MARCUSI felt someone's hand over mine, a fleeting touch that vanished as quickly as it came. Blinking open my eyes, I beheld the silhouette of a woman cradling a baby, a speeding car hurtling towards them. My instincts screamed to intervene, to swap places with them, yet my limbs weighed heavy, impeding any heroic dash.My heart thundered as the car drew closer, closer..."Marcus," a voice pierced through the chaos.Gasping for air, I found Kristen's worried gaze, her brow furrowed in concern."Kristen," I managed amidst ragged breaths."Are you okay? What's wrong--" Her words trailed off as I pulled her into a tight embrace, haunted by the specter of my dream."Don't leave me," I pleaded.I could feel her hands tapping my back as she say, "Are you having nightmares? Do you want to go home now?"What she said made me realize that we were still here in my parents' mansion, here inside my old room."It's nothing, just a bad dream," I uttered before moving slightly away from her. "We ne
[KRISTEN]I've seen so many of the world's worse sides: greed, lust, anger—almost all the seven deadly sins colliding into my destiny like it was an ordinary day. Not only that, but I've also experienced almost all of it and later destroyed every single piece of me. This made me think about ending my life as soon as possible. "Stop! Why are you doing this to me?!" I could still hear myself shouting those words, crying for help, with no other words to utter but to ask why he would do such a thing. Back in my mind is a tragic event I vividly remember. The sound of the car rushing somewhere, his mad face as he pushed me onto the bed, his rough touches, the way he raped me, and all. "Shut the fuck up and just accept your punishment, whore!" Those words were like a knife digging deeply into my chest—way more painful than how roughly and carelessly he thrust inside me. "Kristen," I heard someone call my name. The soft voice coming from somewhere behind me later became a figure of a wo
[KRISTEN]Waking up in the hospital room was a bit of a trip. At first, I thought, "Heaven, maybe?" But nope, the whole sterile vibe and my best friend's perfume hit me. Reality check – not exactly heavenly. Just me, a hospital bed, and a strange mix of scents, trying to figure out how I ended up in this surreal situation. I slowly looked around and saw my best friend sleeping beside me. "Lynn," I called her. She woke up easily, which made me think that her sleep wasn't that deep, maybe because she's worried about me. "Kristen," she uttered with a shaky voice, holding my hand. "I'm really sorry; I shouldn't have taken you to that bar. I should just take you home." I gently tapped her hand for a second and responded, "None of us two would expect that something like that would happen to me again. I mean almost happen. So, please stop blaming yourself. It's my fault for being too unlucky." Lynn shook her head in disagreement, "No. Don't say that. It's just that assholes are scattered
[KRISTEN]"I think you should stop calling names," I responded to her. "Who are you to tell me what to do? Look, you messed up my day by showing up, my gorgeous car almost got a scratch, and now I'm late with my appointment because of you." She pointed her index finger at me, talking in such a loud tone, almost like a shout. "You can never get away with this," she continued. I didn't know if I should get angry or just laugh because of this situation. Maybe earlier, I would have liked to punch her face from continuously doing that annoying hand gesture, where she almost hit my eye with her long nail. But now? I wanted to laugh, annoyed, because of how she overreacted. I mean, she was the one who was driving recklessly on a quiet road and almost hit me, but then she still had the guts to be mad at me for ruining her day? "Look, it's fine, sue me. I wouldn't mind receiving a note from the police station. As a matter of fact, I would take it as an opportunity to report a reckless driver
[KRISTEN]“Sure, Lynn. See you later.” I dropped my phone as soon as our conversation ended.I'm here sitting on a bench somewhere near the gallery, gathering my thoughts before leaving this place.Thinking how big the world is makes me sigh. All I wanted was to say thank you for the help I got and don't feel indebted by anything and from anyone, most especially with someone like him.But why in the world will he deny it? Is it something that he wasn't proud of? I mean, people like him often brag about what they did right and how big their help impacted people, but why did he say it wasn't him?Maybe he's not that person who saved me before. Maybe I was just mistaken. The fact is, nothing that happened that night was too clear for me. I'm not really sure why I brought that up during the interview.Minutes of thinking along with gathering my thoughts ended like that. I stood up and was about to head straight to my scooter when I heard a familiar voice call me, "Kristen!"I turned around
[KRISTEN]"Hey, Kristen," my best friend's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. She leaned in, genuine concern in her eyes. "Are you alright? What's the matter?" I took a deep sigh, meeting her gaze before responding, "Well." I hesitated, wondering if it was right to burden her with my thoughts. "Come on, tell me." "I was pondering if I should still take the job I applied to," I admitted with a hint of uncertainty. "Well, that is for you to decide once you're officially hired." "I am," I informed her. "Woah, wait! You're hired?" Her excitement almost filled the room. "This calls for a celebration, my dear," she exclaimed, rising and heading towards the kitchen in search of something to drink. A few minutes later, she came back, knocking on my door, which initially startled me. It turned out she had brought good news – not from the company, but directly from their CEO. Initially skeptical, I received an email notification, followed by another email specifying that I should commen
[KRISTEN]It never crossed my mind that I would be working as someone's personal assistant, particularly under a man. Yet, I later realized that I had already accepted the job because I desperately wanted to keep myself busy and prove that I can stand up for myself without anyone's help."It seems you're lost in deep thoughts," I heard her approach as she sat on a chair beside me."Actually, yes," I responded with a nod."I knew it. Don't worry; he'll be a nice boss. I guarantee that," she assured me. "Though he's strict, his bipolar attitude is quite tolerable.""Does he have that condition?" I wondered. At some point, I felt nervous about how our partnership would work.Mira laughed and said, "No, but it can be compared to that. Anyway, congratulations on your first day in hell, I mean, heaven, or somewhere in between?"I found her words funny rather than scary, maybe because I used to live as if I were in hell for a couple of years? So, being in that situation is not a new thing to
[KRISTEN]Never did I imagine encountering him again. In the aftermath of that incident, I was convinced he had landed himself in jail. Yet, upon reflection, he struck me as the kind of man who'd defy such circumstances.His parting words that night echoed in my memory: "You will never be happy, not while I'm still alive."The fleeting respite from my struggles to forget that incident crumbled as he flashed before my eyes, reigniting the pain and resentment."Calm down, Kristen. You don't need to panic." I convinced myself with those words, but then, nothing changes and it wouldn't stop me from trembling in fear.Attempting to leave, I felt an unsettling heaviness on my feet, stopping my escape, and despite the urge to run home, I found myself unable to go far.On the brink of stumbling, caught by the edge of the pathway, I was suddenly caught by someone."Hey, are you alright?" he asked.His presence raised questions in my mind. How did we end up here? Does he hold any knowledge? Is h