"Pete was everything."

The world around her had gone dark and empty, cloaked in an eerie silence. In this void, those demeaning words echoed clearly like a sad, repetitive song. Her feet moved on their own, as dark thoughts crowded her head. Memories of Pete that she was trying hard to suppress danced vividly, reminding her of her past where Pete had been everything. The calls, conversations, and messages they once shared replayed endlessly, the raw emotions and love she once felt for him surging anew.

Hell was already at work unknown to Cassy, when she decided to surprise Pete earlier that day by going home early from work, unannounced of course. She thought that they would turn it into a nice little at-home movie date or just some Netflix and Chill or anything where they could hang out together. As Cassy's work life has been extremely demanding lately, she figured that both she and Pete deserved much-needed time together, to let their love grow and flourish again.

On this day, one of her bosses at the Regal - Ms. Francesca Moretti, to everybody's surprise, had gone home early. Ms. Francesca was an overbearing workaholic and made everyone around her work twice as hard. So when she suddenly decided to leave early, everybody was thrilled and most people left right after her, including Cassy. Cassy would later wonder if Moretti knew that her leaving early meant that Cassy was also going to be home soon.

Cassy practically grew wings and flew back from work to her apartment, stopping only to get Pete his favourite coffee. She skipped halfway up the stairs, humming a tune and thinking about the lovely afternoon she had planned, when the heel of one of the black stilettos she had on snapped all of a sudden, halting her midway. Determined not to let it ruin her high, she sighed, bending over to pick up the broken heel from off her foot before continuing to hop on the good stiletto towards their apartment door. By the time she was turning the key in the lock, she was bubbling excitedly. But as soon as she stepped inside the apartment, an ominous feeling clouded her mind. The apartment was quiet except for the ticking of the wall clock. Cassy shook the feeling away.

She knew Pete like the back of her hand. She could say that Pete was either fast asleep or gaming on his PC. Cassy smiled as she imagined the surprised look on his face when she hugged him. Cassy slipped off the other stiletto off her foot, leaving them both by the shoe rack and dropped her bag on the coffee table next to it. She took a quick peek at herself from the decorative mirror, reapplying just a bit of lipstick and some powder to conceal the tiredness on her face; Cassy tiptoed towards their bedroom door to surprise Pete.

In the split seconds that passed as she threw open the door, she thought she heard odd, muffled sounds but it was too late as her eyes were already stuck on the horrendous scene that was taking place inside. Imagine the shock that hit Cassy when she witnessed two people in the bed that she and Pete shared. It took her mere milliseconds to recognise the unmistakable auburn hair of her boss as she continued to kiss Pete passionately. Her long slim arms wrapped like vines around Pete, their sweaty bodies locked in a passionate embrace under the silk sheets of Pete's and Cassy's bed. Unable to tear her eyes away, Cassy trembled speechlessly, as if a crash of thunder rooted her to the ground.

Neither Francesca nor Pete noticed her. They were busy in their world of lust and passion. Cassy was hyperventilating, her chest heaved and it hurt badly as she tried to breathe. Her throat was raspy and dry; her legs felt weak and wobbly, staggering forward almost crashing the door. Instinct outstretched her hands which landed on the bedroom door with a soft thud, steadying herself.

"What the fuck was that!"
It was Pete. He had heard her hands landing on the door. Cassy whipped her head around to see Pete, who had untangled himself from Francesca. Pete half-naked, was kneeling on the bed his eyes wide as he saw Cassy by the door. Francesca was too startled to move. For a moment all three of them stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do.

But the shock that overwhelmed Cassy wore off faster. It was soon replaced by the realization of the deception she had been thrown under. Rage began to build up within her, consuming each part of her body like a fire that spread ferociously, destroying everything in its grasp. The fire gave birth to an unknown strength that pumped hard through her veins. She did something she never thought she could do. Cassy gathered all her courage and marched right in front of them, her fists clenched tightly beside her. Pete scrambled out of bed, while Francesca rushed to cover herself up. Before Pete could reach her, Cassy grabbed the table lamp and, in one swift motion, slammed it down hard on the ground, screaming as hard as she could. She felt a surge of thick emotions oozing out of her like bubbling molten lava.

"How dare you, you bastard!" She screamed again.

"How dare – what the fuck Cassy!" Pete cussed aloud. Francesca shrieked. In all her years of working with Francesca, she had never thought the woman would ever shriek.

