2

    VIVIANNE

I hung up and I was feeling a bit better. Winding down the window, I pushed my head out sniffing in the warm city air. Oh, bliss. I went to my casting and returned home that evening. However, when I was about to go and get dressed for our girls' night out, a fast knock came on my door that the windows rattled from the impact. I walked to the door and held the handle securing the lock.

"Who's there?"

Michael's voice came back. 

"Open this fucking door, Vee. Or I swear to you, I'll break it down."

"And pay even more fees? What, the 5 million pounds wasn't enough debt for you? Do you want me to triple it?" I replied with a smirk. He didn't say anything in response.

I pulled the door open and he was standing there, in a hoodie and pants. He stepped forward telling me to let him in, but I blocked the road and glared at him.

"You're not stepping a foot into this house anymore," I said in a firm voice.

"Vee... Let's talk about this. Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked in a meek voice. He was trying to manipulate me. I smiled and let him.

"I mean, you did go ahead and cheat with my sister that I told you was my sworn enemy. And that hurt me. Today, of all days." I replied in a meek voice.

I saw a shadow of a smile form on his lips. The fool thinks he's playing me. He opened his mouth to talk but I beat him to it.

"Was that what you thought and expected me to say? After cheating so boldly too? Now you're trying to manipulate me? See, if you knew you needed me, you should have used your brain..." I paused tapping the side of his head, "and not your tiny penis." I completed knowing how insecure he felt about his penis. His brows creased and I knew he was starting to get angry.

"Don't piss me off." He warned.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Or what? What exactly are you going to do to me? Let me remind you in case you keep forgetting, you're nothing. I'm everything. That's the difference between us. The very huge gap between the two of us that will never be closed. Not by you, anyway. You just don't have the capability. You'll always and forever be a worthless man. Facts."

"How dare you?" He asked closing the distance between us. Before I could utter a statement, he grabbed my throat slamming my back against the doorframe. He applied pressure closing my throat with his hands

"Michael, get your hands off me." I choked out.

"Or what? You're not so proud and full of words anymore?"

"Michael, we're outside," I warned, scratching his hands with my nails.

Just then, a car drove past us. I wanted to scream for help but the car was long gone. Tears welled in my eyes and I could feel my throat closing up from the pressure he was putting on my throat. Black dots appeared in my vision and I felt him get yanked away.

I coughed violently trying to catch my breath while trying to look at my rescuer's face.

"Who do you think you are?" Michael's voice boomed in anger.

"Whatever she might have done to you, you have no right to choke her." A man's deep sultry voice came after. I looked at his face and realised I didn't know him. For all I knew, he could be a paparazzo. He could have a camera hidden in his button. His eyes flickered to me and I immediately looked away. With another violent cough, I pushed Michael off my front porch and ran into my house, slamming the door shut. Paparazzi did everything to get a picture or a video.

Resting my back against the door while trying to catch my breath,

"Get away from my porch! Both of you!" I yelled.

"Vee, open this door. Please, Gabriella has left me. She broke up with me too. You're my last hope, help me."

"Like hell will I. You just choked me and you want me to take you back? Why wouldn't she? She's a smart woman, you're the foolish one. She has her parents to run back to but you? You jeopardized your entire life for what? One round of fun? I am never going back to you. Over my dead body!"

"Vee! You know you still love me! Come out here, let's talk, baby."

My knees went weak at his mention of baby and I fell to the ground, my back against the door.

"I'll stay here till you open up."

"I'll call the police on you if you're not gone by the time I go upstairs and return with my phone," I said in the most courageous voice I could muster at that moment.

"Vee..."

"I'm going upstairs now." I grabbed my phone and opened the Sounds app. I played the siren and the sound went off with a loud noise. 

"Shit. Fuck you, Vee! And I'm not done with you!" Michael yelled a few incoherent words that I didn't even bother listening to before he finally walked off. I pushed my body off the floor, dragged it upstairs, and lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what just happened.

When I was feeling better, I messaged Shania to inform her I wouldn't be able to make the night out and explained the situation to her. She then advised me to get out of this apartment as soon as I could because we didn't know Michael was going to get violent, and look what had happened. If not for that paparazzi interference, he might have choked her to death. That night, I got a high-end apartment where they assured me the security was very good. I messaged Shania again to inform her of the developments.

V: I got an apartment. They assured me that just anyone couldn't enter the apartment, and it was meant for just influential people.

S: As long as you're going to be safe in there, it doesn't matter how far it is or who stays there. Do you need me to sleep over with you?

V: No, you don't have to. You seriously don't. He can't break into my house without alerting the police. I changed my passcode earlier.

S: Alright, my love. Stay safe.

We bade goodnight, I used my medications, and went to bed. Nothing happened during the night and I packed out of the house the next day. 

My new apartment was one of the numerous apartments in the tall skyscraper. The building was newly built and I guessed I would be the first occupant in the apartment I bought. Every room had a floor-to-ceiling window that I wondered what it'd look like from outside. I went up the elevator to the 13th floor and stood in front of my door, apartment 13B. The door was left open with no lock. I unlocked it and hesitated on the lock combination to use. I finally settled on choosing something after the movers had moved my property and entered the apartment. 

The doorbell rang and I moved to the door. Looking at the screen of the small door monitor by the door, I saw it was the moving company. I pushed the door open and allowed them into the house.

"Hello, we're from the moving company."

"I guessed from the jacket," I said, pointing at the logo on the jacket of the man who was speaking to me.

"Ah, yes. Should we start moving in the furniture now?"

"Yes, please."