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ᴋᴀᴇʀᴀʜ ʀᴏꜱᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴛɪᴀɢᴏ
"Morning" I smiled wearily as my boyfriend Steve descended the stairs. It was 9:42 am and I was sat on the counter enjoying my morning coffee.
He briefly glanced up at me offering a grunt before turning on the TV and switching over to the news.
I was accustomed to his recent coldness towards me and shrugged taking a sip of my coffee. A small burst of anxiety fought its way to the pit of my stomach as I remembered the clients I would be dealing with today.
Although I had been in this position for only 3 months, I had been assigned my own assistant and was beginning to acquire clients of a high status. Today's client was my biggest yet and I couldn't help but feel nervous.
The slamming of the heavy wooden door shook me out of my thoughts prompting me to gather my belongings before getting in to my car, it was a black Lexus, a birthday gift from my parents.
I got in adjusting my seatbelt and plugging in the aux, a soft hum began to emit from my speakers and I set out to work.
"Hey Angela" I greeted my assistant. My heels clicked on the smooth marble surface causing a few people to look up and acknowledge me as I sauntered into my office.
The contracts I had drafted were sat on my desk along with a freshly made coffee. I inhaled the familiar aroma, instantly relaxing my nerves. I began to read over them until I was content and shortly entered the meeting room I had booked for my clients.
Luckily, they were pleased with the work I had produced and the breakdown I provided. I released a breath I hadn't realised I was holding, happy with the outcome.
This was a big win for me so I decided to head over to Olive Garden for a celebratory lunch and resume the rest of my work day from the comforts of my home. Steve wasn't expected to arrive until 5pm so I would have the apartment to myself.
I drove home listening to upbeat music as I thought about how well the meeting had gone. As I pulled up to the parking lot, I noticed Steve's car in the drive way and my happiness slowly eased out with each breath.
"You're home early." Steve said from the kitchen making me jump.
I nodded slowly and held up my laptop singling that I would be working from home before quickly heading into the study.
I worked the remainder of the afternoon drafting up a company policy for one of my smaller clients. Although the deadline was not for a few days I preferred to be ahead of time incase something important or a bigger client with a more demanding deadline came up.
Once I was done, I emailed the drafts over to Angela for editing before checking my phone. I sighed softly noticing I had 3 missed calls from my mom.
"Hey mama" I greeted awaiting her scolding.
"Kareah, what took you so long to call me back? Please pay more attention to that phone of yours" she nagged and I rolled my eyes in annoyance.
"Yes mama, I was working" I managed to cut her off before she went off on a tangent.
"Okay, well I am hosting dinner tomorrow at 8, please be on time." She let me know before saying her goodbyes.
I stared at my phone in disbelief, my mother was a woman who loved to keep up appearances. We didn't have the best of relationships. She had ruined it with her constant prying and sense of ownership over me and my life.
I decided to have a shower, my thoughts shifting to dinner tomorrow, there was no way I could avoid attending it. She would call Angela and ask for my schedule and God knows she could get anything out of anyone.
I would also have to attend with Steve, who seemed to despise me more and more as each day passed. I couldn't grasp where the hatred had come from. It left me in a constant state of fear as I found myself walking on eggshells in my own house.
I sighed stepping out of the shower and into my plush sheets, it did not take long before I began to drift off and I was woken abruptly by my weekend alarm what felt like an hour later.
I peered over my shoulder noticing the other side of the bed remained empty and was neatly tucked in. I considered his whereabouts shuddering at the thought of him with another female.
He had told me when we first got together, that he did not believe in sex before marriage but I wondered if he had been cheating on me or simply avoiding me at all costs.
Deciding not to dwell on his potential infidelities, I urged myself to get up before heading out to the nail salon. I was in dire need of a mani-pedi and thought it would be good to relax before dinner this evening.
"Which nail you want? Same nail?" My regular technician asked and I nodded going for short french tips. I wasn't sure why she had asked me anymore, this had been my regular for almost 4 years. She nodded knowingly before getting started.
I closed my eyes, plugging in my airpods, letting her work away on my toes. I could feel my phone vibrating softly within the contents of my bag and rolled my eyes focusing on the pedicure.
Once I was done, I grabbed a quick burger from in and out and decided to head home to get a nap in before getting ready for the dreaded dinner.
"We need to talk" Steve stood in front of me as I took off my jacket hanging it in the hallway.
"Whats up" I muttered not in the mood for another one of his 'conversations'.
"Im proposing tonight, I need you to act surprised or some shit" He said matter-of-factly. His eyes were cold as they bore into me awaiting my response.
"I-I don't know" I managed to get out before I felt a stinging sensation on my cheek and a hand across my throat. He backed me into the door causing me to jolt as the doorknob slammed into my hip.
"There is nothing for you to know, you just need to sit there, act surprised and say yes" He spat vehemently as the tears filled the brim of my eyes. Everything moved in slow motion as I gasped for air prying his hands away from my throat.
I hate him so much.
He suddenly dropped me to the ground, I produced a soft thud against the hardwood floors as my body slumped to the ground.
He walked away without another word and I rubbed my now very sore neck feeling the bruises forming.
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Introduction to some of the characters.
