Episode 4
1390 Words
Mr. Fidelis invited Deborah inside to celebrate what he called their "victory." Deborah, still excited and trusting him completely, followed him without hesitation, unaware of the darkness hidden behind his warm smile.
"Congratulations, Deborah," he said, stretching out his hand. "Let me see the documents."
Smiling, Deborah handed him the file containing the house documents. Mr. Fidelis carefully opened it and examined every page. The moment he confirmed they were genuine, something changed in his expression. A strange smile appeared on his face—one that lasted only a second before he quickly hid it.
Lost in her excitement, Deborah failed to notice.
"Okay, let me have them back," she said, reaching for the documents. "I want to personally hand them to the buyer."
Immediately, Mr. Fidelis pulled the file away.
"No, no," he said quickly. "You don't have to stress yourself. I'll keep them safe and find the buyer for you."
Deborah shook her head.
"I appreciate it, but I'd rather handle it myself."
The conversation quickly became tense. Deborah continued insisting while Mr. Fidelis stubbornly refused to return the documents.
Then suddenly—
Slap!
The force of the blow sent Deborah stumbling backward.
For a moment she was certain she saw stars.
Tears instantly filled her eyes as she held her burning cheek in shock.
"Mr. Fidelis..." she whispered. "Why did you slap me?"
His expression changed immediately.
"Deborah, I'm sorry!" he said, rushing toward her. "I didn't mean to. Please forgive me. The devil just used me for a moment."
He apologized repeatedly until Deborah slowly lowered her guard.
"Sit down," he said gently. "Let me get you some water."
Still hurt and confused, Deborah accepted.
As they continued talking, Mr. Fidelis kept apologizing, claiming he only wanted to help her. Deborah wanted to leave and return home, but he persuaded her to calm down first.
A few minutes after drinking the water, she stood up.
"I should be going now."
But the moment she took a step forward, the room began to spin.
Her vision blurred.
Her legs suddenly felt weak.
Fear gripped her heart.
Something was terribly wrong.
Before she could steady herself, her knees gave way beneath her.
Mr. Fidelis caught her before she hit the floor.
At that moment, Deborah understood.
The water.
She had been drugged.
Tears rolled silently down her cheeks as panic filled her heart. She tried to speak, tried to move, tried to fight the overwhelming weakness spreading through her body, but nothing responded.
Helplessly, she felt herself being carried toward the bedroom.
The realization hit her like a thousand knives.
Deborah's heart raced as the weakness spread through her body.
No matter how hard she fought it, she could no longer control her limbs. Her vision blurred, and her voice became little more than a whisper.
"Mr. Fidelis..." she pleaded weakly.
But the concern she expected to see in his eyes was gone.
Instead, there was something cold and calculating.
The man she had trusted.
The man she had admired.
The man she believed cared about her.
The man she believed God had sent into her life.
Was the very person destroying it.
Before darkness completely overtook her, Deborah felt her world shatter.
The trust she had placed in him.
The dreams she had built around him.
The future she had imagined.
All of it crumbled in a single night.
She wanted to fight.
She wanted to run.
She wanted to call for help.
As darkness slowly swallowed her consciousness, Deborah's final tears slipped down her face.
The world faded around her.
Hours later, Deborah's eyes fluttered open.
A painful throbbing pounded inside her head. For several moments she lay motionless, confused and disoriented, staring at the unfamiliar ceiling above her.
Then the memories came.
The slap.
The tears.
The apology.
The glass of water.
The dizziness.
Mr. Fidelis.
The bedroom.
Her silent struggle.
The helplessness.
The betrayal.
A broken gasp escaped her lips.
"No..."
As she attempted to sit up, pain shot through her body. She winced and immediately fell back against the bed. Every muscle ached, but the pain inside her chest was far worse.
Slowly, she forced herself upright.
The room was silent.
Too silent.
Her eyes searched desperately for Mr. Fidelis.
Nothing.
He was gone.
The room looked abandoned. A chair had been overturned. Drawers were hanging open. A few scattered belongings littered the floor. It looked as though someone had fled in a hurry.
Then her gaze shifted to the bed.
The stained bedsheet caught her attention.
Deborah froze.
Her heart stopped.
The sight before her confirmed what her mind had desperately been trying to deny.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
The room spun around her.
Her trembling fingers covered her mouth as tears immediately flooded her eyes.
"No..."
The word came out as a whisper.
Then louder.
"No... no... no..."
Her shoulders shook violently as sobs tore through her body.
Everything she had treasured was gone.
Her trust.
Her innocence.
Her dignity.
The future she had imagined.
Destroyed by the very man she had believed was sent by God to help her.
A sudden thought struck her like lightning.
The documents.
Grandma's house documents.
Panic instantly replaced her grief.
Ignoring the pain, she stumbled out of bed and began searching frantically.
The table.
The drawers.
The wardrobe.
Under the bed.
Everywhere.
Nothing.
The file was gone.
Her breathing became ragged.
"No! No! No!"
She searched again.
And again.
And again.
But deep inside she already knew the truth.
Her hands shaking violently.
Her vision blurred by tears.
But the documents never appeared.
Finally, she sank to her knees.
The truth hit her with brutal force.
Mr. Fidelis had taken them.
He had stolen everything.
Not just the documents.
Not just the house.
Everything.
Her trust.
Her dignity.
Her happiness.
Her future.
Everything.
A loud cry escaped her as she collapsed completely onto the floor.
He had used her.
And now he had disappeared with the only thing her family had left.
Deborah collapsed onto the floor.
The realization crushed her completely.
What would she tell Grandma?
How could she explain this?
The woman who had sacrificed everything for her.
The woman who trusted her.
The woman who had handed over the documents believing they were finally going to escape poverty.
Fresh tears streamed down her face.
At that moment, the thought of facing her grandmother hurt even more than the pain in her body.
For what felt like hours, Deborah remained on the floor crying until there were no tears left.
Eventually, she gathered the remaining pieces of her clothing and slowly dressed herself.
Every movement felt mechanical.
Empty.
Lifeless.
Then she left.
Outside, the world continued as though nothing had happened.
People laughed.
Cars passed.
Life continues.
But Deborah's world had ended.
With weak legs, she began the long journey home.
At first she tried to walk.
Then the pain became unbearable.
She found herself leaning against walls for support.
Stopping every few minutes to catch her breath.
Several times her knees buckled beneath her.
Several times she almost collapsed.
Yet she kept moving.
One painful step after another.
Dragging herself home.
Her tears had long dried, but her eyes remained swollen and empty.
The lively sparkle that once filled them was gone.
By the time she finally reached her street, she barely recognized herself.
She felt like a ghost.
A shadow wandering through the remains of her shattered life.
When she reached the house, she quietly slipped inside.
Deborah didn't have the strength to answer questions.
Didn't have the strength to lie.
Didn't have the strength to tell the truth.
She somehow made it to her room and shut the door behind her.
The moment the lock clicked, her body gave out.
She slid down against the door and collapsed onto the floor.
There she remained.
Staring blankly into space.
Broken.
Lost.
Terrified.
The silence of the room felt suffocating.
For the first time in her life, Deborah wished she could disappear.
She wished the earth would open and swallow her whole.
She wished she could close her eyes and never wake up.
And as darkness slowly filled the room, Deborah remained curled up on the cold floor, clutching herself tightly, while the pieces of her shattered heart lay scattered around her like broken glass.
to be continued......
- Writer
