22 APARTMENT OF HER OWN (2)

She followed him and sat down on the sofa by his side. He took her hand and she felt him still trembling a little. She must have hurt him by her rebellious actions, now she wished he would not find out that she was working again, that might push him to further to extremes.

"Mary, you must know how much you matter to me, so much that I cannot stand the thought that something or someone might take you away from me. It's best if you don't go out alone. The bracelet is meant to just remind you of my regard. Do you understand?"

"I do," she squeezed his hand letting him feel her support and understanding. But in her mind involuntarily she already wondered whether she really could not take off this bracelet he was speaking about. She could do nothing about the rebellious spirit of hers.

"I also want to discuss with you the rented apartment of yours…" Daniel continued.

"What's with it?" Mary tried to sound as innocent as possible.

"Someone else paid for it, that's what's with it!" There was a dangerous glint in Daniel's eyes. "I want you to move out from it."

Mary swallowed, made several breaths and started searching for correct word which might help her prevent this catastrophe.

"But what of it? Even if someone paid for it? I can just keep my things there, no problem can come out of it…" she tried to persuade him. Now that Jim paid for half a year rent Mary thought it to be very convenient for her to have a place of her own and also she would not need to move her things.

"Mary, I want you to hear me. You should move out from this apartment! Tomorrow I'll arrange for the truck to take your things and you'll go to cancel your contract with the landlord. Alright?" He sounded very determined and Mary started to suspect that he actually knew who paid for her apartment; he just did not want to tell her. But she did not need him to tell her anything, she knew it as well and still could not understand why she should refuse from a place of her own.

"I want to have an apartment of my own…" Now she said it, she held her breath waiting for his reaction.

"And why?" he started to get angry again.

But she did not know how to explain it even to herself, let alone Daniel. She just wanted a place of her own. Was it forbidden?

"I just… want it." In the end she failed to find the right kind of words.

Daniel took a deep breath, nodded and announced his final verdict, "Then I'll find another apartment for you and we'll move your things there. Hope you're satisfied now. I'm a bit tired; I'll take a shower and go to sleep."

He stood up and left without even hearing Mary's opinion about his new plan regarding her apartment change. She signed. She suddenly wanted to unblock Jim's number, send him a furious message and block it once again.

But she fought those childish impulses and hovered in her thoughts on this new turn of events. Her apartment change did not seem as critical as this bracelet he promised to bring her tomorrow. She tried to remember whether among her acquaintances there was a person specializing in this kind of things.

She took her phone and started scanning her contact list when a message from an unknown number popped up on her screen:

"Blacklisted me again?"