Chapter 2: Mariana's Core Struggle

Mariana Adams’ Point of View 

A few days ago…

Even though my eyes were puffy, I managed to smile in front of the mirror. Liam, my boyfriend, asked to see me after my grandmother's funeral. I didn't have the energy to get up yet, but based on the text message I received from him, I'm sure the topic we'll be discussing is urgent.

As I looked around our apartment, I could still see my grandmother standing there, smiling at me. But the thought of her no longer being a part of this world breaks my heart.

I tried to bite my lip while fixing my bag to prevent myself from crying.

My grandmother died as a result of a terminal illness. There was a chance to extend her life, but my cousin and I couldn't afford it. But, thankfully, we were able to borrow a large sum of money from loan sharks right around the corner.

 "What is it that you want to talk about?" I inquired while sitting across from her in a restaurant.

 It may be late, but I won't let this precious day pass without even getting an answer from him on why he has been ignoring my texts and calls and refusing to be by my side since I learned my precious grandmother passed away.

Seeing Liam's ruthless look already gave me a hint that something might have happened. Regardless, I don't want to draw any conclusions about any negative events that may occur between us, particularly regarding our relationship..

"We should split, Mariana," he said without taking a break or even saying anything before that.

I froze, I gulped, and I tried to hold back the tears that wanted to trickle down.

"You didn't text and call me. You even refused to see me on the day of my grandmother's wake. Liam, you've been avoiding me for weeks, and now you just want to see me in the middle of the night just to say we should break up?" I repeatedly feel restless.

No expression was seen in his eyes. He was determined to break up with me without giving any concrete reasons. 

"I'm not playing a game with you, Liam," I said as tears streamed down my cheeks.

He scoffed, craned his neck, and spat words out. "Neither do I, Mariana."

I nodded my head deliberately. "Tell me one reason, then. Tell me what I did for you to hurt me like this."

"Simply because I'm done playing with you, Mariana. You should know I hate people who have a burden on their shoulders. You should be aware of that by now."

"How about the years we've spent together?" Are we just going—" 

"I was just playing. I hope the things I said will process in your mind. Surrender the account I gave you back then, give it to my secretary, and leave my penthouse in an instant."

Liam's words swallowed my brain. After he left, I was completely dumbfounded. We've been together for a year; he promised to marry me and give me the world, but he dumped us, saying he's tired of playing after what he said back then.

I was tired of crying all day, which became the reason why I didn't run behind him.

That night, I went home completely hopeless. I was just walking down the road, looking down as the cold breeze fondled my skin. I was sniffing while stores began to close and staff began to go home, and here I am, crying myself out, thinking about the things that happened in just a snap.

My grandmother was sick, and we had over a million dollars to pay toward the loan sharks we borrowed the money from. However, the money was stolen by someone we don't know. And right now, my only hope was for Liam to seek assistance, but he broke up with me, revealing his true intentions.

I chose to walk alone, not thinking about the danger before me. My gaze remained fixed on the ground as I wiped away my tears, until I lifted my gaze to see the loan sharks waiting for me at the corner of the road.

In a spur of time, I froze where I was, began to tremble, and thought about where to go since there was no one there to save me.

"There she is!" one of them exclaimed, pointing their fingers at me. 

Due to astonishment, I ran away from them, running as fast as I could until I bumped into a drunk man in front of a MiniMart. He was tall and lean, about six feet. When I lifted my gaze on him, he looked like a Greek god, yet he reeked of alcohol!

 His husky eyes stopped on mine. I hadn't realized I'd been holding his chest for over a minute when he spoke, bringing me back to reality.

 "Get off, woman," he hardly spat out.

 I veered around, seeing the goons behind, who were hardly running to catch me.

"I'm so sorry, but could you please help me? Those goons are trying to catch me!" I was enunciating, agitated by the man's response.

 He only stared at me for a couple of seconds before he sneered; he seemed a bit irritated and didn't even dare pay attention to what I said. Instead, he got inside his car, leaving me no choice but to begin running away from them.

 How heartless! 

As I glanced behind, I didn't know that there were already two men in front of me, grabbing my hand as I let my guard down.

"We've got you!" they yelled.

I screamed out of astonishment. I roamed my eyes around, but the location where we currently live has no house or zero possibility of having people around. It was when one of them grabbed my arm, grasping on to it tightly.

"Let go!" I screamed, pulling my arms away from them.

"The days we have given you have been done. Where is the money you borrowed from us?" the goon inquired.

My heart began to race as I didn't know what to say. The remaining money I had in my bank has been stolen by someone I didn’t know since I withdrew it. And starting from that day, we didn't receive any news from it.

"Wait!" I squirmed, trying to break free, but they were too strong.

"Woman, stop running away from us. We let you borrow the money, and you gave us an exact date to give it back. Three days had passed, and you kept running away. Do you think we'd let you get away now, huh?"

A SUV pulled out in front of us. I started screaming when they tried to bring me inside. Even so, as I was being knocked inside the SUV while screaming, I noticed a man's shadow at the corner. I was about to call for help when these idiots covered my mouth with a handkerchief, putting me to a deep slumber.