Prologue

“When life gives you lemons, chunk it right back.”

~~~

Meeting someone new is always so simple, from feeling mushy to going all lovey-dovey on each other, and within a spur of the moment, you’re smitten and can’t help but fall in love. That’s exactly what happened to me.

The only downside is, I fell for the wrong guy. Matthew and I met at a house party hosted by one of his buddies and boy, wasn’t he sweet. He threw a facade that had me in his box before I could say, Jack Robinson.

“Hey, you?” My best friend Kayleigh impeded my train of thought. My lips curved into a smile as she approached me and draped her hands around me. I was a few inches taller than her and she constantly tried to make it up by donning heels.

“You look hot,” she whispered, pulling me towards the table I cleared a few seconds ago. Her father owned The Inn, a restaurant only the big pockets could afford. It was pretty hard getting a job there but thanks to her recommendation, I was fortunate enough to be among the few new workers.

“Oh please, I look terrible.” I let out a giggle, seating across her.

She was as breathtaking as the word itself. Coming from an affluent family, her fashion sense was on another level. She was a blonde pretty girl with blue eyes and a killer body. Her shape was inviting and any man would be left gaping at her.

“You won’t believe what I just found out.” Her brows drew together as she spoke.

“Maybe I will. Tell me about it.”

She cleared her throat, her eyes dancing around the restaurant, a sign that she was apprehensive. I leaned over the table, eager to know what the heck was making her so restless. It was so unlike her.

“Come on, tell me,” I whispered, my impatience wearing thin.

Wildly gesticulating her distress, she went on to break the most ludicrous news I ever heard. For a moment, I thought she had lost her mind. I mimicked her previous action, I didn’t want anyone hearing what she just spelled out. There were only three customers left. It was mid-morning and as usual, a great percentage of our customers were at their workplace.

“He’s a drug dealer,” she repeated. As if saying it continually would make me believe her. I threw my head back and laughed out loud. Kayleigh must have been high on something because she wasn’t making any sense.

“It’s not funny, Shannon. I am dead serious.” She leaned on the table and jabbed on it twice with her fingers. “He is very dangerous.”

She despised Matthew for valid reasons, but at that particular moment, I thought she was blowing things out of proportion. We all knew drug dealers existed mainly in the movies. I mean, they did exist but it was so damn hard to meet them, talk of dating them.

“Matthew is many things but a drug dealer? Absolutely not!” I said in his defense. Her eyes turned red with fury, she hated it when I didn’t believe her. I attempted to persuade her that she was mistaken about him but she was having none of it.

“Please, ask yourself why he’s so strange. You’ve dated for what? Eight months or so? Do you know any of his relatives?”

I face-palmed and shook my head. We’d spoken about this more times than I cared to remember. His father was late, his mother was working out of the country, his grandmother was a busy woman and he wasn’t close with his relatives for reasons I couldn’t think back to.

“I know we’ve talked about this several times but there’s something so fishy about him and my instincts are never wrong. You ignore a lot of questionable stuff going on between you two, I don’t like it. His attitude is going nowhere and you have to stop tolerating him,” she scolded, frustration distinct in her voice.

“I hear you, but it’s easier said than done.” Leaving a relationship was difficult but she was right, I had to do it. Hopefully, I would come out in one piece.

“Alright, but to hasten your decision, I’m going to prove to you that Matthew is a piece of shit.” She made her way to my supervisor Becky and asked, more like ordered her to let me off for a few hours. She craved to prove her point and ascertaining her claims would appease her.

As we drove out of the parking lot, I broke the news she’d been dying to hear. She hit the breaks so fast the tires screeched. My breakfast filled my throat, threatening to come out as she reversed the car back to a safer place before assaulting my ears with unnecessary screams. I took deep breaths till the urge to puke subsided before glaring at her, earning puppy eyes. She muttered her apologies before going ahead to bombard me with questions.

“Do you think I’m making the right choice?”

“What kind of stupid question is that? If I had to give up my car for you to dump his ass, I would. In a blink of an eye, and we all know how much I love my baby.” She grinned, caressing her staring wheel.

“You’re an awful liar,” I teased. Her grin changed into full-blown laughter, her hand reaching out to pinch my cheeks. I quickly swatted it away from my face, I wasn’t ready for sore cheeks.

Her face turned pensive as she said, “I should drop you off at his house. Call him, tell him you want to talk. I will wait for you so I can drive you home because he will be too pissed to do so.”

I turned down her offer and insisted on seeing what she saw. Her brows creased. “What for? You’re going to break up with him anyway, so why dig into his dirty business?” she asked in a duh tone.

It was evident she wasn’t getting the weight of the matter at hand. If Matthew was all she said, then I was in for war. I didn’t want to imagine what I would do if it were to be true. “I have to know what I’m dealing with.”

