Chapter 4 Bracelet No bracelet.

Every emotion that battled for the frontline a second ago all trickled into one. My heart thumped in my chest as I watched Pierce speak with the doctor while she played with the edge of his suit.

I began to feel lightheaded and took a step backwards. The simple movement seemed to draw Pierce attention because he turned and looked straight at me. I searched his eyes for...guilt? Pleasure? Any emotion that would let me know where we stood. The woman turned to him, then me, and soon, she was tugging Pierce towards me.

I stood frozen, like a deer in headlights as the pair approached me, the doctor, forgotten.

This was a good thing. Pierce would introduce us and later in life, we could laugh about how much I was panicking now.

As they stopped directly opposite me, I peeled my eyes from Pierce and smiled at her.

The first thing I noticed was how similar we both looked. It wasn't like we looked like twins, but the similarity was obvious enough to make me uncomfortable.

I knew from the beginning why Pierce noticed me, and I told myself over and over that was understandable.

Yet standing in front of the two of them today still made me feel like a cheap knockoff, although she had a look of innocence I could never attain.

I was sure my life had been very different from hers.

My smile faltered at the mischievous glint in her eye. I looked back up at Pierce, who didn't seem like he wanted to speak at the moment.

"Hey," I said brightly, "surprised to see you here."

"I couldn't agree more." He answered grimly. I heard the silent question in his voice and gave a quick lie.

"I'm here with Hannah. She had uhh... fever and I'm tagging along." He looked at the part of the hospital behind me and back at me. I glanced at her and back up at him, giving the same questioning look.

"Pookie bear, won't you introduce me to your friend?" She said in a whiny voice while looking at him adoringly. Pierce's eyes pulled away from mine immediately the words came out of her mouth and my gut wrenched.

Pierce hated nicknames. The first time I had done it, he laughed in my face. The next time I did he snapped at me. "Pookie bear." I murmured under my breath and his eyes seemed to flame.

"This is Myra." Not Myra, my girlfriend or friend, even acquaintance. I was just Myra today.

I smiled lamely at him even though my eyes seemed to plead. I needed more than that. 'Please assure me that she's nothing' I thought.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mira."

"Myra." I corrected,

"Yeah. That's what I said." She glanced at Pierce with a confused look. "Anyway, I'm Tami. You've probably heard all about me from the news. They were so quick with it!" She laughed while my eyes focused on her hand on his bicep. Friends held each other like that all the time. "People like us don't get to enjoy a moment alone do we? You might understand a bit, since you're an actress."

I nodded, not trusting my voice to sound right.

"How long have you known my pookie bear?" She continued.

"A while," I replied, forcing a smile on my face. "I hear you and Mr. Blackwood have been friends for even longer?" I led, this was a chance for him to end my fears, or crush my heart. Pierce remained silent.

Tami laughed, "Oh me and him go way back. We were highschool sweethearts. First love and all that, but then we lost contact for a while because I had to go overseas."

"And now you're back, what's the next step?"

"You know how things are. I can't begin to describe how excited I am to be here with him again. I hope we can go back to how things were before I left." She smiled lovingly at him. Her words sliced through me, extinguishing the last flicker of hope.

"Congratulations are in order then." I managed, my voice steady, but barely.

"Tami, we need to leave." Pierce demanded, glancing at the watch on his wrist. He looked at me again. "See you soon."

"Yeah." I croaked and cleared my throat. I knew what was next. Pierce in his business man manner would end our relationship. Cold, like what we had meant absolutely nothing to him. My legs trembled beneath me, threatening to give way.

"Oh! pookie, I think I left my bracelet in the room, can you get it for me." She asked sweetly. Pierced forced his eyes away from me and looked down at her. "Don't worry, I'll be fine waiting here. Nobody's going to steal me." She flirted.

He sighed and brushed past me, and I fought the urge to follow him with my eyes.

"Must be hard for you, isn't it?" Tami said when he was gone. Her warm smile had been replaced by a knowing smirk. She looked me up and down. "He tried so hard to replicate the real thing, it's impressive." Color stained my cheeks, and my mouth seemed to lose its function. "Well thanks for filling in for me while I was gone, I bet you kept him entertained. But I'm back now, and your services are no longer needed."

"I am not a threat to you Tami." I stammered, still in shock at the change I witnessed. "My relationship with Pierce is different from what you have with him." and it was ending now. She had nothing to worry about. My heart ached.

"I don't feel threatened by you or anyone in the city. None of you stand a chance." she crossed her arms. "Which is why I called the paparazzi, it's a public announcement that Pierce is mine and nobody else's." Her face turned into a mask of honey again.

"But I wish you the best in your career. I hope you make a big hit one day." She smiled sweetly as Pierce returned to her side.

"There was no bracelet in the room Tami, how important was it to you?" he asked concerned. "I could have them do a thorough search for it." In our two years together I had never seen this side of Pierce.

"You're so loving, pookie, but it's okay." She looked straight at me. "It's kinda worthless anyway."

Just as she turned he grabbed my arm and pulled me to him. "We have to talk, Myra, I'll get to you when I can:"

"Come on Pookie, I'm tired of standing here." She grumbled. Pierce spared a look at the ward I had come from before he spun on his heels and led Tami away.

My cheeks burned in humiliation. Tami's and Sarah's words played over and over again after I left the hospital. But now I was sure of one thing. I would never tell Pierce about my baby.

When I returned back to the apartment that Pierce had rented for me at the start of our contract relationship, I curled up in a chair to watched the city go by.

When I agreed to date him, I didn't think I would fall in love this hard. I didn't think I wanted him to either. We belonged to different worlds.

Yet, here I was, a heart broken mess for a man that didn't think I was important enough to get a little warning on the end of our relationship. He could've told me she was coming back. Give me enough time to prepare myself for this heartbreak.

Oh, who was I kidding. Nothing could prepare me to leave Pierce. My eyes filled with tears and I let them fall in the privacy of my home.

Despite my pain, I felt an overwhelming sense of longing for him. I left my perch on the chair and collapsed into my bed, wrapping myself around a pillow. There, I inhaled the warm woodsy smell I associated with him.

Funny how I was still trying to find comfort from a man who regarded me as less than. God, I loved him. So much that it hurt. I knew it would feel worse to have him tear our relationship to shreds. Would I be able to bear it without telling him that I loved him? Confessing my love to him would make me even more pathetic.

My heart felt like it had been broken into tiny pieces in those few hours.

As far as I knew, I had two options; wait for Pierce to pay me a visit, and watch as he broke the news of the end of our relationship, or the second option. Save us both the hassle of a face to face meeting. No matter which option it was, the call Pierce promised never came.