Pie’s POV

I knew if I ever come to the house again, Kim might not want to see me or what come to worse, she might not be at home at all. After somewhat battling with my own thought, I decided to meet her at the office. She couldn’t avoid me. I knew she wouldn’t. I need to talk to her. I deserved a chance to explain everything because it wasn’t my fault and she should know it was just a trap which was meant to ruin us.

The elevator took me to the targeted floor. I walked briskly to the front desk where I would meet Jane for the first place. Jane saw me coming and greeted me with her smile. She rarely welcomed me with a nice gratitude. I’ll just presume that she has changed.

            “Good morning, Ms. Pie.” She said to me with her formality. “Ms. Kim is expecting for your presence.” I was surprised to hear it. Kim did know that I would come here?

            “Is she here?” I asked to the secretary.

Jane shook her head immediately. “She will be here in minutes. You could enter her room first.” Jane told me.

I was about to walk to Kim’s room when Jane called me again. “Ms. Pie, do you want some coffee or anything?” She queried.

            “It’s fine. Thank you.” I told her and walked again. I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. I didn’t feel like I need to eat. Everything went wrong with me and I was just too preoccupied with the problem that suddenly struck me. When I came back to my home yesterday, my sister was just too surprised to see me in that mess. She flooded me with a lot of her questions but I didn’t answer any of them. I knew she was concerned about me but I don’t think I could explain the things to her.

Nothing has really changed when I stepped into the room. Kim’s belongings and files arranged neatly on their specific shelves and compartments. Kim is a neat person. I have acknowledged it since the beginning of my life with her. I walked myself to her desk; the image of Kim emerged in my view. Whenever I came to visit her, she would always welcome me with her enchanting smile. I have always loved the look in her eyes – she would gaze at me with her longing stare. The photo frame on the desk caught my attention. It’s our picture on our engagement day. We looked so fine in the picture. I clutched my hand to her arm and we were both smiling like it was the most wonderful day we have ever gone through. I wondered how I could pretend everything on that day and it still amazed me on how I could stand it until now.

            “You’re much earlier than I expected.” A voice echoed through the room, breaking my moment of contemplation. I turned to look to the owner of the voice and there she was, standing at the door while gazing at me.

            “Kim…”

            “Pie.” She smirked at me and stepped inside. I watched her walked to my direction with her steady stride. She eyed me and my gaze never left her. My thought was all on Kim until I didn’t realize she has already stood right in front of me. The brown eyes penetrated into mine. I anticipated it to be the loving gaze I have always loved to see but it only came to my disappointment when I saw only emptiness and coldness.

            “I come here to talk to you.” I stuttered.

            “I’m expecting it as well.” Kim said with her metallic coldness.

            “I brought you breakfast. Look, it’s your favourite.” I took out the container from my handbag. I cooked her favourite dish for breakfast. Kim often told me that she loved the fried rice I prepared for her. I thought it would be a good start to avoid the awkwardness and by any mean, I hope she has cooled down a bit and regained her wise judgement.

            “I have had my breakfast.” Kim walked pass me and sat on her chair.

            “I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday. Let’s eat together?” I said to her. It was meant to lengthen the time for us.

 Kim gazed at me with her expressionless face and I just hope that she wouldn’t decline my offer. “You’re wasting my time and it’s really none of my business if you have not eaten anything since yesterday or a few weeks ago.” She sighed to her annoyance. I didn’t expect that she would say in such a way to me. She is not Kim I used to know. Kim would always concern about me. She would be worried sick if she knew I didn’t have a proper meal. This is just not Kim.

            “Are you sure you don’t want to eat your favourite fried rice?” My tears were threatening to spill. It was just too hurtful to see her treating me like this. She didn’t even consider my feeling.

I put the container on her desk. Its aroma wafted over the room when I opened up the lid. I borrowed the container from Aunty Inn; it could retain the heat. I wanted to make sure that it’s still warm when I gave it to her.

            “Don’t you hear that I had my breakfast already?!” Kim slammed the desk with her hand. The lid that I held in my hand fell to the floor because I was just too shock with her sudden reaction.

