown in responsibilities than to face the mess of her feelings.

But Layla's sudden appearance left a crack in her carefully constructed walls, and every night, in the silence of her small apartment, Naomi felt the weight of it all.

"Why now?" she whispered to herself, her voice echoing in the emptiness. "Why come back after all this time?"

Layla wasn't giving up.

The rejection stung like nothing she had ever experienced before. Naomi's words replayed in her mind, haunting her. But instead of retreating, it only solidified her resolve.

She started small. She reached out to Naomi's colleagues under the guise of wanting to support the organization. Donations, equipment upgrades-anything that could make Naomi's work easier. Layla didn't care if her intentions were transparent.

But Naomi wasn't impressed.

Another encounter.

One afternoon, Naomi found herself summoned to the director's office. Sitting there was the last person she wanted to see.

"Layla," she greeted stiffly, her tone cold.

"Naomi," Layla responded, standing up from her chair. "I wanted to speak with you."

Naomi crossed her arms. "If this is about your donations, I think you've done enough. We don't need your guilt money."

"It's not guilt," Layla insisted. "I'm doing this because I want to help. Because I care about what you do."

"Care?" Naomi laughed bitterly. "You care now? Where was this care years ago, Layla? When I needed you most?"

Layla flinched at the sharpness in Naomi's voice but kept her composure. "I know I failed you. I know I can't undo the past, but I want to make amends."

Naomi shook her head, her eyes blazing. "You don't get it, do you? It's not about fixing things. You can't throw money at this and expect me to forgive you. It's too late."

"Then tell me how," Layla pleaded. "Tell me what I need to do."

Naomi stared at her, her expression unreadable. Then, with a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "You can't fix what you broke, Layla. Some things aren't meant to be repaired."

Without another word, Naomi walked out, leaving Layla standing alone in the office, her heart shattered once again.

Naomi's façade begins to crumble.

Despite her determination to move on, Naomi couldn't stop thinking about Layla. Every time she saw the donations or heard her colleagues praise Layla's generosity, a pang of anger-and something else she couldn't name-cut through her.

"Why can't she just leave me alone?" Naomi confided to her closest friend and coworker, Evelyn.

Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's what you want? For her to leave?"

"Yes," Naomi said too quickly, her voice firm.

Evelyn smirked. "Then why does it bother you so much? You don't waste this much energy on things you don't care about."

Naomi opened her mouth to argue but found herself unable to.

Layla's breaking point.

Weeks turned into months, and Layla found herself spiraling. Every effort she made seemed to push Naomi further away. The late nights in her office grew longer, the spaces between meals stretched wider, and the weight of her failure pressed down on her like a suffocating blanket.

One evening, after yet another rejection from Naomi, Layla sat in her car, parked outside the organization's building. The rain drummed against the windshield, mirroring the storm inside her.

"I can't do this anymore," she muttered, her voice cracking. "I can't keep losing her."

But even as despair threatened to consume her, a small voice inside reminded her of why she started. Naomi was worth every struggle, every rejection, every sleepless night.

And Layla wasn't done fighting.

Naomi discovers the truth.

The turning point came one day when Naomi overheard a conversation between Evelyn and another colleague.

"Did you hear? Layla's been personally overseeing all the donations. She even attended a meeting with the board to ensure we got that grant."

Naomi froze, her heart racing. "What grant?" she interrupted, unable to keep quiet.

Evelyn turned, surprised. "The one for our expansion project. Didn't you know? Layla's company funded most of it. She didn't want anyone to know, though. Said it wasn't about credit."

For a moment, Naomi was speechless. Layla had been doing all this behind the scenes.

Confusion and anger bubbled up inside her. Why hadn't Layla told her? Was this another attempt to buy forgiveness?

But deep down, a part of Naomi whispered that maybe-just maybe-it was something more.

Naomi's confrontation.

That evening, Naomi went to Layla's office. She barged in without knocking, startling Layla.

"Naomi," Layla said, standing up. "What are you doing here?"

"I know what you've been doing," Naomi said, her voice trembling with a mix of emotions. "The donations, the grant-all of it. Why didn't you tell me?"

Layla sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Because I didn't want you to think I was trying to manipulate you. I just wanted to help."

"Help?" Naomi laughed bitterly. "You think this makes up for everything? For leaving me?"

"No," Layla admitted, her voice soft. "Nothing can make up for that. But I'm trying, Naomi. I'm trying because I love you."

Naomi's breath hitched, but she quickly masked her reaction. "Love? Do you even know what that means, Layla?"

Layla took a step closer, her eyes filled with desperation. "It means not giving up on us. It means fighting for you, even when you hate me. And it means I'll keep trying, no matter how many times you push me away."

Naomi's walls wavered, but she wasn't ready to let them down just yet. "You don't get to decide that, Layla. You don't get to barge into my life and expect me to forgive you."

"I know," Layla said, her voice breaking. "But I'm not going anywhere, Naomi. Not this time."

As Naomi turned to leave, her heart ached with conflicting emotions. Layla's words lingered in her mind, but she wasn't ready to let go of her pain just yet.

Layla watched her leave, a mix of hope and despair swirling inside her. This wasn't the end-it couldn't be. She had come too far to give up now.