The Secret Obsession of the CEO
Chapter 32: Broken Down

Chapter 32: Broken Down

Rory walked with determination. Her distress combined with her anger dried her tears. Fired up by her cusses directed at the man who hurt her, her strength increased—so did her temperature.

After walking half a mile, she couldn’t walk anymore. Her head hurt like monkeys were breaking open coconuts on her skull. Her arms felt so weak that she wanted to unscrew them to not feel them. Her legs lagged behind her...She wanted to move, but she couldn’t.

What the f*ck is he doing? Did he return?

She turned to see if Liam’s car is approaching. But it didn’t. The sky started to turn dark and she sucked in a deep breath.

F*ck! Can’t he come and get me? He would have seen my phone in the car, right? Is he laughing at me? Ugh! Why am I so stupid?

Just after walking for ten minutes, she couldn’t walk anymore and she decided to call Liam’s father to pick her up. Only then did she realize that she didn’t get the phone that she left in the passenger seat.

She wondered if she should return and get her phone back. But after her confident delivery of dialogue and dramatic exit, she didn’t want to go back. She was still mad.

She didn’t want to look at his face.

So, cussing Liam in her heart so as not to awaken Ellie, Rory walked forward. Cussing him kindled the fire in her heart. Plus, she had a hope that someone from his family would take this road to go to the town for whatever reason. No one else would take this road.

Little by little, she pushed through another half mile and ended up at the single bus stop near their home. This is the bus stop they always used for their school bus. It is very far from their school. She was scared to learn to bike. She never did. Her grandpa used to drop her here, but later... Liam bicycled her here and from here they would take the bus.

This continued until he got the license to drive. After that, he would pick her up in his car. Well, her grandma bought him the car, but he always acted as her driver without her asking and would bring her wherever she wanted to.

Her lips curved up without her knowledge. Back then he always grumbled that he didn’t want to be seen riding the bike with her. And that made her determined to ride with him. She would refuse her grandfather even when he offers to drop her in school. She preferred to ride with Liam.

Liam would complain that she is fat and he will die of a heart attack pedaling her. She should agree. It must have been hard pedaling through the dirt road carrying her behind. She would shake and annoy him in every way possible.

He even tried hard to teach her to ride. But she is not interested in riding a bike. She has a driver for her bike. What’s the need for her to learn to balance on two wheels?

Even after complaining, he never let her walk. Unless he is very sick, he would pick her up at her home daily and they rode together.

She enjoyed the ride on his bike more than every other ride she has ever taken. Yeah, better than every ride—including the private jet rides.

Ugh! Why am I remembering it now? I hate that idiot!

Her eyes watered once more as she dragged the luggage through the dirt road. She didn’t even have the energy to cuss Liam in her heart anymore. It was so tiring.

Just when she passed a hundred meters of the dirt road, while her willpower was on the cusp of snapping, something else broke—the handle of her luggage.

Rory didn’t know why she reacted like that. She stared at the handle for some time. The handle had separated from the bag. She realized that it cannot be salvaged. She cannot drag the luggage anymore.

It’s broken... It’s over.

She kept the carrycot on the ground, sat on the dirt road and started to wail sinking her mouth in her legs to muffle her sobs. Everything around her felt dark and she felt abandoned. She couldn’t even think properly but her tears continued to flow.

What did I do wrong? Where did everything go wrong?

She tried to think, but she couldn’t find any answers. Her brain went blank and yet her tears didn’t stop. It was as if the tears she was holding back after Ellie’s birth all flowed out today.

The sun went down and the sky started to darken. The wind started to get chilly and she saw white mist rising from the ground in the distance. Rory covered Ellie properly and even she was surprised to see the baby sleeping peacefully in all this.

Fear washed over her. She didn’t know what dangerous beings are lurking around in the darkness. Liam is not coming for her and she is stuck here.

What a useless being am I? Do I even deserve this baby? Can I protect her well? I couldn’t even remember to get my phone! How will I take care of a baby? I am endangering her by sitting here like a duck!

Her thoughts spiraled negatively and it only made her cry more. Usually, when she feels down, she would spring right back up. But this time she couldn’t even think. Her eyes started to feel heavy and she felt like she was drifting out of consciousness. She remembered feeling this way before. She fainted that day.

No! Ellie...

Rory slapped herself to keep her consciousness. She got the baby out of the carrycot and hugged her. The baby woke up and Rory patted her. Her frozen brain started to operate a little as Ellie’s little hands wrapped around her neck with a little squeeze.

Her baby always gives her immense strength.

She cannot just sit here. She decided to leave the carrycot and the luggage here. She can get them later. No one uses this road and wild animals won’t steal her luggage. And if someone comes across her luggage, there aren’t any valuables.

She tried to get up, but she couldn’t. Her head started to spin. Her stomach churned and she was nauseated.

No, no, no! I cannot be like this now...

Her inability to move made her eyes water some more. But crying is of no use.

As she was struggling, she heard the sound of a vehicle approaching from behind her. She turned behind her and through the foliage, she recognized the car.

She let out a sigh and hugging her baby, she sat on the road once more comfortably. The sound of the tires of the car on the gravel came to a halt just a foot behind her. Showing her back to the car, she just sat there.

"Are you crying, Cherry?" Liam’s voice laced with amusement heard from behind her.

"No, I am impersonating a fountain," she grumbled.

Once again, tears rolled down her cheek.