Chapter 4

                                                    {Mirabel}

"Don't leave me. Please,please you cannot leave me too. Don't do this to me. I love you. I love you. Please. No!"

A startled scream slipped out of my mouth as I jerked awake.

Frantically, my hands sought out the other side of the bed, searching for what? I didn't know

But it was cold. Lifeless.

Just like the body I'd been clutching tightly in my dream.

Great. A dream.

Just another piece of the past that wouldn't leave me the hell alone.

They assaulted me whenever they got the chance, as if they have a personal vendetta against my peace of mind. Against the very world I'd painstakingly built for myself.

As if to remind me of what I'd lost. Or how stupid I'd been.

I let out an humourless huff, pressing my hand against my chest in an attempt to slow the frantic pounding beneath my ribs.

Once my heartbeat settled, I forced the memory aside.

Dead people belonged in the past, dark memories belonged in the darkest corner of my mind, and God knew I wasn't about to entertain either

With a sigh, I pulled myself up to a sitting position, and glanced around my one-bedroom apartment.

The familiar mess of clothes. The cheap furniture. And the faint morning light filtering through the old curtain in my one bedroom apartment.

Everything was exactly where I'd left it.

And then my eyes drifted, landing on the golden watch sitting on my bedside table.

I paused.

My lips twitched.

Memories of last night came rushing back. Not the ridiculous lie I'd told my fake husband. But the way I'd scampered out the club like I'd just robbed the place.

I mean, I had indeed robbed someone. Just not the entire place.

It was just a watch. One of the many in his collection. He wouldn't even have noticed it was missing. I was sure of that.

But I'd been scared.

I still remembered the way my heart had hammered against my ribcage, the way my legs had trembled beneath me.

What if he'd followed me? He'd have taken the watch back. And that would have been bad.

"You are such a beauty." I purred because the watch was gorgeous. Achingly so.

Sitting on my bedside table, it looked like something that did not belong in this place.

Of course, it didn't.

Not in my little apartment, with its peeling walls and secondhand furniture . Not among the few belongings I'd managed to gather for myself.

It was far too elegant. Far too expensive to keep  as an accessory.

Imagine how much I could make by selling it? Enough to afford  decent meals for months.

I squealed, mentally kicking my feet in the air.

It had been a long since I'd stolen anything. In fact, I'd sworn never to return to that life. But dancing with horny stranger was becoming exhausting, and I was not stupid enough to believe I could keep getting away with it.

Not that my café job paid enough to keep me afloat.

I needed the extra cash. And honestly, what was I supposed to do? There's no easy way to earn money when you're a runaway fugitive.

My phone vibrated beside me, jolting me out of my thoughts.

Reaching for it, I glanced at the message glowing on the screen.

Fathead boss: if you don't get your lazy ass here in ten goddamn minutes, forget about your job here.

Short. Precise. And enough to dampen my mood and nearly send me jumping out of the bed.

My boss is a dickhead.

Of course, he was the only one to hire me without questioning my identity. But he'd fire me if I don't get there in ten minutes.

Losing this job wasn't an option.

With a groan, I threw the covers aside and scrambled out of the bed.

Everything else could wait. My job really couldn't.

****

"For one second, Mirabel, do your fucking job right! Are you going to be a problem for the entire of today?"

My boss, Jacob growled, glaring at me behind his furrowed brows. His nostrils flared, and a muscle twitched in his jaw.

"Are you making me regret letting you keep your job when I should not?"

I let out an exasperated sign, dropping the plastic cup on the counter with a light thud.

"I told you I was late because I had a mild concussion!"

Jacob scrunched up his nose before letting out a disbelieving sigh.

"Of all the lies you could've told, a mild concussion? Really Mirabel?"

Yeah. Really

A mild concussion was the first thing that had popped into my mind, and I'd let it slip without a second thought.

"Wasn't a lie" I shrugged.

I mean, I did have a mild concussion for all of ten seconds when I startled awake from that absurd dream.

It wasn't my fault if Jacob thought I was lying. Besides, his anger was beginning to feel more like a personal vendetta than actual punishment for being one goddamn hour late.

Jacob had been forced to take over my duties during the morning rush. And I'd made up for it by scrubbing nearly every corner of the damn café.

Apparently, that still wasn't enough to satisfy His Majesty, who'd spent the past seven hours complaining about the way I did my fucking job.

God. I wanted to roll my eyes and spit in his fucking face. But I couldn't do that.

Instead, I consoled myself with the mental image of my golden watch lying beautifully in my room.

And the reminder that I'd very well end up jobless and homeless if I provoke Jacob any further.

Jacob sighed for what felt like a  hundredth time that day and ran a hand over his face.

"Fine. " He muttered. "Just don't expect this kind of leniency next time."

With one last glare and a disapproving tsk, he sauntered away.

Though I couldn't say for how long. Knowing Jacob, he'd probably waltz back in here to complain about how I was breathing too hard or blinking frequently

But until then...

I reached for my phone and opened my gallery, scrolling until I found the picture I'd taken of the watch this morning.

I sighed. My gaze lingered on the picture a moment longer.

If I could sell it for a hundred billion or something, then I'd throw every insult Jacob had hurled at me today right back in his face, before walking out of here like a queen.

Unfortunately, I don't think I'd be that lucky if I pawned it off at some illegal shop.

The vibration of my phone pulled me out of my thoughts.

I glanced at my phone screen, frowning at the unknown number staring at me.

A message from an unsaved number.

Considering I only had two contacts saved on my phone... Jacob, my boss, and Jake, the only friend I'd managed to have...this was unusual.

Before I could open it, another notification from the same number popped up.

A cold feeling settled in the pit of my stomach and my hand tightened around the phone.

It could even be spam. It could mean absolutely nothing. But the thought of a stranger having my number was enough to make my legs tremble beneath me.

Have I been caught? Has my location been compromised?

I bit my lower lip, hard enough to taste blood, and glanced around the nearly empty cafe, suddenly conscious of every shadow and unfamiliar movement.

I could ignore them. Pretend they didn't exist. Finish my shift and go home as though they're nothing more than a prank message.

But what if I was in danger? I'd rather know now than find out when it was too late

So, I sucked in a deep breath and I unlocked my phone.

The moment I saw the photo, I nearly dropped it.

On the screen was the photo of my room; Clothes scattered across the bed. The towel I'd used this morning sprawled across the floor

Everything exactly as I'd left it

And beneath the photo was a message.

Unknown: Something seems out of place in this room.

Then another photo popped up. This time, it was a gloved hand holding something I recognized all too well.

My watch.

Unknown: This watch. Don't you think it's far too elegant to be left in a dumpster like this?"

For a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

Someone had been in my apartment. And they'd gotten their hands on my fucking watch.

Then slowly, the fear twisting my stomach gave way to something hotter. Something sharp enough to burn through the panic.

Anger.

That absolute son of a bitch!

I'd not gone through the trouble of stealing that watch just to have another person steal it from me.

Not on my watch!

My finger hovered over the keyboard.

Me: Who the fuck are you?

The three dots appeared.

Unknown: Take a guess.

Oh fuck you! As if I wanted to play a stupid mind game with a fucking thief.

Me: Put that watch back where you found it.

I watched as the three dots appeared. Disappeared, and appeared again as if the bastard on the other side was deliberately testing my patience I no longer had.

Unknown: Why? I could probably take better care of it.

I stared at the screen.

The absolute nerve of this person.

Me: That watch is mine!