Chapter 5

Katarina

3 months later.

"Table at Isle Five is asking for his order."

Odette, one of my colleagues said to me as she walked past me, carrying a tray of empty plates to the kitchen sink.

I rolled my eyes, annoyed that I had somehow gotten the worst of the worst customer today.

"I'll be right there, thanks Odette," I said to her despite my irritation for the man at table five.

He had only been inside the restaurant for all of ten minutes and he’s been nothing but a pain in the ass.

First, he'd tried to touch me inappropriately and then he'd told me to get him a particular wine and when I had, he had tried to gaslight me that he'd asked for a different wine.

I didn't need a priest to tell me that it was going to be trouble with that one.

"What's up with table five's order, Greg?" I called out, to the chef over the counter.

"Two minutes more and I'll be done, Lisa."

Greg said as he flipped the eggs in the pan.

Lisa… I was still getting used to that name. Sometimes I'd even forget that it was my name and completely ignore my colleagues when they used it.

It had been a total of three months since I left everything behind, three months since I left the most powerful man alone on the altar. I'd like to say it was easier now that I was no longer forced to be with a man I didn't care about but that would be a lie.

Being by myself made me realize just how sheltered I was back when I was with my parents.

The street was hard and harder for someone who was desperately trying to bury her old life and at the same time run away from it.

I had grown so much in three months despite how difficult it had been for me to adjust the first couple of weeks. Thanks to the cash I had gotten from Jerome. Not only had I been able to skip town, I had been able to get myself a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the worst part of the town, but I was practically a new person.

My short pixie-cut pink hair was one of the drastic changes I had to make when I first arrived in town. I was at least five states away from my family now but I wasn't about to take my chances.

I even wore blue contacts to cover up my amber-colored eyes and did my makeup differently. I still looked like me but anyone trying to find me would have a hard time recognizing me, especially when I was wearing makeup.

"Alrighty, it's ready!" Greg said, moved closer to the counter, and plucked the tray of food.

"Thanks, Greg."

"Anytime…"

I practically ran down to table five and found the man staring at me with an irritated look in his eyes.

"What the hell took so long?" He glared as soon as I placed the tray on his table.

I wanted to scream at him that it had only been ten minutes since he ordered but decided against it. I didn't want to lose my job, I couldn't afford to.

"I am sorry, sir." I gave an apologetic smile to the balding man, my hands behind my back.

"Are your words supposed to make me forgive you?"

Forgive me? Was the man insane? Was he missing something?

"I hope sir," I said.

"Well, it's not."

I was doing my best to ignore his silly tantrum but the more he spoke, the harder it got.

"I'm not sure what you want me to do sir…"

A lewd smile spread across his face causing an uncomfortable shiver to run down my spine.

"You know, you are a beautiful girl, one I'd like to plunge, just imagine you on my bed and me on top of you fucking your brains out. Wouldn't that be interesting?" The man said, his disgusting smile still in place.

What I wanted to do was slap the shit out of him but I ended up taking the high road because I wanted to keep my job.

“If you'd excuse me, sir, I think I hear the chef calling for me."

I turned around without waiting for him to speak. I hadn't even taken a step when I felt his hands slap my butt.

I turned around to look at him but knew I couldn't exactly do anything.

Shamefully, I walked away, not wanting to cause any trouble. I was barely five steps away from him when I heard the sound of someone getting punched.

I turned around to find a man punching the shit out of the man at table five.

"How dare you put your hands on her?" The stranger growled.

He had him up in a chokehold, and his legs were dangling up in the air.

I would have laughed if the man's face hadn't started to change color.

"You will apologize to the waitress or I'll kill you right here."

"Please." The man struggled to get my savior's hands off but couldn't. He looked like a garden gnome being strangled by a giant.

I ran up to them and signaled for a colleague of mine to get security.

"I will apologize." The man choked out, his words barely coherent.

"Good," the tall man said and dropped him to the ground like a hot potato.

"Now, apologize."

The bald man quickly glanced at me and began to plead for forgiveness but I was too stunned to even acknowledge him because standing in front of me was a man I thought I'd never see again.

It was Jerome, the man who had saved my life three months ago after I had escaped my wedding day.

"Jerome?" I whispered, barely audible enough for me to hear.

The man looked at me like he didn't know who I was and it was then I realized that of course, he wouldn't. I looked nothing like I did, the day he met me.