Broken Smiles
Eva was buried in her work when she caught Cathy's eyes lingering on her. The look was strange, too curious, almost probing, but Eva dismissed it with a quiet shrug, refusing to let it distract her.
When the lunch break finally came, she slipped into the eatery, grabbed a slice of pizza, and settled into her corner. She had barely taken her first bite when Cathy appeared, moving with a kind of careful gentleness that instantly put Eva on edge. Cathy set her tray down with deliberate quietness, then cleared her throat.
"Hi," Cathy said softly.
Eva raised her head, her own reply just as gentle. "Hi."
For a moment, silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words. Cathy lifted her cup and sipped her tea, her eyes darting toward Eva in quick, stolen glances as though she were studying her.
Eva tried to concentrate on her meal, pretending not to notice, but the weight of Cathy's gaze pressed harder and harder against her. Finally, with a sudden heaviness, she set her pizza down, wiped her fingers, and turned fully to face her.
Eva's voice broke the silence first. With her pizza aside, her eyes fixed on Cathy.
"What is it, Cathy? If you have something to say, just say it."
Cathy froze mid-bite, then slowly set her burger down. Her voice trembled with a mixture of hurt and disbelief.
"When were you going to tell me, Eva? I thought we were friends. How could you hide something that big from me? Everyone believes Miss Seraphina is the boss's wife, but it was you all along. You, sitting here quietly, letting that bimbo trample all over you. And worse, she had the nerve to kiss your husband in front of everyone!" Cathy's voice sharpened with indignation. "What a thief, stealing the spotlight for herself. Eva... my quiet Eva, actually the boss's wife? You should be flaunting it, girl! I just don't understand why you'd hide that... especially from me. I thought we were friends."
Eva lowered her gaze, her fingers twisting together nervously. When she finally spoke, her voice was heavy with sadness.
"Cathy... I couldn't tell anyone. I didn't know how long it would last."
Cathy's eyes widened, the thought hitting her like lightning.
"Oh my God, Eva. Don't tell me it's one of those contracted marriages, like in the movies? The kind that's only temporary?"
Eva quickly shook her head. "No, no, it's not that. He never said anything like that. But," She hesitated, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Cathy, can I tell you a secret? Something I've never told anyone before? It's a secret I've been carrying for too long, and its been eating me up and weighing me down every single day."
Cathy leaned forward, her expression softening. "You know you can tell me anything, Eva. Whatever it is, I'll be here for you. Your secret is safe with me."
Eva's chest tightened, and with a shaky breath, she finally let it out.
"My real name isn't Eva. It's Ana. Ana Clarkson." She paused, sighing deeply before continuing. "Remember that one time there was rumors about dexter stealing the Lopez evolutionary code? It was me! I stole that code from Damien and handed it over to Dexter!" She said and cathy frowned, disbelief clouding her expression. "O-okay. Am listening".
Then, with trembling words, she poured out her story, everything she had buried, everything she had run from.
By the time she finished, Cathy's cheeks were wet with tears.
"Oh, Eva..." Cathy whispered brokenly. "You've been through so much. I can't believe it. You're stronger than I ever imagined."
Eva's own tears spilled as she gripped Cathy's hands desperately.
"I did what I did back then because I couldn't let my family be destroyed. I had already lost my father, I couldn't let our legacy vanish too. And what Dexter wanted in return was that code. I didn't mean to lie, Cathy. I didn't mean to hurt him like that. You have to believe me." Her voice cracked, her whole body trembling under the weight of her confession.
"I believe you, Eva. I really do. And honestly, I'm just, lost for words. I think you should tell him the truth. But then, what if he gets disappointed and decides to toss you aside? This whole situation is really dicey. But not withstanding Eva, you need to be strong, okay? And if you ask me, I'd say Damien has always been yours. So own it, girl. Come clean and face it like the strong woman you are."
"I_ I can't, Cathy. I'm scared. I love Damien too much. I don't want to live a single day without him. Cathy, I'll die if Damien leaves me."
"It's okay," Cathy said softly, squeezing her hand. "Don't carry this burden alone anymore. He won't leave you. And I'll stand firmly by your side. And that stupid Victor guy, he's going to get it from me." She made an exaggerated angry face that made Eva laugh through her tears.
"You do realize he belongs to a Mafia group, right?" Eva asked, wiping at her damp cheeks.
"I don't care who he is. He just better not bother my Eva," Cathy shot back, before suddenly pausing. Her tone shifted. "Eva, there's something I need to tell you too. Mr. Eric and I... we're dating now."
Eva blinked. "I don't understand. How come?" Eva said as she wiped her tears.
Cathy looked guilty, lowering her voice. "Eva, I think I did something really stupid. I caught him kissing Seraphina, so I... I blackmailed him into becoming my boyfriend. I told him if he refused, I'd expose his secret. But now that I know Seraphina isn't even the boss's wife or girlfriend, I feel so horrible. My blackmail was baseless and totally wrong. What should I do?"
Eva sat up straighter, her expression hardening. "No way, Cathy. Don't end up like me. Once you start something wrong, you'll just keep piling up more bad things to hold it together. And besides, a man's heart can't be forced. You don't need that kind of desperation. Cathy, you're beautiful, you don't have to subject yourself to that."
Cathy's lips trembled. "Hmm, so you're saying I should let him go? But, Eva, I love him so much."
Eva shook her head with a sad smile. "You love all handsome guys. And there are plenty of them out there. If he already has something going with Seraphina, then you need to let him go. Don't force it, Cathy. Please. I don't want to see you get hurt."
