"Ms. Sanchez, if you actually go, you'll only be rewarding his tantrums. Once you two are officially married, he'll threaten divorce every time he doesn't get his way. How embarrassing would that be?"
Before I could get a word in, Lauren exploded.
"Laurence, you are absolutely shameless! You'd stoop to a lie like that?!"
"Don't think for a second I'm going to coddle you this time. You want to come back? Fine. Tomorrow morning, you get on your knees in front of my office and tell me you were wrong!"
"Without me, that pathetic little salary of yours couldn't even cover rent on a decent apartment. You'd try to sell yourself on the street and people would turn you down for the lousy accommodations. Go sit somewhere and think about that!"
The line went dead. A heartbeat later, the screen went black.
Something inside me died with it.
Click.
The bathroom lock turned from the outside.
The cafe owner barged in, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and grinned.
"Where do you think you're going, pretty boy? This is my turf. You think I don't have the key to my own damn bathroom?"
"Trying to call your little girlfriend for help? I heard every word. She's too busy letting some other guy use those condoms to bother with you."
"Now be a good boy and take care of me. Don't worry, I'm not high-maintenance. I never bother with protection. Hahaha..."
In the depths of my despair, a thunderous crash erupted from outside.
The rolling shutter was forced open, and people stormed in.
"Let him go!"
It was officers from the nearby police station.
The internet café owner had driven out all the other patrons so he could assault me in peace. But someone had seen him slip something into my drink and quietly called 911 on their way out.
They rushed me to the hospital to have my stomach pumped, took my statement, and left me with a thick coat. I borrowed a charger from the front desk, and the next morning, I called the calligraphy class to resign.
Once that was done, I went to the mall next door, grabbed a cheap casual outfit, and got ready to fly home.
But the moment I stepped out of the mall, several of Lauren's bodyguards blocked my path.
"Mr. Henson, Ms. Sanchez is hosting a banquet at the Regalia Hotel today to celebrate Secretary Cobb's second anniversary. She's specifically requested that you come and perform for Secretary Cobb. If you'd please."
I frowned.
"Get out of my way, or I'm calling the police."