Chapter Nine: The Old Man and How He Lost Her

It's an extremely cliché thing that bad things occurred during a rainy day and that is happened that day of June when the beautiful dream ended.

- "Thank you for coming…"- she had said when we met in the café where I had declared and asked her to live together. It had been our favorite café where we had gone to our first "unofficial date" before she travelled to another city and it was also the place where I saw her for the last time.

Things were far from good between us. By this time, we had been living separately for a month and we had not talked with each other at all since that day when we had fought and she had decided to return to her parents' house. To be honest, I had tried to call her, but she had not replied and just called me to meet that day. I was already choosing my words to apologize and try to fix the things between us when she suddenly slid the ring I had given her the day I asked her to live with me. I looked at her confused.

- "I'm sorry..."- she said while looking at me with teary eyes- "I think we must break up…"

Those words hit me like a hammer and immediately felt stunned and dizzy. It was true that we had been having some problems but this was not the first time we had had a fight. Why was she suddenly talking about breaking up? She had never done this. I restrained myself and just looked at her waiting for her reasons. I knew that if I were to talk, I would end up shouting.

- "I would lie if I told you that I don't feel anything for you, but… I can't continue like this… I need something more stable and I met someone who can give me that… I'm really sorry…"

So it was another man. Now before you start shouting insults and accusations for such cruel betrayal, I must say that it was my fault. And no, I had not cheated, nor had hit her or abused her… but I definitely had neglected her.

- "All this time together it was beautiful and I don't regret it for one second… I think we both had the best intentions and gave our all…"- she said that day sobbing and crying and anyone seeing her would have guessed this was extremely difficult for her- "However, it's been a while now that I can feel we have stagnated, every day we grow apart farther and farther and some days we don't even talk anymore. It's lonely and you don't seem to care. You only stay in your studio and we don't even eat together… we don't play anymore… when was the last time we even had intimacy? It's obvious you don't love me anymore and to be honest… I don't know what I feel anymore…

Her arguments were solid and I could not rebuke them. It was all true and to be honest she was being nice about it. At that time, she had really made the effort to carry the relationship and I must shamefully accept that it was practically her who had tried to push the relationship alone. The reason was also very common and many of you would raise an eyebrow when I say it and you would be justified to do so.

- "I was too busy with my job."

I know it was the typical excuse, but it was the truth. I had landed in a job which was stable but it really did not offer me a lot of possibilities professionally and we could only afford to live an average life. We were content with this and we had happily decided to slowly work together to be happy. However, Anggie's father who was a renowned doctor and had given her princess a high status life was not pleased with me. He made sure to always remind me his displeasure every time he visited us. He always managed to find a moment when we could be alone and said something like:

- "A nobody has managed to charm my innocent girl and now she will suffer a poor life"

I know I should have just let it slide, but those words stung me sharply, and I could only lower my head in shame. Due to this situation, I always threw myself into my work looking for an opportunity which could allow me to get a promotion and get a better salary and start giving Anggie the life she deserved. However, year after year the opportunity did not arrive and after a time, I started to feel like a failure and the words of Anggies' father haunted more and more heavily every time. Of course, I never told Anggie what her father said to me and suffered in silence. I saw it as a sign of weakness and I did not want her relationship suffer because of me.

- "I'm so happy"- she used to say to me constantly as if she could guess my apprehension- "you always work so hard for me and I thank you for that."

I was grateful for these words, but at the same time sounded like an accusation of my uselessness. Through the years, this feeling caused more and more frustration until I became a grumpy and negative person who only lived for his job and money.

- "Hey talk to me… I'm here for you"- she had said so many time as she kissed me and hugged me.

It was the best feeling knowing there was someone who waited for you at home after a hard work day. No matter the shit you had to experience at work, there was this ultimate ally who would be there for you no matter what.

- "Cristian I know something happened, maybe I can't help but please at least let me comfort you!"

