Iris POV
“Iris!” The voice called out my name cutting through my thoughts like a loud wave crashing onto the shore making me stop and freeze in my tracks. I hardly had time to think about who was calling me when all of a sudden a strong and rough hand grabbed my mouth covering it completely. This made it impossible for me to scream even though I could feel the urge rising in my throat desperate to escape.
My body became completely stiff and rigid. A wave of fear rushed through me a cold sensation that made my heart race and drowned out all logical thoughts that tried to surface in my mind. I felt as though I was trapped weighed down by that firm hand holding me in place and panic began to rise within me like a mighty tide threatening to pull me under and completely overwhelm me.
All I could think about was how much I wanted to scream to shout out loud to cry for help from someone—anyone—who might hear me and come to rescue me. But the tight grip on me made me feel utterly helpless and powerless to do anything. Inside I felt a heavy knot of regret twisting around in my stomach.
It served as a bitter reminder of the choices I had made that brought me to this terrifying moment. I had left the safety and comfort of Raf's house which had at least provided some sense of normality amidst the chaos that had taken over my life.
Raf had worked hard to protect me from the dangerous elements that were lurking around us and yet here I was out in the wide world feeling completely unprotected and vulnerable.
Before I had the chance to fully understand what was happening to me and the reality of my situation I suddenly found myself being pulled into a restroom that was not very bright. The door closed behind us with a loud thud completely cutting me off from everything happening outside.
The hand that had been holding my mouth shut preventing me from speaking was quickly taken away. At that moment I turned around swiftly my heart racing and I felt a rush of energy that pushed me to face the person who had taken me.
“What on earth is happening here—?” I started to say fully prepared to express my anger. However, my words stumbled and came to a sudden halt when I saw the last person I ever thought I would encounter in this situation.
There stood Sam my former boyfriend with a smirk appearing on his lips. He looked as if we were simply running into each other for a casual coffee chat rather than amid this ridiculous and aggressive situation.
“Hello there,” he said in a very relaxed and carefree way. His tone was so casual that it made my anger grow even stronger.
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. My eyes blinked rapidly and a wave of irritation grew stronger inside me swirling around like a violent storm. I felt overwhelmed and exclaimed “You! You must be joking with me!”
My hands tightened into fists at my sides without me even thinking about it and my heart raced not only because of fear but also because of the intense anger bubbling up inside me.
I looked straight at him and demanded “What are you doing here Sam? After everything that has happened? After you completely disappeared from my life!”
He lifted both of his hands in a playful way that looked like he was giving up but he didn’t seem to be affected at all by the anger that I had in my eyes. With a calm demeanor, he said “Take it easy Iris. I honestly didn’t know that it was considered wrong to see how an old friend from the past is doing.”
“You’re calling this situation an 'old flame'?” I said with a scoff feeling a mix of disbelief and disgust. “You just disappeared without a word and left me to deal with the aftermath of Tudor's problems all by myself! Do you think it's okay to just walk away when things get difficult? Isn’t that like committing a crime against our friendship?”
“Hey, I want to say that I am sorry about what happened back there.” His voice sounded like he didn't care much as if he was trying to make light of how serious it was that he left us behind. “Anyway, I just found out some news that Tudor has passed away. Someone acquaintance of mine mentioned it to me.”
“Yeah that’s wonderful news” I replied my sarcastic tone sharp and biting almost as if it were a knife slicing through the air. “But just because you think it’s great doesn’t mean I feel free. I am still very much connected to Rafaelle Tomaso because of your actions!” The heaviness of my circumstances felt like a heavy burden resting on my shoulders making it hard to breathe and feeling impossible to escape from.
For just a brief moment something seemed to flash across Sam's face. It looked like it might have been regret but whatever it was disappeared almost as quickly as it appeared. Sam then said “Iris the reason I came here today is not to argue with you. There is something very important that I need to discuss with you.”
“Crucial?” I shouted unable to hide my disbelief. “What do you mean by that? Are you talking about your plan to escape from the big mess you created? Because I want you to know that I’m done participating in your little games. I refuse to be a part of this any longer.”
He moved a little bit closer to me and for just a very brief moment I felt surprised by how intense his expression was. It was almost as if his look pierced right through me. Then he lowered his voice to a softer and quieter level.
The way he spoke made me feel uneasy as if he was thinking very carefully about what to say next. He said “I’m sure you have some money put away somewhere… maybe a couple of thousand dollars? Raf needs it and he needed it like yesterday.”
“I just don't have that amount of money?” I said sharply my anger rising quickly. “What makes you think I am some kind of machine that dispenses cash? And even if I had that kind of money I don't see any reason why I would want to give it to you?”
“Come on Iris don't you think you're exaggerating just a little bit?” His gaze was so intense that it felt like it was piercing into me. I could feel a wave of anger rising inside me but at the same time there was an uncomfortable feeling of concern creeping in as well.
“You have to understand that this is about survival. Raf is a very powerful man and believe me when I say that you do not want to end up on his bad side. Just take a moment to think about it okay? Please consider what I'm saying.”
The very last things he said hung in the air around us making the atmosphere feel heavy and filled with a sense of urgent hopelessness. For just a brief moment I could truly feel how heavy and serious our situation was.
However, the idea of helping him, especially after all the hurtful things he had done to me in the past was something I simply could not stand. I tightened my fists even more using the physical tension to steady myself against the storm of conflicting emotions swirling inside me. I was resolute and determined not to allow him to control or trick me again…