            “Kim…” As much as I have tried not to cry, my tears had betrayed me.

            “Get your seat now.” Kim directed. I didn’t see why Kim needed to be too harsh with me but as much as I feared that any of my careless doing would trigger her anger again I hurriedly took the seat across her. I dropped my gaze to anywhere but my hands. I was shaking – my whole body was trembling. It was not because my fear towards Kim was too overwhelmed but it happened when I tried to stifle my tears.

“Go ahead and eat.” She said. The tone in her voice has softened. I gazed at her at any instant and Kim’s piercing eyes met mine. I tore my gaze away from her quickly. She scared me and I hate those look in her eyes. It implied how much she annoyed towards me.

            “You loved to give me trouble.” She murmured. At last, I noticed that she took the container to her. I didn’t know what she was going to do with it. I hope she wouldn’t throw it away.

            “Come on. Open your mouth.” Kim said. I braved myself to meet her eyes again. Kim wanted to feed me.

            “Hurry up, Pie. Don’t waste my time.” She complained. I let Kim fed me and I wished time could stop forever like this even though what I have eaten felt like sands. I took the opportunity to look at her face. Kim refused to make an eye contact with me. Only then it dawned upon me that I have missed her too much and the only thing I wished I could do right now is kissing her until we were both breathless.

The complete silence seemed comfortable to both of us. Sometimes Kim brought the spoon to – feeding herself with the fried rice. Told me she didn’t interested with the dish I brought for her but in my observation, she ate a lot than me.

            “I know you’ll like it.” I spoke up, breaking the silence between us. Kim’s eyes met mine once and then she tore it away the seconds later.

            “I should get over it by now.” She muttered.

            “Why?” I asked bewildered. “I can cook for you every day.” I told her.

Kim stopped from eating and leaned to her chair, sighing loudly as if she was trying to release the entire burden in her. She seemed conflicted herself. After awhile, she leaned forward to a closer distance to me. I knew she was about to tell me something but then she dropped her head to the table in guilt.

            “What’s wrong, Kim?” I lifted her head up and leaned our forehead together. Her citrus scent calmed me – it always does. “You can always talk to me. I’m all ears.” I told her.

Kim pulled away from me and took something from her drawer. I figured out that it’s a cheque book. Kim wrote some amount on it and put her signature at the bottom part of it. I saw it clearly; the name of the receiver is me.

            “This is the rest of the payment.” Kim handed a piece of the cheque to me. I hesitantly took it from her.

            “You’re free now, Pie. You can go.” She told me with her calm expression.

I placed the cheque back to the desk in fright. “What do you mean?” I asked, nearly shouting at her.

            “It’s done. We are through.” Kim said casually like it meant nothing to her.

            “What? How could you?” I snapped at her. “I’m here to talk to you and we are not yet done.” I was indignant. The pain in my heart was excruciating. We are breaking up.

            “There’s nothing to talk.” Kim shrugged. How could she act that innocent?

            “Yes. We have something to talk and you need to listen to my explanation.” My patience was growing thin. How could she take it that easy? She wasn’t giving me a chance.

            “You are given two minutes to talk and it began now.” Kim took out her phone and started the timer. She was too mean. What has gone wrong with her? She’s not my Kim.

            “Whatever you have seen, it was not true. I was trapped and it all caused by P’Van. Please believe me, Kim. He was trying to ruin us.” I burst out. Kim stared at me with a smug look. The expression on her face was telling that she wouldn’t believe me. It would be difficult for me to convince her.

            “Since when do you know how to put the blame on someone else, Pie?” Kim laughed sarcastically. “P’Van was with me that night. We are dealing with our clients. How could he travel in that short time when we were miles away from here?” What Kim told me was too unbelievable to my thought. I was sure that the guy was P’Van. P’Van talked to me and besides that, it’s her sister’s birthday.

            “The last thing I could recall, he was the last person who talked to me.” I felt my whole body went weak. If he wasn’t P’Van, then who was the man in the picture?