She begged me to talk but I rejected her. I was just too stubborn and proud to accept things were not advancing as I expected and when I finally did it, I ended up complaining and bitching about things that did not have any relationship with my problems, including to the point to attack her… HER… my ally… what stupid idiot…

My words hurt her a lot and she started to keep her distance. Since that day, our relationship fell apart and we even started sleeping in separate rooms. We were like strangers living in the same house. I should have apologized and try to mend outr situation, but instead, I just hid in my job letting the things get worse until one day I realized she was gone. My excuse? I finally got my chance. I was in charge of a very important project which would let me get a promotion

- "If I do well"- I always told myself like a parrot- "when I get promoted, I will propose to her and maybe we can have some children."

Now that I think about it, this was just a stupid excuse which allowed me to delay the fact that we had to face our problems and work hard to mend what I had personally broken. Poor Anggie… It must have been so emotionally draining and exhausting to have to deal with me and her own solitude. She also worked and had stuff to do, since she worked for aa government office, but for some stupid reason I thought only I was stressed and had things to do.

- "If you want to say something… please do… I'll hear anything you want to tell me…"- she said looking at me with a pitiful expression.

I was only a source of frustration for her. A man should be able to give stability and security to his partner. I was supposed to take the lead and be the column of our family. I was too weak and useless. Is there any surprise she stared to worry to spend the last years with a failure like me? She did what any intelligent woman would do… look for a better chance and she went forward.

- "Say something, Cristian… anything…"- she begged as I sat there in silence and with too much pain to even react- "tell me what is in your head, please… talk to me like before… or insult me… shout and yell at me… anything! But please talk to me!"

I can still see her teary eyes and the last look she gave me. She stayed there for ten minutes looking at me as she waited for an answer. I was too stunned and angry to react. I even thought she was mocking me and see how I reacted so I simply stayed silent in order not to give her the satisfaction and finally let her go.

- "I see… Good bye, Cristian…. And thank you for everything…"- those were her last words before picking up her handbag and standing up.

I know what you are thinking, and yes I was an idiot. Only after years later, I realized that she was waiting for me to save the relationship. That look was the last opportunity she was giving me. More than that, it was literally desperate scream for me to react and do something. She was expecting me to stop her and tell her not to go. Or at least that is what I want to believe. Maybe she really wanted to get rid of me… I will never know.

- "Of course I know… she was Anggie after all!"

Knowing her… if I had begged her for a little patience and a new chance. If I had promised her I would change and improve, she would have stayed with me and try again. However, I did not do it. I just stayed there like a rock in silence while she went away crying giving me a final tearful look before closing the door behind. Maybe she was waiting for me in the street… the point is I just stayed there for many minutes not knowing how to process what had happened.

- "The bill, please…"- it was the only thing I could say when I reacted many minutes after.

After losing her, everything lost its color for me. I felt what it really meant to be alone. The house where I lived was just too big and everything reminded me of her. So I moved to an apartment where I only had the basic living space. It was one of those minimalist spaces. I ended the project I was doing some months later. However, as if karma was waiting for the worst moment to slap me in the face, things were not as I expected. My boss took all the credit for my job and just assigned me to an even more stressful position without even giving me the promotion he had promised me just to hire a woman in her teens with obvious intentions. I was played like a fool and to be honest I took it as a punishment for my stupidity.

- "I had let the love of my life go for nothing…"

Even if she had stayed, I would have not been able to give her the life she deserved. I had neglected her, bear with the stupid orders of my boss, for nothing. Maybe if I had told her my plans she would have understood. Of course she would, she was too smart not to notice. I did not trust her, I thought that if I suffered in silence, I would protect her, but in the end I just pushed her away from me. She tried to help me but I just kept swatting her hand as if saying I can do it alone, so I don't need you.

- "Hey Milleiros! You are supposed to give me the report with corrections by this morning"- the next day my boss came to my office shouting but for some reason I did not care.

- "It's not my job, sir"- I replied without even looking at him.

- "What?"- he replied with a shocked expression.

- "I said it's not my job"- I answered while continuing my present job activng as the pig was not in the same room- "This job is in charge of your new assistant. She should be able to do this report. I'm in a different area now, remember?"

- "I order you to do it!"- he said barking at me with fury. I wondered why he was so angry and then I noticed the new assistant was some meters behind him.

