Chapter 2 A NEW SPACE
CLARA
Standing in Elena’s kitchen, trying to pour some coffee in my mug feels almost impossible due to my shaky hands. They shake so badly that the hot coffee spills all over the floor, making a big mess.
I stare at my reflection on the liquid and my mind goes back to one year ago…
That was the exact day I discovered who Marcus truly was.
I had gone to the warehouse to surprise him with his favorite creamy spaghetti for lunch, but when I opened the door, I stepped into the biggest shock of my life. A man who looked like someone in his late thirties, was tied to a chair, bleeding profusely from his mouth and head. That man was Marcus. He was losing the fight against a rival gang member. I panicked, grabbed a heavy box and threw it on the ground as it made a huge thud. The noise distracted the rival and gave Marcus the opportunity he needed to free himself, hit the man and escape.
Ever since then, I have always felt terrified and my anxiety hasn’t failed to get worse.
Then, exactly a month ago, I began to feel like I was being monitored. That was the beginning of the creepy stalker in my life.
“Hey…don’t do that. It’s not allowed here…” Elena’s voice drags me out of my thoughts. She must have noticed the tears that tried to find their way out of my eyes when she walked into the kitchen.
“Marcus is a bad man.” She mumbles, taking the coffee kettle away from my shaky hands and mopping the floor. “Breaking up with him is the best thing you have ever done. You should be happy, instead of being sad over that nitwit. Now, you can focus on your job and your big photography show that’s happening next month.”
I let out a loud sigh. “ I want to, Elly. I really want to. But, there is a big problem. I am unable to finish my favorite photo project because I cannot find a male model. I need someone who looks powerful…dominant and…”
I scratch my head. “Seriously, I keep thinking about a man I saw from behind during this warehouse fight a year ago…he stood right there, watching everything… I wasn’t able to see his face, but he had this perfect look… broad shoulders and… he would be the perfect one for this, but he just seems to be a ghost.”
“Ghost can’t help you with your show, Miss Clara.” Elena says, giving me a hot mug. “You have to go to work while I look for an apartment. We need to get you somewhere safe, away from Marcus.”
I leave the house to buy some fresh camera film and the moment I set my feet on the sidewalk, that strong, awful feeling comes back. My skin pricks again. Someone is definitely following me.
My pace gets faster, but not faster than the luxurious Lamborghini that stops right in front of me with a loud screech. The door opens and a mean looking, huge man walks out of it. I recognize him immediately as one of Marcus’s men.
“Clara.” He growls in a scary tone, blocking my way. “Marcus hasn’t been himself. He has been destroying things, screaming and saying you must return home.”
Fear grips me, but I feign anger to cover it up.
“Tell Marcus that if he comes close to me or sends anyone of you again, I’ll go to the police and tell them what I saw at the warehouse last year.”
I walk past him and run into an overcrowded grocery shop to hide. My heart racing like that of someone in danger. I sit on a stool to go through an app I downloaded specifically for checking out apartments that were up for rent.
“Fucking expensive!” I mutter bitterly, scrolling past each one I come across. I am literally stuck. With the outrageous prices of the apartments I see, I guess it’s impossible to avoid Marcus.
My brows furrow in disdain as I swallow something invisible when the buzzing of my phone interrupts my search: INCOMING CALL FROM ELENA…
“I finally found a very beautiful apartment in Thompsons estate. The owner has just cut down the price by ninety percent because he really wants someone to move in immediately! Girl! We are surely taking this one…no option!”
The call is still ongoing while I ponder on what she said at the beginning of it… A cheap house in one of the safest estates in the city?
