Day - ONE

Alarick Rodriguez

Emma's POV

Then all the things in the world started appearing a hoax and even started to make sense. I cried out loud holding my head in middle of the road.

Sophie's deception was not her imagination. She did saw the naked woman in her apartment , she did hear the voices , she did saw Mrs. Collins on bed of Alarick , she was trapped by him , he maybe tried to strangle her.

He raised his hand on her and Noah that lecherous bastard did assaulted her.

Even when he threw that lavish party at his house where the terror was evident on Sophie's face was quite clear that did happened. Yes , it did.

My world collapsed under my eyes and I stood there watching not just watching I did helped to crumble in pieces in front of my eyes. This was not just cruel but most traumatic masterfully executed plan. There was one mastermind behind all this Alarick Rodriguez. The name itself was reason to abhorrence and I got unusual sensations in my body.

I stood there stopped crying wiped my tears because even at that point I was not aware that this was just beginning of all the tortment and world does rip you apart for it's own malicious ways.

I noticed Sophie's love for Alarick when she came down and apologise to him for her conduct even I was the one appreciating them as a couple I stood there and gazed them embracing each other but why did I start to notice now her plastic smile why am I starting noticing her terror stricken face. Why now ? When I handed her to the man who decayed her self confidence wrenched her heart and watch her tearing into pieces in front of him telling her with all emotions gleaming in his eyes that he did love her.

When Noah himself confessed that Alarick apparently won't let her go from his clutches I was such a fool. Such a fool I was. I sabotaged my own best friend but I never intended too. Only if.....only if I just had confidence in her one time.

Whatever happened started shaking my core her wan eyes , pale moon face and the wait she had that someone might
come for her rescue it all flared up in front of my eyes.

I reminisce of the time when Sophie left Alarick for sake of her career and me and him were all alone cycling around the town and how much he started loathing doctors and medical professionals because he never imagined she would leave him for her profession now he ruined her enough that she couldn't turn around and go back wearing white coat again.

James did kept eyes on her he did. He came inside the room twice without an aim he wandered around us he was visible from glass pane door. Oh dear ! I literally imagined her to be patient of mental illness and why didn't I questioned why this mental illness appeared after her reunion with Alarick ? I was distraught and hugely  disappointed in me like I was never before my whole life seemed like a sham a failure.

I was pawn just a pawn to win the whole game he invited all the people in his house for party he did that on purpose he got time to go into Sophie's room scare her off using his cheap tactics then when she was dumbstrucked maybe she was tortured daily and I called him he rushed towards room catching everyone's attention so that his motive of creating illusion that Sophie might be schizophrenic is fulfilled in front of everyone. He acted perfect boyfriend one time I pitied on him that this should have never happened to him.

Sophie was never in illusion about her life is threatened or she is being watched or anything like that I believed because Alarick wanted me to believe.

He not only gaslighted Sophie into believing that she was schizophrenic but gaslighted me he used me to make Sophie belief wholeheartedly that she is mentally sick because due to different incidents that took place before I entered that house he couldn't simply walk towards Sophie and convince her being patient of mental illness because she no longer trusted him. My head buzzed with all the notions and the image was crystal clear in front of me she no longer trusted him she confessed me so it was next to impossible to take Sophie out of city without her permission. He used me to gain her faith so that he can continue with his abuse to her.

He is such a pathologic liar each time I visited his house I was quite taken by how many psychology books he owned and read now I understand where he used all his knowledge to make her girlfriend feel miserable.

He created an delusion and I believed in it . How did I gave in I didn't know. Maybe how Sophie did how everyone else did that day in party. Not only I failed as a friend but also human.

He gaslighted Sophie intended to make her believe in his lies repeating his pattern convincing her so that she is wholly reliable on him. Nowhere to go not even she can incline on her career to support her own self. He destroyed her self image to have her in his clutches she was his puppet to use. Someone so naive as her that believed from day - one that she might reunite with her high school boyfriend who has already formulate to ravage her everything for his own insecurities and selfishness.

How did such a smart woman give in for this trap ? How did I give in ? I knew because we were seeing what we were shown . I was blindfolded before meeting her with falsity of mental illness so when she started accusing everyone I knew since childhood for the damage done I thought it was a fiction and it was quite shaking for me to see her in that state I searched for puzzles while picture was already completed in front of me.

I stopped crying gathered all my courage and started to gather all the information about Alarick's whereabouts as his phone was out of reach until I landed on a piece of information.