Cassy leapt forward, grabbed a handful of Pete's black hair, and yanked him closer. Pete howled in pain as Cassy's fingers held onto his hair tightly, flailing his arms to break her hold of him. Watching Pete squirm and squiggle disgusted her. When he was finally free, Pete grabbed a throw pillow, struggling to cover himself up, his face red with humiliation. Rage now consumed every part of Cassy's being. Usually, Cassy would give anything to see Pete's face after a busy day at work, to wind down and relax. But today, his sweaty, lust-filled face, now in full panic, only made her feel disgusted and angry. She couldn't control herself any longer. Cassy's hand swung swiftly, her palm landing sharp on his cheek, making Pete stumble back a few feet at the unexpected blow, startled and in shock.

Ms. Francesca Moretti, jumped out of bed, bewildered and ashamed. For a moment, she looked scared and guilty. She was looking at Cassy as if she had gone feral. She, who usually had a whip for a tongue, now looked tongue-tied and dumbstruck. Without another word, Cassy swiftly turned back and marched out of the bedroom door and past the small living space. She heard Pete's voice behind her.

"Cassy! Wait! Let me explain," his voice wobbled as if he was hopping on his feet.

Cassy was halfway down the stairs when Pete caught up to her, panting softly. His hair was tousled, shirt unbuttoned and backwards - he had probably put it on in a hurry, his chest strong and sweaty. Her fast thumping heart threatened to soften but was shot down immediately at the smudge of red lipstick on his chest.

"Cassy wait! It's not like that! It doesn't mean anything!" His big eyes were trying their best to draw her in. She knew she couldn't give in. Not again. She knew she had to make it stop. She inhaled deeply before exhaling just as deeply. Then she made sure to deliver the words quite clearly, pausing between every word.

"Go. To. Hell!"

And she left. Left everything that she had owned behind, left the life she had, left herself. The walk back from the apartment to the park was a vague recollection, as her mind kept replaying the afternoon's events. She had come down from the rage high, slowly winding down. The adrenaline that had pumped in her veins had disappeared, leaving in its place a numbing pain, an aching body and a deadly void.

Cassy didn't notice the sunlight that slowly dissolved into darkness. The birds that had gone home for the night, the early stars that began to peek in the evening sky. Cassy was aimlessly roaming the walk paths of the park, wandering, shedding years of deceit and debt from Pete. Lately, he had been caring for her, even visiting her at work. He had made sure to dress up well, which had led her to believe that he had given up his loser life and was starting to be serious about life and them. Only now did she realize the true intention behind the office visits. What's more, the bastard had also been hinting at proposing to her - the jewelry shop sites on his phone, wanting to talk to Cassy's parents on a formal note. He had led her down a fantasy.

Cassy sighed deeply; the walk, which was meant to clear her head, only deepened the harsh reality of the events. A gush of cold wind that whipped past her face, made her aware of the tears that had been rolling down her face unconsciously for some time. She didn't realize that her heart could still hold Pete so close. That it would pain her as bad. Her aimless stroll had brought her a mere feet away from the edge of a cliff that was known for its amazing view of sunset. But now with the sun gone down and the crowds dispersed, Cassy saw just how fragile the "safety railing" was.

Absentmindedly, taking one step after another, she moved closer to the edge, spiked by a sudden curiosity about the consequences. She was suddenly curious about the other side. A yank from behind caused her to scramble and fall hard to the ground screaming, triggering a numbing pain up her spine. Cassy's eyes shut tight as her body reacted to the pain.

"No, stop! Whatever you are thinking, just don't jump!" a male voice boomed behind her. Cassy lay on the ground; as the pain from the fall migrated to different parts of her body, she kept her eyes closed. "Miss, are you alright? I'm sorry I had to... " For a moment, he stopped talking. "Wait. Why do you look so familiar?" Another pause. Has he figured out who she was? Why did his voice sound familiar to her too? "Cassia? Is that you? Cassia! Oh. My. Goodness!"

He continued to speak frantically. Whoever it was, he knew her name, Cassia. And that too, he knew the name she used to have instead of the name she generally used - Cassy. The deep voice continued talking to her. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! Do you want to kill yourself? "

Cassy blinked several times, tears of both pain and despair, her vision clearing just in time to confront the stranger who had interrupted her desperate thoughts. The face of a young man in his mid-thirties came into view. He had shoulder-length wavy hair which shook from side to side. It was a strangely familiar face and an even more familiar voice.

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Hi people ☺

So, Guess what? I edited the chapter. It's much longer and more detailed, I think. I hope you enjoy it.

XO Ama.