Valentine Masquerade

Chapter 6: Fractured Hearts

As Claire sat outside, thoughts went to her sweet yet sometimes troubled son. She was worried about him. He seemed even more upset in his texts to her. She wondered where he had gone off to for so long?

She truly didn't think he loved that blasted Reyes woman enough to have him be that upset over her. However, she knew her son was quite sensitive when it came to people rejecting him. She knew it had a lot to do with how abrasive Bradford was to him all the time growing up.

She also knew if she hadn't resorted to alcohol to subdue her problems she could have been a better mother to her son. Sometimes she wished she could go back in time and amend certain decisions she made in her life.

Seeing her son so out of sorts made her think to what, rather who, she gave up so long ago. Tears filled her eyes as she thought to how she wished she could take that decision she made back. She took a shuddering breath as she wondered how he was after all this time. Was he better off without her?

"Claire?" her husband's voice broke her away from her thoughts. She brushed her tears quickly and looked to him. "What's going on?" he asked, noticing she seemed upset.

She sighed "I'm just concerned about Daniel."

Bradford took a seat beside her and said "I told him I would gladly get rid of her from Meade, but he was adamant that she was worth holding onto in a business aspect."

Claire rolled her eyes "That witch! I knew there was something off about her the second I laid eyes on her!"

Bradford smirked at his wife "Claire, you always say that"

She glared at him "because I'm always right, aren't I?" her words had hidden meaning that only they understood. He sighed "Can we not discuss things of the past?!" He stated in annoyance.

She frowned "The past has a way of resurfacing." she said elusively. He placed his arm around her and pulled her close "Dear, Daniel will be fine. Maybe I'll consider giving him more responsibility with Meade. That could give him something to focus his energy on."

Claire looked at him and said "What if that's not what he really wants?"

Bradford groaned "He is ready for more responsibility."

Claire wanted to argue, but the thoughts that plagued her mind were muddling her ability to protest. "Perhaps we should go to bed. It's been a long day."

He got up and placed his hand out for her to take. She took it and thought back to a time when they were an unstoppable team, that was until her husband became obsessed with creating his empire and resorted to finding floozies who threw themselves at him just because of his name and position.

She frowned as they made their way through the mansion.

She truly hoped that her son would find someone who he could find true love in and not be tempted to cheat on. That was one thing she saw that Daniel had in common with her husband. He was quite the womanizer; though, she never saw her son as the cheating type. He had a bad habit of being with the wrong women. He'd gotten better in the last year, but she still worried about him.

Her was her little boy!

Well… not so little anymore; however, Daniel had always been her confidant, her special little one. She always felt closer to him. She hoped he'd be alright.

By the time, Hilda and Betty made it to their home in Queens it was just after midnight. Betty sighed as she unlocked the front door feeling conflicted and confused and crummy. She wanted to just hide under her covers and be buried there.

Hilda watched her sister feeling sorry for her, and wishing she could do something to help her feel better.

"Want me to bring you up some ice cream?" she asked, hoping to make her smile. Betty shook her head, "No thanks. I'm going to bed. I love you. Good night" Betty hugged her sister and went upstairs quickly before she burst into tears.

Hilda sighed as she watched her rush upstairs. Why did she have to be so stubborn sometimes? Whenever Betty got an idea in her head it was nearly impossible to steer her out of it. Hell, she knew she was just as bad sometimes. She knew Betty was just scared to put herself out there.

She wished she could get Betty to take a chance on this Daniel guy. Maybe he was exactly what Betty needed in her life to shake her up and bring her out of her comfort zone.

Hilda went upstairs to go to bed. She was tired and would talk to her sister in the morning.

As soon as Betty made it into her bedroom, she felt tears slide down her face. How the heck could one night with Daniel make her feel such a way? She'd never felt so amazing in her entire life. He was so sweet and charming and she enjoyed talking to him and walking around with him and dancing with him so much.

She bit her lip as she threw her phone on the bed and walked over to her mirror to see her face streaked with tears and her glossy eyes. No matter how much better she looked, it didn't change anything.

She frowned as she took in her look. As much as she loved how she looked now, she was still the same Betty on the inside, the one who was teased for how she looked.

She noticed the butterfly pin on her dress and a small smile crossed her face, remembering Claire, Daniel's mother. She was so nice. She laughed softly at Daniel teasing her about being clumsy for not only knocking into him, but also his mom. She really was clumsy.

She bit her lip, her thoughts drifting to Daniel and how much fun she had with him tonight. She took a breath and got ready for bed, hoping she could rid her mind of this night. She laughed thinking she was nuts for thinking that might be at all possible.

When Daniel made it to his apartment, he opened his door and walked in, a deep sigh escaping at how lonely he felt tonight, especially after having the best time with Bella, and having her leave, even after he took off his mask and told her who he was.

He knew it was crazy to be so wound up just from one night with someone, but he felt something with her; there seemed to be this strange sort of chemistry between them. He wondered if she felt it at all. He'd never felt that way with anyone. Even just talking to her was fun.

Dancing with her and being close to her made him feel whole, as strange as it was to feel that way with a complete stranger. He placed his hand to his cheek and smiled; feeling her lips press gently to his cheek in an affectionate kiss made him wish he could have reciprocated the feeling. He had wanted to kiss her so bad.

He quickly changed into something more comfortable and went into the kitchen to pour himself some scotch. A smirk crossed his face thinking about her silly mango margarita. Even her drink was sweet and fun like she was.

He shook his head, man, he really needed to get a grip and forget Sofia, forget about Bella, and just move on!