RESTRICTED

EPILOGUE

 Raina took the closest cab she could find home. As soon as she entered her home, she shut the door behind her and walked a little way towards the sitting room. Before reaching the sofa, she squatted and curled into a ball on the floor as she wept. Why? Just why? Are all men like this? Abusive and deceitful? She curled herself tighter and rocked her body. She was freaking out so bad. She was having another mental breakdown at this unfortunate moment. She cried so hard; she thought her eyes were going to pop out.

When would she find a new job? How would she get enough money to pay for her rent? What would her daughters think of her? Would she ever be normal again? If Mr. Coleman wasn't actually a bad person, then why did he look so guilty? Was he actually stalking her all this while? Was he pretending to be nice all this while? Was he just waiting for the perfect moment to finally crush her soul? So many questions flooded her head, as she tried to desperately block them out. She hadn't cried this hard since Hunter was still alive. Her heart was pounding so fast and hard. How much more pain did she have to endure?

Lightning split the grey clouds and it started to drizzle. Moments later, the rain was pouring heavily. Raina cried uncontrollably. She had believed that Mr. Coleman was a good man who cared for her a lot. Perhaps she was wrong? Her hair was in messy curls and her eyes were swollen. Raina had stayed at that exact spot rocking herself for three whole days. She hadn't eaten a single thing or taken a shower. She was so broken.

At noon on the fourth day, she could barely hear the door creak open over her loud sobs. She felt someone tap her shoulder. "Raina.", Roy called out to her, in a very sober tone. She didn't even glance towards him. She shoved his hand away from her shoulder. Roy was taken aback. She looked so bitter and stressed out. He wondered when the last time was that she had slept. "Raina...please...don't hurt yourself...", he started to say but she cut him off. "Could you leave, please?", she said to him, in a very cold manner. Roy was struck bad in his chest.

He sat beside her, making her to shift away from him. She was too weak to stand. "Raina, just...let me explain myself to you. Just once. I actually care about you, Raina. What made you change towards me? Is it because of what November said? Just forget her. Please.", he told her, taking hold of her hand. Raina pulled her hand out of his. "I should forget the fact that you lied to me? She probably left you because you were too obsessed with her like you are with me. I should forget the fact that you were keeping me close to you so you could keep an eye on me?", she told him, glaring at him. Roy was dumbfounded. "Woah, Raina. Where are these thoughts coming from? Who said this to you? I would never stalk you. I may have been possessive, but it was because I didn't want to lose you. Plus, November just told you that to cause a drift between us. The part I told you was true, Raina.", he told her, turning her to face him.

Raina could see a sense of truth in his eyes. "How do you expect me to believe all this? What if I can't believe you even if I want to?", she asked him, looking down. He lifted her chin up. "I did everything I did because I love you, Raina. I couldn't bare seeing you sad. I couldn't just sit by and watch your own husband abuse and torture you. Please, don't let November get to you. She was just jealous and took advantage of the situation.", he said to her, as he patted her hair down. Raina couldn't hold her tears back in. She felt so terrible.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Coleman. I overreacted a lot. I shouldn't have accused you of all those things I said. I didn't have the right to. I'm really confused. I-I-I—", she continued to ramble, but he shut her up with a warm hug. She suddenly realized how much she needed one. She wrapped her arms around him tighter. "You don't have to apologize, Raina. You did nothing wrong. Now dry your tears. I hate seeing you cry like this. I'm not mad at you, okay? I'm actually very glad that you got home safe.", he comforted her, letting her out of his grip. She dried her eyes with a towel and looked away from him.

He noticed she was uncomfortable. "Raina? Is there something on your mind?", he inquired, staring straight into her soul. She flinched. "It's just...I keep getting freaked over everything. Sometimes, a thought pops up in my head that the people around me want to hurt me. It makes me really insecure. It's like my mind has been programmed to always think of the worst out of people.", she said, tears welling her eyes again. Roy placed his hand on hers again. "Stop. Stop. Why do you hesitate to tell me how you actually feel? I won't be hurt by anything you do or say to me. Also, even if you feel like your mind has been programmed like that, we both know who's responsible for it. If you need help with anything, you have to tell me. I don't like it when you keep all your problems bottled up, okay? I'm here for you.", he said to her. Raina felt so warm listening to his words.

She gave him a slight genuine smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll try my best to remember that.", she said, as he turned to face her. He nodded. "But...Hunter...I keep seeing him in my dreams. He won't leave me alone. Each time I close my eyes...it's like...it's like he's waiting for the perfect moment to torture me again. It makes me really scared of the dark. That's why I leave most of my lights on. What do I do about that? Eventually, if someone finds out how mentally unstable I am, I'll be taken away to a mental hospital. What will become of my daughters? How will they be treated when the public finds out their mother had gone insane? I can't get these thoughts out of my head, Roy.", she cried, as she buried her head in his jacket and squeezed the collar.

Roy held Raina in his arms. She did make a very good point. She was indeed unstable, insecure and depressed. It wasn't her fault to experience this. "I'm here, okay. Whatever you need, all you need to do is ask me. No matter what happens from here on, I'll always protect you, Raina. I don't care what anyone is going to say. What matters to me is that you're alive and you're free from the hands of that monster. Hunter can't control you anymore, okay? He's gone forever. It's just his memories that are toying with you.", he told her, caressing her back. Raina sniffed and wheezed.

"But what do you think I should do when I hear his voice again? He makes me feel so useless. He makes me feel like I can't do anything important. He makes it seem like there's no hope for me.", she wailed. He hugged her tightly and pulled her away from him. He lifted her face to look into his eyes. "If you ever hear his horrible voice, I'll be right in front of you to help, okay? I won't ever make you cry again, okay?", he told her. She nodded and hugged him tight. "Thanks for all your help, Roy.", she managed to say. Few moments, Raina had freshened up. When she came back to the living room, Roy managed to force her to eat a few slices of pizza. She had to give in because of her fear of ulcer.

Time flew by at the blink of an eye. Just like that, six years had flown by. Roy's bar flourished abundantly, Raina's health was getting better by the day, Ari and Patricia had graduated from college with outstanding degrees. Everything was turning out well for them. The news of Roland's release from prison didn't bother Raina as much as she thought it would. She had more important things on her mind to think about. She wouldn't dare to bother her mind with things of that sort.

One night, she had returned from work late. She made Mac and Cheese for dinner. When she was done eating, she went to have a nice hot shower. She wore some comfy clothes and fell on her bed. As she was about to sleep, her phone rang. It was Mr. Coleman. He told her he was going to be late so she shouldn't wait on him. This made her sad. He was always coming back home late these days. Was it safe for him? She wasn't comfortable. She suddenly lit up her face. It wasn't the end of the world. She knew he was working hard for the betterment of everyone around him.

She phoned her daughters. They seemed to be doing alright. It was really clear how much they missed their mother. She beamed with joy over the phone. Her life had changed so much that she couldn't even remember being sad and lonely anymore. As she was about to drift into a deep sleep, she heard the baby cry. She heaved a sigh as she went to attend to it. She had finished feeding the baby when her phone rang. It was an unknown number. At first, she ignored the call, but it kept on ringing. She picked up the call, in frustration. "Hello?", she yelled at her phone. "Hi, Raina.", the voice said on the other end of the phone. Raina's eyes widened in fear as she those two words sent shivers down her spine. She knew that voice. She could identify it any day. Her hands trembled as she held the phone. "Roland?"