Chapter 12 - The Cornered Animal
One rainy Tuesday evening,
as I walked out of the pharmacy toward the parking garage,
a figure stepped out from the shadows.
It was Preston,
his hair soaked from the rain,
his clothes looking disheveled and unpressed.
He didn't look like the polished groom from the Langham Hotel anymore;
he looked like a man on the brink of ruin.
"Maya,
stop,
please,"
he called out,
his voice strained and desperate.
I stopped,
but kept my distance,
placing my hand inside my coat pocket where my pepper spray was resting.
"You are violating the restraining order,
Preston,"
I stated calmly,
looking around for the garage security cameras.
"I don't care about the order anymore,"
he cried,
taking a step forward before I held up a warning hand.
"You've ruined my life,
Maya,
everything I worked for is gone."
"You ruined your own life the moment you struck me,"
I reminded him,
my voice echoing in the concrete structure.
"I am losing the house,
my company is bankrupt,
and my family is falling apart,"
he begged,
tears streaming down his face,
mixing with the rain.
"Please,
just talk to your father,
tell him to drop the foreclosure."
"Why should I?"
I asked,
feeling absolutely no pity for the pathetic figure before me.
"Did your mother stop to think about my life when she told me to learn my place?"
"Did your sister care when she smirked at my humiliation?"
"Maya,
I loved you,"
he whispered,
trying to use the ultimate manipulation.
"You loved my credit limit,
Preston,"
I corrected him,
turning away from him.
"Security!"
I shouted loudly,
spotting a guard patrolling the upper level.
Preston looked around in a panic,
realizing he was trapped,
and ran toward the exit before the guard could reach him.
May you like
He was a coward at heart,
a man who only fought when he thought he had an easy victory.
