Arrange Marriage at Sixteen

Part 6

They had told me he was far, far away. They must have forgotten to tell me that he had come back. I know I was starting to hyperventilate, but I couldn't help it. Flashbacks of what he had done to me were passing before my eyes, and I could do nothing to stop them.

I knew I was about to have a panic attack and things would only get worse from there. The man right in front of me was the nightmare that I would never be able to get rid of. Not even when he was dead.

He slowly tries to reach out to me, as if testing my reaction, but I quickly start to back up until my back bumps into Leo's chest who quickly puts his arms around my waist. I shut my eyes tightly trying to get rid of the flashbacks but no matter how hard I squeeze my eyes closed, they didn't disappear.

I get a feeling Leo senses my panic and uneasiness about the man right in front of me. His touch, for some reason, helps calm me down after a couple more seconds, and I open my eyes, void of emotion, to the man in front of me.

I can't even say his name without a sense of disgust falling into my mouth.

"Nice to see you again, Angel," the monster of a man greets me, but his eyes show the evil glint they've always had.

How could I have missed that the first time I saw him? The first time I met him?

"What do you want?" I ask in a monotone voice. One thing I learned about our little past together  was to never show him my emotions because he takes delight in my fear, and I never again want to showcase them to him.

The past I have with him is not something I would love to remember right now when we were in my favorite place, a place that held so many childhood memories.

But how? How did he know I would be here? Did he even know I would be coming here? So many questions swirl in my mind, but his voice brings me back to reality.

"Now that's not a friendly way to say hi to an old friend," he mocks me, but I stay silent and look him in the eye.

"You're no friend of mine," I grit through my teeth, “never have been, never will be."

He chuckles and my skin crawls with goosebumps of foreboding. I press myself closer to Leo's body, and he tightens his arms around me. For some reason his touch soothes me. Nathaniel watches this reaction and looks at Leo's hands around my waist with a smirk.

"Looks like you found yourself a man, once again," he says.

This can't be happening, I thought.

"That is of no concern to you, now get out of my sight," I tell him, feeling anger boil inside me, ready to explode at any moment. An angry Angel is a scary Angel.

"I hope you missed me," he says and before I can retort back, he speaks again,"Now I will leave you two to your own devices. I hope to see you soon, Angel."

He mock salutes me and walks away. I watch his back until he disappears into the crowd ahead before sighing in relief and letting my body relax from its riggidness. What he did to me was unforgivable, and yet he had the audacity to be in my presence, knowing fully well that I could possibly throw him in jail for the evidence I have against him.

There is a reason he is not jail, but I will not state the reason right now. I want to enjoy the rest of the day with Leo.

"Who was he, Angel?" Leo asks me quietly making me realize he had to see the whole ordeal, knowing nothing about what was happening or the past we shared. I almost groan out loud, but instead a tired  sigh escapes my lips. I hadn't wanted him to learn so soon about my past, a past that many did not know due to my fake appearance of happiness most of the time. However, he did know some things about me but he doesn't know the truth, a truth that almost destroyed my family and I.