~Leo~
I stared at the picture of her profile after she hung up. The room suddenly felt cold and heavy, I could feel my chest being crushed. Felicia never threatened to end our relationship like this before. Minor inconveniences always appeared as hurdles between us. But we were so strong with each other that we overcame all of them.
What's changed then? Why couldn't we let go of this? Her words cut deeper than a knife. I was speechless after she put our relationship on the edge.
But what else could I do myself? I'm an employer, and I know my employees need my help. What's wrong with helping someone in need? Felicia always encouraged me to help the ones in need. Wasn't she being a hypocrite?
Maya must be my top priority - she's my best employee and her wellbeing affects my company and the decisions made. The company always came first, no matter what choice was laid in front. Sitting on the hospital bed for the visitors, I sighed and opened my phone.
"What's this?" There were a ton of unopened messages. I admit that I don't keep track of my messages. Let alone see my Company's group chat because Maya handles everything for me. When I opened them, I was met with a wave of shocking pictures taken of me without my consent. Maya took selfies with me and pictures of me while she was in the hospital. Each was tagged with a misinterpreting tagline.
-Boss pours his heart out to take care of his employees. Everyone's in good hands and we know it, teehee!‐
-Oh god, i can't wait to get back to work. But i might be limping for a while~-
In one particular picture, I was standing right above her and the angle at which it was taken suggested that I was close to her lips.
"Fucking hell..." i was definitely annoyed at Maya. I wasn't sure if she was doing it on purpose. Things spiralled out of control way too quickly. But at the same time, Felicia should be the last person doubting me over this small misunderstanding.
So what if I cancelled the event last minute? I had a duty to take care of my best employee! She can't hold that against me, dangle that blame in my face for our ruined relationship. Felicia ought to understand what it feels like to be in my place.
What was done was done and I reasoned myself to have no further regrets. A knock on the door pulled me out of my invading plethora of thoughts.
"Hey, how is she doing?" My best friend Neil Bonham walked in, I raised an eyebrow.
"How'd you know where to find me?"
"I'm your cabinet member, Leo. I'm in the group chat too." Neil's voice was calm but I could sense some upset attached to it. Neil and I share a special brotherly bond - he knows me the best of all. At times in need like this, he always spawns at the right time to console me. Hence, I opened up.
"I cancelled the party for Maya and my girlfriend is pissed. She organized it especially for me. She had full confidence since last year that I'd win again, but man I ruined it for her." I explained myself and hoped he would understand.
"Buddy, you did what you had to. You shouldn't worry about being misunderstood." Neil assured.
"But Felicia thinks I'm not prioritizing her anymore. She thinks im throwing her to the side while im not. I have my own responsibilities, Neil."
"And you're carrying them out perfectly, Leo. You're a great leader. And if your girlfriend - who needs to trust you the most - isn't giving you any peace, maybe it's better to do the right thing."
"The right thing?" I folded my arms over my chest, sighing as I looked across at Maya.
"Look, we all know what's best for the company. And it's not Felicia right now. It's Maya. She's our top priority. Her wellbeing is." Neil spoke the exact words that were in my mind.
"You stole the words from my mouth."
"That's 'cause I've known you for long enough. Felicia just came into your life four years ago. Can't you see the path that's shining better for you?"
"I don't know which one is shining better for me, Neil. Maya or Felicia?" I asked because I was genuinely stuck at the junction.
"If Felicia is pushing you to make a CHOICE, then it isn't what you think true love is. You shouldn't be in that situation because of Felicia, because only one path can be taken at a time."
"I understand now..." I mumbled slowly. "I get it. Felicia was wrong to make me choose. What happened has happened. I'll try talking to her. I just know she'll make it hard for me because she just wouldn't listen." The thought of wanting to confront Felicia made my hand run down my face.
"You got this buddy." Neil stood up, summoning me to the terrace of the hospital. We shared the whiskey out of paper cups and laughed the entire night. Reminiscing our friendship and hurdles together.
It was around midnight when I drove myself back home. I was slightly tipsy but mostly conscious.
"Felicia? Felicia! We need to talk, baby. Come to me!" I loudly announced down the stairs. When I got no response, I forced myself upstairs and checked her room. My heart sank and I never felt so sober so quick. Felicia's room was cleared out, all her belongings gone.
I realized what she'd done to me over a slight misunderstanding and broke down on her sweet smelling bed.