The asshole was just trying to show off in front of his new toy. This only gaveme more reasons to deny his request since I was really fed up to tolerate the crap of this fat slime.

- "You can't order me to do things outside my responsibility domain"- I replied and I surprised myself for the tone I was using- "If you request it via a formal document, I'll think about it."

- "You know I can make your life a miserable hell if I want to, don't you?"- he said hitting my table with his knucles trying to intimidate me.

- "You already have, sir"- I replied with a calm tone. I was not intimidated, but I only saw his act as a pathetic tantrum made by a child- "but if you think you can make it worse, please I beg you… do your worst…"

- "You will regret this!"- he said with a hissing voice as his face was totally red- "if you are in this company in four months, I'm not a man…"

- "Instead of worrying about me, sir"- I replied with a fearless tone- "I think you shold worry about the last accusations you your previous assistant made about your attempts to seduce her and blackmail her"

I looked at the new assistant making sure she heard my words as I winked at her. She evaded my eyes with a blush. My boss reacted as if he had been hit by a hammer.

- "What the hell are you talking about?"

- "Didn't you read the memorandum I left for you last week under the tag "Priorities"?"- I said with a surprised expression- "The meeting with the HR director should be today…"

His face became pale and I cvould see his thoughts running wild in front of me. In that exact moment a HR representative entered the office and called him. He gave me a last look full of hatred before he went to the meeting. To tell you the truth I really left the memorandum on his priorities plate, but my boss was the typical lazy bum who needed to be told everything by his assistant. Since he told me I was going to be transferred I simply did not tell him about this meeting and his new assistant must have been overwhelmed by the amount of work she had to do so it was obvious he did not know all the trouble he was into.

- "It's not your fault so don't worry"- I said to the new assistant called Irene- "and becareful with him, he's a pervert and has abused of many female employees."

She nodded and left immediately. I returned to my work with a satisfied mile imagining all the things my pig boss must have been told in that moment by his own superiors. I did not imagine the size of the problem and definitely did not expect him to be fired just a month later. Not only that, he had been sued by many former employees who had been abused sexually by him and he ended up staying some months in jail. He should have stayed much more time, but he had a very effective lawyer who managed to get him ourt in the best way from that situation. Lawyers are really amazing. In my case, I stayed in that job for many years just to maintain myself. I got a new boss who was much better than the previous one and I even got to work with Irene who showed her gratitude for getting rid of the pig in very intensely many times.

- "I was a healthy young man with needs and a broken heart so you will have to forgive me for getting involved with a beautiful woman who was clearly interested in me."

However, we never got nothing more than a pure physical relationship. And before you feel sorry for Irene, she also never tried to further the relationship and made it clear she just wanted a non-committed relationship. It worked well for both of us for some years until she entered in a formal relationship and we just stop seeing each other with no dramas.

- "Why don't you try seeing other people?"- my mother often told me since she was worried for me- "it's not good for a man to be alone, you know?"

I just kissed her on her forehead those times and told her that if I had the chance I would definitely do it, but the reality was that after Anggie, I simply did not have the guts or the ability to have a more intimate relationship. It was as if I had forgotten how to love and I doubted I could get the same level with any other woman. Anyway, I got used to be alone and I simply wanted peace and tranquility. I started to study my contract and rule book in my job with the help of a lawyer to find loopholes and things I could use. I simply decided not to give any more than I needed to. This job was there to give me salary, and that was all. I didn't have more reasons to give any extra effort and so I adopted a lazy attitude where I just did the minimum required to stay in my position. It was impossible for them to get rid of me, but it was obvious I would never be able to get a promotion and I was fine with that. I had lost any kind of drive and did not care.

