Tangled By Fate

Her heart cried for their good times together. She could not forget.

'Maybe I should go there and pay a visit to my new friend I made there. I will talk to him about you and how much fun we had together. It wouldn't be that bad.'

She covered her face. Tears streamed down her face.

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The hilly track was empty. Catherine couldn't find a soul. A soft breeze blew, and her curly dirty-blonde hair danced with the wind. Looking at the muddy road. She found it lonesome.

She walked in the direction of the resort. When she walked closer, she spotted Vincent standing in front of the resort. His tall body stood like a statue.

A pair of attractive grey eyes also noticed her and the owner of the eyes gave her a bright smile.

He came closer and stated, "Dear lovely lady, I was waiting for your arrival. What took you so long?"

Catherine dropped her bag and slightly smiled at him. Now that she saw him, she felt much better. 

She gently retorted, "What do you mean by 'so long'? I've come on time."

Vincent had his piece ready. "I've been waiting for two days. It felt like more than two decades. How can it be a short amount of time?"

Two days ago, Ironin told her to visit the resort. She wrote a letter to Vincent that very day and applied for a week's holiday. She finished all her remaining work in two days and came here.

"Glib tongue." Catherine didn't wait anymore. She walked closer and went to his embrace. 

She wanted to be hugged by him. After the news of Veronica's death, she didn't have anyone to console her.

In the arms of a man, she felt his warmth and sturdy muscles. It gave her a sense of security and comfort. 

Vincent took her in his arms and was surprised at how cold her body was.

"Why are you so cold? Didn't you say you would come here in a carriage?" 

He rubbed her arms in order to warm up her body.

"I took a walk and stayed on the track for a while," Catherine replied. She did not tell him that she was reminiscing about her time with Veronica.

"Why did you do that? You could be in danger. No one could save you." Vincent was worried. "You must have walked for two hours. Come inside. I prepared a room for you."

He grabbed her bag and showed her the way inside. "I've prepared the same room you booked last time; just like you mentioned in the letter."

"Thank you, Vincent," she genuinely thanked him.

Vincent was excited to have her here. He kept talking, "I will prepare a warm bath for you. You need to warm up your body. While you bathe, I'll ask the cook to prepare your lunch."

"That's very kind of you." Catherine liked the way he tried to keep the conversation going. She was not in the mood to keep her cheerful façade. 

More than that, the open space was trying to make her reveal all her sorrow so that nature could embrace her.

"What 'kind'? How many times in the letter did I mention you to come over during weekends? What kind of demonic boss do you have who cannot give his employee a weekend? I'm going to complain to him."

Vincent was fuming.

'As I thought. He held grudges,' Catherine thought. 

'It's just I didn't want to come here, and I wished to forget about Ver's death so much that I kept working without a break. I couldn't sleep at night.' 

'That's why in the letter I lied to him that I have too much workload. I was just doing extra work that wasn't mine.'

She grasped his free hand and pleaded, "Please don't be upset, okay? I promise to visit you often."

'Coming here already made me feel a lot better. It wouldn't be so bad to come here often,' she decided.

"Really? You promise?" Vincent's eyes sparkled. But the next second, his eyes dimmed. "What's the point of promising? You promised me last time too but you waited months before coming here again.

"It won't happen again. I promise," she swore.

Vincent became excited once again. "That will be great. I made so many plans for us. We will see the stars at night. 

"We will see the dawn while hiking to the highest hill. We will have a lunch picnic. We will go down the road and watch the sunset in the valley."

Catherine's smile widened. "It sounds thrilling. Let's do that. I'll be here for a week. We will have plenty of time together."

"Yes! I'm looking forward to our time together." Vincent couldn't agree more.

"But what about your work? Your parents won't scold you if you skip your work, will they?" Catherine was worried about that part.

"No way! I already asked for a half shift for a week. Since I work hard every day, my parents agreed to take over the rest of the day. And it's only for a week. That won't be a problem."

"That's good then." With this, Catherine was relieved.

Vincent took her to her room and dropped the bag. "You can rest a bit. I'll check if the water is warm."

"Okay," Catherine sat down on the chair. 

It reminded her of the last time she was sitting beside the window and enjoying the view. Veronica was sleeping in the next room.

'Ver, now you aren't here…'

Her heart was heavy. She subconsciously touched her chest.

"The water is ready. You can take a bath first. I'll tell the cook to make your meal ready," Vincent announced.

"Thank you! Please tell the cook to prepare a spicy dinner for me," before entering the bathroom, she requested.

"You got it!" Vincent left.

Catherine stayed in the bathtub for at least thirty minutes before coming out. Herbs were mixed in the warm water. It soothed her body and she felt refreshed.

Wearing a bathing gown, she wrapped her hair with a towel. When she entered the room, she found the meal was already prepared for her.. Vincent was nowhere in the room.