{Thea}
Curtis stepped into my hotel room, looking as immaculate as always. Pristine suit, polished shoes, and a smug grin on his stupid face.
His presence alone was enough to send a chill through every fibre of my being. But it was the sturdy old man standing beside him that truly made my stomach drop.
The hotel manager.
His eyes locked on me like I was some sort of criminal. 'Shit! If they're both here, then they definitely found out.'
"What… what's going on?" My voice came out hoarse.
Curtis folded his arms and smirked down at me, "What's going on is that I expected you to have a little more dignity, Thea. But here you are, squatting ini a hotel room, living off my credit card like a leech."
"A leech… how dare y—"
I was ready to tear him a new one when the manager spoke up. "Mrs. Blackwood, or should I say… Miss Thea." He corrected himself with an impossibly stern voice. "We have reason to believe you committed fraud by using Mr Blackwood's identity to book this room."
"You mean my husband." I corrected him as well.
Curtis scoffed, and a faint smirk tugged at the manager's lips. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've put yourself in? You committed fraud, Miss Thea."
"I didn't impersonate anyone! Curtis is my husband. How can a wife using her husband's credit card be considered fraud?"
The manager's face hardened, "You knowingly checked in without authorization, which could be seen as identity theft. As it stands, Mr Blackwood is on the verge of pressing charges and—"
"This is ridiculous!" I yelled, throwing my hands in the air. "He's my husband! I have every right to—"
"You had every right," Curtis interrupted with ice in his voice, "But you don't anymore."
While I was processing his words in my brain, Curtis reached into his suit jacket and pulled out a stack of papers.
He points them at me, and my eyes slowly go over the big, bold letters at the top.
DIVORCE AGREEMENT
"I signed this the day you left for Texas. Now it's your turn."
After he said that, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I looked up at Curtis, hoping for… anything, honestly.
I just couldn't believe that the same man who had said his vows to me on the altar, promising to always be by my side, was the very same man who held up divorce papers to my face.
"C-Curtis… please don't do this. I'll lose everything."
"Oh, Thea." he shook his head, mocking me. "Naive, stupid Thea. You already lost everything the moment you signed Leighton Steels over to me."
Tears pricked at my eyes like never before, but I fought hard to stop them from falling. I had to remind myself that he wasn't worth it.
The manager suddenly cleared his throat, reminding me that he was still present. "I've already called security, and notified the authorities."
I panicked when I heard that the police were involved. I knew how this worked; men with power in this town, like Curtis, could do whatever they wanted.
If they wanted to ruin someone by burying them under imaginary legal charges, they definitely could.
The honest truth was, I was trapped. "Please Curtis," I whispered, turning to him, "Don't do this."
Curtis tilted his head and widened the smirk on his face. "You know I could make all this go away. I can make the charges disappear, but I'm going to need something from you first."
I knew what it was before he even said it.
"Sign the papers," he leaned down to tuck a strand of hair from my face while maintaining eye contact with me. "And then disappear from my life, forever."
He said it with so much certainty that I felt like he had driven a stake clean through my heart, impaling me with his words.
I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of it all before it finally settled in my head. Curtis Blackwood was the fucking devil.
"Fine," I hissed, and snatched the papers from him. He smirked and handed me a pen.
As I signed the divorce papers, tears fell from my eyes, staining the paper, and I swore to myself that as long as I lived, I would never have anything to do with a Blackwood ever again.
When I was done signing the papers, I threw them at him, "There. Are you happy now?" I spat.
Curtis laughed and gathered up the papers. Just then, the door swung open, and two large security guards stepped inside.
"Throw her out," the manager commanded them with a wave of his hand.
I froze, "Wait, you said you wouldn't—"
"I said I wouldn't call the police," Curtis interrupted me before slipping the papers safely back into his jacket. "I never said you could stay."
An involuntary sigh escaped my lips as I shook my head in utter disbelief.
'I couldn't believe that after taking everything from me, he was still going to let them throw me out.'
The guards moved toward me, and I didn't so much as utter a word. I let them grab my arms and drag me out of the room.
I didn't try to fight them, I didn't scream or shout. I just glared at Curtis as they dragged me past him. It was then that I finally understood the emotion that was brewing inside of me.
Pure, unadulterated hate.
I wasn't sure how I was going to do it, but I was going to make Curtis pay for ruining my life. 'Somehow.'
I stumbled forward, and my heels scraped against the pavement as the hotel doors shut behind me with a loud bang.
They had thrown me out like I was garbage. My marriage was over, my dignity was in tatters, and worst of all, I had nowhere to go.
My phone suddenly rang, and I flinched before retrieving it from my pocket.
Unknown Caller
I frowned as I stared at my screen. I wanted to let it go to voicemail, but something told me to answer.
"Hello?" I said.
At first, all I could hear was low and uneven breathing for a couple of seconds, then followed by a voice that made my heart beat faster.
"Thea… it's Liam."
"Liam," I whispered, remembering my younger brother, that I had foolishly betrayed for Curtis. "Liam, there's something I have to—"
"You have to help me, Thea. Please. They're going to kill me."
"Huh?" I froze, "What are you talking ab—"
The line suddenly went dead.
As I stared at my phone, unsure of what was happening, it rang again… the same unknown caller.
I answered it immediately, "Liam?!"
But this time, it wasn't my little brother's voice.
"You're too late, sweetheart." The voice said, followed by an amused chuckle. "We'll be in touch very soon."
And the line went dead yet again.