🎶Oh why can't I conquer love ~ Sia

●Tara Afua Henrie●

I wished those moments where you wake with no memory of the past day's events lasted longer than five seconds.

Once I sat up in bed, everything that happened last night came flooding back, along with a sharp headache. "Ugh."

I was back in the same room where my Mexican journey had begun—the room I'd stayed in when I first moved into Pam’s house.

Now, she was beside me on the bed, her hand resting protectively on her pregnant belly, pillows propped up behind her to support her back. She must have fallen asleep after spending the whole night trying to comfort me.

Careful not to wake her up, I pushed myself out of bed and into the bathroom. The reflection that met me in the mirror was awful. The puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks were reminders of how I cried myself to sleep after getting my heart broken... again. Luckily, my braids were still intact, thanks to the hair cap Pam put on my head.

I turned on the tap, splashing cold water on my face, hoping it would jolt me awake from this miserable reality. Then, I yanked a towel off the rack and dried off.

Last night was a real eye opener.

I'd been such a fool.

A massive fool to think what Shaun and I had was special. Guys like him don’t settle for girls like me—they lie, they use us for their fun. Even his stepmother, Mrs. Perez, told me that what was going on between us was just a fling. Yet, I didn't pay much attention because I was in love. I pushed things further. We went on dates, watched fireworks together, we kissed and we made love. To me, it had meant everything. But to him? It was nothing. Just a game.

And now, I was paying the price for believing him.

I couldn’t stop the memories from resurfacing, but I refused to drown in them. It was my fault for letting someone into my heart again, only to have it shattered once more. This was just another in a series of bad life choices, like the whole mess with Cudjoe and Sheeda. But this time, I wasn’t going to wallow in self-pity. I was going to fix this. And I would do it alone.

Fishing out some Advil from the bathroom cabinet, I popped two pills into my mouth and washed it down with some tap water. Then I hopped into the bath, took a quick shower and emerged.

Since, I moved out months ago, I didn't have any clothes here. So I had to rummage through Pam's closet for something to wear, which turned out to be a hassle because she was currently in her maternity phase. Thankfully, after ten minutes of searching, I found a suitable pair of jeans and a blouse.

Gathering my braids into a ponytail, I pulled on some sneakers and stepped out of the room, descending the stairs. I had just reached the foyer and was about to let myself out when a familiar voice stopped me.

"Tara?" Nando emerged from the kitchen, wearing an apron. "Where are you going?"

"The penthouse." I reached for the door handle.

"Wait!"

The urgency in his voice made me pause and turn to him.

"You can't go out there."

I frowned. "Why?"

"The paparazzi. They've been lurking around since you came home last night."

Just as he said it, I caught sight of a man dashing across the street with a camera in his hand.

"Shit." I let go off the door handle, and Nando drew closer, eyebrows dipping low.

"Why do you want to go to the penthouse, anyway? Yesterday, you specifically told Carlos and Refugio that you didn't want to set foot there."

"And I still don't," I replied, heaving out a breath. "I just want my stuff back. I want my belongings so I can give him back his penthouse. There's no point keeping it when he's... we're not together anymore."

Nando's eyes softened, and he took another step closer. "Tara, you don’t need to rush into anything. You’ve been through a lot. For now, just relax and breathe, ok?" He gently pulled me into a hug.

I hadn't realized how much I needed it until his arms wrapped around me, offering the warmth and comfort I hadn't let myself seek.

"You've had a rough night," he said softly, "but you’re home now. With us. C'mon, let's get you some breakfast. We'll figure out how to get your stuff back later."

I hesitated, wanting to protest, but my stomach growled before I could. I hadn’t eaten since yesterday afternoon and the thought of relieving my stomach from the vicious hunger pangs sounded like a dream. "Ok," I muttered, reluctantly letting my brother-in-law lead me into the kitchen.

Inside, Keke stood on a stool, mixing a bowl of pancake batter with all the concentration of a miniature chef until she looked up.

"Auntie T!" Her face lit up with a smile as she dropped the whisk and opened up her arms.

"Hi, sweetheart." I couldn’t help but chuckle, pulling my little niece into a hug. I missed her so much. "How are you?"

"I'm fine!" Keke beamed. "I'm making pancakes! Want to help?"

Before I could respond, Nando swooped in and replaced the mixing bowl with a smaller bowl of freshly made oatmeal. "How about you finish your oatmeal first, princesa?"

Keke pouted, but grabbed a spoon and dug in. Chuckling, I took a seat beside her, watching her tiny hands expertly maneuver the spoon.

