Chapter 585 - Love Hurts
While Andrew was taking a bath, Hannah entered Andrew's bedroom. She sat down on the bed and noticed something.
The bed was untidy as if someone had slept there. The pillows scattered on the bed and the bedsheets and blankets were not arranged properly.
Alveena said that they stayed up all night working on a presentation but she didn't see any laptop or papers in the living room or either inside the bed.
This only meant that they lied to her. Hannah had a nagging feeling about this. She couldn't believe it.
Hannah could smell a woman's scent in his bed. Her suspicion increased further. Her heart constricted inside her chest.
'No? Don't tell me they slept here together? Are they? Are they having a secret affair behind my back? Is Andrew cheating on me with his personal assistant?'
Hannah was in denial. He couldn't accept it. But she also couldn't deny the fact that Alveena was also a beautiful woman.
"That bitch! Don't tell me she seduced her boss?!" Hannah mumbled, clutching the bed sheets tightly.
She wanted to cry and scream! She had never imagined that Andrew would be able to betray her.
'Did he betray me? No! He would never do that unless that bitch seduced him!' A cold glint flashed through Hannah's eyes.
She had the urge to slap Alveena on the face. But she didn't want to create commotion there. She didn't want to confront Andrew either.
She didn't know if she could handle it once Andrew would admit everything. She would look like a pathetic loser.
Besides, she couldn't afford to have another fight with Andrew. She didn't want to lose him. This time she decided not to let him go.
She already lost Tristan. She couldn't afford to lose Andrew as well. She would try to stick with him until the end.
"Andrew, I will take you back. You are mine. You are just mine. I will not let that woman take you away from me," Hannah murmured while clenching her fists.
She was thinking that she should marry Andrew right away and get pregnant. That's the only way she could make him stay by her side forever.
Hannah had made up her mind. Once they returned to the City of Empire, she would ask Andrew to register their marriage. She didn't care about the wedding ceremony anymore.
*****
Meanwhile, Alveena had returned to her room. She was lying flat on her stomach as she continued crying on her bed.
She was hurting. She was unprepared for this encounter. Andrew's fiancee suddenly appeared in front of them.
Her heart was broken into tiny pieces once again. She had so many plans for their last night of being together in this city. But it seemed that she could not be with Andrew now.
His fiancee was already with him. He would no longer need her. A realization came to her. She would never be the only woman in his heart.
However, she didn't regret giving herself to the man she had ever loved for the first time. Andrew was the first-ever man who made her fall in love… a genuine love.
'I guess I can't even say goodbye to Andrew properly. Now it's time to wake up from my beautiful dream,' Alveena thought to herself.
She rolled over, standing up. She had to fix herself and finish this conference. She had to divert her attention away from Andrew and Hannah.
Just thinking about Andrew and Hannah being alone in his room was enough to give Alveena an unimaginable pain inside her heart.
Alveena stepped into her bathroom, facing the wide mirror. She stopped for a moment and watched her reflection.
Her eyes were red from crying. But she tried to smile as if she was comforting herself.
"Alveena, you should be strong. You can do this. This is not the end of the world. At least, you got to be together with the man you love even just for a week. You made beautiful memories together. You can cherish them forever," Alveena said while talking to herself. It looked like she was consoling herself.
*****
Nighttime came. The conference was finally over. Tonight was the last night for the delegates and other participants to enjoy their stay at Sunshine Paradise Resort.
Alveena was together with her colleagues, sitting at their cottage on the beachfront. Brandon came and joined them.
He noticed that Alveena was not in a good mood so he decided to entertain her, making her smile with his corny jokes.
"Alvee, come with me. Let's stroll and roam around," Brandon invited Alveena.
"Okay," Alveena agreed. She needed it to clear her mind.
Brandon was so happy. He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the seashore. The moon and the stars were the source of the light on that cold night.
Brandon and Alveena were walking side by side, barefooted. They were enjoying the fine white sand under their feet. Alveena was carrying her slippers using her left hand.
While they were walking on the seashore, they met Andrew and Hannah who were also walking on the beachfront.
Hannah was hooking her arm with Andrew's arm. Alveena and Brandon stopped on their track upon seeing them. Andrew also came to halt when he saw Alveena together with Brandon.
The four of them just stared at each other for several seconds.
Seeing Alveena, Hannah moved closer to Andrew, wrapping her arms around his waist.
"Babe, let's go for a swim. I will show you my favorite bikinis!" Hannah said to Andrew. She intentionally made her voice louder for Alveena to hear it.
Andrew didn't respond to Hannah. He didn't hear her since his focus was set on Alveena who was standing next to Brandon.
Seeing them together, he couldn't help but feel jealous. In his mind, he was thinking that he was supposed to be the guy standing beside Alveena right now, not Brandon.
Hannah felt upset when Andrew ignored her. It looked like he was not paying attention to her. So what she did next was face Andrew. She grabbed his head and tiptoed, kissing his lips in front of Alveena and Brandon.
Alveena had already seen enough. She could no longer watch them so she grabbed Brandon's hand and pulled him away from Andrew and Hannah.
Brandon had the urge to punch Andrew. He knew that Alveena was hurting right now because of what she had witnessed. Brandon was so worried about Alveena.
This time he tightened his hold on her arm as they ran together. They just stopped when they made sure they would no longer see Hannah and Andrew.
Alveena was panting. Not saying a word. She was trying to hold her tears. Brandon gritted his teeth. He was furious at Andrew. He hated to see Alveena sad. She was hurting because of Andrew.
Without thinking twice, Brandon pulled Alveena into a tight hug. He wanted to comfort her and ease her pain.
When Alveena felt that warm hug, she finally burst out. She could no longer contain her pain and sadness.
She hugged Brandon back as she cried in his arms. "Brandon… it hurts… it really hurts…"
"Shhhh… I'm just here for you, Alveena. Let it go. It's okay to cry…"
Brandon could only stroke her hair while tightening his grip on her body. If he could only erase her pain, he would do it for her.