Loss and Love

The Beginning of her end

EMILY’s POV.

“Emily..” a voice called, as the door handle turned .

Time seemed to slow down as my room’s door freaked open, inch by inch. I held my breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Emily..” The voice called it again, and a familiar face peeked in my room.

I sighed in immense relief when I was the face.

It was my best friend Anita, standing in the doorway, a worried look on her face. “Oh my God Em, I have been trying to reach you ever since you left the office. I was so worried.” Anita said, addressing me by the nickname she gave me , Em.

I let it a shaky breath, my body sagging with relief. “ I am so glad to see you,” I said, reaching out to Anita.

Anita hugged me back, then she stepped back, a serous expression on her face. “So what is going on? Did you fix things with Richard?” She asked.

“I found out some things about my boyfriend.” I said , my voice quavering.

“I was right all along, he is not who he says he is. He has been lying to me and I do not know what to do.”

Anita’s expression was grim. “What happened Em? What did you find out? You have to tell me everything, from the beginning, I will help you figure this out.”

“Well.. I went to his office today to try and fix things between us, but when I got there he was shocked and agitated to see me. He asked what I was doing in his office, and I said I just came to spend some time with him.

He seemed displeased by my presence so I asked what wrong, and why he was agitated upon seeing me.

He tried to ignore my questions but I pestered him and he said, he was surprised I took time to come and visit him, knowing how tight my schedule was.

But his voice and body language gave him away,I knew he was hiding something but I had no idea what he was hiding. Determined to know more about what he was hiding, I continued questioning him and finding, he blurted out the truth. He said it was about some risky and complicated project that he was working on.

As we spoke, one of his employees came into his office and Richard left.

All alone in his office, I wanted to know more about this risky and complicated project. So I began going through the disorganized files on his desk, and checked his drawers.” I recounted the day’s happening to Anita who listened with rapt attention.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” She asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

“No, I found nothing related to the project in question. But I still could not contain my curiosity so I checked his bookshelf, running my fingers along the spines of the books, I tried to find one that was out of place. And I came across this novel “OTHELLO” by William Shakespeare.” I said and paused, to see if Anita was still following .

“I thought Richard hated novels?” Anita asked.

“Well.. this novel had a letter in it. As I flipped through the pages of the novel, I saw this letter. Neatly folded into a small square. My curiosity got to me and I opened the letter.” I paused again, for dramatic effect.

“What was in the letter?” Anita asked.

“It was a letter from my step brother, instructing Richard to lay low and avoid any form of meeting with me, for the meantime.” I said, her heart aching.

“Richard is working with your step brother?”Anita asked,her eyes wide in shock.

“Why!”

“They both planned to make me transfer all of my belongings to Richard’s name and he would in turn transfer to my step brother.” I said, a tear falling from my eyes to my cheeks.

Wiping away my tears, Anita hugged me and kissed my forehead.

“I am sorry you went through all that.” She said.

“This horrible. You can not stay in this relationship. You have to leave him. Who knows how they would execute their evil plans.”

I felt a surge of pain of panic. “I do not know that for sure Anita, maybe they might chose to harm me physically, trick me into signing the transfer papers,blackmail me into handing my properties to them.. or even kill me if I prove too stubborn.”

Anita’s expression softened. “I have a plan.” She said.

“What is it?” I asked eagerly.

“We can not afford to make him suspect you, and if you break up with him now... he will definitely feel something is wrong somewhere and may realize that you know his plans. So I’m thinking, why don’t we make him break up with you?” She said.

“That sounds like a great plan, but there is one problem.” I said.

“What is that?” Anita asked, in a voice laced with concern.

“What if..instead of breaking up with him for this, you pretend something else caused it.” She said, a smirk playing on her lips.

“How?” I asked.

“Well... I can stage a scene where I try to get too close to him and then you will walk in the minute he starts to respond, the minute he tries to touch me or make any moves. You will come in see us, act a bit sad, mad and heartbroken. He will try to apologize and explain the situation but you will tell him that you have had enough, then you break up with him.” She said, a wide smile on her face.

“You are saying that we frame him for the whole time and make him feel guilty?” I asked.

“Yes.” Anita answered, her voice full of glee.

“But how do we go about it?” I asked, my curiosity at its peak.

“We can discuss this at the club. For now let us go drink and merry the night away while we plot the downfall of your two faced boyfriend.”

I smiled, in agreement with her idea.

Little did I know... going to the club this fateful night, would mark the beginning of my end.