Lahat ng Kabanata ng Beware Dear Ex, I’m Back For Revenge: Kabanata 121 - Kabanata 130

LUCASThe sun was setting outside the tall windows of the hotel suite I’d chosen for the meeting—neutral ground, quiet, discreet, the kind of place where ugly truths slipped out behind polished furniture and espresso-colored curtains. I sat at the far end of the private room, one arm resting lazily on the back of the couch, the other swirling dark liquor in a crystal glass I hadn’t yet tasted. The silence was not uncomfortable for me. I had lived long enough with shadows to grow familiar with waiting. But the man who stepped into the room at exactly 6:15 p.m. was not cut from the same cloth. His eyes scanned the room warily before they landed on me, a flicker of hesitation surfacing just beneath his stiff, buttoned-up exterior. Dad was a polished man, well-practiced in charm, the kind that stood behind podiums and smiled at cameras while his rot festered in secret corners. His wife paid his bills and kept his name up there, only for him to treat her like shit behind her back.Not th

LUCASThe next few nights, I was heading to my basement to go beat the shit out of this guy.To explain; the motherfucker had tried to kill me. He walked into my house with the intention of shooting me dead, just like that. It was not in the least brave of him to be here. It was only quite stupid, and such a pity also, that he was going to lose at least one limb just like that.There was a kind of stillness that settled in a house after midnight, when even the ghosts had gone quiet and the walls forgot how to echo. That was when I preferred to do things like this—when the rest of the world had shut down, and the line between justice and revenge blurred into silence.I was not a killer, but hell, people in this world made me yearn to be one. To teach a few lessons.I walked down the basement steps slowly, not out of reluctance, but with measured calm. He was exactly where I left him—tied to a steel chair bolted to the floor, wrists restrained with thick leather straps, ankles cuffed ju

CLARA "Oh God, this was such a dumb idea." I slapped a hand over my face but Nora just stood there, laughing. I glared at her. "It’s not!" She threw her hands in the air and went about arranging the balloons for the umpteenth time. "This is a little dramatic, yeah, but not dumb. I mean, I can already see his face when he gets over here. The fear first, trying to know what's up with you and then the shock and then the joy." "Saying yes to Zayn is the right thing. Right?" I said again, just to make sure. Nora chuckled. "Cross my heart. Lucas is your ex. Your vomit. We don't go back to our vomit." She flashed me a smile, then returned back to arranging the setup, even if I thought everything was in place already. The living room looked like something out of a dream actually. I couldn’t lie, even with the nerves bouncing in my chest, I had to admit it was beautiful. Nora had done her thing! The balloons were mostly cream and blush, floating gently over the fireplace in a soft a

CLARALucas left right after Zayn wore the ring on my finger, and I had no clue why, but hearing his car reverse out of my driveway did something bad to my chest.“You okay?” Zayn’s voice broke through, soft and close.“Yeah,” I nodded. “It’s just… is this real?”He smiled and brushed a thumb over my cheek. “Of course it is. I’m here now, and doing this for real.”I nodded again, but something about his excitement made the ache worse. My eyes darted to Nora, who was busy adjusting the flowers on the table like she didn’t feel the shift in my mood. Of course, she didn’t. For all I knew, she was simply happy for me.“Clara,” Zayn called, squeezing my hand. “Look at me.”I did.“Are you happy?”I hesitated. “Yes.”His smile widened, and he leaned in to kiss my forehead. “Then we don’t need anything else tonight. Just us.”“You guys look so cute together.” Nora said, cutting in. “I’ll be godmother to your kids! I called it first.”I laughed nervously. Yeah… kids.Zayn grinned, "That’s fin

CLARA'Hi, this is Connie. I got your number… so, it's not really necessary how I got your number, but I need you to come save me from abuse.'Connie sent me pictures with marks and blood as evidence of his abuse and even alcohol bottles scattered in the room, which he claimed Lucas would drink and litter there. My hands shook as I replayed the video over and over, trying to make sense of this whole thing.He sent a text later on; 'Did you do anything to him lately? He is so grumpy, he is so much worse now. He never apologizes this time. Please don't tell him I was the one who told you, he'll do something bad to me. Just come save me.'Why had he not sent this video to anyone else? Why was it me? And why would Lucas even think to do this to him? Why? Why? Why?I threw my phone to the bed and let out a deep breath, gathering my face in my hands. After few moments of sitting like that, I decided to call someone to talk to about this. I would call dad but he was on a business trip and t