Into the Starry Night

Four

I was putting on a comfortable long-sleeved T-shirt over my favourite pair of washed out jeans when I heard the front door open.

I took in a deep breath and wheeled the last of my luggage out into the living room.

Fred was petting a very excited Toy when I appeared.

“Hey baby, what's with the bags? Going somewhere?”

I didn't know what infuriated me more, the nickname or the way he said it like he couldn't possibly be guilty of anything.

I just stood there, quietly watching him as my anger built.

“Amara? What's going on?” He came forward and tried to touch my face.

“Don't you dare fucking touch me,” I gritted out. I didn't take any steps away from him because I was sure my tone conveyed the fact that I would rip him to shreds if he did otherwise.

Fred's perfectly groomed eyebrows dipped into a frown before he made the last mistake he would with me: he put his hand on my shoulder.

With that singular action my anger reached its melting point and with all the Krav Maga and self-defense training I had I took his arm off me, twisted it behind him and had him kissing the smooth wooden floor of the apartment in less than two seconds.

“Ow!” He exclaimed as his face hit the floor. “What the hell was that for?”

“That was for lying to me,” I turned a finger of the hand he had put on me and received a yelp of pain from him. “This is for cheating on me the first time. This is for cheating on me again. This is for being a generally worthless human being. This is for making me cry. And this is for every woman you've ever played in your especially useless life.”

I bent a finger for every reason for hating him that I gave.

When I felt satisfied with the pain I'd inflicted I took my knee off the back of his head and straightened out.

“Ow,” he groaned as he sat up and flexed his fingers.

I watched him as he started to recover from my attack and smiled internally because I knew that I wasn't done hurting him just yet.

“Look Amara, I don't know what happened that made you mad . . .”

“No worries. I'll tell you everything. So I was at work, minding my own business when the last person I expected to see walks in. Kristin Vagas? Ring any bells? Well, we had a very interesting conversation that culminated with me finding out that, apparently, she's the new whore you've been sleeping with. How awesome is that?”

Fred's usually tan face drained of colour as he sprang up to his feet with panic written all over him. “That is not true. I don't know why she would do that or what she wants but I never slept with her. We're just coworkers, I swear.”

I folded my arms and watched as he nearly grovelled.

“I promised that I wouldn't cheat again and I never did, you have to believe me.” He continued. “I love you, Amara, and I would never do anything to jeopardize our relationship.”

As I didn't say anything he looked about, at my bags neatly arranged by the front door and ran a hand through his hair.

“Is that why all this? Jesus, Amara, I'm sorry. Don't leave because of this, we can still fix this, we can still fix us. Don't give up on us, please. I love you.”

I had had enough. “Look Fred, forget it. There's nothing you can say that would change my mind, ok? The only reason you even met me here is because I wanted the satisfaction of doing this,” I took off the engagement ring he got me and tossed it at him.