            “Now, you wanted to tell me that you have already forgotten the man you get ed with?” Kim snapped me with her mean words.

            “I swear I didn’t do anything. Why don’t you believe me Kim?” It’s just too painful to be accused that way.

            “Then you should ask yourself, what you feel if you see me sleeping with other woman or man.” Kim statement sent me to my silence. If I were her, I have gone insane myself. No one wanted their loved one to be touched by the other person. It was like cheating to our partner.

            “You have to believe me, Kim. I didn’t do it.” I was so hopeless by now. Nothing would work if Kim refused to believe me.

            “I have pondered about it for the whole night, Pie.” Kim started. “After all, I began to realize why you refused to marry me.” She paused and took a lungful air in desperation.

            “I am a woman just like you.” She pointed a finger to me. “That would mean I’m lack of that one human anatomy which only a man would have.” She snorted.

 “If you happen to marry me, I couldn’t please you as what you have gone through that night and the worst thing is I couldn’t even impregnate…” I slapped her before she could even finish her words. I saw her lips started to bleed. That would mean I have slapped her with all my might.

“I’m not a , Kim. And I have never thought in such a way.” My voice quivered. She was too mean with her accusation to me. Kim was too much.

“The moment I started to believe you, I shoved away all my fears to the back of my mind. I used to not believe in love but you showed me the other way round. You gave me the feeling that no one could make me feel. When I have sworn to myself that I was content with loneliness, your presence and your love has proved me that I was wrong; I longed for your care and all your affection towards me. I began to realize that I deserved to be loved and something which I could do in return is to love someone in my life. You meant a lot to me, Kim. You don’t know how much changes you have done to my life.”

“Though, I never really wanted to rush into a marriage, I have never told you that we couldn’t get into it someday. I asked you for some time. Do you know why? I wanted to be a better lover to you before I committed myself and stay by your side as your spouse until the rest of my life. I only asked you for a little bit time, Kim. And you should have known, my thought has never reached to the point that you couldn’t give me child or whatnot, I have never thought that. All I need is you and your love.” Kim was staggered with my long confession.

“What happened to you, Kim? You have given me the courage to this love but now that I began to believe in it, you’re the one who run away from me.” I began to weep again as I looked at her face. The pain inside me was just too much to bear. It disappointed me that Kim was being irresponsible in the relationship which we were trying to build up.

            “What’s your point here, Kim? Pulling my legs and tell the world that it was just a terrible prank to break a girl’s heart? What kind of person you are?” Kim seemed to be taken aback with my words.

“Just please leave now, Pie.” Kim said and it was out of my expectation that I would finally see her crying.

“You don’t want to see me again?” I watched Kim shook her head immediately upon hearing me.

“It’s you who won’t see me again.” She murmured her words but I heard it clearly. The sudden realization dawned on me. My instinct told me that something wasn’t right here.

“Kim, please tell me if you had problems. You can always talk to me. We can work on it together. Talk to me, Kim. We can sort things out. I know this isn’t you. You love me and you won’t let me go.” I pulled her closer although the desk had divided us into two separate distances.

“Pie, you should leave now.” Kim shook her head, denying what she had kept in her mind.

“No. I won’t go anywhere until you tell me what’s going on here.” I refused. I sensed that something wasn’t right with Kim. I knew she hid something terrible from me.

“What’s going on now here is that we are done.” I wished I heard it wrong. “You should go and never look back. I have granted your wish. You’re free now.” Kim took my hand and squeezed it gently.

“Promise me that you would take care of yourself, Pie.” She requested to me just like it was her last wish in her deathbed. Kim baffled me. Once she was too mean to me but now she seemed to concern about me. What has gone wrong with her? I couldn’t sort things out in this confusion.

“I know something isn’t right here.” I held her hand in mine.

Kim forced a smile to me. “Everything has never been alright since we first met.”

“Now, it’s time for you to go.” Kim said to me – letting my hand go. I didn’t saw it coming when again; two guards in black entered the room just like the scene which I was thrown out from the house yesterday. They held me by my arms and lifted me up as if I’m weightless. I was j