Divulging Remorse ✔

Chapter 29

Big merciless hands were around her neck, pinning it against the head of the swivel leather chair. Her eyes were widening every increasing pressure he was putting to strangle her. The already pitch black, soundless office premises became more silent, those small blinking lights from here and there were now fading away as well. None of her muscle moved, aside from the aggressive beat of her heart. Her mouth was slack, losing the ability to retaliate. It was like she had sunk under the evil torrents of water and was gasping for oxygen. 

When she thought his knuckles would butcher her throat and it would be her last, there came a subdued crashing noise. The lights flooded the room and in came a bunch of people, all geared with weapons. She was left coughing violently as she slid on the floor, struggling to catch some breath. 

The room seemed to dance around her, with people toppling all over it. She could hear faint police car sirens from somewhere, but that was only what she sensed. She didn't have a clue who was attempting to murder her, or if he was still there. All she could make out was that the police had reached in time. 

The next thing she knew was that Drake was leading her towards the elevator and then through the emergency exit behind the building, she didn't realize it was him. She was made to sit in the car and before he could start, she fought with her dopey self to catch a glance at who it could be. 

 She tried to sneak and push open the door, but it was child locked! 

Great. Just great, she sighed, rubbing her tensed muscles at the nape of her neck.  

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Riya tossed and turned in an icy discomfort under her duvet. Trying to make herself fall into a slumber, she took heavy breaths, but many just caught in her throat, as if a hurricane had blown and frozen the air solid inside. 

At that moment, she knew it was going to be a long night. A struggling one. 

She tapped her phone and a heavy load of brightness spilled on her pale face. 3:09 AM. 

It had been four hours since she was back home; Drake had dropped her off. He had walked her to the elevator of her building and just when she thought he'd return to his car from there, he had also seen her in her apartment until there was a click from inside and beyond. She had peeked from the eyehole that he'd stood there for about five minutes and scanned around the entire floor. She'd never understood what was Drake always doing, hurdling after her, stalking her, joining the same workplace as her's and what else not? How did he know her address? What was the motive? Was someone after her? Obviously! 

After the strangling attack, someone was clearly on an agenda of finishing her with their bare hands. She was stopped to dig deeper into that murder case and it started to make some sense out of the whole scene of the night. She had been foolish enough to go in Mr. Hadad's office at first and her over the top smartness to spy on his computer was a big facepalm into her own face.

A wave of irritation rose within her. She pushed off the duvet and sat up, switching on the night lamp installed on the wall above her head. With a click, she switched it back off. 

On.

Off.

On.

Off.

On.

When a big rock like realization hit her head, she flew out of her bed and rummaged in her chest of drawers for a notebook and pen. She switched on all the lights, sat cross-legged on the foot of her bed on the floor and put on her thinking cap; the same cap which sometimes falls off her head and isn't found for days.