- "Fuck this…"

I started to live a vain life where I stayed in my apartment most of the time watching movies, playing games and doing I don't know what just to let the time pass. From time to time, I would go out with women, but they just reminded me of my lost companion and made me feel even more miserable. My decadence was steady and continuous and not even my mother was able to make me react. I only did once she got sick and I just realized I simply was not ready for it. The salary I had was simply not enough, and only then I realized how much time and money I had wasted instead of trying to get a better position. If I had gotten promoted just by two ranks, I would have been able to at least be in a better position. Anyway… about Anggie…

- "Son, did you read this?"- my mother approached me cautiously. She was already sick, but this was one of those moments were she was well enough to walk- "I supposed it was better for you to know…"

It had been some years I had not heard anything about Anggie, but now my mother gave me the newspaper and in the section of Hot News, they showed an article of a recent wedding. It was Anggie who had just gotten married with a wealthy businessman who was the son of a friend of his father. Her father could also be seen in the picture. He seemed very happy and I was sure he preferred that man to me so I hoped he would stop to nag them as he had dfone with me. I saw Anggie with nostalgic eyes. She looked beautiful in a white dress and I hated myself for not giving her the opportunity to dress like that due to my foolishness. My mother looked at me with worry but I assured her I was fine. It was the truth since I only wished her the best. She deserved to be happy and I was sure now she would be able to live the luxurious and stable life she deserved.

- "If only life were that fair…"

I stood in front of a rusted old door waiting for someone to open it. After knocking some more times, a small hole opened and I could see the eyes of a suspicious man who looked at me for a moment.

- "All teams in position"- I heard through the intercom in my helmet.

- "Start!"- I whispered as I activated my exoskeleton armor systems

- "Password?"- he said, but then I just raised a rifle gun and pointed at him.

BOOM!

The door was blasted open and I entered starting to shoot anything that moved using the last movement and heat detector system in my helmet. It also had the particular program to work in sync with my arm armor to help with my aiming. Humans are really the best at creating tools of destruction and ways to kill in more effective ways.

RATATATTATATATATATATATA

BOOM!

- "Intruder argh!!!"

- "Sound the alarm, we have to count… blegh…!"

The alarm resounded all around the base, but I knew it was for nothing. This base was not a high level one, and so the team I had gathered was easily taking it over. My team was a battle-hardened professional specialized in infiltration and assassination. They also had the latest equipment, gear and genetic upgrades. They wuld be able to even compete with the military if they wanted to, so the people in this base were simply unable to resist us.

- "Why are you doing this? No! Wait!!

- "Who are you? Please! Ahhhh!"

RATTATATATATA RATTATATATATA

I did not answer and just coldly eliminated any person on my way. I only had one objective and nobody would stand in my way.

- "Sector 1-4 clear"

- "Sector 5- 8 clear"

The informs kept coming and after an hour the building was taken and I was finally in front of the last bunker where my prey was surely waiting for me. I placed bombs on the wall.

- "Kill everyone except for the objective"- I ordered and the team nodded

KABOOM

The team entered and after a short and pathetic attempt to defend, every single person in the room was cleared out except for one who was painfully squirming in the floor.

- "The mission has been accomplished"- said the team leader who approached me with a tablet on his hand- "as per the contract all the loot is ours except for your prey."

- "Deal"- I simply said as I siged the deal and approached the man who I was looking for.

- "Mercy… please… I am wounded."

I looked at him feeling my rage boiling inside me. However, I still managed to give the man in front of me first aid treatment before taking him like a potato sack and putting it in my hover vehicle. I could not let him die so easily, not after all the trouble I had to go into just to track him down. He had to pay and I wuld make sure he would feel every trace of fury I was feeling. You may be asking who this man was. Well, he was Anggie's ex-husband.

- "Who are you… what do you want?"- the ex-husband laid tied up in a hospital bed unable to move. I took my time and started to polish and sharpen the instrument I would soon use on his flesh. You may be thinking I was doing this due to jealousy… However, you would be wrong to think like that. I would never hurt anyone who had been good to Anggie, but the bustard in front of me was the lowest scum you can think of.

- "Listen… I have resources hidden that nobody know, we can make a deal…"- he pleaded thinking he could weasel out by bribing me.

After the End, I had tried to find any news on my family and Anggie. After some digging, I found out all the crap this monster had done since the day he had married Anggie. He was a renown sadist who had the worst fetishes one could expect. Especially the ones related to violence. He had used Anggie to the point that she had to be taken to the hospital many times. I do not know what the hell his father was doing, but Anggie had to bear with this violent man for years. When she had children, the man had directed his abuse to his children and Anggie had protected them the best she could. According to the information I got, she had gone to the police many times to accuse him, but her husband was friends with high ranking officers and they never did a thing, except telling him so he could hit her for trying. He reminded her constantly that if she tried to escape, he would hunt her and kill her along with the children, so she had to bear with the situation.

