Fooled by Perfection

Chapter 1: Time to make my move

(Alarm Buzzing)

I click off my alarm at five a.m., and I begin to regret setting it for this early. I muster up the strength to open my eyes just wide enough to briefly check my missed calls and text messages. I don't care much for what I'm seeing since the majority are from him. I placed my phone back on my nightstand. I shake my head as my feet make contact with the cold floor. I walk to the bathroom, and I begin to prepare for what the day has planned. After throwing on some active wear and placing my hair in a ponytail, I head to the kitchen, where I eat lightly, and then it's three trips up and down the stairs with bags. I do my final check, making sure to get all of what the movers didn't. Standing there, I take notice of the peaceful silence the early morning brings and how it also presents the perfect timing for my move.

Let me explain "the move." I've been dating Mikal (pronounced Michael) Santiago for almost six years. I met him while out celebrating one evening with friends, as we'd just finished fashion school. He was twenty-nine years old and claimed to be an entrepreneur. He appeared to be polite, and he made me laugh, but then again, with a few drinks in me, anything could have passed for comedy. I was attracted to his smooth look. His facial features were nice. He was about five feet, ten inches tall, and had a buff physique. He had short, spiky black hair and a goatee that connected to his sideburns. He dressed in business attire and carried himself like a businessman.

The first two years of him being in my life were tolerable for the most part; there were no major issues that we couldn't come back from. Heading into year three, things started to change for the worse, and by year four, our relationship had taken an awful turn. He was no longer the person I could tolerate, and from that moment on, I felt forced to stay with him out of fear of the alternative. I was concerned about how my life would be altered, leaving a situation I'd been in for so long. I do wonder if I somehow missed the signs or just didn't pay enough attention to his toxic ways from the beginning; maybe I didn't know any better getting into the relationship to begin with as he was the first man I'd ever loved in my entire life. He was the first man I thought really loved me, but most importantly, I thought he would show me that by being respectful, caring, and loyal to me, but I was wrong. Mikal had lied, cheated, and denied on a repeated cycle. I was in denial. I tried to be there for him. I understood and sympathized with him, as I knew he was sometimes in a low place and had issues dealing with the fact he wasn't as far in life as he wanted to be. I'd been to that internal, dreadful place, so I tried to support him as best as I could. I tried to uplift him in so many ways. It all went unnoticed because I noticed the change and the BS stories. Then that defining moment came when there would be no going back...

I questioned Mikal angrily about a night when I had popped up to his house shortly after midnight with a sexy surprise. He'd told me earlier in the night he'd be home, but to my surprise, he wasn't. He wasn't answering the phone either. The next day, I questioned him, and he didn't take that lightly. I'll never forget the fear I felt when he grabbed me by my arm so tightly and pinned me to the wall. He looked me straight in the eyes and threatened me to never question his doings or whereabouts again. It caught me by surprise, as it'd never gotten to that extent before. I would have never expected him to put his hands on me enough to cause physical discomfort. I could no longer act as if I didn't see the run sign flashing in front of me, so I took the blindfold off, and away went my wishful thinking of wanting things to work. It was apparent that I had a lot to learn, and I did.

Days following the incident with Mikal, I made the necessary changes to avoid him after breaking things off. I tried to ignore him. I blocked him on my phone. I never opened the door when he'd show up at my place, and because of this, his actions began to get more irrational. One night, I came home with two of my best friends, Jason and Pebbles. They were staying the night because we wanted to work on some drawings for a fashion book. Walking in, we found Mikal sitting there, waiting. His eyes were filled with anger, and I immediately demanded that he leave my place. I remembered looking over at Jason and seeing the fear in his eyes, as he was no match for a man that was like a beast in heat. I knew he'd want to protect us, but in his natural form, Jason just wasn't the type who liked to get his hands dirty or scuffed in any way. The three of us had each other's back no matter what, in any situation, even if we all had to take on Mikal, but thank goodness it didn't come to that. Mikal proceeded to tell me that we needed to talk and that he'd come back; after that, he left. It left me anxious and paranoid. I don't know what he was thinking...

Mikal's POV:

Is she fucking crazy?! I can't believe after all these years she still doesn't get it, and on top of that, she thinks she can just ignore me like I won't track her ass down. It's too easy; I know everything about her, and it blows my mind that she still acts like she doesn't know me. She acts so surprised that I do whatever I want, whenever I want, and however I want to fucking do it. I've told her all of this before. We've been down this road how many fucking times now? I've entertained other women over the years, but I always made time for our situation. I gave her more of me than what the rest of them got. It should have been enough, but now I know I've been way too nice and too patient with all the bitching she's done repeatedly. I'm tired of it, and she's lucky her friends were there. I don't need witnesses for what I have planned for her. I'm not going to kill her, but I am going to teach her a valuable lesson, one that she can take with her from now on. I'm going to show her how bad it could be. Maybe then she'd stop complaining.

Mikal's POV ended.

So, after careful consideration and planning, I decided I would move away. I needed to avoid the stalking behavior that Mikal was starting to show more and more. I feel he's caught me off guard everywhere I turn, so I'm not sticking around to see what dead end awaits me. I know what everyone is thinking: "She should have been done knowing he was disloyal to her," but I admit I stuck around like an idiot. I've asked myself so many times, What the hell is wrong with me?! Now I wonder if I'll ever be able to get the things I still have at his house, some of which I'd really like to get back, but I'll just have to look past that right now. I needed to give him space to get his mind right and to get over us. I don't know if this all seems dramatized, but I'm not completely sure of what he's capable of. I don't know if he's got a record or history of dangerous behavior, but after all these years, what I do know is that he's sneaky, so it has come time for me to show him how I move.