The girls continued to chatter away, their voices fading into soft laughter.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the office, Seraphina was living through her own private nightmare.
She had reported to work earlier than usual, hoping to make a good impression. But true to his word, Eric made sure her day was nothing short of torment. From the moment she stepped in, he drowned her in endless tasks. Seraphina found herself scurrying from one department to another, her delicate hands clutching stacks of heavy files that seemed bigger than her frame.
Every time she thought she could finally breathe, her phone buzzed sharply, dragging her attention elsewhere. Another errand. Another floor to climb. Another humiliating reminder that she was being kept as far away from Damien's office as possible. She was running like a messenger girl, up and down the building, her heart pounding, her legs aching. At one point she thought she might actually collapse.
Desperate, Seraphina darted into the bathroom. She gripped the sink, turned on the faucet, and let icy water splash against her flawless face. As droplets trickled down her cheeks, she stared at her reflection and barely recognized herself. This? This was what she had been reduced to?
All in the name of love.
She clenched her jaw, hatred burning in her chest, not toward the grueling work itself, but toward Eleanor, the woman she now despised most. It was Eleanor who had encouraged her to "earn her place," who had suggested she work at the company to prove herself. But Seraphina wasn't made for this. She wasn't raised for this. She had always lived in leisure, lounging in hotel suites, scrolling her phone, shopping until her arms were full, ordering room service, and basking in luxury. She had never once had to sweat, never once had to push herself like this.
Now she felt stripped of her pride. Humiliated. Broken.
Worse still, the people around her treated her like prey. Everyone seemed to mock her. Damien avoided her as if she carried some kind of contagion. Eva, with her composed elegance, seemed to glide over her like a shadow she could never chase away. And Eric, oh, Eric hurt her the most.
The man she adored, the man she thought might see her differently, was the one who made her feel the smallest. He shoved documents into her hands without sparing her a glance. His tone was cold, his words like whips. Orders came out as barks, and the moment she stumbled, he scolded her openly, not caring who was watching.
For the first time in her life, Seraphina realized what it meant to be invisible. To be insignificant. And she hated every second of it.
Seraphina vowed she would not be swayed. No matter how humiliating, no matter how degrading, she would endure it all. She told herself she would persevere, if only to prove to anyone watching that she wasn't weak. So she swallowed the bitterness, bore the throbbing ache in her legs, the pounding headaches, the shame of being brushed aside as if she were invisible.
But in truth, she hated her life. The first week nearly broke her. Somehow, she survived it, but she knew she couldn't keep up this madness much longer. Eric was merciless. Cold. Unyielding.
How could she go on tolerating such cruelty from him, him, of all people?
The same man who had once pulled her close, kissed her breathless, whispered sinful things against her lips, the same man who had entered her and spilled into her as if she were the only woman in his world. And yet here he was now, treating her like dirt under his shoe.
What shattered her most wasn't the workload, nor the scolding, nor the shame. It was that moment, burned into her memory, when she saw him along the corridor, lips locked with that girl, Cathy. The sight nearly tore her apart.
Seraphina had never felt so unlucky in her life. Deep inside, she knew she wasn't a good person. She had never cared to be. She relished power, enjoyed being the one others feared and begged from. Once, back in college, she felt like a lord, she had even ruined a girl's life with her cruelty, bullying her so viciously that the poor thing disappeared from campus. And though Seraphina rarely admitted it, but life has never been the same again ever since, sometimes she still feels like Ana Clarkson was a curse in her perfect life.
Her life had always been smooth until Ana Clarkson was promoted to her class, she and Damien were good friends at that time, they had even shared candy together until Ana showed up. Everyone thought she and Damien were going to date back then in college because she was practically his shadow, his biggest fan, she loved him to the moon, but the moment Damien saw Ana everything changed.
He started to secretly stare at her, and Seraphina had caught him several times secretly stalking Ana, and she almost died of jealousy. So she started to bully the poor girl, especially when she finds her especially weak, someone she could trample upon.
And now, years later, Seraphina couldn't shake the gnawing truth: the shadow of Ana Clarkson had ruined everything.
She had shown Ana hell, and that was the moment everything began to unravel.
Damien had cut her off almost immediately, severing ties without hesitation. He stopped letting her trail after him, stopped seeking her presence, and, before long, it became painfully clear, what they had was one-sided.
Years had passed, yet Seraphina still felt the sting of that curse, as if Ana Clarkson's very existence had tainted her life.
Her love life never recovered. Just like Damien, every other man she met seemed to push her away eventually. She drifted from one relationship to another, either abandoned when they grew tired of her, or walking away herself when she realized they were beneath her in class or status. And every time, she wondered what had gone wrong. She was beautiful, flawless in every sense, or so she believed. Yet no man truly wanted her.
The powerful, wealthy men she longed for never even glanced her way. Instead, she attracted the unworthy, the driver, the steward, the waiter. She still remembered, with a bitter laugh, the day her father's driver had the audacity to ask her out. Out of boredom and spite, she had accepted, because she needed a f#ck-partner. And he had looked all the part, convenient body, and a temporary fix. And though she still remembered how surprisingly good he had been in bed, she dismissed it as part of a sordid past.
Now there was Eric. Eric, the lowly errand boy. She had mocked him with that name countless times, yet somehow, he had trampled over her pride in a way no one else ever dared. He stripped her of dignity, reduced her to something less than she ever imagined she could be. For someone with an ego as sharp and inflated as hers, it was unbearable.