Chapter 2

The words hung in the air, thick and suffocating—a job offer to be his maid? Was he for real? I felt Lily’s delighted gaze on me, waiting for me to crack. Waiting for me to accept it, to thank him. 

My stomach twisted. My body trembled with anger and disbelief and then I laughed—low and bitter.

“You want me to be your maid?”

“That’s the only thing you’re good for” he replied to me with an almost bored expression 

Lily giggled like a child who got what they wanted, “you’ve always had a soft spot for her darling, letting her stay instead of throwing her to the streets, that’s very generous” 

I knew what he was doing, he wasn’t just trying to hurt me, he wanted to break me. I lifted my chin, trying to steady my voice “Go to hell, Jamie”

His smile didn’t fade even for a second “You first sweetheart”

My throat burned. My heels clicked against the marble floor as I walked away, into the darkness of the night. He didn’t stop me, a part of me wanted him to, to tell me he didn’t mean it and he loved me dearly, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. 

I walked through the streets, each step more uncertain than the last. The cold outside hit my skin but I barely felt it. My body shaking as tears poured down my face. Everything I had lived for, everything I had ever known were all gone— my family, my fiancé, my home, my finances— had been ripped from me. I was nothing. 

I walked until my legs ached, with no destination. I had a blink of hope somewhere within me, hoping that something would happen but nothing did. I found myself walking down an isolated street, I took a pause almost at the middle of the street. I knew I could get in danger. 

“Okay Susan, you have to calm down and think,” I said to myself, “get a hang of yourself, he doesn’t want you, he wants her, you have to be strong and think of a way out of this,” I said to myself, trying to encourage myself, to not let it overcome me more than it already has, who could I call, I thought for a long time, I had no friends, Jamie was enough for me, I didn’t need any other person—well that’s what I thought but all that was over now. 

“Think. Think. Think!.”, I said to myself, trying to find anyone or anything that could be of help to me right now. I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my brain to work through the chaos. And then—Kate— the one person who might be of help. I had met her at a circle of trust, one of those little gatherings that serve as a form of therapy, where people talk about their burdens. Yes, I needed therapy when I lost my baby. 

I took my phone from my bag, I could barely see my screen, my eyes were blurred with tears. I wiped my tears roughly as i continued to search for Kate's number but something stopped me—a voice, an unfamiliar one. Low and teasing. I knew i was in danger. 

“Ouuu…What’s a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone, are you lost sweetheart” the man said in a flirty way. I tried to run but as I turned, two other men came out from the shadows, hoods up, their eyes glowing with nothing but bad intentions and they circled around me. 

“Looks like she’s already had a rough night,” the second man said laughing evily, I tried to run but he pulled out his dagger swinging it “mm-mm, you don’t want to do that, you don’t want to be a bad girl, do you?”he teased 

“The bag” the first man signaled me to throw my bag to him “and whatever else you’ve got”

I felt like today was my last day on earth, everything worked against me, it’s like God was trying to punish me for all the sins I’ve committed, how much worse was it going to get? I wondered. If this man took everything that I’ve got… I hated what my mind said, I’d have to go back to Jamie’s offer, to work as his maid—another round of humiliation, that’d never happen. 

“Please I don’t have much” I pleaded with a shaky voice. My chest rising and falling as each second passed. 

“We’ll take whatever is left darling”, the third man said smirking, I wasted so much time, hoping that they’d have mercy on me but before I could think, the second man lunged at me and ripped the bag from me, he pushed me to the wall and held my neck, the first man collected my phone that i had been holding in my hand, I couldn’t breathe, I needed to do something to help myself, I hated that I was weak, I was suffocating but he held my neck tighter as he scanned my body, I kicked him in the groin, the man groaned in pain as he released me from his hold. 

I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, my heart pounded, my lungs burned. but they were faster, they ran after me and a rough hand pulled me back and pushed me to the floor. A boot slammed into my ribs, I heard the crack even before I felt the pain. Then another blow, then a slap. For a moment I thought it was over until I felt a dagger drive into my stomach. Then they ran away. Just as fast as they had come, they were gone. the taste of blood filled my mouth, it was warm and metallic. 

I winced in pain, why didn’t I just let them have what they wanted, blood flowed down my face, I had sustained a few injuries, on several parts of my body. I struggled to stand up but I couldn’t, i was bleeding profusely from where they had stabbed me. I looked round to see if I’d find any form of light and then I saw it— a small light coming from a shop, quite a distance but across from where I was, Hope flashed in my eyes.

I struggled to stand up but my legs were too weak, as weak as jelly. I held my abdomen, which was throbbing in pain. How could things turn out like this so fast?, first i used all my savings to buy a drug that ended up being useless, then my marriage of 8 years had ended and now I’m struggling to survive, a life that I have nothing, a life that feels completely worthless. “If I survive this, this is the last time I’d let anyone do me dirty again”, I said to myself with so much determination. 

I started to crawl across the road, my movements slow and laboured but i had to keep going. I was in the middle of the road when i saw it, the blinding light was approaching me, I was terrified. I forced my hand up, my fingers trembling, waving with the last strength left in me but I guess this is what fate held for me. the sound of tires screeched when it was inches away from me but it was too late and then…

Darkness.