The Royal Contract

Two men had approached her, offering her another drink, probably trying to get on her pants, but she ignored them. She did look vulnerable. Her eyes were still puffy from crying, and her shoulders sagged down as her eyes focused on her drink.

She kept to herself, drowning in her sorrow. She was miserable and using alcohol to make her forget. But it was just a temporary relief. It could help for a while, but once it was out of her system, she would be right back to square one.

“I’ll have what she is having.” He ordered, sitting on the spot next to her on the bar. He could not watch her from a distance anymore. He would join her so she would remember that she was not alone in this.

He had asked one of his security to monitor her movements, afraid she would get herself in a situation. She had not been herself since that unfateful day. He had already lost someone dear to him. He could not afford to lose her too.

When her security informed him that instead of going home, she made a few stops and ended up in this bar, he knew he had to follow her. It seemed that she was not coping like he thought she would.

“I don’t need a babysitter. I know you have someone to follow me around.” She spoke without looking at his face, but her eyes moved to look at his fingers, recognizing those hands and his ring.

.....

She had seen the man with her husband a few times. When she drove out of the parking lot of her office, she noticed the car tailing her. Once she was out of the clothing shop, he stood by the sidewalk, waiting.

He was one of his men, probably asked to follow her around because her husband was concerned about her well-being. Could she blame him? No. She felt like she was losing her mind.

“Jacky, I am worried.” That was all he could say as an explanation for his action. “You smile as if nothing happened. You kept crying when you thought no one was looking.” He said exasperatedly. “You won’t talk to me.” He hissed under his breath before emptying his glass.

He had watched his wife slowly dying in front of him. He knew he had to do something. He even booked them with a shrink for counseling, but she kept postponing it, saying it conflicted with her schedule.

She had been catching up with the work she had missed due to her confinement at the hospital. She used that as an excuse, avoiding seeking professional help.

He thought it was ok since Jacky was one of the most resilient people he had met in his entire life. It was one of the traits that had attracted him to her from the start. It seemed that nothing could bring her down since she had experienced the worse in her life.

“I am ok, Marcus. I only want to grab a drink.” She wrapped her fingers around the cold glass before her and lifted it to her lips. “I just missed going out like this.” She gestured to the bar around her. But that was a lie.

She was happy with him and the comfortable life he gave her. She had never missed her old life. But her new life at the moment was in chaos. She thought she could toughen up and get through it all just like before, when she was back on the street, fending for herself.

However, she was losing. No matter how she cheered herself up, she still ended up in a crying mess, hiding in private, not wanting anyone to see her misery. But it seemed her husband could see through her and her facade.

“No, you are not.” He said like it was a fact, pulling several bills from his wallet and dropping it on the counter. “Come on. We are going home.” He grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her out of her chair.

He would drag her out of that bar and into the safety of their home. If she still wished to continue drinking, he would drink with her. But this time, he would insist that they should attend counseling. He was taking no for an answer.

However, He was wrong about his assumption about her sobriety. It appeared she had consumed more than her limit as she swayed on her feet. But she pulled her hands off him and turned her back on him.

“I don’t want to leave, not yet.” She answered him, returning her ass to her seat and signaling for the bartender to serve her another drink.

She did not want to go home, not sober, at least. She could not look at that house without thinking about what she had done. It kept reminding her that she was a murderer, killing her child because of her carelessness.

She should be in jail, not having a great life with a man she did not deserve. She killed his child. He should hate her, not act like her protector.

“Please, let us just go home.” He held her by the shoulder, but someone suddenly grabbed him from behind.

The unknown man pulled him off her. “The lady said she did not want to leave. It meant that you should leave her alone.” He pushed his fist at his chest, making him step back.

“Is this man bothering you?” The guy, playing as a knight, asked Jacky as he continued to shove him on the chest.

He acted like a hero, trying to impress his wife, probably thinking he could score by doing a good deed. But he made a big mistake when he poked an angry bear.

But before his wife could answer the nosy man, Marcus grabbed him by his collar and threw the first punch. The man finally pushed him into his last straw.