"Okay tell me. What is it?"

"It's about this summer when you went away"

"Okay?"

"This summer I didn't really have anyone here to hang out with. You know I was supposed to go on the trip but, then you were on the plane and I was still mad at you..."

"I know Chloe. And I'm really sorry about that"

"Philip, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty. I just have to tell you about something that happened."

Chloe took a deep breath. She knew what this was going to do to Philip.

"Well I ran into Brady and we kinda hung out all summer"

Philip clenched his teeth. He tried to relax but the thought of Chloe spending the whole summer with Brady made him furious.

"Really. Fine, that was in the past" Philip tried to remain calm.

"There's more Philip"

"What do you mean more?"

"We didn't just hang out, we sorta...we..."

"You what?" Philip said, losing his temper.

"We were supposed to go to the island the last weekend you guys were there. Belle invited us. Only we missed the plane and wound up in a hotel overnight."

"You spent a night in a hotel alone with Brady?"

".. Ac..actually two nights"

"What?" Philip began to pace the room. Mumbling under his breath.

"Philip, please just let me explain."

"Let you explain, fine Chloe, go ahead. I'd like to hear how you're going to explain yourself."

"I didn't plan on anything happening and neither did he....we just...we got caught up in the moment..."

"What do you mean you got caught up in the moment? Did you sleep with him?" Philip shouted.

Chloe's tears trailed down her face. She could not speak, she only nodded. Philip threw a vase across the room. Sending the shards of glass in various directions. Chloe flinched, fear growing inside her. She had never seen Philip so irrational.

"So all this time you've been lying to me? Letting me think that you were this innocent, inexperienced girl when in reality you and Brady....God, I can't even say it....I can't believe you would do this to me. How could you keep this from me? Chloe, you led me to believe that we were experiencing each other for the first time."

"We weren't together then and I was still so upset with you. Philip it doesn't matter now. Nothing does." Chloe's voice was strained on the last words.

"What do you mean? Why were you so upset when you first got here? Does all this have to do with Brady? Answer me!" Philip yelled, standing in front of her.

"Philip, I...I...I'm sorry" Chloe broke down letting the sobs take over her.

Philip's anger slowly began to dissipate. He knelt down before her. Cupping her face in his hands and making her look into his eyes.

"Look, none of that matters now. What's important is that we're together and I love you. I know that Brady means nothing to you and he was probably just using you. So I understand why you didn't want to tell me. I forgive you"

There was no way Philip was going to loose Chloe to Brady. He had devoted a year to this relationship and he would let no one come between them.

Chloe just could not do it. She knew what it felt like to have your heart broken. It was the worst pain she had ever experienced.

Chloe was relieved to hear him say those words but that is not what she really wanted. What she wanted was to run from Philip and not to stop until she found Brady. She wanted to hold him. To say she was sorry. To tell him she loved him.

Chloe wiped away her tears. It had been a long night. She was not about to tell Philip that she wanted to end things. Especially because of the outburst he had just had. There was no telling what he was capable of. Chloe could not break up with him tonight but soon. It had to be over. It was not fair to anyone. Brady could say that he was over her but she was sure as hell not ready to give up that easily. She had come to realize that she had to fight for what she believed in. Right now all that she believed in was Brady.

***********************

Brady walked into the penthouse slamming the door behind him. He went straight to his room without so much as a hello to his family.

"Oh, no, something must be wrong. I'm going to talk to him" Belle said excusing herself from the living room.

"Brady? Open the door" Belle said, through the thick wooden door, pounding her fists.

"Belle, I need time to myself"

"I'm not going away until you open this thing up. You know I'll do it too. I'll wait all day if I have to"

"You are so stubborn!" Brady said, opening the door causing Belle to become off-balance.

"Me stubborn? Look who's talking"

"Now spill. Did you see Chloe?"

"Yeah, I saw here" Brady said letting out a sigh.

"....And?"

"And I apologized and told her I would never come between her and Philip again. Oh and that I knew we could never be together"

"You didn't! Brady!"

"What? She didn't try to stop me, so I guess all your theories are wrong. She really does loves Philip"

"Well of course she's not going to say anything. You probably hurt her. There she was going to tell you she wanted to be with you and you tell her there could never be anything between the two of you. You are totally giving her mixed messages. The other night you tell her you love her and then you say there is no chance for a relationship"

"Wait a minute. I never told you that I said that"

"Of course not, she told me"

"Oh. Belle, how did I let things get so messed up?" Brady questioned, walked over to his bed. He sat at the bottom and held his head in his hands. "I wish I could take it all back"

"Take what back? What you said to her today?" Belle said, sitting down next to him and putting a comforting hand on his back.

"No, take everything back. Take back today, that night, this summer. Everything. I must really be stupid for thinking that I could have anything real with Chloe. So maybe if we didn't spend all that time together, I would be able to forget her and move on. I just can't get her out of my head" Brady let out a muffled reply.

"That's because you love her Brady, you can't forget someone you love that easily."

"I know, I just wish that she loved me back" He stood up from the bed and ran his fingers through his short hair.

"She does Brady, she does" Belle said, before exiting the room.

Brady laid down on his bed closing his eyes. Could Belle be right? No. He was just giving himself false hope. Chloe would never feel the love for him that he felt for her.

To be continued........