Our romance? Was that what Charles and I had? Were we actually together, or was this just plain sex?
I felt a pang of hurt in my chest. No, I didn’t want this to be just about sex. I wanted more with him, and if he wasn’t serious about this—whatever this was—then... Then I didn’t know.
No. I had to focus now on my work. Anything else would have to wait.
I got out of the office and went to the hotel. I had so many plans about it and a great vision, and I felt unbelievably happy that Charles had faith in me and allowed me full freedom to do whatever I wanted. I couldn’t let him down. I would make this hotel shine again, and it would regain its old glory.
I arrived at the hotel and noticed there was some activity around the place. Unlike last time, it wasn’t empty today, and as I walked around the lobby, I heard the voices coming from the hallway leading to the restaurant. I noticed there were some contractors, wearing their khakis and hard hats. At first I thought to ignore them, but then I caught some snippets of their conversation, and I froze in place.
“Tearing this place down?” one of the contractors said. I took several steps closer to them and hid behind the corner, paying attention not to get caught eavesdropping.
“Yes. I heard they will tear the place down. It’s just too much of a hassle for the new owner. It’s worth is nothing compared to the value of the purchase! They figured out that it’s useless to spend their resources and money on this place, so this is the best solution at the moment,” the other contractor said.
No. No, this couldn’t be true! I couldn’t believe this. Charles wouldn’t do this.
“Well, this isn’t a surprise, to tell you the truth,” the first one remarked flatly. “I mean, I heard some rumors about that company. They are all talk and no action. Besides, this place isn’t really that special. I have no idea what’s all the fuss about it.”
“Well, it really is nothing special. It’s no wonder this hotel went bankrupt in the first place. Maybe it’s haunted?” The both of them laughed at his joke. “I don’t know, man, but that new owner is a fool for buying this building in the first place. I mean, come on, it’s obvious you’ll lose more than you’ll ever gain from this place. It’s completely useless. A waste of space.”
“You’re right. Maybe the new owner has some other use of this land?”
“Nah. There is no way. It’s useless, I tell you. That whole project is useless.”
Oh my God. As I stood listening to them, I began trembling. My limbs were cold and my knees threatened to give out on me. I had to get out of here before I made a fool of myself.
I moved slowly so I wouldn’t get caught and got out of the hotel. I stopped on the sidewalk and looked at the clear sky, feeling completely devastated.
I couldn’t believe this place would get torn down! No. This beautiful hotel where I’d made so many precious memories—a place I held dear in my heart—was going to be demolished. It wouldn’t even exist.
This was definitely my most important project so far, and I’d put so many emotions and hours of work into it. It meant a lot to me. I kept passing by it for years on my way around the city, hoping one day I would be the one who would transform it into something beautiful again.
I’d fantasized so many times about its redecorated rooms and hallways, and then people’s expressions of awe when they saw how beautiful it was. I was already so proud of my design, even though it was just a pure wish.
It broke my heart to hear this, but what hurt me more—what really made me sad, disappointed, and angry—was Charles’s betrayal.
He’d lied to me.
He’d lied to me from the start—promising me so much, when in fact he didn’t even want to do anything with that building. It was all a lie. He’d never thought to redecorate it. He’d never believed in its value. He’d wanted to destroy it from the start—probably planning to build something that would bring him much more money.
I should have known better. After all, he was completely rude toward me at the beginning, insulting me like I was a cheap slut, and I should have never believed he was any better than that.
My tears welled up in my eyes and I pressed my hand against my chest to ease the painful throbbing of my heart. It was pointless, though, because it only started hurting more, and despite being in a public place, I started crying, unable to hold my emotions inside.
Charles was lying to me the whole time just to get me in bed.
To take my virginity.
When did he plan to tell me the truth? Did he ever plan to tell me the truth, actually? He probably didn’t even want to bother with telling me such a thing, planning to fuck me a few more times and ditch me when he got bored.
I sniffed, wiping off my tears, but they kept coming back. I sat down on the bench, hoping I would manage to calm down somehow.
All my memories with Charles came crashing back to me and I realized the full extent of what I’d heard today. Nothing was real. He’d acted like he would be okay with anything I might come up with, promising to provide me with money I would need for my design, when in fact all he’d been thinking about was getting laid. He was a liar, a manipulator and a playboy, inconsiderate of others and their feelings.
Oh, I even told him how I felt about the whole project! I’d told him how important it was with me, sharing my most precious memories as I thought he would understand me and appreciate my story. I could only imagine now how ridiculous I’d sounded to him. All he’d ever been interested about was my body and nothing else.
I was completely embarrassed that I’d let him do all those things to me—controlling me and “punishing” me—falling for him all too easily.
I sobbed, clutching onto my chest harder.