We Got Robbed?

VALENTINA’S POV

As dawn’s first light penetrated through the tinted glass windows of the car, painting the car in a soft shade of gray and golden light, the weight of reality began to hit me in my sober state. My mind was clearer, and I could feel the daze of the alcohol leaving to reveal the gravity of what I had just done.

I got up from the seat slowly. It felt like I had been compressed by the weight of a thousand men. Every inch of my body ached, especially my core. 

I leaned closer to Christian, who was fast asleep, his breathing steady and peaceful. Slowly, I reached into his pocket, careful not to wake him. After searching through one side, then the other, I found his wallet… a thick, brown leather one that felt promising. I opened it with shaky hands, rifling through its contents until I found his ID tucked in a hidden pocket.

Without a second thought, I pulled it out, along with his company card and a few dollar bills, shoving them into my bag.

This isn’t stealing, I told myself, my heart racing as I worked quickly. I did tell him he couldn’t have my body for free.

The early morning air was cool and biting as I stepped out of the car, the faint glow of dawn barely breaking through the darkness. I turned to glance back at the vehicle. Christian was still sound asleep on the couch, oblivious.

For a moment, I hesitated. Should I go back and tell him I was leaving? But no. Shaking off the thought, I focused on getting home before Taylor woke up and left for work. There was no time for second-guessing.

My heels crushed against the earth's crust as I walked, making a clunky sound that resonated in the quiet morning environment. I gazed ahead, in the direction of the music, the club was still alive. 

Turning my back against it, I headed for the highway in search of a taxi to take me home. My steps were quick and steady, as I walked to the bus stop. I glanced at the analog wristwatch on my arm. But the lighting was too poor to make out the time.

Reaching into my bag, I fished out my phone, only to realize it was off.

Shit.

I powered it back on, and the screen lit up with a flood of notifications—messages and missed calls from Taylor scrolled down endlessly. My heart sank. The clock on my phone read 5:00 a.m. Feeling panicked, I ran to the bus station and began to hail any car I saw driving by. 

Fear crawled up my skin, as I glared at the numerous messages and calls. I was too scared to open it and read the content. Finally, a cab stopped and I hopped in immediately. We drove off in the direction of my house.

I brought out my phone and began reading the messages.

(01:01 AM): “I’m sorry Len. I shouldn’t have said those things to you. It’s just that I’m worried about you. You’re all I have in this world, and I want you to make something of yourself. I don’t want you to end up like me… a broke housekeeper…”

I skipped the rest and moved on to the next message.

(01:59 AM) : “I hope you arrived safely at the club. You’re not responding to my texts. Call me when you see this message.”

Following her instructions, I stopped reading the message and dialed her number.

“Hi, you’ve reached Taylor. Please leave a message. If you’re calling for housekeeping services, please—”

The voicemail cut off abruptly, and the call didn’t connect. Odd. Taylor always answered her phone, no matter how busy she was. Even if she couldn’t talk, she’d pick up just to tell me to call back later.

Was she still asleep? That didn’t seem likely because she has to go to work at six—

The sudden jolt of the car stopping snapped me back to reality. I was so lost in thoughts, I hadn’t even noticed we were so close to the house.

The driver pulled over, and I quickly climbed out. My feet moved instinctively toward the door, only to find it ajar.

Had Taylor already left for work? Oh, she was definitely going to get a piece of my mind.

I pulled out my phone and dialed her number again, but the response was the same as before: “The person you’re trying to call is unavailable to receive your call. Switching over to voicemail.”

“Hey, Taylor,” I began, “I just got home and found the door wide open… thanks for that. Were you really in such a rush that you forgot to lock it properly? I just hope for your sake we haven’t been robbed.” I paused, rolling my eyes. “Also, I made it to the club just fine. Sorry for not responding to your messages earlier—I was too busy living my best life. You worry too much Tay! Anyway, see you later. Oh, and could you grab some of those fancy wontons on your way back from work? Don’t worry, dinner’s on me.” 

I ended the message and sent it off. After all, I could afford to splurge… I’d made a lot of money from my one-night stand. 

Fine dining, here we come.

I stepped into the house, and nothing could have prepared me for the scene before me. It was a complete mess.

The vase containing my parent's ashes lay in shattered pieces on the ground, black ashes scattered everywhere. The table was flipped upside down, and the couch was toppled over on its side.

Did we get robbed?

Panic surged through me as I walked, tracing the disaster to my room, our clothes were everywhere, and the wardrobe was open and empty. Our bag also lay empty on the floor with piles of clothes beneath it. 

Frantically, I pulled out my phone to call Taylor again, but she still wasn’t answering. That’s when I noticed—I had no signal. A wave of anxiety and fear washed over me, and my hands began to tremble. My calls weren’t going through, and my heart skipped painfully. What had happened here? And where was Taylor?

Oh, fuck. I suddenly remembered, we hadn’t paid our phone bill.

Desperate, I walked back outside, holding my phone up in search of a signal. The moment a single bar flickered to life, I proceeded to dial 911 when messages and notifications from Taylor flooded in.

My heart pounded as I read through the texts I hadn’t noticed earlier:

(2:30 AM): This is not a joke, pick up your fucking phone, Valentina.

(2:34 AM): I just got through to Sophie. She claims you’re not with her, but I know she’s lying… she sounded completely out of it. What the hell is going on with you? I’m trying to keep you safe.

(3:27 AM): I did something bad, Val. PLEASE CALL ME…

(4:30 AM): Run away. Don’t come back to this place. You’ll find my card behind the television, along with a chip. Take them and run. The money on the card will be enough to start a new life. Change your first and last name… change everything about you. Don’t worry about me, I’m in a better place. P.S. I love you.

My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the floor, unable to bear the weight of my body. My vision blurred as I sat there, stunned, my eyes wandering aimlessly around the room.

That’s when I saw it—a thick, red stain I hadn’t noticed before, smeared across the floor. My breath caught as I spotted another, further ahead.

Slowly, I followed the trail of red droplets, each one pulling me closer to the bathroom.

The mirror on the wall was shattered, with a trail of blood on it. My heart skipped and I went pale, cold sweats broke out of my face as I gazed intently at the mirror, there was a fresh splash of blood on the wall behind me. 

Instinctively, I dialed 911, but it didn't go through, there was no signal. The tension in the room seemed to have ceased the flow of the cellular network in the house.

With a sudden flow of energy, I ran out of the house, waving my phone in the air in all directions, moving from one end of our small balcony to the other. My phone vibrated after a few minutes, indicating that the cellular network had been restored.

A voicemail from Taylor popped up and I clicked on it, as I strode back into the house slowly.

Her voice was trembling.

“I know you can be… stubborn, but please, for once in your life, Len… listen to me. Run away.. and never look back. Also please don't involve the police, they have eyes everywhere." There was a pause on the line followed by the loud sound of clattering.

“He found me… I love you, Valentina.”

A sharp cry echoed through the recording.

“No! Please do… don’t kill me. Please… please… pleASE..!!”

Suddenly, her voice turned into a loud scream, a loud thud resonated from the voicemail followed by a deafening silence.