When we got to the destination, I suddenly got the urge to pee. I dreaded her assertions turning out to be accurate. The place did look odd, why would dealers choose a drive-in where you would be knocking at their front door? Usually, there would be an enormous electric gate and heavy security.

“Hello, how may I help you?” The door opened to reveal an old woman who looked from Kay to me with an inviting smile. Kay wore a puzzled look on her face but I was relieved. From the look of things, my ex-boyfriend-to-be was just but a normal guy.

“Sorry for intruding, but I was wondering if I could speak with Matthew Morgan?” I decided to ask since Kay was rendered completely speechless.

She moved from one foot to the other. “I know no one by that name.”

“Could it be possible he lives around here?”

“I have lived here for 30years and not once have I encountered a Matthew Morgan,” she confirmed.

We thanked her and got back in the car. Kay was confused and I was glad. She didn’t know what to make of what she saw earlier but that was the least of my worries, I had a boyfriend to dump.

* * *

As I took the remaining steps to Matthew’s apartment, my tummy did a flip, my nerves were all over the place. I had to remain tranquil so I stopped to gulp down some water before adjusting my uniform, suddenly noticing its short length. It was not the best outfit to end a relationship in. Would Matthew get turned on instead of understanding that I wanted out? Either way, I was still determined to move on.

I inserted my key into the lock and pushed the door open. He instantly jumped to his feet and pulled me in for a hug. His left hand spanked my butt and a disgusting feeling washed over me. A few months back, I would have cackled in excitement but now, it felt like he invaded my privacy.

Snickers from his friends who were tucked at the corner, making it hard to notice them from the entrance had me pulling away from Matthew’s hold. Without acknowledging their presence, I trudged to his room. I had to change into something else because otherwise, no talking would be done.

As I rummaged my bag for my jeans, Matthew spun me around and made to kiss me but I averted my face. “Why are you acting funny?”

I sighed. “That’s what I wanted to talk about.” I could tell it wasn’t going to end well so when he let go of me, I instinctively took a step back and tried to act calm.

“I’m listening.” He folded his arms against his chest and stared at me.

I waved my hands between us. “This is not working. I can’t take your unfolding personality no more. I want us to break up.”

He peered at me through furrowed brows for a minute before bursting in a fit of unending laughter. My jaw dropped, I never expected him to react that way. Great, just great!

“Guys,” he yelled, opening the door to reveal his friends walking the corridor towards us. “Shannon said she wants us to break up. She’s so funny,” he said amidst chuckles. His friends roared in laughter while I stared with wide-open eyes. I didn’t get the joke. His circle consisted of three guys but I only remembered Ian’s name.

“I’m not joking, Matthew. I’m breaking up with you!”

Their crack-up died instantly as all eyes landed on me. I uncrossed my arms and took steps back from Matthew who was coming for me. My breath quickened and my hands began shaking as he backed me up against the wall, wrapping his hands around my neck. I let out a scream and held onto both of his wrists before pulling hard but he didn’t budge.

“Now listen and listen good. You don’t get to choose when to leave or stay, I decide that. Nobody leaves me unless I say so, am I making myself clear?” he roared, fanning my face with his hot breath. I bobbed my head up and down like my life depended on it. It did, tremendously. I was choking but he didn’t care.

“Say it!” He pressed harder, causing both my eyes and nose to water.

“Crystal clear,” I croaked.

With a smile matching that of the devil, he let go before roughly kissing me and I had to contain myself from puking in his mouth. When he pulled back, I opened my eyes to find the room spinning and clutched the top of the bed tightly for support. His friends were openly lusting at me so I pressed my lips into a thin line, to suppress the insults threatening to spill.

Matthew was seated calmly at the foot of the bed, like what he just did was normal. I glanced from him to his friends and the door, I needed to get out of there as quickly as my legs could carry me. With newfound determination, I dashed for the door, catching them all by surprise by roughly shoving Ian out of the way, making him stumble back, taking the rest of his friends with him.

Without thinking twice, I scurried to the front door and pulled it once, then twice before realizing it was locked. A sigh of relief escaped my lips when I spotted the keys on the table. I quickly grabbed them and tried to put the key in the lock but my hands were shaking. On the second trial, it finally fit in its place and a surge of happiness filled me as I took the steps two at a time.

I had barely made it down the first staircase when Matthew suddenly grabbed me by my hair and slapped me hard across the cheek, eliciting a bloodcurdling shriek from me. He kneed me in the stomach and I dropped to the floor, curling into a ball to minimize the pain shooting to every inch of my body.

I tried crawling towards the steps, willing myself to stay strong so I could get away but I didn’t have enough strength. I shut my eyes and let my tears flow freely. There was nothing I could do. I said a short prayer and resigned to my fate.