Chapter 46: Who Are You?

June’s eyes widened, every trace of sleep vanishing at that moment. She stared at the man whom she had once thought meant the world to her, but who had abandoned her like she meant nothing to him.

He held a big box that almost covered most of his frame, and a red rose in his hand. His face looked rough, yet still as handsome as ever.

June bit her lower lip for noticing something like that.

If she hadn’t known better, she would have thought he had come to visit someone else, but she wasn’t going to deceive herself.

She knew why he was here.

Instead of giving him the audience he required, she turned to Ellie, her gaze carrying a false look of confusion. "Who is this?" she said, trying her best not to see his reaction to her question.

Ellie’s eyes squeezed in confusion, but as soon as she understood what June was trying to do, she responded. "I have no idea. I think it’s someone who might have lost his way or something."

Rauf stared at the women before him. He knew what she was playing at. She was giving him the exact dose of his medicine, but taking no for an answer was not a choice he was willing to leave with.

"Mami..." he started, hoping the nickname would ignite something in her.

But instead, she turned to glare at him. "Please, I don’t want to hear that strange name, and I have no idea who you are."

Before he could come up with more speech to appease her, she pulled Ellie in and slammed the door in his face.

After making sure the door was closed properly, she rested her back against it, feeling her knees going weak.

Suddenly, her head throbbed and her heart raced.

’How did he find me?’ she thought.

When Ellie had suggested relocating to New Central State, June had thought she was never going to see him again. Or, more importantly, he was never going to find her in the sea of people that lived in the city.

But now she knew she was wrong.

"What do I do now?" she said, but her voice came out as a whisper.

Ellie, who was standing in front of her, glared at the door as if it were transparent and she could see the man on the other side of it.

"Honestly, I don’t know," she responded, still shocked from seeing him.

June stared at Ellie as if she had just announced the end of the world. Ellie had always been the one to come up with ideas when everything seemed impossible, but with her claiming to have no idea what June was supposed to do, it made the situation feel worse than it was.

Again, on instinct, her hand moved to her stomach. "At least, let’s look at the positive side. He has no idea about my pregnancy."

But Ellie didn’t agree with that. "Look at you. You’re already sporting a small bump. I’m certain that in the next two to three weeks, your bump will be visible and there will be no hiding it anymore."

June’s head twirled with possible solutions. "Then I have to get rid of him before two to three weeks. And I think he should be gone now. There’s no way he will continue standing at the door, not after what I just said to him."

Ellie nodded, pulling June away from the door. "Let me see."

Immediately, she opened the door, her eyes making contact with Rauf’s, and she slammed the door back.

"He’s still at the door?" Ellie started, shocked, and in all honesty, she had always counted Rauf as a selfish man, so what was he doing waiting for June?

"What?" June responded, shocked. "Does he plan on staying in front of the door all night?"

Ellie scoffed. "He can’t. I bet that in the next few minutes, he would have left this vicinity." Then she started walking back into the living room. "Let’s ignore him. You can go back to bed."

Sleeping was the last thing on June’s mind, but she still asked, "What about you?"

Ellie frowned. "I still have a few more assignments to do. Even though I am not looking forward to doing them."

June forced a smile. "You have no choice, dear."

Ellie nodded. "I know. I know. Don’t rub it in my face that I am busy while you are free to do what you want."

Schooling her mind to ignore the man standing in front of her door, she dragged her feet to the bed.

To be honest, she had quite a hectic day, as she had kept herself very busy so as not to entertain any thoughts she didn’t want. But all the tiredness she felt had been replaced with anger and anxiety running through her veins.

Why was he here?

Did he come back to use her again?

Did Amie abandon him after finding rich parents?

If not, why would he be here after leaving his supposed ’love of his life’?

She turned and tossed on the bed, but it felt like it was just happening right in front of her.

Seeing his face alone brought back flashbacks of the things he had done the day he got his sight back.

She shook herself, willing herself to forget, but she knew it was impossible.

The night was going to be a long one.

Rauf stared at the door with a slight frown. If June thought he was going to leave because she had slammed the door in his face, she was mistaken.

He might have been prepared to face June’s anger, but he never thought she would still be extremely angry.

He had thought her anger will be mixed with some hope that they would finally be together again.

But June’s reaction seemed like the opposite.

After standing for hours, the night giving way to the early morning dew starting to drop on his clothes, the street behind him was becoming deserted.

Usually, the city was always busy, but that was a sign that it was way past midnight. Yet, Rauf remained at the door.

It wasn’t until his knees felt like they were starting to hurt that he conceded. "I’ll come back for you."he murmured.

He drove back to the hotel.

Henson had packed their belongings, following the instruction Rauf had given him. The hotel room was cleaned up, with no sign that the room had been constantly used.

Henson had waited for his return, his eyes glancing behind him as if he expected June to be trailing behind him.

"Boss..." He didn’t need to ask the unspoken question.

Rauf shook his head, the fatigue weighing him down. "I’m going back early tomorrow morning."

He placed the gift on the table and ordered a new rose that he planned to give her again tomorrow.

The look on her face the exact moment she had seen him was plastered in his mind. It ranged from surprise, annoyance, confusion, and finally anger.

She looked a bit thinner, as if she hadn’t been eating well.

Something he intend to change soon.

He turned on his bed, finding it difficult to sleep. He didn’t bother forcing his eyes closed.

It was four thirty a.m. when he sat up, changed his clothes, and got ready to leave for June’s place.

He wanted to catch her early before she resumed work at Andy’s clinic. Maybe he would be able to have a one-on-one chat with her. And if others were absent, she might be willing to give him a chance to speak with her.

The street was just as deserted as the previous night, the occupants clearly still trying to get enough rest.

Rauf remained calm, his hand rubbing his gifts gently.

A rose was, after all, what June had not been expecting from him. But he was certain she would love it.

As soon as June woke up, she ran to the door to check if he was still there.

But as he wasn’t there, she felt a sense of relief and, at the same time, a pang of annoyance.

Relief that he was finally gone without making a scene. And annoyance because he had just left like that without coming up with excuses. It made her feel like she wasn’t worth fighting over.

Of course, he was going to leave. Especially since she meant nothing to him.

She closed the door back, finally going to get ready for work.

Because her mind was divided, she had to force herself to eat before leaving for work.

Ellie was surprised as she always had a large appetite, but she couldn’t force her to eat when she declared she was alright.

She forced breakfast down her throat, then left the house feeling a little unhappy. Her stomach growled like she needed more food, even though she was the one who pushed her plate away.

June had taken just a few steps away from her door when suddenly, Rauf appeared in front of her.

She stepped back, getting annoyed by the fact that he had scared her, while also surprised that he was still here.

Before she could say a word, Rauf did.

"Mami, we need to talk."