- "Please… I'll give you anything you want… ARGH!"- he screamed when I cut the tendon on his feet.

- "Sharp enough…"- I said and then I brought the cart and placed it next to him who looked in horror to the different tools I had there.

After he grew tired of her, he of course cheated with many other women and I read that he had intentionally emotionally torture her flaunting those women in front of her even sleeping with them iin their room and when the children wre in the house. Finally, when the End came, he had sold her and his own children to some slave traders in order to get resources to build the base I had just razed to the ground some hours prior. My sweet Anggie had disappeared alogn with her children probably dying who knows where and when. I wish that she had a quick and merciful end at least, but knowing very well the typical fates of slaves during the End… I know it is just wishful thinking.

- "What's this?"- he asked looking around maybe trying to distract himself from his own horror.

- "My surgery room"- I replied playing with a scalpel in front of him so he focused on it- "and your resting place…"

- "What are you going to do?"

- "First I will inject this…"- I showed liquid adrenaline- it will stop you from fainting due to the pain. And also this, which will amplify the pain many levels. After that I will cut you piece by piece starting from your toes until I end in…

Once I knew what he had done, I hunted him down. I discovered his rotten hideout and infiltrated while taking notes of everything on it. I had used all my savings to hire the best infiltration team and finally raided and completely razed his base to the ground. I killed every single bastard living in there and now I planned to torture the bastard to death for hours until I felt satisfied.

- "Don't worry I will take my time"- I said as he started crying and tried to talk to me but I immediately put a piece of clothing on his mouth- "This is for you not to try and bite your tongue willingly or by accident, I wouldn't want you to choke either, no… you will be very comfortable until I you see how I skin you and cut into pieces to make you suffer until you can't bear it anymore.

- "Wait please wait!!!!"- he shouted in pain and crying before I fixed the cloth on his mouth- "who are you? Why are you doing this? Whoever is paying you… I'll pay double… no triple!!!"

- "You would never be able to pay for a single hair of hers…"

- "WHO?"

- "Anggie…"

- "But she….. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

When I finished, I was completely drenched in blood and fluids. Allthat remained from the bastard was a peeld craneun with half his torso. I could have make him suffer more but for some reason I heard Anggie's voice telling me to stop.

- "Ahhh, Anggie, I know you would have begged me to stop and forgive. You would have asked me to stop. You were so kind and good. I did things to that guy which would have make you have nightmares so it's better you were not there to see it. I just tell you that I made him pay for all the things he did to you and your children."

I cracked the neck and cut it and raised his skull in the air as if presenting it as an offering to her.

- "I was not man enough when I lived with you, my beautiful Anggie, but I assure I was man enough to avenge you when you went away."

I stopped recollecting the memory and then I realized I was grinning in pleasure. Even though it was grotesque and cruel scene, it still made me smile.

- "I must be crazy-"- I said to myself and truth to be told, no person who managed to stay alive in the End was totally sane- "how can I smile after remembering this…"

However, I think the real reason I was smiling was because that scene did not have to happen in this life. Anggie was here and now I could make things right with her. I disappointed her and put her in danger due to not being able to keep her safe next to me.

- "This time, I will not let her go. I will become so stable and powerful she doesn't have to suffer the same destiny"- I promised to myself adding her to the list of people I have to protect- "This time, I will make you happy, my angel!"

I returned to my home and put a note on my secret diary. It seems my memory is not completely well after regressing. There were things I forgot so I needed to make sure what I knew and what I did not to advance my plans. In that moment I see the package on my bed.

"Mr. Cristian Mireillos:

Congratulations for accomplishing the assigned mission succesfully. According to the deal made with you, you have received the reward mentioned and we hope to count on you in future endeavors.

Mission succesfully accomplished....

Reward: Genetic Booster F3 Class. Instructions for the use written on the container.

Best Regards

C.K"