บท 34: Sincerity
DAY 17 CONTINUES
Patrick came home tired after the meeting and his tours of the warehouses and the site his company is currently building on.
Sara arrived as usual to fetch his stuff.
"Is Phina still here?" He untied his tie and asked.
She appears a little taken aback when he asks about Phina, who he usually doesn't ask about.
Yes, she spent the entire day in her room, not even getting down to eat," she responded.
He let out a relieved sigh.
"All right.Thanks."
She gave him a nod before leaving to arrange the table for his dinner.
He was relieved she was still with him. He knew she had reconsidered leaving since she was still there.
He didn't want to go to her room, though—everything he said or did would have to wait until the next day.
He closed his eyes and put his head back on the armchair. He was disoriented and worn out, and he felt that he was missing something.
********
DAY 18
Upon waking, Phina saw her face swollen and her hair tangled up in every direction. She was aware that she appeared to be in a sad state. Nevertheless, she cannot allow the words of a fool to bring her down to a low place.
She was well aware that she much exceeded that. She does not require his praise to feel good about herself, and she does not need his compliments. Without him, she would have been in a better place.
What was different was that she had never been spoken to in such a manner. She had never before been subjected to such kinds of derogatory remarks about her. And it was painful. She felt as though she had heard it from her friend or from her own blood, and this caused her pain.
On the other hand, if she wanted to continue living in the house, under the same roof as Patrick, and keep her father from finding out about it, she needed to move on from what had occurred. Her only option was to let it go.
It was well past nine o'clock in the morning when she looked up at the clock on the wall. After removing the blanket wrapped over her, she got out of bed and climbed down. She proceeded to the closet, where she folded her clothes before leaving. After selecting a random piece of fabric from the closet and placing it on the bed, she removed the nightwear she had been wearing since the afternoon of the day before.
Before entering the restroom, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her body. After brushing her teeth, she proceeded to untie the towel and take a bath.
Patrick awoke at a relatively late hour. He was too tired to make it to work early. His first order of business was to text Henry and Susan, his secretary, informing them that he would be arriving late to work.
He read for half an hour before going back to bed. It was eight thirty in the morning when he finally opened his eyes and saw the time. After taking a bath, he went to his email to check for any messages that Susan might have sent him for him to read and evaluate.
When something occurred to him, he was still in the middle of reading. Before leaving his room and putting on his flip-flop, he turned off the tablet he was holding and then dropped it on the bed.
In the hopes that Phina would be there, he proceeded to the living room, but no one was there. Sara informed him that she would be visiting her parents on that particular day and would not return until either the weekend or Monday. Sara left early in the morning to beat traffic. In other words, he was the only person in the house with Phina.
Therefore, he decided to go to the kitchen before heading to Phina's room because he was thirsty. Surprisingly, he found Phina seated on the dining chair in the kitchen, where they were both working. She was consuming cereal at the time, but she did not appear to be having any fun with it. She was merely tinkering with the things she was eating and her spoon.
The sense of shame that he was experiencing started to grow within him.
Because he did not see her in the living room, he had intended to go up to her room after he had finished quenching his thirst. On the other hand, she was there.
"Uhm." He made a slight clearing motion with his throat to avoid startling her. "Good morning." When she looked up, she saw him standing at the kitchen entrance. He stated this as she looked up. He saw the surprise on her face, but it swiftly vanished. Again, it reverted to a state of expressionless.
"Good morning." She mumbled something, and then she went back to eating.
It came as a surprise to her to see him. She believed that he had already left for work. Because they had returned from the club on Tuesday, she had been avoiding him ever since.
And he called out, "Phina." She did not look up as he approached her side slowly and deliberately. I want to express my deepest apologies to you, Phina, for the words that I spoke to you the day before yesterday. It was a terrible mistake, and I am sorry for it. I have no authority to criticize you and voice those comments.
You are not required to make any apology. It is alright." She said without paying attention.
"No, I am at a loss. That was my fault, and I apologize to you, Phina. This is not a joke. My sincere apologies. You are not a slut, and by no means are you a cheap person. My apologies for the poor choice of words. You do not deserve them in any way. I am sorry, please, Phina. He begged.
It was the first time in his life that he had genuinely apologized to someone who hadn't meant anything to him and whom he hadn't known for more than three weeks. He sincerely hoped that they would forgive him for his actions.
His heart yearned to hear her utter a single word. She should accept his apology.
"I'm sorry, Seraphina." Once more, he pleaded.
Phina gazed at him. Hearing his voice alone, she could sense the sincerity in it. He first sounded genuinely passionate about something when speaking about it.
The tone of his voice conveyed not only complete sincerity but also desire and anticipation.
So, it's not a problem. I accept your apology. It was said with a nod.
"Thank you." It was a relief to him to know that." He stated once again. "You have my word that I will treat you with the utmost respect. Once more, I am sorry."
She would not have believed it if someone had told her Patrick could express such deep regret, but he was doing that at this very moment.
So that he may bring his pride down?! And she pondered.
But she did not utter a single word as she nodded.
He let out a sigh of relief. After going to the refrigerator, he retrieved a bottle of water. After finally leaving the kitchen, he turned his attention to Phina, who had resumed eating. He then strolled out of the kitchen, leaving her with her food. His chest felt like a great weight had been removed, and he experienced a sense of lightness and relief. He climbed the stairs back to his room, and as he did so, a faint smile tugged at the corner of his lip.
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