Nando turned to me, pouring a cup of coffee. "Oatmeal for you too, or are you holding out for pancakes?"

"Yeah." I nodded, accepting the mug he handed me. "I'll wait for the pancakes."

As I took a sip, the kitchen back door creaked open, and in stepped a crowd.

"Morning, everyone." Zazu walked in first, putting the paper bags he was carrying on the island.

"Morning," Nando responded then paused work on the pancakes. "What brings you guys by?"

"Came to check on Tara." Areli smiled warmly, walking over and wrapping me in a hug. "How are you doing, querida?" She asked with concern written on her face.

All I could muster was a small shrug. "I'm... ok," I said, though we both knew it wasn't entirely true. Still, she squeezed my shoulder in understanding.

"We also didn't want to come empty-handed, so we brought some fresh bread from Paulo’s bakery." Zazu gestured towards the paper bags.

Nando proceeded to take the baked goods out of the bag. "Mh, smells amazing. Thanks, guys."

Meanwhile, Roberto nudged the door wider. "And look who we ran into on our way here."

Refugio and Carlos stepped through, both heaving out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, man." Carlos put his hands on hips. "It's a paparazzifest out there."

"They’re still here?" I groaned.

"Not for long," Refugio replied. "I've called in some bodyguards. They'll be securing the perimeter in the next five minutes."

Carlos wrapped me in my fourth hug of the day. "Hey, you ok?"

"I'm holding up," I said with a small smile. "For now, anyway."

"Why are there so many people in my kitchen?" Pam appeared in the doorway, one hand on her back for support.

Nando rushed over to her side. "Cariña, what are you doing downstairs? You should be resting. I would’ve brought you breakfast."

"Stop doting on me, Nando. I'm fine." Pam rolled her eyes as she drew closer to the island. "So, anyone mind telling me what's going on?"

"A lot," Refugio sighed. "But the crux of it all is that, last night's event has blown up all over the internet, generating varying views. So Tara, you might want to stay off social media for the next couple of days."

"Yeah, I know the drill," I mumbled, finishing my coffee.

"But what's the long-term solution?" Pam quizzed. "She can't stay off social media forever, you know."

Refugio sighed, "Believe me, I'm fully aware of that, Pam. But looking at the trajectory, the best thing Tara can do now is lay low. This whole scandal has stolen the buzz around the car launch. No one’s talking about the Rompero Cruiser like the Perez family had planned. Everyone’s focused on the drama. And there’s even word floating around that there’s a background story behind all of this."

Nando raised an eyebrow. "Background story? What background story?"

Refugio shifted. "Rumour has it that Shaun was forced into the marriage by his dad. People are speculating that there's some sort of contract involved..."

"No, stop!" I cut her off, my voice coming out louder than I intended.

"Tara..." Pam immediately called out, but I was already pushing myself up from the chair, shaking my head.

"No. I don’t want to hear it," I said. "Even if it was a contract, Shaun had all the time in the world to tell me about it, but he didn’t. He kept it to himself. I don’t want to be around someone who thinks it’s ok to lie to me just because he thinks I can’t handle the truth. That’s not his decision to make."

The entire kitchen fell silent as I stood there, my hands clenched into fists.

"I really love Shaun," I continued, "but I’m not going to let him make a fool out of me again."

The weight of my words seemed to settle over everyone. Areli came to my side, gently rubbing my back in silent support, while the others exchanged uneasy glances.

Refugio cleared her throat. "Well, if that’s how you feel, then I still suggest you stay out of this mess. Hopefully, it’ll blow over on its own, and everything will go back to normal."

I let out a deep breath. "If you want me to stay out of this mess, then I can’t stay here. Not in Mexico."

Refugio's eyebrows immediately dipped into a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I need a break," I confessed, pushing my hair back. "First the drama with Jax and Eden, and now this? I'm literally exhausted. I need time to go back home. Back to Ghana. Maybe some time away will help me clear my head."

My manager stared at me for a long moment, thinking it over. Finally, she gave in, nodding. "Fine, it's not a bad idea. I'll arrange a flight for you before the week ends."

"I'm coming with you." Pam cut in, placing her hand on my shoulder. "We can make it a sister-bonding trip. Plus, I need to get away from Commander Doting over here."

Nando rolled his eyes at the teasing jab and I couldn't help but chuckle as I nodded. "Yeah. I’d like that."

Refugio clasped her hands together, as if sealing the deal. "Good. Now that everything’s settled, I’ll focus on getting your things out of the penthouse."

As she spoke, I felt a weight begin to lift off my chest. It wasn’t much, but at least I had a plan now. A way to move forward, away from the mess Shaun had left behind.

******