Beyond the Veil

Chapter 3

“Dear…. you look like a s**t. My b***h!” He said as he walked out of the house. Tears streamed down my eyes as Stella rushed to me with water in her hand.

“Here…. drink some water.” She said as she fed me the water, which I drank a little and tried to avoid choking. When she was done she dropped the cup on the table and she hugged me tight.

I cried so hard as Stella cuddled up with me.

“Hey…hey… don’t cry!” She consoles me. She helped me up to my feet as we walked to the couch.

When I was seated, she rushed to pick up my phone. It was destroyed with no hope of repair.

“Okay…. I can’t take this anymore…. You need to cut him off from your life and file a restraining order on him.” Stella says with a scowl, “Why would you still be dating that animal?”

I sniffed, “He is dangerous .... I don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“You can stay with me. He won't try to hit you in public. The last time was because you caught him cheating on you and he disappeared for two weeks and the very same day he comes back, he hits you again?” Stella angrily walks to the couch opposite me, dropping the damaged phone on the table.

“I…. thought…. he was gone,” I said in between the tears

“No…Isabella. You hope he will change. For f**k sake, how is that the person you are engaged to? He is not married to you yet and he is already turning your house into a WWE wrestling match.” Stella scolded

I kept quiet as I had nothing to say. All she said was true. Ethan had not been like this but after he proposed to me six months ago, it was like he took off his veil to show me the real him. He cheated, abused me, and treated me like a common rag doll but I stayed.

Why? Because I love him.

It's stupid—-even after everything, I still hope he will go back to the Ethan I knew and loved.

A phone rang, cutting me off from my thoughts. I looked up to Stella with teary eyes. She sighed as she looked at her phone beeping.

She ran her hands through her hair “Hey…. will you be fine? I have to go take care of something really quick. I would be back!” She said as I nodded slightly.

She came over to where I sat down, pulling me into a hug, “If you need anything, call me. I hope you listen to reason and take action. Ethan you know is gone …. leave before it is too late.!”

She stood up and walked out the door leaving me alone in my thoughts.

I sat down on that spot crying my eyes out. I knew what I had to do but I prayed for the strength to do it. I stood up and walked to the little art studio in my room. I sat down and began to pour my feelings onto the canvas.

First, it was sadness, then it became anger, and after a while, determination. Then it clicked—-I needed to get far away from him, far to a place where he could not reach me.

But where?

That’s when it struck me—-Adrian!

He is the enemy but right now he is the only person who can help me, but how do I contact him? My phone was broken by Ethan; how do I reach him?

I guess I have to go to his office and try to get to him. With that conclusion in mind, I got ready for bed and went to sleep after taking painkillers for my aching back.

The next day, After my shift was done in the cafe, I quickly dropped the apron and dashed out. I took the bus and stopped at the closest bus stop of Luis’s Enterprise.

I walked into the building after the security guard searched me. The lobby was exactly how I remembered it last. I walked to the respite site desk as she held a phone to her ears.

I cleared my throat, and she turned towards me. “Good morning,” I swallowed, already feeling nervous. “I’m here to see the CEO—-Master Luis.” I said with a little bit of confidence.

The receptionist looked at me, from my head to my toes with a face that showed she was irritated by my presence.

“Do you have an appointment?” She asked

“Hmm…I…. I do but I don’t think it is an official appointment. If you can just let him know that Isabella Joe is here, it would do me a great deal.” I told her as I played with my fingers nervously.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but without an official appointment, you can’t meet with the CEO. Please, you need to leave now.” The receptionist said as she continued with what she was doing.

“But…but…. I do have an appointment. I just don’t know if it is official yet.” I said to her, trying to persuade her.

She sighed “I need to see prove, Ma’am”

I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, “I don't have one” I said in a low tone, “but if you would just call, …”

“Ma’am please you are disturbing the peace of this environment, expect you have an official appointment or proof of an appointment, you cannot meet with the CEO! Now leave” she replied rudely to me.

“But!” Before I could reply, she pressed a button and immediately a security man appeared. “Please remove her from the premises.”

“Yes ma….” he turned to me “Ma, please you need to leave or I will be forced to make you leave.” The huge man said to me.

“But, please I do have an appointment with him.” I tried to persuade the girl who ignored me. The security man began to lead me out as I pleaded with the girl. The security guy began pulling me, as different people began to stop and look at the scene.

Just then we heard a voice, “What’s going on here?”